Inspired by . . . that the world may know

Have you ever done something you didn't want to do out of love for another person? I'm going to bet that you have. And when you did, it was a beautiful witness of sacrificial love.

Scripture tells us that Jesus laid aside His glory and power (Phil 2:7) when He became a man. He did this willingly, knowing the purpose of His earthly time from the drawing of His first breath.

He knew it when satan tempted Him in the desert, offering Him the Kingdom without the pain of the cross. (Matt 4:8) And He knew it that night in the garden when He asked the Father to spare Him. (Mar 14:36)

More than the manger, the garden shows me the fullness of Christ's manhood. No sane person would submit to the torture of the cross without first determining that there was no other way. Gethsemane shows me the sanity of my Savior. [click to tweet]

Before Jesus went to the garden the night of His arrest He told His disciples: "I shall not talk much longer with you, for the prince of this world approaches. He has no rights over Me, but the world must be shown that I love the Father and am doing what He commands;" (John 14:30-31)

There is no question that Jesus went willingly to the cross. His sacrifice is proof of His great love for us. But the cross is not just about us. One of the last statements Jesus makes is, "the world must be shown that I love the Father."

The cross is not only evidence of Christ's love for us, it is an affirmation of His great love for the Father. [click to tweet] One of the primary lessons of the cross is Jesus' love for God. We are often so focused on His love for us that we overlook the testimony of His love for the Father.

The enemy has degenerated love into many shades. But love is only pure when given freely. Perfect love cannot be coerced, faulted, or oppressed. 

Love is a choice and when love is chosen, it is true. [click to tweet]

God gave us free will, even knowing the evil that would come of it because He could do nothing else. God is love and love is God. Love does not exist without God.

What God asked of Jesus He asks of us. Sacrifice born of love.

The acts will vary but the results are the same:

That the world will see our love for the Father.

By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, 

if ye have love one to another. (Joh 13:35)

Shalom,

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Counting My Blessings, Grace Moments,
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Inspired by . . . the dance of the cross

I love the romantic expression of this verse. It's given me a lightness to my steps this week as I've pondered the words and the deeper meaning.

In my spirit, my arms lift and my knees bend into the graceful stance of a ballerina. The words dance. Mercy and truth embrace, then glide away from each other. They return as righteousness and peace . . . and kiss.

The dancers fade.  The cross remains.

This is the dance of the cross.

God's mercy, withholding from us what we deserve, embraces Truth: Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (Joh 14:6)

Christ is our righteousness. For we have none of our own.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)

God accepts Jesus' righteousness as our own and as a result, we have peace with Him. [click to tweet]

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being but to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. (1Pet 3:18)

This is the dance of the cross.

It is both a proclamation and an invitation.

Won't you join the dance?

Shalom,

The image above and many others are available for your free use. Find it here at Scripture Pictures

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Inspired by . . .  foolishness

Much of what I write about here may seem like foolishness to you.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Pro 14:12)

This man, Jesus, and what He did may seem foolish to you.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." (1Co 1:18-19)

I understand. Without the Holy Spirit to enlighten you, these things will make little sense.

The things of God must be spiritually discerned. However, God is easily found by anyone who seeks Him.

And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for "'In Him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed His offspring.' (Act 17:26-28)

You have a choice when it comes to Jesus. To accept or deny Him. This choice can be put off, but it cannot be escaped. In the end, a choice you will make.

Your disbelief does not offend me. It grieves me. I pray that your heart will soften. That you will seek the Truth.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (Joh 8:31-32)

So what is the truth?

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom 3:23)

Our sin separates us from a Holy and Just God.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

But GOD . . .

but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, (1Pe 3:18)

The debt of sin must be paid.  Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. (Heb 9:22)

For our sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2Co 5:21)

There is no magic formula to faith in Christ. You don't have to say special words or be forgiven by a priest. Jesus is our High Priest. Go to Him. Confess to Him your sin. Repent (turn away from your sin) and believe in Him.

