Reflections in The WORD

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Prayer: Public vs. Private

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” ~ Matthew 6:5-6

In a recent conversation, a brother in Christ asked, “Based on this scripture, do you think we should pray corporately in Church?”

This was indeed a thorny question, because current church worship/activities often involves quite a bit of public prayer. Is the church ignoring a key command of Christ? Was this a general command, an overarching principle or a context-limited instruction?

To gain better insight, let us consider the Biblical record:

First, Jesus’: we can examine where Jesus prayed. The Bible has few records of Jesus praying openly. Perhaps, the most notable of these are when Jesus called out to God (The Father) on the cross and, as my brother reminded, when He prayed before raising Lazarus from the dead. Most references of Jesus praying involve a secluded setting (e.g., Mark 1:35; Matthew 26:36-44; John 17)

Second, we can examine what Jesus’ said about individuals that did pray openly. In Luke 19, in a parable, Jesus spoke of two men who had prayed openly in the Temple. He commended one man, a publican, while rebuking the other man, a Pharisee.

It is from this story that we may gain the keenest insight on public/corporate prayer, because Jesus’ points out clearly that the key difference between the two men was their attitude. The publican was overwhelmed by his own sinfulness and need for God’s mercy. The Pharisee was consumed by his own (conceived) superiority to others. Therefore, the publican’s public prayer brought attention to God, while the Pharisee’s public prayer brought attention to himself.

Considering the above points, we conclude,

Public praying is not in itself a sin (otherwise, Jesus would have rebuked the publican too)
The main issue Jesus was focusing on in our text was ATTITUDE/MOTIVE. Specifically, The key clause in Matthew 6:5 is, “that they may be seen of men”

If our public praying brings attention to ourselves (our superiority) rather than to God (His mercy and grace), then we have a problem: that kind of prayer is not pleasing to God. Consequently, we should be very careful to minimize self and maximize God when praying, especially in public.

Finally, Jesus does give us a guiding principle in Matthew 6:6: i.e., Focus your efforts on private prayer. We should follow His example and spend much of our prayer time alone, in a lonely place.

It is very difficult to ignore the people around us when we pray publicly. Hence, we often pray in a “withholding” way. i.e., we leave out the ‘bad stuff’. We guard our words so that we don’t divulge too much about our own personal struggles. By doing so, many of us often pray a little dishonestly in public.

Conversely, when praying in private we have no need to ‘keep our guards up’; we can ‘let go’, we can be our true selves. Hence, in private, away from the crowd, we pray far more sincerely. And Scripture suggests that God is much more pleased with that sincerest form of prayer.

This article arose from discussions with Franklyn Cuffe.

WELCOME!

Published by reflectionsintheword

“Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.” ~ Romans 15:7

Life is different in the fellowship of Believers.

In the worlds system, people welcome others into their lives based on how pleasing that person is because of their personality; or their appearance; or their education; or their charm; or their class; or their race/culture/nationality; or any other vain rationale.

However, in the body of Christ we receive each other (i.e., we welcome other members) not for our own pleasure, but to please God.

To the brother who does not have a great personality, WELCOME!
To the sister who has a plain appearance, WELCOME!
To the brother who never made it through high school, WELCOME!
To the youth who is uncouth, WELCOME!
To those of lowly degree, WELCOME!
To the one with darker/lighter skin, from this country or another, who sounds so different, WELCOME!

We welcome you, because Christ welcomed us with all our failings, to the Glory of God.

Where is The Church?

Published by reflectionsintheword

“Our Christian habit is to bewail the world’s deteriorating standards with an air of rather self-righteous dismay. We criticize its violence, dishonesty, immorality, disregard for human life, and materialistic greed. ‘The world is going down the drain,’ we say with a shrug. But whose fault is it? Who is to blame?”

“Let me put it like this. If the house is dark when night fall comes, there is no sense in blaming the house, for that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is ‘Where is the light?’

“If the meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense blaming the meat, for that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is ‘Where is the salt?’”

“Just so, if society deteriorates and its standards decline, till it becomes like a dark night or stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming society, for that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves, and human selfishness is unchecked.”

“The question to ask is ‘Where is the church? Why are the salt and light of Jesus Christ not permeating and changing our society?’”

