Why Do So Many Christian Feel Guilty All the Time?
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010
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Saturday, April 3, 2010
Easters
Much is on my mind as I contemplate what Christ has done for us. One of the things that bothers me is that often people will say, would you die for a stranger or friend? That's great and all, but that's not comparable to what Christ did. Jesus died for His enemies, He said concerning those who crucified Him "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".
Now, that's something else - He died for those who had sinned against Him, He died for those who reviled Him, spat on Him etc. He died for liars, rapist, murders, drug users, alcoholics etc, He died to deliver mankind from the wrath of God, by enduring the wrath of God Himself. He endured separation from the Father, something foreign to the Trinity. For eternity they have been in communion and in order to deliver mankind from sin Jesus the Son went on a mission to save His very enemies, by taking upon Himself the punishment they deserve! He bears our sin (STILL) and those who have put their trust in Him for redemption have His righteousness. This is definitely not an even trade, or even a fair one, but we don't get what we deserve, instead we receive mercy! The rapist, murderer, liar, cheater, stealer, can receive mercy from God because of what Jesus has done. Jesus is the life giver, because He endured death for us and conquered it. Jesus is the life giver because He bore the sin of the world. His enemies can turn to Him because He has provided a way, a way for His enemies to become His friends, through repentance, by turning from their ways and turning towards Him, trusting Him for salvation.
Would you die and take the punishment for one who had wronged you? I doubt it. Would you pay the price for someone who inflicted as much torture on you as they did on Christ? And even then that's not scratching the surface of what Christ really did for us. We can't begin to comprehend the separation He endured from the Father, the sin he bears for us...Lets just be thankful for what He did.
This is why He is worthy of my worship and service. It's not about rules, I serve Him because He is worthy, I serve Him because I love Him because He loved me first. I enjoy freedom because He has set me free! Talk about real life, Jesus is the author of it!
Would you die and take the punishment for one who had wronged you? I doubt it. Would you pay the price for someone who inflicted as much torture on you as they did on Christ? And even then that's not scratching the surface of what Christ really did for us. We can't begin to comprehend the separation He endured from the Father, the sin he bears for us...Lets just be thankful for what He did.
This is why He is worthy of my worship and service. It's not about rules, I serve Him because He is worthy, I serve Him because I love Him because He loved me first. I enjoy freedom because He has set me free! Talk about real life, Jesus is the author of it!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thoughts on The Gospel According to Mark...
I'm currently studying the gospel according to Mark and since I'm blogging again I'm just going to use this blog to write down my thoughts on my reading as I go through this book. It's not going to be some intense study, just thoughts, prayers and meditations on what I'm reading and discovering.
Mark 1:1-3
John's purpose was to prepare the way of the Lord, he was sent before the Lord like a herald before the King.
"Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way...Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight"
Jesus starts His ministry and immediately His way is prepared, the way that eventually leads Him to the cross. Jesus was on a mission, His mission was to fulfill the law, live a sinless life, to teach and to preach, to lead and to train and eventually most importantly to pay for our sins on the cross and to conquer death by His resurrection so that the relationship between man and God can be restored.
John was the forerunner, the one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight".
Another thing I find interesting is that this way starts in the wilderness and doesn't really end in a better place, rather Jesus is led up to Golgotha (which means the place of a skull) to be crucified.
It would be beneficial to remember that Jesus is fully able to relate to us when we go through rough times, His life wasn't easy...though He was God, He did not use His powers to His benefit, to coast through this life, to coast along the way.
Instead if you read Philippians 2:6-8 it says the following regarding Jesus ..."who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross."
Thank you Jesus! For what you have accomplished through your mission, thank you for enduring the harsh punishment, thank you for becoming sin for me, for taking my place and for giving me your righteousness, thank you for reconciling me to yourself and for putting me back in a right relationship with you. Thank you for walking the way from start to finish!
Help me Lord to be your messenger in the world, help me to not be ashamed of the gospel, but give me boldness to share your love, to share what you have done. Give me a burden for those who don't know you in my community and at work. Open doors I pray and cause people to see their need for you.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Why Through His Eyes?
This verse just really hit me one day! I realized that as the selfish being that I am, apart from Christ I will never have a true appreciation for the community that I live in, not in a gospel sense at least.
So a good way to start praying for your community, your work environment and even your friends and family is to ask God to help you view them through His eyes. This will give you a good starting point! Jesus had compassion for the lost, so seeing your community through His eyes will cause you to have compassion for them as well. Jesus cared for his people, so seeing your friends, family and brothers and sisters in the Lord through His eyes will cause you to "have a care" for them as well.
My desire is to see God glorified in my community - I pray for the salvation of many - for opportunities to share and of course for our ability to share effectively!
It's been a few years since I blogged...
Lets try it again! I've never been good at this type of stuff, so we'll see what happens.
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