Author: kezha1

We want it both ways. We are happy to share in Christ’s resurrection…but have a difficult time sharing in His sufferings. Somehow we imagine that Jesus’ sufferings at Calvary weren’t as horrific as portrayed…but we need to remember that He was not only fully God, but also fully man…and capable of feeling every searing pain imaginable. Not only that, but it says that He suffered and died for us, leaving us an example – or a pattern – to follow…uniting us to Him by our sufferings. (I Peter 2:21-24) But we still want it both ways. It tells us to arm ourselves with the same attitude…the same mindset and intention by living for God’s glory and not our own. To look at our sufferings as character building opportunities, so hiding our life in Christ that we then possess the motivation and power to resist sin through the Holy Spirit. And when we accept both shared experiences…Christ’s resurrection as well as His sufferings…our purpose changes from living for self to living for His glory.

Israel’s breaking of the covenant that God made with them when He redeemed them out of Egypt is vividly illustrated by the broken marriage covenant between Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. But throughout the Chapter there still remains the promise of restoration. But with the promise there also comes responsibility and accountability on our part. God called His wayward children to repentance, conversion, and a solemn seeking after His Word….a call to true knowledge of the Lord. (Hosea 6:3) It meant an acceptance in the teaching of the Gospel Message as seen in I Corinthians 15:4…our absolute belief and trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this verse above, we see the true promise of God – a chance to live anew, revived, and restored… all the while it showcasing God’s great fidelity, faithfulness, and covenant keeping on our behalf.

Psalm 39:4 tells us, “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.” If we all knew the exact day of our demise, would we choose to act differently today? Would we cherish every day, filling it with as much purpose as possible…or would we flitter it away in apathetic stupor? With the Holiday let-down, and here in the USA the Winter Season doldrums…compounded with COVID, many of us are in this kind of spiritual fog. But this is not the time to allow our minds to become numb and slow. This verse wants us to make every day productive, to actively distinguish between right and wrong by seeking the One True God daily, and to use wise judgment in all our plans…for in reality our days are fleeting and we need to make good use of each one.

Peter was known for his overly enthusiastic, impetuous manner…of not thinking before he spoke, and thus ending up usually putting his foot into his mouth. Here we see the same kind of brashness, as Peter presumptuously asks the Lord why he can’t go with him. As a Believer you too will go through a time of waiting on the Lord. A season of postponements, delay, and inactivity…when the Peter in you just wants to follow Jesus NOW! But Jesus didn’t tell Peter that he would be left behind forever…rather, Jesus told Peter that he would follow Him at a later time. So what can we do while we play this waiting game? Lots! Spend this time in personal growth of your knowledge in Christ, look to His example in order to align your life closer to His, deepen your fellowship of trust and obedience in the Lord as you study the Word, finally, take on the role of servanthood and self-denial as you share in His sufferings. Suddenly this time of waiting is no longer a hindrance, but a time of profound individual growth…which is what the Lord wanted in the first place for you as you waited.

If you take the time today to read Psalm 107 in its entirety, you’ll find examples four times of God’s steadfast love and illustrations of His readiness to answer the prayers of His people in times of trouble. (See verses 6, 13, 19, and 28) From the lost wandering in the wilderness alone, or being a chained slave to sin and shame, or bearing the consequences of foolish behavior, or being battered by the storms of life…each time when His people cried out to the Lord, He heard and saved them from their distress…showing His divine power and might to control the seemingly impossible situations. Whatever anguish, affliction, or stress you’re going through today, know that God is there, willing and able to come to your rescue…if you will just call on His Name.

The peace of Jesus Christ is there for the asking…He offers it without condemnation or reproach. If your life right now is far from peaceful…if you long to feel inner calmness, hope, and comfort…look to Jesus. John 6:63 tells us that when the Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words Jesus speaks are “spirit and life”. So by receiving His words and looking fully into His face, we can receive His quiet contentment and the peace we have been searching for. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to “Fix our eyes on Jesus…” For no matter how much worrying we do, we will never worry our way out of the trial we’re in. But by fixing our eyes on Jesus and not on the circumstances around us, our confusion will stop…for there is no disorder in the Lord, (I Corinthians 14:33) and as we reflect on His peace, we will be filled with comfort and joy.

