Why are you here?

I’m reading the Pastoral Epistles right now. 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. This morning, I came across a passage in 1 Timothy that made me realize, again, why Jesus came here.

It wasn’t to affirm good behavior. No. It was to save sinners. Purely, simply, a rescue mission in enemy territory.

“…but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus…” 1 Timothy 1:13-14

So, Jesus died for me as a sinner. I’m now supposed to share my hope and joy with others who Jesus died for as well. All other things are God’s gifts to me while I’m here. But my true purpose…the “why am I here?” question has been answered. What else do I have now to worry about?

Bigger than me

Do you ever have one of those days? You know, when you’re just not sure about what you believe, and about how God can love me when I turn away so often?

Yesterday was one of those days for me, until, talking with a friend of mine, I realized something. God is so much bigger, and “other” than me! He can love me despite my problems because He chooses to…wow!

I’ll be with you

I just want to say that I’m very blessed. My God has never failed me, not once…and I know that He’s with me. How do I know this? Because, as I read Psalm 91 this morning, the words were just jumping off of the page at me.

“…when (he) calls to me, I will answer.”

All I need to do is just call out. I’m stumbling around and getting frustrated, or sad, or lonely, and all the while I’ve got my savior right there with me when I call to him. Thank you Lord!

hey…I’m back

Sorry…I haven’t written anything in a while. I’ve been pre-occupied. So, now I’m going to start writing again. Mainly, just what’s going on in my mind. I don’t believe that I’ll piecing themes together or anything…so, we’ll let the words do the talking.
Thank you…jeff

holiness

Holiness is gained through freedom…this is not to be reversed, but it is so easy to think the opposite, that you gain freedom through holiness.

We can’t be made holy until we first accept Christ’s sacrifice for us and come into a life filled with grace. All of that legalism and rule keeping does not bring me any closer to God, because in the end, I’ll break one of the rules. What then?

Paul says to the Galatians “…Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Galatians 3:10

I don’t have a choice on which rules I want to keep, and which ones I’ll let other people go for. I have to either choose to follow the Law, and abide by its curse, or to choose God’s Grace, granted to me through the sacrifice of his Son where my inheritance is in Heaven.

that’s not fair

“…What can be more immoral than to inflict suffering on me for the sake of deterring others, if I do not deserve it…?

So…I’m getting around to the issue of fairness and morality. I can go live a “moral” life right? Do all of the right things, say the right words, volunteer, etc. That’s how I could do a moral life. But would it matter?

No. I still sin.

I need someone to take my place, to take on the punishment I deserve to have inflicted on me.

Jesus didn’t deserve punishment. If you look at his life, he did not sin under the law. Not even once! So, it’s not fair that He was killed and I got off scot free. It’s not fair because it could never be fair.

You know what else isn’t fair? The pain that Christ had to (and because God is outside of our timeline, has to) feel every day when I sin again. The separation of that relationship that is damaged because of sin.

Yet, God isn’t dealing in fairness on this issue. He’s dealing in love. He forgives my sins. He washes me clean. He has made me whole again.

Sure, I don’t deserve this love, but that’s where Grace comes in. Unmerited favor…

Thank you God for your grace. I lift my head to you and praise you for being God, my God, my savior. I have sinned against you, and ask again for your forgiveness Father, and I know that you have forgiven me. Thank you God for letting me come into your presence without needing an advocate any longer. Thank you for the salvation you provided through your Son Jesus The Christ. Please continue to mold my life, to form Christ in me. I yield to your will now Father. Amen.

formed

“…until Christ is formed in you…” [Galatians 4:19]

What is one way Christ can be formed in me or you? I think that we can only be formed when we submit to the sculptor. We have to bring ourselves to Him. Our dirty, useless material needs to be brought to the Maker, and He will form Christ in us.

competition

“…and if souls are free, they cannot be prevented from dealing with the problem by competition instead of courtesy…”

Free…it sounds nice. We’re reading about it in Galatians right now, if you’d like to as well. So, what happens when you suddenly don’t have the same rules and burdens being thrust on you. For me, it would probably go like this:

• I’d be overwhelmed with joy at not having to live under that burden anymore
• I’d start to question those still under the burden
• I’d get uncomfortable not having a list of do’s and don’t’s
• I’d make a new list

Then, I’d use that list to show how much better I am than anyone else. I’ve been reading a book by Donald Miller at the same time that I’ve been going through the C.S. Lewis book. Donald Miller says that we’ve been busy seeing who should be thrown out of the lifeboat and puffing ourselves up to look better than the next person.

But, that doesn’t sound very free. No, that sounds like another system. We’re supposed to emulate the humility of Christ. It’s hard to be humble when you think you’ve got it made, huh?

Thank you God for loving me, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Your love doesn’t involve anything that I have done. Your love is greater than that, bigger than that.

You simply love me, and want me to love You.

advice

“…If Christianity only means one more bit of good advice, then Christianity is of no importance…”

Being a Christian is not a self-help type of faith. It’s not do these three steps and have a happier life. Being a Christian means recognizing that your life can never be enough to work towards God.

And that’s one of the most beautiful things about what I believe. God came to me…God came to Abraham…God is always coming down to us here! It’s His Grace, received through faith, that saves me.

There’s no formula, or equation that you need for this. It is simply that you must believe. That doesn’t make it easy, by any means. In this case, simple and easy are not even in the same category. Golf is simple: you put the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible. Golf is not easy though.

That analogy, though rooted in a sport, is just a picture of what this struggle is.

Remember, if Christianity is just good advice, then it is meaningless. We’ve never been able to follow good advice consistently, and there have been plenty of teachers out there.

the offer

“…if we let God have His way, then we’ll share in the life of Christ…”

That’s the hardest part though. It’s nice to acknowledge Him. It’s even good to praise Him, and worship Him. But really, we’ve got to give Him our lives. Not parts of them, mind you. Our whole life.

When we hold back parts of our lives, it’s like saying that we think we’re good enough to work on those areas. We’re doing nothing more than holding on to death. Death from that separation which Christ came to repair.

I hold on to areas like finances, and day to day stuff. I really don’t know why I don’t remember at every moment to turn to God, to give those things as well.

I also know that when I do turn to Him, when I do remember to give those things to Him, He forgives me and has in fact already forgiven me a long time ago.

Now that’s freedom from my old life like no other that I know!