Category: Bible

Building Bridges?


Romans 5:10

“For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

In our natural, human, sinful state, we don’t love God, nor do we even like Him. As a matter of fact our sin makes us an enemy of His. What a drastic situation and what a wretched pit that sin hurls us into. It’s a pit of despair, destruction, ruin and death and our ‘selfish pleasures’ lead us all the way down. There is no hope at that dead end street. However God, in His perfect, divine, sinless state loved us, and loves us still, even though He can’t look upon the sin that we harbor in our hearts. Imagine that! God loves His enemies! God loved and loves His enemies, so much so, that He made a way for them/us, through the death of Christ, His Son, to make things right with Himself and be forgiven, cleansed, justified, redeemed, and healed. We so often burn bridges in our relationships don’t we. We don’t want anything more to do with our offenders, once they’ve hurt us. We say we forgive as we light the match and watch the bridge burn behind us. How we deceive ourselves with such drastic action. How sad when we go to that extreme measure and say we’ve forgiven. How hardened our hearts become! God doesn’t burn bridges but rather, He constructed one and made a way for all of us to cross over and restore fellowship with Him. Oh He sacrificed hugely, in order to do it though! The death of His Son! What an extreme reconciliation and example He has given to us.

It’s a reconciliation that only begins a brand new relationship of sweet communion and fellowship between us who were once enemies and God. Remember, as you feel the pain of your sin and catch a glimpse of the wrong in your life that there are no burned bridges with God’s forgiveness. He offers it freely to you and when He forgives, make no mistake about it, He forgives the truly, repentant and humble heart. He heals and He restores fellowships with us! He sacrificed lots to make it possible but yes, Christ is the one and only bridge and the mediator for us to reach God. The cross is a beautiful thing where Christ’s blood and God’s love reach down to the us who are at odds with Himself to cleanse, and lavish us with a sweet grace, even though we don’t deserve it. It’s a grace that permeates through to the core of our being and we know that we have be given mercy and love beyond compare.

We have to meet Christ at the cross, but we can’t stay there because Christ didn’t stay there! We have to visit the tomb to find it empty because you see, Christ didn’t stay there either! What an awesome God we serve! He defeated death! He came to die in order to bring life to us, through His death and when He defeated death He gave us victory over it as well. Wow! the final enemy was defeated and it doesn’t get any better than that does it? If God sacrificed so much for His enemies, how much more will He give to those who live for Him and live to bring glory to His name? Our lives can be so abundant and full, in our service for the Lord, as we persevere in our faith, claiming His promises, knowing His grace, motivated by His love and spurred on with the Hope of eternal life.

It’s a defining moment isn’t it, when we find Christ for the first time or enter back into sweet communion with Him after we’ve gotten off track? It’s a moment of transformation when we cross the bridge of reconciliation to meet God in our cleansed, forgiven and renewed state. Have you burned your own bridges and find yourself feeling lousy. lonely and sick at heart. Take a lesson from our creator God who made the earth and everything in it. It’s He who builds bridges and restores relationships. Meet Him at the cross for cleansing. Move on to the empty grave to find His presence indwelling within you and find His sweet grace to help you in your time of need. Find forgiveness, forgive others and cross over into sweet communion with the One who came to die so that you might live and live abundantly.

Be blessed in your day ♥♥░ (¯`:´¯)░♥ ♥ ♥
░.(¯`•.\|/.•´¯)♥ ♥ sending You
░(`♥•.(۞).•´¯)░(¯`:´¯)♥ ♥Love
…░ (_.•´/|\`•._)(¯_`•.\|/.•´¯)_ ♥ ♥Joy
…░_ ░ (_.:._)♥♥(¯_`•.(۞).•´¯)♥ ♥Blessings …

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Death Has Been Defeated…Are You Victorious?


Galatians 2:20

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Dead to ‘self’/ Alive in Christ. Paul knew the secret of contentment! He knew the secret of living was to die to anything that appeased the flesh and the pride of life. Nothing mattered but the Lord! When Christ transformed Saul, there were huge changes. Christ transformed his entire life where his choices, his desires, his passions, his motives and his vocation all did an about face that changed his destiny. It was a defining moment! A pivotal point! Such irony when a murderer stops brutally taking lives and becomes passionate for the preservation of life and the salvation of souls. It’s a God thing. There is no other power on earth so life changing as the power of the Gospel and the message of love.

