There Is Nothing Left To Say But Thank You!

If I were to ask any born again Christian if they believe that Jesus died for all of their sins, I know that nearly all of them would answer with an unequivocal “Yes!”.  And that is great, because Jesus truly did die for all of our sins.  And, if that were all there was to it, I wouldn’t be writing this blog.

Unfortunately, probably a majority of those who answered “yes” to the first question would, if asked, “What do you make of verses like John 1:9 then?”, would answer with something to the effect of we need to keep short accounts with God, otherwise we will be out of fellowship with Him.  It is that issue that I would like to address in this post.

If Jesus truly died for all of our sins, and I believe there is ample evidence to conclude this decisively, then there are no sins left for God to hold against us, correct?  If God is still holding my sins against me, then it must not really be forgiven.  If it is not forgiven, how can it be dealt with?  It seems to me that if any of my sins are yet unforgiven that Jesus would have to die once again to make payment for it.  And we know the Bible is clear, that is not going to happen.  The Bible says that Christ died for sins once!

Another explanation I have heard is that today, we get our sins forgiven by confessing them  to God and then repenting of them.  Really?  If sins can be forgiven by confession and repentance, then why did Christ have to die?  If we believe that sins can be forgiven so easily today, then we are doing two things, first, we are drastically under estimating the seriousness of sin, and second, we are drastically under valuing the preciousness of Christ’s blood.  We are saying that our (works) confession and repentance are of equal value to Christ’s blood.  I would call that pretty close to blasphemy, wouldn’t you?

No, the title of this piece says it all.  When we sin, there is nothing that we can do but fall on our face in worship and thanksgiving that our God has already forgiven our sin when Jesus spilled His precious blood on our behalf and accept His free gift of Love for His children.

The person who lives a life of confession and repentance lives in constant fear that he might have missed  a sin, or that maybe his confession or repentance is not sincere enough.

The person who lives a life knowing that His sins are already forgiven lives in continual thanksgiving, worship, and praise of His Lord for the gracious gift He has provided.

I Decided To Drown...Don't Save Me

Reblogged from Be Better Not Bitter:

photo credit: photobucket.com

Lord, if you are the ocean then I'm drowning! Sinking to the bottom of your love. I will breathe in you. I don't want to breathe the air of the enemy. For it pollutes my lungs. I rather swallow the living water that flows from you.

I put my trust in you and only you Lord. This world is wicked and I know it is not where I want to reside.

Read more… 188 more words

This is a really excellent perspective on our immersion in The Lord.

A Christian Call To Action – 2 Chron 7:14

I read an excellent blog post today by a good friend named Debra Aiken.  I don’t know if you’ve read Debra’s blog before but Debra is really on fire for the Lord.  I have been blessed so many times reading her posts knowing that I am hearing a message the Spirit had planned just for me.The post I read today is a call to action for all Christians, and is based on 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Minister Aiken starts her post like this:

2 Chronicles 7:14 – If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.

Oh, what a promise that God sends not only to America, but to the world on this morning! Healing is available to the world again, on today! God is offering us another opportunity to repent, turn from our wicked ways and seek Him on this day that the Lord has made.

Read more of Minister Aiken’s article here.

God’s New Math: Addition Through Subtraction

This morning our Pastor’s sermon was on sanctification and his title was the same as this post.  He preached from two texts, which I quote:

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness andworldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³  waiting for our blessedhope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.  –  Titus 2:11-14

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.  –  1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

The best part of the sermon though was the illustration, which was about the purifying of silver.

Silver is mined from the ground in the form of silver ore.  The ore is pulverized into powder and then put into a pot or cauldron where it is heated to over 900 degrees Celsius.  As the silver melts, it sinks to the bottom, being heavier than the surrounding ore.  Once all of the silver is melted, the slag, or dross, is left on the top where it is scooped off and disposed of.  When the process is almost complete, the refiner will stir the molten silver to make sure that there are no pockets of slag remaining under the surface.  As these pockets are loosened, they too float to the top, where they can be disposed of.

The refiner knows the process of purification (or in human terms, sanctification) is complete when he looks into the surface of the silver and sees his own image reflected without blemish.

The analogy of God purifying His saints is perfect.  As God subtracts the sin from our lives, He replaces it with His holiness.  His work in us is complete when He looks into our being, and the reflection He sees is His own, perfect in holiness.

 

My daily prayer:  Lord, I ask that You remove from my life anything that displeases You, until all that You see when You look at me is You.

Take My Life

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

 

Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every power as You choose.

 

::Chorus::
Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it’s all for Thee.

 

Take my will and make it Thine
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is Thine own
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord I pour
At Your feet it’s treasure store
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

 

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it’s all for Thee.

 

Here am I, all of me.
Take my life, it’s all for Thee.

Revival Is Our Only Hope

Having grown up in a home that was politically active,it is second nature for me to cast a watchful eye towards America’s political landscape and the political, social, and economic problems we now face.

But as bad as Americas problems may be, or the problems being faced by other nations for that matter, I am thoroughly convinced that answers  are not to be found in the political, social, and economic arenas.  The reason for this conviction is simple.  America’s, or the world’s, woes are spiritual, and offering solutions in these arenas of human endeavor will only add to and extend the problem.