So We Can Walk Free

When I meditate on the cross, I am overwhelmed.

Jesus went through hell so I could experience heaven… so I wouldn’t have to be eternally tied, hell bound by my sins and circumstances.

It wasn’t pretty. Neither was my sin.

Jesus took it all on His body. Beaten bloody beyond recognition, God’s Son suffered without speaking out for His innocence. Satan gloated over Christ’s death, but our Savior still had the upper hand, completely submitted to His Father.

Betrayed with 30 silver coins, our Jesus paid an unthinkable price for our freedom.

The value of what this uncommon Savior spent on us was more than a mine full of coveted diamonds, more than bread to feed all nations, more than wine to make many hearts merry, and more than the costliest fragrances of the world -- immeasurably more!

The precious Bread of Life, the fragrance of heaven, gave us His all.

He bought us back from the one who had entrapped us from Eden’s days. He stands before the Father upholding the repaid debt.

We can walk free. The accuser has no more legal recourse. We need to remember this when we see his accusing finger.

God paid an unimaginably steep price for our life and freedom. Such extravagant love ties our heart to Lord Jesus.

Jesus has already paid the price we couldn’t pay. Praise God!

And walk free.

For Your Consideration

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NIV)
See also 1 John 1:7-9, and Isaiah 53.

Are you counting on Christ’s finished work at the cross so you can live the life He intended for you?

Is there any place where you have slipped back into the burden of trying to be righteous all by yourself?

My People

Today, I was drawn to the phrase "My people," from the familiar passage, 2 Chronicles 7:14.

I thought of how intentionally God creates a people for Himself. The author of true life and love wants to deliver, lavish love, and form His people into a holy group. God’s love in Christ includes each heart that says “Yes” to all the King’s holy purposes. Those purposes include the joy of worshiping the one true God.

But, all-knowing, our Lord speaks a caveat.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

God had warned them … several times… prior to this occasion of the temple dedication. If they obeyed or disobeyed, they would reap consequences in the fruitfulness of their homes, land, and in their relationships with the neighboring nations.

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people... will humble themselves… and seek my face…”

God knew those times would come. God knew that His people, who were excited in their new temple, would later slide into worshiping gods of their own making though they continued their religious rituals.

We are so like the Israelites. And God's kindness and forgiveness are still as reliable as the sunrise.

Like a groom desiring his betrothed, like a father instructing his children, and like a hen protecting her chicks, the Covenant Keeper provides ways to re-establish relationship and restore covenant. If we will turn again to the Lord, He will forgive us. If we will seek His face above all others, God promises to heal our land.

Are you one of God's people?

For Your Meditation

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9, NIV).

As one of God's people, are you good advertising?

Praise Practice

I have prayed with people who weep, with folk who sing their prayers, and with people who pray through lists. At first, I did what most novices do. I compared myself with seasoned pray-ers and their various styles.

I thought, 'There's no way I can pray like her!' But my heart longed to improve. To pray better. More effectively.

So I started asking God to help me pray like the ones who seemed confident that God was hearing. They seemed to know God well. I would recognize Scripture woven into their prayers with praise sprinkled everywhere.

Praised flowed fluently from one of my friends, while I found praising God beyond 30 seconds difficult. It was just too easy to fall back into asking for things!

To replace my old gimme habit with a longer time of praise, I found the Scriptures the best tool. I'd find a psalm and make the words my own.

As I did that more frequently and for longer times, I found my heart became lighter. It was easier to tell God how I loved and appreciated Him. I started smiling more.

That motivated me to find other passages to pray: Chronicles, Revelation, Ephesians. The more I joined Biblical streams of praise, the more my heart flowed with joy. Practice praying the scriptures gave me what both God and I wanted. I was enjoying His "river of delights."

"How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light." Psalm 36:7-9, NIV


For Your Consideration

If you've never tried practicing praise, perhaps you can ask God's help to guide you to scriptures you can turn into prayers.

Do you find that the more you praise, the more God whets your appetite for His presence? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Try timing yourself. Thirty seconds is longer than you think!

When the Kitchen Sink Backs Up

Last night I washed my dishes in the bathtub. That's because I couldn't rinse them easily in the basin -- my first choice after the kitchen sink.

Earlier that day, I'd worked on the plugged kitchen sink: baking soda, vinegar, hot water. Repeated applications. I got the bubbling going, but no real release of whatever the problem was.

So I pulled out the big guns and emptied my bottle of gel Drano. Some bubbling, but not enough.

I'd heard something that sounded a little odd in the garbage disposal, but didn't feel anything with a hand search. So I promptly moved on to the next thing.

The plumber arrived today. He had to do underground work: dismantle and drain the pipes, so he could solve the problem.

So like our spiritual lives, isn't it?

If there is a little thing clogging our relationship with God, we need to deal with it and keep the drains open. If not, it can attract other junk and lay dormant or hidden from view till it causes you an unpleasant STOP.

