Jesus Christ the Sin Bearer..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Jesus Christ the Sin Bearer

Dr. Charles Stanley

Matthew 26:26-27

The cross is so common in our culture that most people don’t think twice when they see one on a church. But unfortunately, familiarity with the symbol can actually get in the way of understanding what it truly means. So let’s stop to consider how Jesus became the bearer of sin.

We begin with Scripture written long before Jesus was born. Genesis, the first book of the Bible, explains how man chose to disobey God. Because Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, their descendants are all born under the curse of death, having inherited a sinful “flesh” nature.

In Leviticus, God’s laws for the Jewish nation included observance of Yom Kippur, the day each year when the Israelites fasted, prayed, and sacrificed an animal to atone for sin. In essence, the goat would bear the wrongs done by the people and suffer the penalty that divine justice required.

Centuries later, Isaiah prophesied that a Savior would atone for transgression once and for all (Isa. 53:5, 8; Heb. 7:27). After another 700 years, John the Baptist identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The Messiah had come, though He was totally different from what the people expected—so much so, in fact, that they rejected Him and requested His crucifixion.

In all, God gave 613 laws through Moses. But none of us can perfectly follow even the Ten Commandments. In fact, one reason He gave us these rules is to show us our need for a Savior (Ps. 19:7; Gal. 3:24). Meditate on those commands (Ex. 20:1-17), asking God to speak to your heart.

Vision for Work..... Craig Denison

 

Vision for Work

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

We serve a God of boundaries. In his limitless capacity, endless creativity, and boundless existence he still chose to create boundaries. He still had vision for what was good, right, pleasing, and perfect. And as children made in his image, we are to live, think, and create as he does. In a world marked by busyness from seemingly infinite opportunities, it’s important now more than ever for us to create boundaries. May you find freedom and joy this week as you receive vision and set boundaries under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture:“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” Psalm 90:17

Devotional:

One of my favorite quotes on work comes from C. S. Lewis, who said, “If God is satisfied with the work, the work may be satisfied with itself.” So often I feel unsatisfied in my work. In the age of flexible work hours with never-ending task lists, it’s hard to believe that anyone can stop long enough to be satisfied in their work. And in a society where we are what we do, it feels like there is an ever-increasing pressure to work harder, longer, and better. To rest is laziness. To set healthy boundaries is selfish.

But the truth is that the core of boundaries is not selfishness, but stewardship. If we allow our personal lives to get so out of control that they constantly hurt our ability to accomplish the works laid out before us, then we have a problem with stewardship. And if we don’t set healthy boundaries around work to the extent it becomes all-consuming, then we fail to steward ourselves and our ability to love others. We need to get fresh vision for both rest and work. We need to seek a revelation of God’s heart for work that our lives would be marked by a sense of satisfaction.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Have you ever viewed yourself as God’s workmanship? Have you ever stopped to think that God designed you with a unique personality, a powerful set of strengths and abilities, and has an eternal purpose for you that you are perfectly designed for? God doesn’t create bad things. He doesn’t create without a purpose. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are created in Christ Jesus. You are a new creation, filled with the Holy Spirit, and anointed to see God’s kingdom come to earth.

If you’re lacking vision on what you are to do, look no further than the step in front of you. God has plans for you today that will lead you to tomorrow. He has work for you today that is both valuable in and of itself and will lead you to the next part of his perfect plans. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” If your desire is to follow God’s will, you won’t miss it. So often we spend so much time trying to figure out what God wants us to do that we don’t do the very work he’s laid in front of us. We spend so much time worrying about what we are supposed to accomplish that we never accomplish anything. Absolutely there are times to get vision. Absolutely we are to inquire of the Lord. But rather than asking the Lord for his master plan, enjoy the work he’s set before you today. Create boundaries around your work that you might be effective and successful in it and experience the satisfaction of a job well done.

May the prayer of David in Psalm 90:17 be your prayer today as you enter into a time of guided prayer:

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on your identity as God’s workmanship, made new in Jesus.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

2. Do you have good boundaries set around your work? Are you valuing the work God’s set before you enough? Are you allowing work to seep into every other area of your life? Wherever you are, go to God and ask him how you can better steward your time and energy.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

3. What work has God set before you to do today? Ask God for the vision and grace to accomplish it well. Take time to find rest and power in his presence.

