Let’s think about how much God loves us. He sent His Son to live among us, to give us a glimpse of Himself. He allowed His Son to be brutally sacrificed to cover our sins. He raised Him from the tomb to sit at His right hand and intercede for us. Then, so we wouldn’t be alone, He sent His holy Spirit to dwell in us, to guide us, comfort us, strengthen us, and give us wisdom. He wants us to cast our cares upon Him so He can handle them for us and then He has prepared a place for us in heaven for eternity! And what does He ask in return? As Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, accept His gift of grace through Jesus, love your neighbor as yourself, love one another, forgive one another. Nothing too hard, just a lot of loving and accepting and forgiving. He gives us so much and asks so little in return. It really gripes me when people whine about God not loving them. The question that begs to be asked is not how much does God love you but how much do you love God!
There have been many controversial figures throughout history and controversial figures tend to stir things up. Jesus was probably the most controversial figure ever and just the mention of His name can stir things up over 2000 years later. He stirred up the religious leaders and people of His day, challenging their hypocrisy and attitudes. Something that caused them consternation was when He told them that if they ate His flesh and drank His blood they would abide in Him and He in them. Now, obviously, He wasn’t saying to become cannibalistic vampires but to take on the whole essence of His being but many couldn’t handle that saying and walked away from Him. There are many things in Christianity that are difficult to comprehend, that challenge us, but do we walk away because they hurt our feelings or do we dig deeper to understand them? Jesus said we all have our own cross to bear, suggesting that Christianity isn’t always a walk in the park, but you don’t have to walk it alone. He is always with you, the Holy Spirit is always with you, His people are always with you, every step of the way. Hey, it ain’t easy, that’s why we need to let Him guide us along the narrow way.
Yesterday was fantastic, perfect weather, praise and worship, outstanding music, great message! I could go on long about the blessings of Easter but let me instead encapsulate one of the songs Larry Ford sang yesterday. From “In Christ Alone”:
In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song … Till on the cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied, for every sin on Him was laid, here in the death of Christ I live … Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again … For I am His and He is mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ …No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me …Till He returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”
Such a powerful song. Let us all stand in that power, show the world that power, show the world that love! The world gets more unlovable every day, as were we, but He still loved us.We thank You so much Lord for that blessed Easter morning!
Most people don’t realize that Alfred E. Neuman was a Christian. I mean, he must have been. Look at the words he is most famous for, “What, me worry?” Isn’t that the motto every Christian has hanging on their mantle? It should be! God is an awesome God! The earth is filled with His glory, there is nothing He can’t do! He created the birds & the bees, the rocks & the trees, the mountains & streams, He created you! There is no problem too big or too small that He doesn’t understand and want to help you overcome, but you do have to ask Him for help. You do do that, don’t you? Christians should have the most wrinkle free faces since they don’t need to worry or fret because they can cast all their cares on the Lord for He cares for them. Take a look in the mirror, got more wrinkles than you should have? Why? Nothing is impossible with or for God. Are you only trusting Him with eternal things and not daily things? He is the God of everything, trust Him with your everythings! Be patient, His timing is perfect, and watch His loving hand work wonders in your life, and if you’re not already, you’ll soon be saying, “What, me worry?”
As John recorded one of Jesus’ last prayers on earth, notice the theme He was praying. “… that they all may be one, as You, Father, are one in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe You sent Me … that they may be one just as We are one: I in them and You in Me; that they may be perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent me …” In many of Paul’s letters, he pleads the same thing, unity. We are to be one so the world will believe God sent Jesus. So how are we doing on that? Terrible! What is wrong with humans? I guess they are just human but that’s no excuse. When we accept God’s grace, Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we become His children, one family, one with Him. Yeah, every family bickers over things, but this is more than your earthly family. He gave us a few simple rules to follow, a few steps to follow, nothing all that hard. We are to be “one so that the world may believe.” Let me reiterate that one more time. We are to be one so that the world may believe. That is a major responsibility on our part. Our first priority in all things should be obedience to Him and to put our egos in our back pocket and sit on it. In this messed up world, now more than ever, we need to follow Jesus’ words, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
What motivates you? Promise of a big reward or something in the hand right away? A drill sergeant screaming in your face or someone softly whispering in your ear? We all are motivated in different ways but when it comes to worshiping the Lord, we should be motivated by gratitude. Think about who God is (or try to even comprehend His awesome being), then think about His incredible, marvelous creation, then realize that the One who put the stars in place wants to have a personal relationship with you so much that He provided the way through His Son’s sacrifice, and then He wants to give you His Holy Spirit and an eternal home! If that doesn’t motivate you with gratitude I guess nothing will! Just like the early church, we should be excited and full of joy, looking forward to meeting together whenever we can and wanting to share that excitement and joy with others. So, stop sucking on lemons, enter His gates with thanksgiving in your heart, enter His courts with praise, and invite others to share your joy!
Let’s think about how much God loves us. He sent His Son to live among us, to give us a glimpse of Himself. He allowed His Son to be brutally sacrificed to cover our sins. He raised Him from the tomb to sit at His right hand and intercede for us. Then, so we wouldn’t be alone, He sent His holy Spirit to dwell in us, to guide us, comfort us, strengthen us, and give us wisdom. He wants us to cast our cares upon Him so He can handle them for us and then He has prepared a place for us in heaven for eternity! And what does He ask in return? As Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” Love the Lord your God with all your heart, accept His gift of grace through Jesus, love your neighbor as yourself, love one another, forgive one another. Nothing too hard, just a lot of loving and accepting and forgiving. He gives us so much and asks so little in return. It really gripes me when people whine about God not loving them. The question that begs to be asked is not how much does God love you but how much do you love God!
There have been many controversial figures throughout history and controversial figures tend to stir things up. Jesus was probably the most controversial figure ever and just the mention of His name can stir things up over 2000 years later. He stirred up the religious leaders and people of His day, challenging their hypocrisy and attitudes. Something that caused them consternation was when He told them that if they ate His flesh and drank His blood they would abide in Him and
