What does it truly mean to have freedom in Christ?
When I think of freedom in Christ, I think of a life that is lived fearlessly. I think of the peace that God fills us with when we
surround ourselves with Him. I think of the freedom I feel when I am comforted by the knowledge that God loves me, and how He desperately desires me to be in His Kingdom, and I think of a life filled with hope that I will be there. I think of His Grace & Mercy, and His abundant forgiveness...I think of Romans 8:1 and that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus who strengthens me. I think of Psalm 139 and how God knows every word I pray before i pray it, every word i speak before I speak it. I think of the freedom I have to make brave, bold and daring decisions knowing full well that 'Gods got my back' and knows my decisions ahead of time, and uses them for His greater purpose and for the good of those around me. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.
Although all these things that spring to mind represent freedom in Christ to me, Gods greatest commandment to us is to firstly, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind", and secondly to "Love your neighbor as yourself." - Matthew 22:37-39. So Jesus wants us to love one another and serve one another, but first and foremost, Jesus wants our total devotion and love for Him. It is from hearts filled with love for Him that all good works and acts of love flow. Through love, we can experience freedom. But with the freedom comes the other side of the coin: responsibility. We are free to do, but we are responsible to love. We are free to eat and drink, but we are responsible to give and share what we have. We are free to accept the full grace of God, but we are responsible to share this good news.
Freedom in Christ is to do what we know is right without fear of judgement, and it's to give others the freedom to do the same.
So does freedom in Christ mean we have the freedom to behave and do whatever we like? No way! Churches were told off by Paul and the other apostles for using freedom in Christ as a scapegoat for their bad behavior. "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? " Romans 6:1 - 2.
"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor." 1 Peter 2:16.
We are free from many things. A huge list, in fact. Sin, the law (unclean/clean etc), fear, worry and so much more. So, yes, we are free. We are so totally free. But we can't forget the other side of the coin: we are so, so totally responsible.
So what is Freedom in Christ then? I think it is the peace of mind that we are covered by the blood of Christ...but also acknowledging the sacred responsibility we have to love and show love to others. To be free can be summed up by this statement: to both love and be loved ridiculously, ceaselessly and completely.
What amazing freedom that is.
Wednesday 28 April 2010
Be thankful
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessing.
Author unknown.
"Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.”
1 Chronicles 29:13
Through Jesus then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:15
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary
Because it means you've made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessing.
Author unknown.
"Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.”
1 Chronicles 29:13
Through Jesus then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
Hebrews 13:15
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Dinner date with God
Have you ever wondered why it is that we have the ability to make so much time for the people we have in our lives, the beautiful, tangible relationships that God has blessed us with here on earth and given us as a gift to mirror our relationship with Him, but yet for some reason the concept of putting time aside to spend with God, our Creator and our Maker, just seems like a mentally and physically impossible task! Why does spending time with the tangible relationships we have in our lives come more naturally? But yet, to put time aside for a simple 'dinner date with God' seems so unnatural? We visit friends over copious cups of coffee, we spend lazy days at the beach with our families, we go out on dinner dates with our boyfriends and husbands...I could go on but I think you get the picture?
For some reason, making time for God is just not an easy task, especially when you have so much on your plate and so many of life's daily responsibilities! Maybe there is something about the way we live our lives today that's unnatural...nothing about this life seems natural to me, not even the food we eat! It's a constant mental and physical struggle! But its so important to fight for time with God, weather it means unplugging the phone, or putting your mobile on silent for a few hours...arranging child care if you need to, or staying up when everyone is asleep...its well worth it! He makes it worth it!
I needed God to be more tangible, more real in my life, and by setting time aside, and having these little 'dinner dates with God' I feel I have become far more captivated by His beauty. It is rich. It is good. And in order to peruse intimacy with God you will no doubt have to fight for it. You will need to fight the busyness. Youll need to fight accusations. And so much more.
I've come to realise that the more we come to know God truly, as He is, the more we come to know ourselves truly, we become who He created us to be. As God reveals His identity to us, he also reveals our own identity to us.
In Him we find contentment.
In Him we find true reflections ourselves.
