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All Our Aim

Beloved Lord and God who saves,
Jesus’ blood’s our only claim —
We cannot purify ourselves,
We run to bless his holy Name.

Draw near to you, our greater goal,
To hear the words, “Well done, my child!”
We seek you with our life and soul,
In Christ redeemed and reconciled.

Your powerful presence, nothing more,
Is all our aim and pure desire;
To enter in at heaven’s door,
To feel the Holy Spirit’s fire.

Your strength to put away all sin,
We need the gospel’s sure defense —
Let suffering in the Lord begin!
The battle for the prize commence!

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Let Nothing Here Weigh More

Food and drink and work and rest,
And love, above all, for family and friends;
With gifts like these we’re richly blessed —
O Lord, upon you our life depends.

More than all this world’s desires,
And more than bodily comfort and peace —
Earthly existence which soon expires —
Is perfect life that does not cease.

Let nothing here weigh more to me
Than knowledge of you and home in heaven;
And may I hear your voice and see
The joys of hope that daily beckon.

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Immerse Yourself in Them

There are two ways to enter a pool: cannonball or creep.  Those who creep endure a slow, inch-by-excruciating-inch torture of cold water on their feet, ankles, legs, knees, etc. and usually complain loudly at each step of the way until they finally put their heads under and exclaim, “It’s alright once you get in!”  Those who jump right in skip the torture in a split-second shock … and usually splash (and annoy) those creeping in.

This is how it is with a living out of our faith (1 Timothy 4:15-16).

I.  Revelation 3:15-16.  We’ve all been around those who have truly realized the gospel, obeyed it, and then been “on fire” for God.  If we’re ones creeping into our Christian walk, then we might have even found ourselves splashed with a little more church or Jesus than we’re acclimated to.  Paul’s advice to Timothy is immerse himself into His Christian walk.  God does not like lukewarm Christianity!

II.   James 3:1.  Even the first duty of someone seeking to be a shepherd over God’s flock is to watch himself first (Acts 20:28-31).  That is Paul’s next piece of advice to the young evangelist, but it is not just for ourselves that we pay careful attention to how we walk.  We also are to be careful of what we teach to make sure that whether in word or deed we do all according to God’s Word (Colossians 3:17).

III.  James 1:2-12.  Anyone can do right as an event (even a stopped clock is right twice a day), but it takes someone truly committed to walking as Jesus did (1 John 2:6) to persist in living out God’s Word.  If we persevere, Paul tells Timothy that he will save both himself and his hearers.

This doesn’t happen by those inching their way into their Christian walk.  It’s time to cannonball in!

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Jesus Came to Witness

Jesus came to witness to the truth,
He said to Governor Pilate’s agnostic face;
In human flesh, the mind of God he spoke,
As light of the world, he left his glorious place.

O Lord, we’ve no idea of such a jump
That brought him to earth — but what humility!
Because of him your word serves as our lamp,
And we have pardon for eternity.

Let shine his fullest glory, illumine our path,
May love of truth be dear for it’s his nature;
Divert from us, O God, your holy wrath —
Your will is our one reason for existence.

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Thank you

Father in Heaven,

  • Thank you for saving us in the storm, for survival in the assaults of Satan.
  • Thank you that we have joy in the midst of suffering, because you give us reason for the pain and hope of eternal felicity.
  • Thank you for friends, family, and neighbors who are kind and generous.
  • Thank you for the gift of your Son who brings us redemption through the forgiveness of sin.
  • Thank you for your Spirit who informs, transforms, and overcomes the evil one.
  • Thank you for the certainty of salvation, for the surety of truth, for the confidence of faith.
  • Thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to serve, for a reason to live, for the purpose of relationship with you, now and forever.

Amen.

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Our Lists

Our lists, O Lord, but not for Nick,
And not for tasks to do;
We seek no answer, clean and quick —
Our lists are made for you.

Our lists of stubborn sinners, of saints,
Of gospel doors and needs,
We ask and knock, with no constraints,
For where the Spirit leads.

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The Lord Has Indeed Risen

A resurrection lesson just before Christmas?  It makes sense if we realize that Jesus was the baby born to die.  The angel declared to Joseph in Matthew 1:21 as Mary was with child that Jesus would save their people from their sins.  The second person of the Godhead took on flesh in Bethlehem so that He could die on the cross for our sins and be raised for our redemption.  Good news indeed!