I pray that as you go about your day today the Lord would reveal your uniqueness to you. I pray that you would find comfort and excitement in the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. I pray that you would find courage in the truth that God has plans and purposes for your life that are unique to you. And I pray you would find power to both work and rest well that you and God might take a look at your day and find satisfaction in it. May your day be filled with the favor of God.

Extended Reading: Romans 12

Be a Beginner..... EMILY P. FREEMAN

 Be a Beginner

EMILY P. FREEMAN 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

During my senior year of college, I got a full-time job as a sign language interpreter at a local high school.

This was a big deal because part of my coursework as an interpreter-in-training was to complete at least a one-semester internship. This was a requirement for students whether or not we got paid for it. I was able to finish my senior year, satisfy my internship requirement and earn money while doing it so I could pay my rent. Win-win-win.

Even though it was my full-time job, I was still a student, which meant I had to have a supervisor come and evaluate my performance from time to time. The first time the supervisor came, I was proud to have her there, to show her what I was capable of and the good work I was doing.

At the end of the day, she handed me my evaluation form. She was kind and encouraging, and I felt pretty proud of myself. After she left, I scanned the page, past the numbers, past the checked boxes and formalities, because I wanted to see the comments she wrote at the bottom. What did she say without a form to guide her? What came spontaneously to her mind about me and my performance?

Quickly scanning her cursive writing at the bottom of that page, I was pleased to see she had good things to say, a few specific suggestions and generally positive feedback. Then at the very end she summarized with this statement: “Good work for a novice interpreter.”

My heart sank. She called me a beginner. The worst.

As a new interpreter trying to find my way and establish my identity in the field, the shame of being a beginner was both heavy and invisible. I couldn’t name it at the time, but that’s what it was: shame. Why was I only good for a beginner? Why couldn’t I just be good, period? I didn’t like being called a beginner, even though that’s exactly what I was.

Once you take the time to get honest about where you are, one thing you might uncover is this: You are a beginner. This is a respectable, worthy place to be.

See if you can find a way to access the child you still are on the inside. Though our bodies age, our souls stay young in so many ways — always looking to be loved, to be safe and to be welcomed. Rather than becoming experts, children are free to be curious. Children are able to sit down and accept other people’s knowledge. Children observe, watch, make mistakes and learn new things. You are in Christ, and your smallness is not a liability. Your smallness is a gift.

Remember Jesus is not only your King and your Friend, your Savior and your Shepherd. He is also the smartest man who ever lived. You may not know how to navigate this new beginning, but He does. With Him by your side, you have everything you need.

Our key verse reminds us of who we are and how God has given us all we need to be all we need to be: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12, emphasis added). Being God’s people means that we, whether beginners or experts, are to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient.

Embrace this unique time of being a beginner. Let Him teach you what is right, what to say and how to think. There will come a time when this new beginning will not be new anymore, and you may not feel the need for Him in this area as you do now. So let this new role teach you what it has to teach you. Let it form you into the likeness of Christ.

Let yourself be a beginner and receive all the gifts beginning has to give.

Oh God, we confess our longings to be the smartest people in the room. Reveal to us the true fear hiding beneath the surface. We are afraid of not having the answers, of looking like fools, of being beginners. As we fall from the crumbling wall of our own reputation, status and ability, we trust that You are the solid ground beneath our tired feet. As we face those who have doubted us, remind us how You stand in front of us, behind us, beside us and within us. When we look for courage elsewhere, remind us to turn to You instead. You have all the gumption and moxie we could possibly need. We accept our smallness in Your presence. Replace our shame with laughter, and our doubt with love. Teach us to begin again with joy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Prayer to Fight Feelings of Rejection..... By Victoria Riollano

 A Prayer to Fight Feelings of Rejection

 By Victoria Riollano

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

I know what it feels like to feel forgotten. As a child, I wondered if I would ever be chosen first for a game of kickball, or the one for whom someone would call their “best friend.” I wanted to be liked by the cool boy at school. I wanted to be accepted by certain family members. All of these longings kept me in a cycle of rejection. 

I found myself fighting for attention, only to be rejected again and again. This continued even into adulthood, through church hurts and severed trust in relationships. It all kept me wondering how anyone could ever truly love me or care for me. 

I wanted to accept that God loved me unconditionally, but I struggled to embrace this truth. How could a holy, perfect, creative, all-knowing God, love me? It took years of searching His word, prayer, and believing His words over me to finally break free of the crippling reality of “not being enough.”

