Act like who you are

DAILY BIBLE READING:

2 Chronicles 35:1–36:23 
1 Corinthians 1:1-17 
Psalm 27:1-6 
Proverbs 20:20-21

TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

1 Corinthians 1:2 (CSB) " To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord ​— ​both their Lord and ours."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Within the human heart is the notion that we must work for what we receive. While there is certainly a segment of society that ungratefully receives (expects) the rest of society to take care of them, most of us find it difficult to receive something that we did not work for.

The reason for this is (healthy?) pride. We want to be self-sufficient. We don't want to be the object of someone's charity and certainly not someone's pity. So, we work for what we receive and it is difficult to receive something freely from others.

But, the message of the Gospel is that we can freely receive the gift of forgiveness, the life of God's Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within us, and an infinite number of other blessings. We cannot earn it or deserve it (Ephesians 2:8-9). We simply receive it as a free gift by faith.

Yet, while many of us would acknowledge that we receive salvation by faith as a free gift (without any effort, works, or contribution on our part), we may feel like we have to work to maintain God's favor. We may feel like God's feelings toward us are based upon how we are performing.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

When you look at our Verse for Today, you see that the Apostle Paul wrote "to those sanctified in Christ Jesus" (past tense) and who were "called to be saints" (past tense). 

Simply put, when those Christians in Corinth trusted in Jesus for eternal life, they were not only forgiven of their sins - they were also declared righteous (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:19; etc.). Their sins were placed upon Christ on the cross and the perfect life that Jesus lived was credited to their account. 

This is the Divine Swap that happens at the moment we are saved: Jesus takes our sins and He credits us with His righteousness. Saved people aren't simply forgiven - they are also declared to be perfect saints.

Which brings us back to our Verse for Today. The word "sanctified" is the same word for "holy" or "saint." Christians don't have to die and go to Heaven to be saints. No! Christians ARE saints because Jesus has credited them with his righteousness. When God looks at a Jesus-follower, He sees the righteousness of Christ and He smiles.

So, my friend, while it is true that God desires obedience from us in this life, that obedience is not for the purpose of gaining His favor. Our obedience shouldn't be something we do to try to keep God happy with us. 

Instead, our obedience should be an outflow of who we already are. Since we are declared righteous when we are saved with the righteousness of Jesus, our obedience to God is simply acting like who we already are.

Friend, if you are saved, you ARE a saint. Right now! As you read this! You ARE a saint! You ARE holy! You ARE sanctified! When God looks at you, He sees Jesus and He smiles.

So, today, simply act like who you already are!

"To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord - both their Lord and ours." (1 Corinthians 1:2)

The journey of salvation: past, present and future

I read Romans 5 this morning and thought I would share a short theology lesson that a verse in that chapter brought to mind...

When a Christian says they are "saved," they are saying that they have been forgiven of their sin and saved from sin's penalty - God's wrath. The provision for this salvation was accomplished as Jesus died on the cross. It becomes the experience of the Christian at the moment they repent of their sin and trust in Jesus to save them.

But, there is another aspect to our salvation. Sure, we are saved from sin's penalty by Jesus' death but we are also being freed from sin's power by Jesus' life. When someone trusts in Jesus' work on the cross to forgive them and bring them into the family of God, the Holy Spirit of Jesus takes up residence within them. As Jesus resides within them, He is continually breaking sin's chains and enables the believer to become more like Him.

So, it's not just the death of Jesus that saves us. His life continues to save those who have trusted in Him.

Romans 5:10 (ESV)

"For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

So, we could say that there are three aspects to our salvation:

At the point of salvation - I am saved from sin's penalty.

The rest of my life - I am being saved from sin's power.

In Heaven - I will be saved from sin's presence.

Jesus has done much more than we realize to claim us for His Father and enable us to enjoy His presence for eternity. Allow that thought to move you to gratitude today. Allow it to cause you to take your walk with Him seriously today. Allow it to move you to share the Good News of the Gospel with someone today.

Habits of a Mom Who Finishes Well

This sermon uses the Old Testament mom, Rebekah, to illustrate a couple of habits that present day moms need so that they can be successful in raising children who will be adult Jesus-followers.

One note of correction: I wrongfully mentioned in this sermon that the Bible never records a prayer by Rebekah. A couple of folks caught my mistake and referenced Genesis 25:22. (I'm sure there were many others who also caught it but just didn't bring it to my attention.) It doesn't change the point I was making about prayer but I'm so proud to pastor a people who are engaged and know their Bibles!

"And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth." (Acts 17:11 - NLT)

To view the sermon on Youtube, click here.

What is the difference between faith and wishful thinking?

It seems to me that if you really boil it down, the difference between faith and wishful thinking is: “Ultimately, who are our eyes focused upon?” With faith, our eyes are clearly fixed upon the Lord. With wishful thinking, our eyes are fixed upon I/me/my/mine. Faith focuses upon the things of the Spirit. Wishful thinking focuses upon the things of the flesh.

Regarding Joel Olsteen and those who teach the prosperity Gospel, it seems to me that any lost person would absolutely enjoy that message and never be offended by anything they say. This is in spite of the fact that Paul told the Corinthians that the Gospel is by its very nature offensive (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Their message is geared toward satisfying the flesh/natural life/who we were before we were saved. Ultimately, it seems that they try to answer the question: “How can I be happy, fulfilled, prosperous, healthy, etc.” In contrast, a true follower of Christ will ask: “How can I live in such a way that I glorify God.” Christ-followers benefit in all sorts of ways as a result of following God and glorifying Him but this isn’t our ultimate aim.

So, with that being said, I believe that determining whether something is an act of faith or simply wishful thinking could be clarified by asking questions much like these:

- Is my heart focused upon God’s glory? Is my ultimate aim my own pleasure and happiness or is it to show others just how incredible my God is?

- Is there some Scripture that I can rest my faith upon? Faith is not work. It is restful. It simply rests upon a promise/precept of God and says, “God, You have said this in Your Word. I’m just trusting that You will do what You said You are going to do.”
- Is my heart seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness? Is what I am trusting God for going to further God’s rule and reign on planet Earth and will it help others along on their road to Christ-likeness.
- Is my heart cleansed from sin? The Bible says that if I regard sin in my heart, the Lord won’t hear me (Psalm 66:18). If I have any expectation of getting what I am asking for, I must be “repented/confessed up.”
- Is my heart broken before God? This simply means that my “self-life” has died and I am fully dependent upon my Heavenly Father. My wants and desires are aligning up more and more with the wants and desires of my God. Only then am I capable of being trusted to ask God for the right things.
- Is my heart testifying with the Holy Spirit that this is something I should pray for? Is the Holy Spirit who resides inside every believer giving me peace about praying for a particular thing?