"Give thanks to the LORD,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah 12: 4-6
For some reason, making time for God is just not an easy task, especially when you have so much on your plate and so many of life's daily responsibilities! Maybe there is something about the way we live our lives today that's unnatural...nothing about this life seems natural to me, not even the food we eat! It's a constant mental and physical struggle! But its so important to fight for time with God, weather it means unplugging the phone, or putting your mobile on silent for a few hours...arranging child care if you need to, or staying up when everyone is asleep...its well worth it! He makes it worth it!
I needed God to be more tangible, more real in my life, and by setting time aside, and having these little 'dinner dates with God' I feel I have become far more captivated by His beauty. It is rich. It is good. And in order to peruse intimacy with God you will no doubt have to fight for it. You will need to fight the busyness. Youll need to fight accusations. And so much more.
I've come to realise that the more we come to know God truly, as He is, the more we come to know ourselves truly, we become who He created us to be. As God reveals His identity to us, he also reveals our own identity to us.
In Him we find contentment.
In Him we find true reflections ourselves.
"Give thanks to the LORD,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah 12: 4-6
Monday 19 April 2010
Rise up
Dear God,
We struggle, we grow weary, we grow tired.
We are exhausted, we are distressed, we despair.
We give up, we fall down, we let go. We cry.
We are empty, we grow calm, we are ready.
We wait quietly.
A small, shy truth arrives.
Arrives from without and within.
Arrives and is born.
Simple, steady, clear.
Like a mirror, like a bell, like a flame.
Like rain in summer.
A precious trough arrives and is born within us.
Within our emptiness.
We accept it, we observe it, we absorb it.
We surrender to our bare truth.
We are nourished, we are changed.
We are blessed.
We rise up.
For this we give thanks.
Amen.
We struggle, we grow weary, we grow tired.
We are exhausted, we are distressed, we despair.
We give up, we fall down, we let go. We cry.
We are empty, we grow calm, we are ready.
We wait quietly.
A small, shy truth arrives.
Arrives from without and within.
Arrives and is born.
Simple, steady, clear.
Like a mirror, like a bell, like a flame.
Like rain in summer.
A precious trough arrives and is born within us.
Within our emptiness.
We accept it, we observe it, we absorb it.
We surrender to our bare truth.
We are nourished, we are changed.
We are blessed.
We rise up.
For this we give thanks.
Amen.
Wednesday 14 April 2010
Thinky things
A good friend sent me the email below and I wanted to post it because I think it holds a lot of value and has some great points...its short and to the point...for a change ;)
Ephesians 1
CHOSEN TO BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." (Ephesians 1 v 3 - 4)
How often do we think about the fact that we personally were chosen, long before we were even born, to be holy and blameless in the sight of God? If you are anything like me, this thought does not pop into my mind very often at all. Yet I am sure that if it became part of our conscious thinking, realising that we have been chosen to be holy and blameless in the sight of God, then we would make so much more effort ourselves to live up to that expectation.
It is true that even with all the hard work and trying that we can muster, we may improve somewhat, but we will never become perfect. That is why Paul continues, saying, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." (v 7 - 8) We have been chosen to be holy and blameless in God's sight, and he has provided the grace of forgiveness to cover our shortcomings when we fail.
What an awesome calling we have and what amazing grace we have been given to help us move toward that calling.
Let us remember our calling, do our best to live up to it, and rely on God's grace for the rest.
1 Corinthians 8
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND JESUS
As Christians it should be our greatest aim to build up our relationship with God and Jesus. There are two ways we can do this.
The first is by learning all about them through reading and study and talking about them with other people. By doing this we are going to build up a very detailed picture of their characters, nature, plans and other details of what they are like and what they do.
The other way is to love them, talk to them and show them our love in the things that we do for them.
Imagine finding the person you think would make the perfect partner for life. You have fallen in love! What are you going to do about it? Are you going to study them from afar, find out all their intimate details - date of birth, favorite colour, their full name and address, the schools they went to and so on, until you can relate their history better than they can? Or will you talk to them, do things for them, allow them to get to know you, and spend time with them? Obviously spending time with them and showing love to them is going to build the relationship much better than just knowing all about them.