“It is sheer hypocrisy on our part to raise our eyebrows, shrug our shoulders or wring our hands. The Lord Jesus told us to be the world’s salt and light. If, therefore, darkness and rottenness abound, it is our fault and we must accept the blame.”

John Stott

Excellent Knowledge

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“I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” ~ Philippians 3:8

Spiritual knowledge of Christ will be a personal knowledge. I cannot know Jesus through another person’s acquaintance with him. No, I must know Him myself; I must know him on my own account.

It will be an intelligent knowledge—I must know Him, not as the visionary dreams of him, but as the Word reveals him. I must know his natures, divine and human. I must know His offices; His attributes; His works; His shame; His glory. I must meditate upon Him until I “comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.”

It will be an affectionate knowledge of Him; indeed, if I know Him at all, I must love Him. An ounce of heart knowledge is worth a ton of head learning.

Our knowledge of him will be a satisfying knowledge. When I know my Saviour, my mind will be full to the brim—I shall feel that I have that which my spirit panted after. “This is that bread whereof if a man eat he shall never hunger.”

At the same time it will be an exciting knowledge; the more I know of my Beloved, the more I shall want to know. The higher I climb the loftier will be the summits which invite my eager footsteps. I shall want the more as I get the more. Like the miser’s treasure, my gold will make me covet more.

To conclude; this knowledge of Christ Jesus will be a most happy one; in fact, so elevating, that sometimes it will completely bear me up above all trials, and doubts, and sorrows; and it will, while I enjoy it, make me something more than “Man that is born of woman, who is of few days, and full of trouble”; for it will fling about me the immortality of the ever living Saviour, and gird me with the golden girdle of His eternal joy.

Come, my soul, sit at Jesus’s feet and learn of him all this day.

——————————-
From Spurgeon’s “Morning & Evening” Devotionals

“Germophobia”

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I am a bit of a germophobe. I can see germs everywhere. As a result, I am mildly obsessed with keeping my hands clean. I am usually aware of what my hands last touched. And, often, that means it time for a hand wash: whether with good old soap and water, or with the now ubiquitous, hand cleansers.

"Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." ~ Psalm 51:2

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were germophobes of a sort too. For them, it wasn’t just unhygienic, it was sinful to eat without first washing your hands.

However, as Jesus pointed out, germs are really not what we need to be worried about. Instead, Jesus contended that germs only affect the body, and most germs that are consumed are simply flushed out by the body.

Jesus further declared that the actual problem is sin-sickness which can be diagnosed by what comes out (the words and actions and attitudes) of an individual.

“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man… Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught… For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” ~ Mark 7:15, 19a, 21-23

Yes, it is true that many dangerous diseases can be transmitted through direct or indirect contact. But, while germs may harm the body, sin and sinfulness definitely harm the soul; making us unclean, defiled, before a pure and holy God.

“For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.” Jeremiah 2:22

In today’s society, we are constantly bombarded with ‘sin germs’. We get them from our interaction with people, groups, cultures, things that transmit unholy attitudes, unclean speech, filthy principles, and unhealthy counsel (‘badvice’).

However, we seldom consider washing away the ‘sin germs’ we have picked up as we live our daily lives. But, just as we are taught to wash away regular germs, Scripture teaches us to wash away ‘sin germs’ with God’s Word.

“Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” ~ Ephesians 5:25b-27

"That he (Christ) might sanctify and cleanse it (The Church) with the washing of water by the word" ~ Ephesians 5:26

It is right to practice good hygiene, and so we wash our hands from time to time in the course of a day since we can’t completely isolate ourselves from regular germs (despite Howard Hughes‘ efforts).

Likewise, we must interact with the world around us and we can’t isolate ourselves from unintended contamination by ‘sin germs’. So we must dive into God’s Word frequently to wash our spirits clean.

But, how much do we want to wash away ‘sin germs’ that have piled onto/into our lives?

To be sure, just as accumulated germs will eventually make our bodies sick, an accumulation of ‘sin germs’ will eventually make our souls, hearts and minds sin-sick too. We MUST wash them away regularly with God’s Word!

As, I reflect on my own ‘germophobia‘ and how often I wash my hands, it seems to me that my spiritual life would be much healthier if I was as dedicated to washing ‘sin germs’ from my spirit as I am to washing regular germs from my body.

How many times have you ‘washed’ today?