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Rom 10:9-10)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1Jn 1:9-10)

Remember,

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

If you have taken theses steps of belief today, I greatly rejoice with you! You are a new creation!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2Co 5:17)

And just as a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis needs time to strengthen his wings before he can fly, you will need a time of strengthening, too. I urge you to connect with other believers in a Bible-teaching church. Let someone (I'd be honored if it were me) know about the decision you've made. I've listed some ministries at the end of this post that can give you guidance.

But most important of all - read His word! Get to know Your Savior! 

For He Is Risen!

Celebrate this truth today!

Amen.
Blessings on your Easter,

Resources:

Online Bible Reading: https://www.youversion.com/

Truth for Life Ministry of Alister Begg: https://www.truthforlife.org/

How to Know Jesus: https://peacewithgod.net/

Online Bible Resource: https://www.biblegateway.com/

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Inspired by . . . bitter herbs

As we walk with Jesus toward the cross we find ourselves in a large upper room, reclining at the Passover table. The sharp smell of bitter herbs and human sweat mixes with the pungent odor of the oil lamps.

Water laps against the side of a wooden bowl as Our Lord kneels to wash the feet of one who will abandon Him. One who will deny Him. One who will betray Him.

Don't rush over these familiar verses. The message and warnings of the discourse here are muli-layered and of great value. (Matt 26:18-49)

Lean in when the Lord speaks, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me." 

"Is it I, Lord?"

We have all denied Him in some way. Failed to speak. Failed to act.

Sit with that for a moment. Let it hurt your heart.

But do not despair.

For we have something the terrified and disillusioned disciples did not have in between the kiss of betrayal and the empty tomb. [click to tweet]

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." 

We have the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us. To comfort us when we fail. We have grace and forgiveness.

We have the cross and the resurrection.

We have Jesus, Himself.

Rest in these truths. Let them comfort you in times of failure. Let them embolden you to go forth and speak and act in His name.

May we always be willing to admit when we fail Him. To come to Him in humility and repentance and accept the bread of forgiveness He offers, which is His body, broken for us. [click to tweet]

Blessings,

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Inspire Me Monday, RaRa Link Up, Intentional Tuesday,
#WordswithWinter, Titus 2 Tuesday, Thoughtful Thursdays,
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Women with Intention Wednesdays, Word Filled Wednesday,
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Inspired by . . . always near the cross: submission

Continuing the series.

Love

Humility

Sacrifice

Obedience

Submission

Faith

Trust

 

Submission, I wonder if there is a more despised or misunderstood word in all of scripture.

Coming to a clear, Biblical understanding of what submission truly is changed my life. To me the word submission is synonymous with freedom. If that shocks you or gets your nightie in a knot, you may not have a Biblical understanding of submission. It’s not popular, or politically correct. But it is God’s way and His way will always bring us out of darkness into light.

 

 

Submission is key to the cross. It was key for Jesus, and it’s key for us if we wish to reside there with Him.

Submitting means accepting Christ, not just as our Savior, but as our Lord. Trusting Him with the plan and purpose of our life. Seeking His will, in all things. And, as we talked about last time, obeying His Word. The simple act of accepting and doing what He has told us to do is beautiful in His eyes.

Oh, this can be so hard, my friend! We can become so convinced that we know best. And sometimes, too, our view of God is wrong and we don’t trust Him as we should.

May I suggest a careful reading of the book of Job? Especially the last five chapters.

When we know not who is in the right, and are perhaps doubtful whether we ourselves are, God speaks forth and makes things clear.

But remember, friend, even as harshly as God spoke to Job and his friends, He did not force Job to submit. In the face of his all-powerful and mighty Creator, Job chose to submit.

God will guide you and light your path. He will show you the way to go and even walk it with you. But you must still choose to walk the path He has set out for you.

The path of submission tarries beneath the cross.

 

To God, our journey is as important as our destination.

He doesn't just wait for us at the next stop.

He travels every mile right beside us. ~Beth More

 

Shalom,

June

 

 

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Inspired by . . . always near the cross: obedience

Continuing the series.