The same goes for our relationship with God and Jesus. Pauls words were these: "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Corinthians 8 v 1)
Let's be those who put our knowledge into action and build our relationship in practical, everyday love.
May our thanksgiving and love for the grace of God grow more and more each day.
Ephesians 1
CHOSEN TO BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." (Ephesians 1 v 3 - 4)
How often do we think about the fact that we personally were chosen, long before we were even born, to be holy and blameless in the sight of God? If you are anything like me, this thought does not pop into my mind very often at all. Yet I am sure that if it became part of our conscious thinking, realising that we have been chosen to be holy and blameless in the sight of God, then we would make so much more effort ourselves to live up to that expectation.
It is true that even with all the hard work and trying that we can muster, we may improve somewhat, but we will never become perfect. That is why Paul continues, saying, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." (v 7 - 8) We have been chosen to be holy and blameless in God's sight, and he has provided the grace of forgiveness to cover our shortcomings when we fail.
What an awesome calling we have and what amazing grace we have been given to help us move toward that calling.
Let us remember our calling, do our best to live up to it, and rely on God's grace for the rest.
1 Corinthians 8
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND JESUS
As Christians it should be our greatest aim to build up our relationship with God and Jesus. There are two ways we can do this.
The first is by learning all about them through reading and study and talking about them with other people. By doing this we are going to build up a very detailed picture of their characters, nature, plans and other details of what they are like and what they do.
The other way is to love them, talk to them and show them our love in the things that we do for them.
Imagine finding the person you think would make the perfect partner for life. You have fallen in love! What are you going to do about it? Are you going to study them from afar, find out all their intimate details - date of birth, favorite colour, their full name and address, the schools they went to and so on, until you can relate their history better than they can? Or will you talk to them, do things for them, allow them to get to know you, and spend time with them? Obviously spending time with them and showing love to them is going to build the relationship much better than just knowing all about them.
The same goes for our relationship with God and Jesus. Pauls words were these: "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." (1 Corinthians 8 v 1)
Let's be those who put our knowledge into action and build our relationship in practical, everyday love.
May our thanksgiving and love for the grace of God grow more and more each day.
Thursday 8 April 2010
Welcome Home
A couple of months ago, while I was in Australia, I got some really devastating news that my folks had to sell our family home in South Africa. This is the home where I used to jump off our rockery into our pool on lazy saturday afternoons, the home where I put my childhood art up on the fridge, the home where I discovered saying a bad word would result in a thrashing from dad, the home where we spent sunday after sunday eating moms home cooked meals under our big old tree in the back yard...this was my home...my home that held so many amazing, and not so amazing memories...but memories all the same...this home was a part of me, and to let it go...would be much like loosing a part of myself.
When I think about home, I think of 42 Princess Alice Avenue, in the heart of Durban - the city of diversity. This home is tangible for me right now, I can sit here in Cambodia and literally be back there in a second flat...I can close my eyes and walk up and down the upstairs landing...I can smell the wooden floor boards, and the delicate scent of the flowers that bloomed in spring time, its real to me, because I lived in it every day!
The way I saw my family home, is the way I want to see the Kingdom...I want to be able to close my eyes and be there...I want to imagine the smells, and what it will feel like to walk next to Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem. I want to know what it will be like, I want to see it, I want it to be tangible, I want the Kingdom to be home. I want to be a part of Gods big, broad, funny family...and I want to live it now...today.
So my question today is this...
How do we live the Kingdom today...so that we can live the Kingdom tomorrow?
And what is required of us? How do we live the Kingdom today?
Scripture tells us, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8
But what does it really mean to act justly? and to love mercy? and to walk humbly with God?
When I think about it, it has to start with Jesus.
"Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).
The more I read the bible and study it, the more im starting to see why God sent Jesus to us, and the beauty in His life and the way He lived His life here on earth. Ive always know that God sent Jesus to be an example for us to live our lives by, but I think that concept is only just beginning to take form in my mind. I think that we have to not only want to BE like Jesus, but that we need to want to LIVE like he did.