No wonder God calls us to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), pour out our hearts to Him (Psalm 62:8), and ask for a clean heart and a renewed spirit (Psalm 51:10). When we notice something that's not quite right, we do well to look more closely, and as soon as possible, instead of hurriedly going back to our busy routines.

Regularly praying Psalm 51 makes us proactive in asking for God to deep clean and reveal what junk needs to be confessed, what attitude needs to be developed, and what fruit of the Spirit needs to be nurtured.

"Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin....

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me....

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." Psalm 51:2,10,12 (NIV)

For Your Consideration

Is there some attitude that could harden into a block if unattended by you and the Holy Spirit?

Would you invite God's counsel on an issue that needs attention?

Sponsor a Child - Compassion

Sponsor a Child - Compassion

This is Efrance, a young girl from Rwanda. Neither she nor I write regularly, but I appreciate her letters, and I expect she does mine.

I want to draw your attention to Compassion, a Christ honoring and effective ministry among third world families who need some physical help. Compassion helps the families and schools their children. It's been a blessing for us to sponsor Compassion children for several years now and I look forward to meeting them one day.

Do check out the ministry. The link (underlined) above will take you to their site and see some of the children waiting to be sponsored. You will also have an opportunity to support the work in Haiti, young leaders, or a child who might be waiting on your commitment. Your heart just might be captured and enlarged.

If you've ever wanted to sponsor a child, but procrastination got the better of you, now might be a good time for you to do so. They are in Haiti as well as several other countries.

If you can't afford to sponsor a child, perhaps you could pray for the ministry or make a one time donation.

Put your Foot in the Water

Last week, my devotional took me to Joshua chapters 3 and 4. My guess is that you may not read much from Joshua either, so I encourage you to read the passage for yourself.

When God instructs us to do something difficult, God will show us how to accomplish His goals. Even if it means crossing a river at flood stage.

We are like the tribes of Israel who were progressing toward their promised land. Unlike the tribes of Israel though, our enemies are often internal, like fear or procrastination. However, if we are attentive for God's voice, He will give us details for our next steps.

Crossing the river was the only way do what God instructed -- conquer the land of promise. But raging waters are no match for people, and they knew that. To take the precious ark and stand in swirling waters must have been dangerous. But God told them to do it, and they did.

God was the One with the power they needed.

The scriptures say that as soon as the priests put their feet in the water, God stopped the flood so the whole army could walk through on dry ground. Can you imagine their joy as they took stones from the river bed to build a marker for this miracle?

If God has spoken clearly, then God will take care of the consequences of our obedience. Even if it seems treacherous, God will take us across the river. After all, He has the power.

For Your Consideration

What might you be afraid of in taking the next step to following Christ?

What intervention do you need from God to obediently cross your river?

I found the picture of the Jordan River at an interesting site that develops many lessons from the account. Though I only scanned it, it looks meaty and worth a visit. http://mudpreacher.files.wordpress.com

Desperation

Feeling desperate is awful. Lonely. Scary.

Yet, as I've experienced the fruit that desperation can bear, I'm more easily able to thank God for how He will use my situation to transform me. So, by the grace of God, desperation is a door to a wider place.

Currently, in my circle of acquaintances, there are several people who are feeling desperate.

Death, economic pressure, job loss, personal failure, anger, fear, feeling out of control... these are some of the pressures we face. These are hard situations, not easy to solve.

I remember when I was a young mother. My husband was gone many days and evenings with his new job, and I, hundreds of miles from my family, was trying to be a good mother. I was doing a good enough job, but in my eyes, I was failing miserably. No matter how much resolve I mustered, I could not seem to be the even keeled mother I wanted to be.

During that time I became depressed, which, in turn, made me aware of my need for someone wiser to help me sift through the important things, and let the unimportant blow away. I was sweating the small stuff as I juggled being a young wife and mom in a new community with a yet undeveloped support group. In addition, in my public life I was trying to be the pastor's wife I thought I should be -- no small demand.

I cried out to God from the depths of my being. And God heard me.

"My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge" Psalm 62:7-8, NIV.


This was a good time to trust Him. As I poured out my heart to God, Mercy led me to a book, Women Who Do Too Much,(Zondervan,1992) by Patricia Sprinkle. God used it to pry me out of a rut and see my situation with new eyes. Then Grace lead me to Hosea 12:10 which helped till and water my fallow ground. I knew I had to camp there for a while, so I memorized the verse. The repetition and focus helped me absorb its truth.

"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you" Hosea 12:10.

From ground freshly prepared by desperation's vulnerability, I reaped a more consistent time with the Lord. No longer was it a good thing. It had become necessary: like breath for life or rain for parched ground. That was the lesson. And that led me to a daily, transforming interaction with the Word of God.

It was an opportune time to seek the Lord, and as I did, God came to me with soothing showers.

For Your Consideration
Is it hard to admit you are desperate?

Can you identify good fruit that God has grown out of your desperation?

Because you know God's love and mercy will bring good out of it, would you pause and thank God for a difficult situation? (Romans 8:28)