Paul became a Christ one and Christ lived in Him to empower him … “To whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). It was Christ in him that was his hope for each new day, and it was Christ in him that gave him the power and perseverance to run the race set before him as difficult as it was.

To know Christ is to have His power within. To be empowered by Him. There is no need to run here and there in desperation to find Him because He dwells within. He is a close as a heartbeat! His presence is with us wherever we find ourselves. What a comfort to know He’s there in the hard times and in the difficult moments. He’s there in the rebukes, the heartaches, the criticisms, the disappointments and the discouragements. Friends, it’s this indwelling of His Spirit that gives us the power to live a victorious Christian life on a daily basis. It’s no longer ‘I’ that live but it’s Christ that lives in me. It’s not going to be anything we do, but it will be God in us that empowers us to make it to the finish line and enter glory where we hear Him say, ” Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

Today, celebrate Christ’s victory over death. He defeated it! Our last and final enemy met it’s match with Christ’s death on the cross and His glorious resurrection. When we accept His salvation, we too are given this victory over death. He not only gives us the passion and the power to die to ‘self’ and live victoriously here, but He gives us the Hope of glory within to spur us on to our heavenly destination where Eternal life awaits when the curtains close on this physical life. Wow!! That’s a reason to rejoice. Are you rejoicing today in Christ’s victory? In your victory?

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Grace Gives Grace


1 John 3:16 – 19.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion, how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other. Let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the Truth.

Christ’s example demonstrates to us that the depth of real love involves self-sacrifice. When we reach the place where our lives are governed more out of concern for the needs of others, totally exempt of any selfish motives whatsoever, then we begin to enter into this mysterious dimension of agape love. A dimension where grace resides and mercy is abundant. It’s a level of living where a selfless giving of time, energy, effort, prayer and yes possibly even giving of life.
itself in order to supply those needs for others. Talk is cheap and it’s easy to talk our faith, but quite another to sacrifice and do and give and go to support our words. To talk it and not back it or to use our words to enter into frivolous debate about our faith, only weakens the Truth, but ahhh…the “actions” speak the loudest… Just live
it!

Nothing graces the Christian soul as much as mercy, compassion, forgiveness and kindness! Have you been graced by God? Has He redeemed you, forgiven you and set you free? If so, then you’ve been graced. Let’s, by the power of Christ in us, grace our offenders and those within our circles of influence with our actions, not just our words.

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A Win/Win Situation!

Ephesians 1: 18

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,”

“The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised. And that He has purchased us to be His own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify Him. Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly asking God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grown in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light, so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called His holy people, who are His rich and glorious inheritance. Ephesians 1: 14 – 18

We are chosen! God chooses each one of us and desires for us to be on His winning team in the game of Life. What an awesome call to be asked to join the royal ranks by the King of Kings. He’s the divine manager and the coach of the team, calling us into play. Calling us into account and into the fullness and accurate knowledge and understanding of how to play the game. His desire is to equip, train and teach us all the elements of winning and all the mysteries surrounding success in life, meshed with His plan of salvation, redemption and the knowledge of His will for us. Sadly though, It’s easy to miss His divine call, when the opposing team, the enemy, is also choosing his members, beckoning us with sly trickery, lies and deceit, leading us on with promises that, in the end will produce no results but losses. God continues to call each one of us but it’s our decision to choose which team we wish to give our heart and soul to.

What a spiritual blessing is ours, to be predestined by God into His family, because it was His “pleasure” to choose us. Eph. 1:5 Wow! Why then, should
we ever think we’re of no value? He has CHOSEN “us” then, and has lavished His wisdom and insight upon “us” so that we may begin to understand the mystery of His gift of salvation and redemption, His will and His doctrines.

“God desires that “I, (your name inserted here) ” understand and have accurate knowledge of the Truth and the mysterious spiritual connection between Him and I so that I will keep growing in my knowledge of Him and maturing in my faith until the end.”

Have you heard your call? Oh, that we will be faithful to such a high calling of ever learning, discerning and maturing in the Spiritual realm for the glory of God. Haven’t heard your call? Listen for it? He calls now. Don’t make excuses. Join the winning team becoming joint heirs with Christ in anticipation of His return, while living in the fullness of Christ and all of God’s promised blessing. Christ is victorious!! It’s a win/win situation!

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