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Did I go to Smart Mouth College? Do I hang out at Sin Saloon?
There is one place I don’t want to go. I definitely don’t want to graduate from Smart-Mouth College. I don’t want God to give me a Masters or Ph.D. from there. No way. Other places I don’t want to be found? Sin Saloon and Dead-End Road.
Nope, I want to be excited about God’s word. I want to think on it, chew on it, all the time. Spending time with His word is what pleases Him.
How well God must like you—
you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.
Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night. Psalm 1:1-3
Am I fooling myself?
Am I fooling myself? Sometimes, OK, a lot of the time, I say things that are nonsense. When I do, I am fooling myself. I am missing the mark for sure.
So, if I say I don’t miss God’s goal, I am a fool. I miss His goal for me all the time. Might as well fess up.
If we claim that we’re free of missing God’s goal for our life, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. 1 John 1:8
What are the real issues?
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable”
I am sure those who had been with Jesus for a while had a hint of what was about to come. Jesus knew how to nail the real issues. Jesus knows that there is a such a thing as false confidence. It is not about what we do that gets us right with God. We need to come to Him with the awareness deep in our soul that there is nothing we have done to receive His gift of an absolutely pure relationship with God. We have missed the mark but Jesus didn’t. And those who are relying on good deeds will look down on others. Double whammy here.
Being religious is of no advantage. Looking down at others is useless. There is only one way to God. Jesus challenges us to see the way.
God is very good. Jesus came with good news. His gift to us that allows us to be friends with God is overwhelming.
Here is the rest of the story:
‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Minister (Pharisee) and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ ‘But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ Luke 18:9-14
Am I free?
The old plan is finished. The rules, the regulations, the spirit of religion. It is done with. I was called to be free. There is a new plan. I only need to know one thing. I must love.
That is it. That is the plan. That is the agreement my Father has with me. That is the agreement I have with those I know. That is the real deal.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-15 NIV
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Can I go morally bankrupt?
Can I go morally bankrupt? It is possible.Without God’s word and promises stored up in a sufficient manner, we can make too many withdrawals.
King David knew the secret to preventing moral bankruptcy.
David treated his heart like a bank. He stored up God’s promises in the vault of his heart. It protected his heart from going bankrupt from his sin.
“I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt.” ~~King David (Psalm 119:11 The Message)
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- “Up, God! My God, help me! Slap their faces, First this cheek, then the other, Your fist hard in their teeth!” ~~King David (mww1954.wordpress.com)
- The Reality of Revelry (elderyvesjohnson.wordpress.com)
Has the problem of missing God’s goal for our life been solved for good?
Has the problem of missing God’s goal for our life been solved for good? Yes, it has. Our Messiah and Master, Jesus, has done it for us and the whole world.
God has a plan for us. He has a goal in mind. We miss it. That is so frustrating. We have good news though, Jesus has solved that problem for us. His sacrifice of death paid the penalty for us all. We all have a debt to pay to God for our rebellion. Jesus paid it for us.
“When he served as a sacrifice for our missing God’s goal (sins), he solved the sin problem for good—not only ours, but the whole world’s. ” ~~Apostle John (1 John 2:1 The Message)
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What happens when I miss God’s goal for me?
God has a goal for us. He has one today. Will we hit the mark? Will we miss His goal?
If we do miss it, we have a friend sitting in the presence of God who has never missed it. He took our sin on Himself. He is like a priest advocating for us to God our Father. He sits right next to God. He is in right standing with God. He has solved the missing His goal (sin) problem for good.
Now this is good news for sure.
“But if anyone does miss God’s goal (sin), we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus the Messiah, righteous Jesus.” ~~Apostle John (1 John 2:1 The Message)
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“I write this, dear children, to guide you out of missing God’s goal for your life.” ~~Apostle John
John has a focus for his message to us. It is one we ought to all make the most of. God has a goal for our life. Without Jesus, we miss it. We shouldn’t. We don’t have to.
God is in a good mood. We have help in understanding how to meet God’s goal. We have help in living a life of power, in God’s Spirit to hit the mark.
And John is clear about the goal. It is to love one another. It is to love everyone we come in contact with. God’s goal is love.
“I write this, dear children, to guide you out of missing God’s goal for your life (sin).” ~~Apostle John (1 John 2:1 The Message)
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Where is the sting of death?
Česky: Kříže – symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a jeho ukřižování (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Death has no power. It has been swallowed up whole by the triumphant resurrection of our Master Jesus. This is reality. Does death have the last word on things? Not hardly. No way. Jesus has seen to that. It is over.
Who should be afraid of death knowing what we know? No one. Certainly not me.
It was not following God’s plan that gave death it’s leverage. It doesn’t have that hold now. Jesus has given me, in one single victorious stroke of life, a life free from guilt. A life free from sin. A life free from death. The old life of trying to live up to all the rules is gone. How destructive was that? Way too much guilt for sure. But it is gone in His redeeming power of His death and the victory of His ressurection.
May I experience that gift every day. May I experience it today for sure!!!
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
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- “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (richardangulo.wordpress.com)
The whole package
He is the Lamb who takes away my sin. He came to liberate me from the paycheck of sin, which is death. And he has!! The sacrifice that was required has been made.He is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah who has triumphed. He has defeated my enemy. In this case, he is no lamb. He is the strong lion who protects me.
He is all this and more. Oh how sweet is the name of our Master Jesus.
- Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5
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