I have a feeling that I am not alone. Perhaps you may relate to this and have experienced the pain of infidelity, the loss of close friendships, or the internal rejection that causes us to put ourselves down. Yet today I want to reassure you that rejection is not new. In fact, it is one of the oldest tricks of the enemy. 

In the Old Testament, Joseph was rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery. Hagar was rejected after giving birth to her son. The New Testament is no different – there are countless stories of Jesus himself not being accepted. Many wondered how Jesus - a carpenter’s son! - could be capable of performing such miracles or have people who wanted to follow him.

Although we may experience rejection from family, friends, or society, it is our responsibility to use that rejection not to harbor bitterness, but to run closer to the Lord. Unfortunately, the longer we allow ourselves to stay in a place of rejection, the more it will affect our relationship with others and God. Our self-esteem can become so low that we start to doubt if God loves us and if His words can possibly apply to us! But His Word is clear. We need to only look in His Word for the truth of who are!

We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

We were worth dying for (John 3:16)

We are chosen (Ephesians 1:4)

This is who we are.

Let’s pray that we will not be defined by the sum of other people’s opinions or the internal insecurities that we wrestle with in our souls. We are who God says we are. Our job is to embrace it.

Lord, I thank you for showing me who you have called me to be. I pray against the rejection that keeps me in bondage and clouds my ability to receive your truth. I ask that you use this week to remind me of your love and your words over me. 

I pray for discernment to recognize the enemy’s lies. Give me eyes to see myself how you see me. I thank you, God, that rejection is not from you. I praise you that you love me despite my flaws and shortcomings. Thank you for seeing my heart and molding my life to reflect you. 

In Jesus Name.

Amen.

SHOW YOUR JOY TO THE WORLD..... by Karen Ehman

 SHOW YOUR JOY TO THE WORLD

by Karen Ehman

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 (NIV)

When you think of the phrase, “Christmas is coming!” … what sort of emotion does it evoke?

It might be any one of these:

Panic: I only have three more Saturdays of shopping before Christmas. I’m never going to get it all done!

Frustration: Ugh. There are so many activities this month. We are going to be running all over the place with very little time to just be together as a family at home, enjoying each other’s company.

Regret: Why did I say we’d host the family get-together? Now I have to straighten and scrub this place from top to bottom AND make the dessert I signed up to provide, as if I didn’t already have enough to do this month.

Envy: I noticed on Facebook the gorgeous holiday decorations my co-worker has in her home. They look like they are straight from an HGTV Christmas special. Our place looks like we bought ours from the clearance bin at the local secondhand store.

So many sentiments can invade our hearts and minds. But these emotions don’t stay there.

Often, they weasel their way into our behavior. We appear distracted when talking with a friend. Our frustration morphs into hurry as we frantically try to get it all done. Our regret makes us a grumpy and ungracious hostess. Our envy leads to ungratefulness and can prevent us from experiencing the joy that should come from the whole reason for the celebration of Christmas in the first place.

Are these the attitudes we want on display during the month of December? Or should we choose the attitude reflected in the old familiar hymn, Joy to the World?

Joy.

The emotion that ought to be deeply experienced during the Christmas season — and, in turn, displayed in our behavior — should be joy. Today’s key verse states, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

This verse declares that our reaction to the salvation God freely offers — which began when Jesus came into the world as a baby that very first Christmas — should be that rejoicing.

In this Old Testament verse, the word translated for rejoice actually means “to exult, to go about or to be excited to levity.” What a stark contrast to the emotions we usually display during the yuletide season!

But what if we tried to take our roller coaster of emotions to God, asking Him to replace them with joy instead? If we choose to consciously thank God for the indescribable gift of salvation through Jesus, perhaps we could learn to recapture the joy of Christmas. And not just to feel it in our hearts, but to go about during the season, excited to the point of levity, exulting God in the process.

The word exult means “to leap for joy,” and it’s usually connected with a triumph of some kind. Through Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection, He triumphed over death. We need not fear the future because of the miracle of Christmas. If we have responded to the gospel — the good news about Jesus offering us salvation — we too can experience a victory over the grave and dwell with God forever in heaven someday. What a reason to rejoice!

Today, let’s chase down some Christmas cheer. But not just keep it to ourselves. Parking our minds on the truth of salvation through Jesus helps us show joy to the world during the Christmas season. A spotless house and homemade fruitcake are optional.

Father, may my mind dwell this season on the incredible gift of salvation through Jesus that is the source of all joy in this life and the life to come. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 89:15-16, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness.” (NIV)