Walk Within the Love of The LORD

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“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” ~ Ephesians 3:17-19

The Holy Spirit takes up residence in every Christian upon salvation (John 14:23, Revelation 3:20), giving us the power that we need to become “rooted and established”, or mature, in Christ. When we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His promptings in our lives, we are pleasing God and making a home for Him in ALL of the areas of our being.

If we take the view, for example, that our heart or life is a house, we should grant The Holy Spirit access to every single room and closet in our “house”, thus making Him at home there instead of barring Him from certain places in our house. The more we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit, the more we will become like Jesus, and enter into full enjoyment of His indwelling through faith.

God, since the beginning of time, has cared about the state of man’s heart. He wants His children to have their hearts (lives) centered on Him.

As Christians, it is all too easy to get caught in the trap of measuring our obedience to God by our works. We can do many good works; but if they are done outside of His will and with the wrong motives, then they are of no value to God.

However when our hearts are centered on Christ and His great love for us, a godly life will be the natural outcome. Then, He will be delighted with our good works because we do them in obedience to His will and because we love Him.

I love the last part of this passage, that we may grasp how wide, long, high, and deep the love of Christ really is, and that this love of His surpasses knowledge!

There are many, many things that we are taught from the time we are born; but to truly grasp the love that Christ has for us is by far the very most important. From this understanding of His love will come a life that is centered on Christ and obeying His Word because of our love for Him and His finished work on the cross for our salvation.

“We love him, because he first loved us.” ~ 1 John 4:19

Oh, that our life would be spent at the feet of Jesus, loving Him, learning from Him, and showing that love to all who come into contact with us each and every day!

Thank You Jesus for Your love for me, for coming to this earth and shedding Your precious, life-giving blood for my sins, I love You my Redeemer and I give you all the praise, glory, and honor that You so richly deserve this day!

Contributed by Mary Heuss Nelson

Lessons from Man’s Best Friend

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I think God put animals on this earth to keep me humble.

At least, I believe He’s put the animals that I currently own in my life for very specific reasons, one of which is to help me in the never-ending quest to learn humility. Pride is, of course, a natural human tendency; the assumptions that I’m not so bad, that my way of viewing the world is pretty reliable, that my expectations are adequate and my duties no more difficult than making myself relatively happy. All ideas common to man that fly in the face of a Holy God who calls us to a deep relationship full of worship and purpose. What amazes me is how creative and loving God is in His pursuit of raising my eyes to His holiness.

“I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.” ~ Psalm 121:1

At the present, the means of His divine humbling are most often delivered through my dog Ozark. He’s an Australian Shepherd, 7 years young and full of energy, 60 pounds of love who would gladly crawl into my lap if he hadn’t outgrown it 40 pounds ago. He’s loves food, sleeping on the porch furniture, and won’t leave my side when I’m outside.

And when he gets an idea in his head that is contrary to mine, he’s stubborn as a mule and sneaky as a thief. No matter how many times I tell him not to eat the chicken’s food, the minute my back is turned he’s scarfing it down.

This happens every day; somehow he “knows” the instant my attention wanders, and he’ll do exactly what I just asked him not to do. One minute he’s adoring affection, the next he’s chasing the neighbor’s car up the road, ignoring my urgent commands to stop risking his neck on a useless pursuit. He has learned to wait patiently for his dinner bowl, but that doesn’t stop him from fighting his sister for every scrap of chew-bone in the front yard.

What bothers me the most by all of these behaviors is how much of myself I see in him.

“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thy own eye?” ~ Matthew 7:3

I have this terrible habit of thinking my life is mine to do with as I please. I am very task-oriented, and take pride in getting a job done quickly and efficiently. This handy skill is offset by the fact that it also brings out every ounce of my German stubbornness; I have a plan on how to accomplish something, and if anything or anyone gets in the way of that plan they face my wrath.

When stubborn defiance fails, I’m not too proud to sneak behind whoever I think is watching and get things done my own way. As long as I get what I want in the end, the way I wanted it, how I got there can often seem relatively unimportant.

But it’s very important to God.

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” ~ Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Let’s get back to Ozark for a moment. All I want is for my dog to be happy, healthy, and obedient. I want him to trust that I have his best interests at heart, that my requests really aren’t as odious as he sometimes thinks they are, that the reward is going to be worth the small price that I ask. I love my dog for who he is, and am aware of his shortcomings; at the same time, I can’t help but try to draw out all the potential I see in him.