Love

Humility

Sacrifice

Obedience

Submission

Faith

Trust

 

I often ask myself, “Have I done one single thing today because He told me to do it?”

I’m ashamed to say the answer is more often no, than yes. We have all sorts of reasons for doing the things that we do, even the good things, but how often does our motivation come from obedience to His word - from a simply desire to please Him - to obey His command?

 

 

Knowing what God wants us to do is not hard. He has not kept His will a secret. He has carefully preserved not only His precepts, but the very words uttered from our Savior’s mouth!

 

The LORD has told us what is good.

What He requires of us is this: to do what is just,

to show constant love,

and to live in humble fellowship with our God. Mic 6:8

WWJD?

Open your Bible and therein you shall find the answer!

The law of the LORD is perfect; it gives new strength.

The commands of the LORD are trustworthy, giving wisdom to those who lack it.

The laws of the LORD are right, and those who obey them are happy.

The commands of the LORD are just and give understanding to the mind. Psa 19:7-8

 

Not only do we have His word, but as believers we have the Holy Spirit. A counselor to guide us and make clear the things of God.

 

We have not received this world's spirit; instead,

we have received the Spirit sent by God,

so that we may know all that God has given us. 1Co 2:12

 

 

The cross offends the disobedient. They do not desire it’s favor or acceptance. They scoff and turn away.

 

So then, if we do not do the good we know we should do, we are guilty of sin. Jas 4:17

 

When presented with a choice, it is almost always easier not to obey. So how can we guard against this temptation?

 

How can young people keep their lives pure?

By obeying Your commands. With all my heart I try to serve You;

keep me from disobeying Your commandments.

I keep your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against You. Psa 119:9-11

 

God gives us everything we need to obey - and grace when we fail.

 

Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.

Find out if there is any evil in me and guide me in the everlasting way. Psa 139:23-24

 

Our desire to obey is like a fragrant oil, like the dew of Mt. Hermon falling on the ground beneath the cross.

 

 

  Forgive me, most gracious Lord and Father, if this day I have done or said anything to increase the pain of the world.

Pardon the unkind word, the impatient gesture, the hard and selfish deed, the failure to show sympathy and

kindly help where I had the opportunity, but missed it; and enable me so to live that I may daily

do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow and add to the sum of human happiness.

Prayer to Do Good ~ F.B. Meyer England, 1847-1929

 

Blessings,

June

 

 

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Inspired by . . . always near the cross: sacrifice

Continuing the series.

Love

Humility

Sacrifice

Obedience

Submission

Faith

Trust

 

It is not feeling the Spirit

that proves my saved state but the

truth of what Christ did perfectly for me;

~Valley of Vision

 

Does sacrifice come easy for you? Or is it something you do only when it’s convenient? If the latter is true, then it is really not sacrifice at all.

We all have different things that we’re selfish about. Mine is time. I have so little “me” time, that I tend to hold it tightly when it comes. There are very few people who I will sacrifice my time for, and even then I do not always do so willingly - -read: “I’m doing this but I’m grumpy about it.”

Whenever we make a true sacrifice, whether it’s our time, money, material things, resources, the object doesn’t matter, the act of giving out of our need identifies us with Christ and brings us near the cross.

There is a balance here. We should be watchful of our motives. In most cases, our sacrifice should be known to only us and God.

There is no carpet of moss or bed of roses at the foot of the cross. The ground here is hard and rocky, littered with stones that pierce the flesh.

But our discomfort is minor to Him Who made the ultimate sacrifice.

 

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 2 Cor 4:17

 

Blessings,

June

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Inspired by . . . Always near the cross: humility

 

This is a series I began back in January. You can find the first two posts here.

The thought comes from a line from a Puritan Prayer included in The Valley of Vision prayer collection.

. . . so that I may live always near the cross.

This post is a continuation of my ponderings.