The more I think about it, the more I see how Jesus was not concerned with himself, he was not self obsessed...so why should we be? I feel like were all far too concerned with what we want and what we 'deserve'...and I think we need a wake up call!! We need to realise why we are hear, and that the reason God put us on this earth all together like a big jar of jelly beans, is because, as I see it, were supposed to be a support to one another. A help to one another. The way I see it, is its not about you...and its not about me...its about EVERYONE ELSE!
Its not about one person winning the race...its about frantically grabbing someone else's hand and trying to make sure THEY finish the race. Jesus came as a servant to the people, and we must be a servant to one another. Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45. "He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave. He humbled Himself by being obedient, even to death." - Philippians 2:7-8.
So how do we take on this massive challenge God has set before us to become servants to one another? It says in John 13: 1 - 20 that Jesus "began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel". In order to fulfill the mission of spreading the gospel, the disciples would need to learn to serve. Pride and arrogance would compromise the disciples' relationship with God, with each other, and with the people they were trying to save. Humility and service to others is the evidence of love.
It's an important and great lesson for us! We can draw so much inspiration from this simple act of servanthood that Christ performed. People always seem to line up to do the tasks that are considered important, glamorous, or respected. But Jesus showed humility by doing the task that no one wanted to do. He washed his disciples' feet - a dirty job usually performed by the lowest ranking person in the room. Was Jesus the lowest ranking person? No. He was Lord, Teacher and Servant. He knew he would soon be at Gods right hand in heaven. Did he think it was too lowly a task for him to do? No. Are there tasks that we don't want to do because they are considered 'lowly'? Because they are dirty? Because they are 'uncool' or hard? And aren't those the jobs that most need to be done? And won't God reward those who do His work? We need to be willing to do whatever is needed. Jesus was not only willing, but he prepared himself to do this service. Have we made plans to serve others? I think if we can begin to live our lives like this, like Jesus did, we will be a step closer to living the Kingdom today.
Another thing I think is important to notice about Jesus is that He lead by example. What a beautiful way to influence others! No one I know ever managed to influence someone just by words alone. Jesus is the perfect example to live our lives by. Jesus set the standard by which all future leadership is to be assessed. He was the natural leader. He did not have to raise His voice to be heard. He didn't need to strike the synagogue pulpit to be heard. When He entered the room, a hush fell over the people. He was a born leader. He lead by taking action.
Jesus led by the quality of His life.
He led a life of depth and compassion. When his friend Lazarus was declared dead, the Scriptures tell us that this strong leader, Jesus, wept for His friend (John 11:35). WOW!! Jesus wept! Jesus also felt raw emotion like we do...how awesome! And when the sister of Lazarus was under pressure from Martha, Jesus came to her defense (Luke 10:42). So we can see that leadership without compassion is arid and sterile. Jesus, a strong, bold leader, revealed a sensitivity and compassion that enhanced and balanced His strength of character and leadership. Jesus sets the example for leadership and He calls us to follow.
We need to draw from the example of Christ, to see how we can live the Kingdom today. After all, Christ lived the Kingdom in His time, and by His example, we can live it today.
I think the more we get to know Jesus, the more vivid our vision of the Kingdom becomes. I think we start to taste it, smell it, see it, feel it, and once we get to that point, where we know Jesus so well that we know what its like to walk in His shoes, and walk beside Him, we can close our eyes and be right there with Him, we can begin to feel the intoxicating excitement that comes with living an eternity with our friend, servant and Lord...Jesus!
So what do we need to do? We need to live simple, humble lives. Live lives with fearlessness and reckless abandon, forgiveness, grace and mercy. Swim upstream when every natural inclination in us, is to let the current just effortlessly carry us. Lets eat on the sabbath and share a meal with a beggar instead of a person of 'worth and privilege', lets live outside of the box, live boldly & bravely, live with passion and sincerity, with love and compassion. Lets rebel against the norm. Lets live like Jesus did. Then we will be living the Kingdom today, so that we can live the Kingdom tomorrow. For eternity!
Welcome home indeed! :)
2 Cor 6:2 - "Behold now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Any other ideas or examples by Jesus of how we can live the Kingdom today?