On this first day of 2022 let us all resolve to put off the old and put on the new…striving to become more like our Savior. Here are what I call the five foundations for doing this.

Forgive The kindest thing you’ll ever do for yourself is to forgive the other person that has wronged you. You will never be able to change the past, but you can change how you live today, and holding on to resentment, hatred and bitterness is only hurting yourself. Forgive others.

Forego In Luke 9:62 Jesus said, ” No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” When we forego, we surrender and relinquish the past and everything that goes with it to the Lord…while refusing to allow guilt and shame to drag us back. Forego what is behind.

Forget The past is the past…let it remain there. Philippians 3:13 tells us, “Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead…” That means taking off the lies of hopelessness, powerlessness, and invalidation and putting on the truth of God’s love, grace, mercy, and hope.

Forsake Leave behind unhealthy habits…cast off secret sins…put aside all things that rob time away from being in God’s Word. Get rid of any cunning intentions that linger in your life.

Follow We can’t follow the Leader if we don’t know who He is. Matthew 16:24 tells us plainly, ” If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” You also can’t follow the Leader if you don’t have a trusting relationship with Him, and that will never happen until you get into the Bible and experience Him for yourself.

On this last day of 2021, like yesterday, we’re going to look at the past…but in a much different way. In this Scripture Jesus is talking to a paralytic that had been carried to Him by friends. In this setting, no doubt, all the disciples were witness to this miracle as the man got up, threw his mat over his shoulder, and walked away healed. For we see Peter in Acts 9:34 speaking to longtime paralytic in the same manner…but with one big difference. “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat. Immediately Aeneas got up.” Peter knew where the healing power came from. But in both Scriptures Jesus and Peter tell the paralytics to pick up their mats and go home…not to leave them behind, or burn them…but to take them home. Their mats represented their past…as dirty, nasty, and stinky as they might be, they were still their past – their irrefutable testimony of what Jesus did in their lives. But so often as we heal and move on from our past, our mat gets put in the closet…away out of sight. The plain truth is we don’t want to be reminded and we think no one else would want to hear our testimony…but I would ask you this one question today. If, when you were in the very worst part of your situation, someone had shared their story with you and how the Lord had brought them through victoriously…how would it of helped you? Just to be able to talk to someone that had been in a similar situation and to listen to them talk about God’s mercy, grace, and hope would no doubt make a huge difference in how you looked at your own trial. We think nobody wants to hear our testimony…but I know there’s someone out there today that is desperate to hear it…so it can give them hope to hold on one more day.

With only a day left of 2021, I find this quote from Oswald Chambers very appropriate, “Beware of paying attention or going back to what you once were, when God wants you to be something that you have never been.” We will never experience God’s Will if we refuse to let go of the past. For choosing His Will over ours, when we’re forever looking over our shoulder at the past, is difficult if not just plain impossible to do. It’s like being tied to the dock…and if we don’t cut the line ourselves – God may use a storm to sever the mooring for us. So examine what might be holding you back from doing God’s Will today. It might be long held on to anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness…it may be fear of the unknown…it may be spiritual apathy. Regardless, today is a good day to say “Yes” to moving forward in God’s Will for your life. For it’s only when we choose to do God’s Will, and let the past to the past, can we truly experience all that God has for us.

The disciples were feeling pretty full of themselves when they asked Jesus this cringe-worthy question at the beginning of this Chapter…”Who’s the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” The Twelve were no doubt jockeying for status and recognition among the rest and wanted Jesus to publicly name His favorites. This is when Jesus sat a young child on His lap and began to school them in the true meaning of having a servant’s attitude. To the disciples, children were a irritating distraction from their work…while Jesus welcomed children to Him wherever He traveled. So with the little one as His visual aid, Jesus compared a child’s dependence upon others and how they humbly accepted what they could not provide for themselves, but also their plucky boldness to ask for things, to the self-serving attitude the disciples were exhibiting. He reminded them that if anyone would be first, he must humbly be last, and servant of all. (Mark 9:35) And so it goes for us today, our Spiritual life must be one of a child…not uncertain of God, but purely trusting Him for all our needs…and of having a child-like relationship and a life full of spontaneous, joyful expectancy.