My dog has a secure place in my heart, but he’s still here to do a job. As long as he’s not fulfilling that job, I am left feeling vaguely disappointed. I’m less likely to seek him out, for special tasks or even just a spontaneous evening stroll. My relationship with him is not as deep or as purposeful as it could be, because he chooses his own stubborn way instead of letting me lead him.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” ~ I John 1:7

I think this is a glimpse of how God sees His children. If you read the accounts in the Old Testament of God’s relationship with the nation of Israel, you’ll see a similar pattern: a loving God willing to rescue and provide for His chosen people, and a nation alternately devoted to Him and then devoted to everything out there BUT Him!

It’s almost bewildering how consistently they fall away, suffer the inevitable consequences despite very clear warnings from God, then desperately cry out for help when it finally becomes clear that they cannot save themselves. Almost as bewildering is how consistently God is willing to bring them out of bondage and into His love once more.

His love is so much deeper and complex than we can understand; but I sure am grateful for it, for that same love and grace and salvation are extended to you and me as well.

So, lately my dog has been doing a pretty good job of keeping me humble. Whenever I am tempted to lose patience with him, I am halted by the thought that God is so incredibly patient with me. I’m reminded of my own shortcomings, my own tendency to balk at a task because I think I won’t like it.

I too often choose to mope rather than trust. And I have even fewer reasons for misbehaving than Ozark does, because my Heavenly Father never runs out of time or energy to put into making me the best I can be for His service. I am also reminded to have patience with my fellow humans, because I too am fallen and faulty. None of us are truly good (Romans 3:10); we are only able to serve a good God (Matthew 19:17).

“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” ~ Psalm 1391:1, 23-24

Contributed by Joelle Heilemann.

To The Uttermost

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“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” ~ Hebrews 7:25

“Uttermost” is a curious word not often used in our everyday conversation. It brings to mind things like the “uttermost regions of the earth”; far, far away places and the like. I don’t think that we’d be far off in our application of that type of thinking in today’s passage of Scripture.

The only difference is that we are not talking about the space/time continuum, but the kind of salvation that is possible only through our High Priest, Jesus Christ. This same Jesus who was with God in the beginning and was Himself God came down from heaven, took upon Himself human flesh, lived and moved among mankind to offer living water to those who would drink, was sacrificed upon Calvary’s tree for our sin, died and arose again on the third day–all to represent us in an eternal relationship with God.

He will FOREVER make intercession for us with God, the Father. Of course this scripture is referring to those who “come unto God by Him.” We cannot represent ourselves to God except through our High Priest, Jesus Christ. This is no ordinary priest, but the Son of God!

Psalm 139:7 begins one of the most amazing portions of the Psalms that goes on to demonstrate God’s presence with us to the uttermost:

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” ~ Psalm 139:7-12

The same God that formed us in our mothers’ wombs desires a personal relationship with us. While we are in human corruptible flesh we are only able to have access to Him through an incorruptible, sinless representative. Jesus is the one and only High Priest who fits that description.

Until we shed our earthly bodies we need a go between to make intercession for us; to speak on our behalf to God. The very same One who wrote everyone of our days before we were ever born is able to cover our sins from the beginning to the end; the uttermost reaches of our lives. Nothing is beyond the reach of His love!

Our past sins… COVERED!

Our present sins… COVERED!

Our future sins… COVERED!

He’s got us COVERED! To the UTTERMOST!

How can we neglect so great a salvation?

LORD, I am in awe of the reaches of your LOVE and Your SALVATION. Thank You for always being present in my life and for taking my pleas before the Father. I am forever grateful! I love You, my Lord and Savior! Amen.

Contributed by C. Stelter Tesar

The Secret to Sleeping through Storms: Without Faith lies Fear; Within Faith stands Fortitude

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“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full… And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” ~ Mark 4:37, 40

The well-known account of Jesus calming a storm on The Sea of Galilee provides great insight for exercising faith in difficult situations. We would like to examine one of these lessons: Faith prevails over logic/reason.