When I think about home, I think of 42 Princess Alice Avenue, in the heart of Durban - the city of diversity. This home is tangible for me right now, I can sit here in Cambodia and literally be back there in a second flat...I can close my eyes and walk up and down the upstairs landing...I can smell the wooden floor boards, and the delicate scent of the flowers that bloomed in spring time, its real to me, because I lived in it every day!
The way I saw my family home, is the way I want to see the Kingdom...I want to be able to close my eyes and be there...I want to imagine the smells, and what it will feel like to walk next to Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem. I want to know what it will be like, I want to see it, I want it to be tangible, I want the Kingdom to be home. I want to be a part of Gods big, broad, funny family...and I want to live it now...today.
So my question today is this...
How do we live the Kingdom today...so that we can live the Kingdom tomorrow?
And what is required of us? How do we live the Kingdom today?
Scripture tells us, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8
But what does it really mean to act justly? and to love mercy? and to walk humbly with God?
When I think about it, it has to start with Jesus.
"Let this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5).
The more I read the bible and study it, the more im starting to see why God sent Jesus to us, and the beauty in His life and the way He lived His life here on earth. Ive always know that God sent Jesus to be an example for us to live our lives by, but I think that concept is only just beginning to take form in my mind. I think that we have to not only want to BE like Jesus, but that we need to want to LIVE like he did.
The more I think about it, the more I see how Jesus was not concerned with himself, he was not self obsessed...so why should we be? I feel like were all far too concerned with what we want and what we 'deserve'...and I think we need a wake up call!! We need to realise why we are hear, and that the reason God put us on this earth all together like a big jar of jelly beans, is because, as I see it, were supposed to be a support to one another. A help to one another. The way I see it, is its not about you...and its not about me...its about EVERYONE ELSE!
Its not about one person winning the race...its about frantically grabbing someone else's hand and trying to make sure THEY finish the race. Jesus came as a servant to the people, and we must be a servant to one another. Brother, sister, let me serve you, let me be as Christ to you. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45. "He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave. He humbled Himself by being obedient, even to death." - Philippians 2:7-8.
So how do we take on this massive challenge God has set before us to become servants to one another? It says in John 13: 1 - 20 that Jesus "began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel". In order to fulfill the mission of spreading the gospel, the disciples would need to learn to serve. Pride and arrogance would compromise the disciples' relationship with God, with each other, and with the people they were trying to save. Humility and service to others is the evidence of love.
It's an important and great lesson for us! We can draw so much inspiration from this simple act of servanthood that Christ performed. People always seem to line up to do the tasks that are considered important, glamorous, or respected. But Jesus showed humility by doing the task that no one wanted to do. He washed his disciples' feet - a dirty job usually performed by the lowest ranking person in the room. Was Jesus the lowest ranking person? No. He was Lord, Teacher and Servant. He knew he would soon be at Gods right hand in heaven. Did he think it was too lowly a task for him to do? No. Are there tasks that we don't want to do because they are considered 'lowly'? Because they are dirty? Because they are 'uncool' or hard? And aren't those the jobs that most need to be done? And won't God reward those who do His work? We need to be willing to do whatever is needed. Jesus was not only willing, but he prepared himself to do this service. Have we made plans to serve others? I think if we can begin to live our lives like this, like Jesus did, we will be a step closer to living the Kingdom today.
Another thing I think is important to notice about Jesus is that He lead by example. What a beautiful way to influence others! No one I know ever managed to influence someone just by words alone. Jesus is the perfect example to live our lives by. Jesus set the standard by which all future leadership is to be assessed. He was the natural leader. He did not have to raise His voice to be heard. He didn't need to strike the synagogue pulpit to be heard. When He entered the room, a hush fell over the people. He was a born leader. He lead by taking action.
Jesus led by the quality of His life.
He led a life of depth and compassion. When his friend Lazarus was declared dead, the Scriptures tell us that this strong leader, Jesus, wept for His friend (John 11:35). WOW!! Jesus wept! Jesus also felt raw emotion like we do...how awesome! And when the sister of Lazarus was under pressure from Martha, Jesus came to her defense (Luke 10:42). So we can see that leadership without compassion is arid and sterile. Jesus, a strong, bold leader, revealed a sensitivity and compassion that enhanced and balanced His strength of character and leadership. Jesus sets the example for leadership and He calls us to follow.