Love

Humility

Sacrifice

Obedience

Submission

Faith

Trust

 

 

There is humility at the cross. Oh, you can come to it with sneers and jesting, accusations and challenges. But only those who are humble can dwell there.

Our worlds can be so small. Even with technology that allows us to see other galaxies, our minds don’t often move past our home and family. The influence we have over our “world” can seem so large, yet every life, no matter how influential, is a but a vapor in the eyes of God.

Yet, He condescends to love us with such a great and sacrificial love. He abides in us and we abide with Him, the Creator of the universe!

Do you feel worthy of this great privilege?

If you do, the very pride that causes you to feel such will bar your heart from entrance. If you do not, be careful that you do not reject His love with the pride of false humility.

Instead, let us respond with wonder, gratitude and thanksgiving for Christ’s great sacrifice.

Dwell near the cross in humility, always in remembrance of what He has done for us.

 

Blessings,

June

 

 

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Inspired by . . . always near the cross: love

 

Since writing this post about a week ago, I’ve been pondering what it takes to live always near the cross. There are seven things that I think will keep us there. You’ll notice that “perfectionism” isn’t one of them.

Love

Humility

Sacrifice

Obedience

Submission

Faith

Trust

 

Continue to teach me that Christ’s righteousness

satisfies justice and evidences thy love;

 

LOVE

I think about the great love that held Him there, and realize that it must be out of love that I come, for this place near the cross is not an easy, comfortable place to be.

It is a place of justice and sacrifice. A place of righteousness. Lingering there demands that I face all three.

Not only in respect to how God exercised them in my favor, but in respect to how my identity in Christ demands I exercise them to others.

 

 

The LORD has told us what is good.

What He requires of us is this: to do what is just,

to show constant love,

and to live in humble fellowship with our God.
(Mic 6:8 GNB)

 

Blessings,

June

 

Note: Thank you to everyone who is praying for my dad. He is still recovering from a stroke he had earlier this month. We’re facing some difficult decisions regarding his care. God is faithful. I’m getting around to visit as many  of you as I can, and follow up on your encouraging comments. I appreciate every one. Thank you.

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Inspired by . . . always near the cross

 

Good morning! I’m glad to be back in this space today, if only briefly.

 

Help me to make use of {Christ’s righteousness} by faith

as the ground of my peace

and of thy favour and acceptance,

so that I may live always near the cross.

Valley of Vision p88

 

I read this prayer just before falling into bed Tuesday night, after having spent three days in the hospital with my dad. I thought, “That’s where I need to be, Lord, because it’s the only way I’m going to get through this.”

“But what does it mean to live near the cross, and how do I do it,” my exhausted mind asked just before I fell asleep.

Over the next few days, as we transitioned dad from the hospital to a rehab facility, snippets of this brief conversation kept coming back to me. I imagined myself sitting at His feet. Not as Mary did, in a warm house, listening to the Rabbi teach, but at the cross. In the desolation and pain of that moment. In the truth of that moment and what it means for me personally and for us collectively.

 

 

There is peace and comfort at the cross that transcends understanding. The arms of Jesus are not wrapped around me in comfort, as I often imagine them to be. No, as I sit at the cross, they are spread wide in sacrifice. How does that comfort me? His sacrifice was about more than the taking on and forgiveness of my sins. It is also about empathizing with my pain, whatever the source of that pain is: physical, emotional, spiritual. Jesus experienced and suffered all.

For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;

but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
(Heb 4:15 KJV)

From Matthew Henry’s commentary we read:

Though He is so great, and so far above us, yet He is very kind, and tenderly concerned for us.

He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities in such a manner as none else can be;

for He was Himself tried with all the afflictions and troubles that are incident to our nature in its fallen state:

and this not only that He might be able to satisfy for us, but to sympathize with us.

***

Dad is recovering from his stroke more and more every day; growing stronger and less confused.

Today, the ice storms bring a mixed blessing, forcing me to stay home.

Sit quietly with me, won’t you? and think about what it means

to live always near the cross.

 

Blessings,

June

 

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