I.  Luke 24:13-27.  Not all get this–even those who would call upon His name.  Like the two who were in Jerusalem and heard that Jesus was alive, we too trudge on to Emmaus, not realizing the implication of what His resurrection means for us.  We need to spend time with the risen Savior and let Him speak to us of how His sufferings were necessary for Him to overcome death for us.

II.  Luke 24:28-32.  Just like their eyes were opened with the breaking of bread, so must we be cut to the heart (Acts 2:36-41) like those at Pentecost.  We have to have a moment of awakening to what God has done for us through the gospel.  And no wonder the reenactment of the Lord’s Supper hit them.  No doubt that Jesus spoke of the Passover from their history in escaping slavery in Egypt and how the Christ was the Lamb of God, whose blood saved them from death (1 Peter 1:17-21).

III.  Luke 24:33-35.  Tired from their seven-mile journey no more, the disciples, hearts burning from the Scriptures made alive in them, returned to Jerusalem that same day, bursting in on the remaining Eleven with the good news that Jesus had indeed risen.  It was the same information that they had left Jerusalem with earlier that day, but this time they were convinced and could not contain the joy of that message.

Awakened to the good news of great joy, these two followers didn’t need to be told to tell others; they couldn’t wait to proclaim the gospel!  God’s plan has been there all along: He would be born a baby to grow up without sin to die on the cross and then be raised from the dead.  Do you truly know this?  Or are you trudging on your way to Emmaus?

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Save us!

Heavenly Father, heaven is the only worthy goal for the future. All else will perish. Nothing will last except eternal life at your side. Save us!

Powerful Lord, the forces of the world would crush us on every side. The little ones of the earth possess no means of resistance. You alone can protect. Save us!

Only true and living God, the idols of man cannot speak, yet permit their makers to make up a religion that pleases them. All these are nothing but will waste away at the breath of the wind. Save us!

For salvation, see this simple study:
A few minutes with someone who loves you.

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Our isolated brothers and sisters in the Middle East

Father, today we remember to pray for our isolated brothers and sisters in the Middle East, who live under the stress of threats. They often must move for their safety or send family members to different location. They change their phones and take other precautions against persecution. Many of them meet in secret.

Bless these saints who are often in danger of their lives and well-being. Protect them in their faith. Let the gospel grow and be strong among them. Make them sure of their reward in Christ. Let them know that they have a brotherhood scattered among the world who also suffers in many ways.

And we also ask for all of us who seek to live godly lives, constantly under assault from the evil one, ever under duress from temptation, from the injustice and immorality of this world. Let us not be weighed down by the struggle. Rather, let us be joyful that we suffer for the name of Christ. Remind us that our present sufferings are but a light weight, for a little time, here on the earth.

We await the coming of our Lord. We want to rejoice at his appearance. We look for salvation. May he come soon!

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If You Are …

Who are you at the cross?  One who scoffs? Challenges God to prove who He is? Like a soldier just there out of obligation hoping to collect a paycheck?  A follower who deserted at the garden who has slunk back to the edges of the cross hoping not to be recognized?  One who weeps for the terrible way they treated Jesus?  Like the first criminal hanging beside him who doubts but turns to Him in desperation?  Or, are you like the second one who took accountability for his sins and turned to the One you know to be the Son of God to save you?

I.  Luke 23:32-39.  Jesus is the I Am whether we acknowledge Him or not.  In Psalm 22:12-18, those surrounding the cross are described as lions, dogs, and bulls.  If Jesus would have given in to earthly taunts, He would have saved only Himself, but He followed His Father’s heavenly plan and died to save us all.  Just because man couldn’t see the plan didn’t make Him any less God in the flesh.  Rather, His work on the cross gave those obedient to Him eternal life (Hebrews 5:7-9).

II.  Matthew 10:32-33.  There are so many ways we deny Jesus each and every day.  Notice Jesus forgave the people from the cross before they began.  Surrounding Him there were those who defied, those who were duty-bound, and those who doubted.  Sadly, Christians today often fall into these categories of those who wear His name while compromising with the world (2 Timothy 3:1-7).

III.  Luke 23:40-43.  There was one, however, the second criminal who hung beside Jesus who, even though under the sentence of death, acknowledged his sins and who Jesus was.  He was promised Paradise because of it.  This criminal rebuked the first that He did not fear God, which is our duty (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).    We should all live as if we know we’re dying and obey the gospel (Acts 2:36-40).

Save yourself from this crooked generation’ is the same appeal today.  Save yourself from those surrounding the cross.  Be instead like the dying believer who was hanged next to Jesus.