We need to draw from the example of Christ, to see how we can live the Kingdom today. After all, Christ lived the Kingdom in His time, and by His example, we can live it today.
I think the more we get to know Jesus, the more vivid our vision of the Kingdom becomes. I think we start to taste it, smell it, see it, feel it, and once we get to that point, where we know Jesus so well that we know what its like to walk in His shoes, and walk beside Him, we can close our eyes and be right there with Him, we can begin to feel the intoxicating excitement that comes with living an eternity with our friend, servant and Lord...Jesus!
So what do we need to do? We need to live simple, humble lives. Live lives with fearlessness and reckless abandon, forgiveness, grace and mercy. Swim upstream when every natural inclination in us, is to let the current just effortlessly carry us. Lets eat on the sabbath and share a meal with a beggar instead of a person of 'worth and privilege', lets live outside of the box, live boldly & bravely, live with passion and sincerity, with love and compassion. Lets rebel against the norm. Lets live like Jesus did. Then we will be living the Kingdom today, so that we can live the Kingdom tomorrow. For eternity!
Welcome home indeed! :)
2 Cor 6:2 - "Behold now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Any other ideas or examples by Jesus of how we can live the Kingdom today?
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Simple things...
Dear God,
Thank you for quiet places
Thank you for open spaces
Thank you for all things green,
and even for the things unseen
Thank you for diversity,
and the beauty in simplicity
Thank you that we get to be bold and brave,
and that we know we are yours to save
Thank you for my spiritual heart,
one that can be set apart.
Amen
Thank you for quiet places
Thank you for open spaces
Thank you for all things green,
and even for the things unseen
Thank you for diversity,
and the beauty in simplicity
Thank you that we get to be bold and brave,
and that we know we are yours to save
Thank you for my spiritual heart,
one that can be set apart.
Amen
Friday 2 April 2010
Why did Jesus need to die?
"I can't understand why Jesus died?
Why did Jesus die and how did that save us?
God could have saved us anyway He wanted, He can do anything, so why did we need Jesus to die?
And how did His blood give us life?
God didn't need blood to forgive us... if He did, surely that is limiting His power?
These are my questions at the moment, so basic but fundamental."
These are some thoughts and questions from one friend to another :)
Meale, this one is for you! :)
.....................................................................
So all these questions got me thinking...and I am NO expert on the subject, most of this is just random ideas - and I don't have any scriptures to back it up (enter Bazza) - but I had a few thoughts about it and wondered if anyone else could shed some light on these questions :)
I have 2 thoughts:
Firstly, I'm not totally sure why Christ had to die...Maybe Christ didn't necessarily HAVE to die...is it possible that God knew that the world could not accept and hold such perfect love and He knew Christ would be rejected and crucified because of it?
Im not sure that it was the ONLY way God could save us...but its the way that things panned out maybe? Im not sure that God NEEDED BLOOD! I think God knew that WE needed blood! Because we are such crazy brutal people, maybe we were the ones who required Jesus' blood, not God. Is it possible that God just knew from the beginning of time what would eventuate and He worked through that and used Christ's suffering as a portal for our Salvation? Just like He works through all the suffering in our lives for the greater good? "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.
OR....
Secondly, if God did require Christ to die, was it because the fear of death is something us mere mortals can relate to? After all, giving your life up for someone else is the ultimate sacrifice! "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.
And does the way Christ died have something to do with it? Because if Christ NEEDED to die...if God NEEDED blood, then it might not have had so much impact if Christ just died in a natural manner and not such a brutal manner? The way He died was severe and shocking...and if He had not been so brutally killed...how much of a sacrifice would His life have been? If Christ just died in a natural manner, surely there would be far less impact and reason for us to acknowledge what He actually did for us? Like there is beauty in the pain He suffered.
Isn't that what its about? That Christ was a living sacrifice?
The Lamb to the slaughter?
"For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.... Lo, I have come to do thy will... And every priest stands at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifice, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God ... For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" - Hebrews 10:11-18.
