Their sins and the evil things they do—I will not remember anymore. Heb 10:17
"[With one sacrifice] he made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (Heb 10:14 ). Underline the word perfect. Note that the word is not better. Not improving. Not on the upswing. God doesn't improve; he perfects. He doesn't enhance; he completes… Now I realize that there's a sense in which we're imperfect. We still err. We still stumble. We still do exactly what we don't want to do. And that part of us is, according to the verse, "being made holy." But when it comes to our position before God, we're perfect. When he sees each of us, he sees one who has been made perfect through the One who is perfect—Jesus Christ. In the Eye of the Storm (by: Max Lucado) Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises. Jas 5:13 Do you want to know how to deepen your prayer life? Pray. Don't prepare to pray. Just pray. Don't read about prayer. Just pray. Don't attend a lecture on prayer or engage in discussion about prayer. Just pray. Posture, tone, and place are personal matters. Select the form that works for you. But don't think about it too much. Don't be so concerned about wrapping the gift that you never give it. Better to pray awkwardly than not at all. And if you feel you should only pray when inspired, that's okay. Just see to it that you are inspired every day. When God Whispers Your Name (by: Max Lucado) After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am. Joh 14:3
Someday, according to Christ, he will set us free. He will come back. In the blink of an eye, as fast as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, he will come back. And everyone will see him—you will, I will. Bodies will push back the dirt and break the surface of the sea. The earth will tremble, the sky will roar, and those who do not know him will shudder. But in that hour you will not fear, because you know him. When Christ Comes (by: Max Lucado) If people love me, they will obey my teaching. My father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. John 14:23
God wants to be your dwelling place. He has no interest in being a weekend getaway or a Sunday bungalow or a summer cottage. Don't consider using God as a vacation cabin or an eventual retirement home. He wants you under his roof now and always. He wants to be your mailing address, your point of reference; he wants to be your home… For many this is a new thought. We think of God as a deity to discuss, not a place to dwell. We think of God as a mysterious miracle worker, not a house to live in. We think of God as a creator to call on, not a home to reside in. But our Father wants to be much more. He wants to be the one in whom "we live and move and have our being" (Act 17:28 NIV). The Great House of Go (Max Lucado) My kingdom does not belong to this world. John 18:36 Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. By gracing us with a deep dissatisfaction, God holds our attention. The only tragedy, then, is to be satisfied prematurely. To settle for earth. To be content in a strange land… We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are "like foreigners and strangers in this world" (1Pe 2:11 )… And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth. Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead. When God Whispers Your Name (Max Lucado) He poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers' feet, drying them
with the towel that was wrapped around him. John 13:5 To place our feet in the basin of Jesus is to place the filthiest parts of our lives into his hands. In the ancient East, people's feet were caked with mud and dirt. The servant of the feast saw to it that the feet were cleaned. Jesus is assuming the role of the servant. He will wash the grimiest part of your life. If you let him. The water of the Servant comes only when we confess that we are dirty. Only when we confess that we are caked with filth, that we have walked forbidden trails and followed the wrong paths… We will never be cleansed until we confess we are dirty. We will never be pure until we admit we are filthy. And we will never be able to wash the feet of those who have hurt us until we allow Jesus, the one we have hurt, to wash ours. A Gentle Thunder (Max Lucado) When I was ten, my mother enrolled me in piano lessons. Spending thirty minutes every afternoon tethered to a piano bench was a torture just one level away from swallowing broken glass.
I hammered the staccatos. I belaboured the crescendos. But there was one instruction in the music I could never obey to my teacher’s satisfaction. The rest. The zigzagged command to do nothing. Nothing! What sense does that make? “Because,” my teacher patiently explained, “music is always sweeter after a rest.” “Be still,” the scripture says, “and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Perhaps it is time for you to let the music slow to a stop…and be still and rest. The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them. Luke 19:10 Our God is the God who follows. Have you sensed him following you? He is the one who came to seek and save the lost. Have you sensed him seeking you? Have you felt his presence through the kindness of a stranger? Through the majesty of a sunset or the mystery of romance? Through the question of a child or the commitment of a spouse? Through a word well-spoken or a touch well timed, have you sensed him? … God gives us himself. Even when we choose our hovel over his house and our trash over his grace, still he follows. Never forcing us. Never leaving us. Patiently persistent. Faithfully present. He uses all his power to convince us that he is who he is and he can be trusted to lead us home. The Gift for All People (Max Lucado) There’s a delicious gladness that comes from God. A joy which consequences cannot quench. His is a peace which circumstances cannot steal.
Nine times he promises it. And he promises it to an unlikely crowd: The poor in spirit. Those who mourn. The meek. Those who hunger and thirst. The merciful. The pure in heart. The peacemakers. The persecuted. It is to this band of pilgrims that God promises a special blessing. A heavenly joy. But this joy is not cheap. What Jesus promises is not a gimmick to give you goose bumps or a mental attitude. No, Matthew Chapter 5 describes God’s radical reconstruction of the heart. It’s no casual shift of attitude. It’s a demolition of the old structure and a creation of the new. God’s joy. And it’s within your reach. You are one decision away from joy! I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. — Hebrews 8:12
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). "[God] justifies those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26). For those in Christ, these promises are not only a source of joy. They are also the foundations of true courage. You are guaranteed that your sins will be filtered through, hidden in, and screened out by the sacrifice of Jesus. When God looks at you, he doesn't see you; he sees the One who surrounds you. That means that failure is not a concern for you. Your victory is secure. How could you not be courageous? The Applause of Heaven (Max Lucado) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
All
Archives
June 2015
|