So maybe thats why God needed Christ to die! Because we can see time and time again in the Old Testament how God required perfect and spotless, living sacrifices and spilt blood as a sacrifice to Him, and after all, it is the blood that runs through our veins that keeps us alive...its where the life is...so is that where the symbology lies? Thats why we "eat His flesh and drink His blood" to remember Him and what He did for us!
Life in the blood = Life in Christ?
We also know that Jesus was perfect, and that the wages of sin is death, so the grave could not hold Him. Our death would therefore not be sufficient to atone for sin because atonement requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice, offered in just the right way. Jesus, the one perfect man, came to offer the pure, complete and everlasting sacrifice to remove, atone, and make eternal payment for our sin.
I guess the other thing to consider is that we all know its not about Christ's death...it's also about Christ's resurrection and His life, and what the resurrection represents. Maybe its about the physical representation of a new life in Christ, of second chances and of baptism, and how we can see that there is a new life in Him after baptism?
Maybe it all started with Adam and Eve, and the fall of man, and how sin came into the world, and how because of sin, we live and die and because death reigns in this world, God chose for Christ to die, so that we could draw comparisons by His death, in our daily dealings and daily lives.
Death is rife in our lives...its everywhere and it is mans ultimate fear! Maybe God knew that we as imperfect creatures would find value in Christ's death...maybe no other way would be as impactful or hold such sacred power in our hearts!
"He has also set eternity in the hearts of men" Ecclesiastes 3:11
Maybe its about showing us how fragile our earthly lives are, and that death is real and even though we are all destined to die one day, we too can be raised into perfection with Christ in the kingdom! Maybe if Christ didn't die...maybe if there was no physical representation, we would not have all these comparisons in our daily lives to draw inspiration from? And maybe if Christ didn't die, we wouldn't see Him in everything around us, like how animals must die brutal deaths to sustain us and nourish us, through their death comes life in us, and how every tree that grows, eventually dies, and when it dies, it gives back to the earth to provide more nourishment for new growth. Think about how hopeless our lives would be without the hope that Christ has put in our lives through the representation of His death and resurrection!
I guess these are good questions to ask...but when you really think about it, we are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed our sins away, and that by dying He disabled death itself. I guess the truth of the matter is Christ DID die...and he died the way He died, for US, and I suppose its secondary weather or not that was because the world could not hold such perfection or because God needed Jesus' blood for a specific reason for our salvation.
Any thoughts?
The point is...we have salvation through Christ's death! Which is the greatest gift in itself!
So lets remember Him today! Lets remember what He did for us!
Behold The Man!
.....................................................................
The Cup Of Life Outpoured
by Jim Cowan
Who am I, that I should receive
The cup of life outpoured?
The bread of life, the blood of Christ
The body of my Lord
Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief
Cause me to see You as You are
The King of glory, the Lord of love
The Shepherd of my heart
Lamb of God, Holy God
I come to receive You now
Come into my heart, fill my life
With Your very presence, Lord
To great for me
This wisdom of the Lord
To hold the Savior in my hand
And greater still, the gift of God
That I should be one with Him
Why did Jesus die and how did that save us?
God could have saved us anyway He wanted, He can do anything, so why did we need Jesus to die?
And how did His blood give us life?
God didn't need blood to forgive us... if He did, surely that is limiting His power?
These are my questions at the moment, so basic but fundamental."
These are some thoughts and questions from one friend to another :)
Meale, this one is for you! :)
.....................................................................
So all these questions got me thinking...and I am NO expert on the subject, most of this is just random ideas - and I don't have any scriptures to back it up (enter Bazza) - but I had a few thoughts about it and wondered if anyone else could shed some light on these questions :)
I have 2 thoughts:
Firstly, I'm not totally sure why Christ had to die...Maybe Christ didn't necessarily HAVE to die...is it possible that God knew that the world could not accept and hold such perfect love and He knew Christ would be rejected and crucified because of it?
Im not sure that it was the ONLY way God could save us...but its the way that things panned out maybe? Im not sure that God NEEDED BLOOD! I think God knew that WE needed blood! Because we are such crazy brutal people, maybe we were the ones who required Jesus' blood, not God. Is it possible that God just knew from the beginning of time what would eventuate and He worked through that and used Christ's suffering as a portal for our Salvation? Just like He works through all the suffering in our lives for the greater good? "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.
OR....
Secondly, if God did require Christ to die, was it because the fear of death is something us mere mortals can relate to? After all, giving your life up for someone else is the ultimate sacrifice! "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.
And does the way Christ died have something to do with it? Because if Christ NEEDED to die...if God NEEDED blood, then it might not have had so much impact if Christ just died in a natural manner and not such a brutal manner? The way He died was severe and shocking...and if He had not been so brutally killed...how much of a sacrifice would His life have been? If Christ just died in a natural manner, surely there would be far less impact and reason for us to acknowledge what He actually did for us? Like there is beauty in the pain He suffered.
Isn't that what its about? That Christ was a living sacrifice?
The Lamb to the slaughter?
"For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.... Lo, I have come to do thy will... And every priest stands at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifice, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God ... For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" - Hebrews 10:11-18.
So maybe thats why God needed Christ to die! Because we can see time and time again in the Old Testament how God required perfect and spotless, living sacrifices and spilt blood as a sacrifice to Him, and after all, it is the blood that runs through our veins that keeps us alive...its where the life is...so is that where the symbology lies? Thats why we "eat His flesh and drink His blood" to remember Him and what He did for us!
Life in the blood = Life in Christ?
We also know that Jesus was perfect, and that the wages of sin is death, so the grave could not hold Him. Our death would therefore not be sufficient to atone for sin because atonement requires a perfect, spotless sacrifice, offered in just the right way. Jesus, the one perfect man, came to offer the pure, complete and everlasting sacrifice to remove, atone, and make eternal payment for our sin.
I guess the other thing to consider is that we all know its not about Christ's death...it's also about Christ's resurrection and His life, and what the resurrection represents. Maybe its about the physical representation of a new life in Christ, of second chances and of baptism, and how we can see that there is a new life in Him after baptism?
Maybe it all started with Adam and Eve, and the fall of man, and how sin came into the world, and how because of sin, we live and die and because death reigns in this world, God chose for Christ to die, so that we could draw comparisons by His death, in our daily dealings and daily lives.
Death is rife in our lives...its everywhere and it is mans ultimate fear! Maybe God knew that we as imperfect creatures would find value in Christ's death...maybe no other way would be as impactful or hold such sacred power in our hearts!
"He has also set eternity in the hearts of men" Ecclesiastes 3:11
Maybe its about showing us how fragile our earthly lives are, and that death is real and even though we are all destined to die one day, we too can be raised into perfection with Christ in the kingdom! Maybe if Christ didn't die...maybe if there was no physical representation, we would not have all these comparisons in our daily lives to draw inspiration from? And maybe if Christ didn't die, we wouldn't see Him in everything around us, like how animals must die brutal deaths to sustain us and nourish us, through their death comes life in us, and how every tree that grows, eventually dies, and when it dies, it gives back to the earth to provide more nourishment for new growth. Think about how hopeless our lives would be without the hope that Christ has put in our lives through the representation of His death and resurrection!
I guess these are good questions to ask...but when you really think about it, we are told that Christ was killed for us, that His death has washed our sins away, and that by dying He disabled death itself. I guess the truth of the matter is Christ DID die...and he died the way He died, for US, and I suppose its secondary weather or not that was because the world could not hold such perfection or because God needed Jesus' blood for a specific reason for our salvation.
Any thoughts?
The point is...we have salvation through Christ's death! Which is the greatest gift in itself!
So lets remember Him today! Lets remember what He did for us!
Behold The Man!
.....................................................................
The Cup Of Life Outpoured
by Jim Cowan
Who am I, that I should receive
The cup of life outpoured?
The bread of life, the blood of Christ
The body of my Lord
Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief
Cause me to see You as You are
The King of glory, the Lord of love
The Shepherd of my heart
Lamb of God, Holy God
I come to receive You now
Come into my heart, fill my life
With Your very presence, Lord
To great for me
This wisdom of the Lord
To hold the Savior in my hand
And greater still, the gift of God
That I should be one with Him
Thursday 1 April 2010
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