In the passage (Mark 4:35-41), a powerful storm comes upon Jesus and His disciples as they sail across The Sea of Galilee. Eventually, the fearsome wind and waves generated by the storm overwhelm the disciples who had desperately been trying to bail water from the boat, and the boat is now on the verge of sinking. The desperate disciples awake Jesus, who, astonishingly, had been sleeping through the whole event. Jesus awakes, stops the storm and then, by asking two intriguing questions, uses the situation to teach them and us about faith.

“Why are ye so fearful?”

The answer to Jesus’ first question, “Why are ye so fearful?”, seems painfully obvious. The disciples had been battling a dreadful storm. They could feel the power of the winds as they strained against its force. They could feel the boat lurching luridly as wave after wave pounded its hull. They had been drenched by the water pouring into the boat and, after a prolonged but ultimately futile fight to keep the water out, the boat was now full and sinking.

By a logical evaluation of the sensory inputs available, they were on the brink of death. This was the reason they were fearful! Indeed, who wouldn’t be fearful in such condition?!?!

But, that was just the point Jesus wanted them and us to see. The reason for their fear was that their assessment of their situation was based on logic, not faith… and that was the problem! When we face difficult circumstances such as the loss of a job (or jobs), or the death of a child, or a terminal disease rational/logical assessment can only produce fear: because all we have is physical information and human logic.

Therefore, Jesus is telling us that the way out of fear is to stop relying on our limited senses and limited thinking. There is more to the storm than we can see or understand. The essence of this principle is captured in the following verse

“Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” ~ Proverbs 20:24

Many things happen in our lives that we will never be able to explain or understand because God is orchestrating the events of our lives “behind the scenes” (e.g., Job 1-2). Moreover, we cannot detect God physically (through our senses) and we cannot comprehend His plans.

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” ~ John 4:23-24

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~ Isaiah 55:8-9

Therefore, since we cannot rely on our perception or our reasoning we must turn to something else that is more reliable if we are going to be able to remain calm in the midst of turmoil, i.e., to find rest during the storms of life we must rely on God’s knowledge instead of our own.

“How is it that ye have no faith?”

In Jesus’ second question, He points us to the key to remaining tranquil in a tempest, and that key is Faith. The disciples had exercised their senses they knew the situation they were in and they had exercised their reasoning and deduced that they were in imminent danger. BUT, they had yet to exercise their faith.

To be clear, Jesus wasn’t telling them to disregard the sensory information, nor was He telling them not to use their brains. Indeed, it is He who gave them both the ability to gather information and to use it rationally. Faith does not obviate reason; but, as Jesus demonstrated, Faith transcends reason.

Reason is limited by human fallibility/frailty: we can only reason to the limit of our brainpower. But, Faith reaches far beyond human frailty because Faith is of God.

“…think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” ~ Romans 12:3b
“But the fruit of the Spirit is… faith” ~ Galatians 5:22
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” ~ Ephesians 2:8
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” ~ Hebrews 12:2

But, how does Faith work in a storm? To understand this it is useful to note that at this point of Jesus’ ministry, it is likely that the disciples did not know yet what their ministry would be or even that Jesus would ultimately die on the cross (Mark 8:27-34). Therefore, it would not have been clear to them that God had any plans for them that they should look to beyond that point. Hence, when Jesus pointed to their need to exercise Faith, He wasn’t telling them to hold on to some future prophecy they should have remembered. Rather, Jesus was telling them to look to God.

They had used their knowledge of their present circumstances to deduce, correctly, that they were in danger, but without faith that just lead to fear. Jesus was challenging them, and us, to take what they knew about God and by exercising their faith in Him come to accept His perfect plan in every circumstance and find rest in the raging storm.

While experiencing the power of the wind, they should recall their experiences of the power of God. While being tossed about by the waves, they should remember the guiding hand of God over their lives. As the dark gloom of the storm enveloped them, they should recollect that the love of God enfolds them.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah…
…Be still, and know that I am God

Psalm 46:1-3, 10a

They had no guarantee that they would survive the storm, BUT they could be absolutely sure that God controlled the storm and controlled their lives. They could be absolutely sure that as fierce as the storm raged, God’s love for them raged even more fiercely. No storm could ever blow them out of God’s mighty hand. Whether they lived or died, God’s will remains perfect; and, in that, they could find peace instead of fear.

“The hardest part of faith is remembering that we are ALLOWED to eschew fear, in fact, we are exhorted to “fear not” over and over again! I know I tend to feel somehow obligated to be stressed or afraid when I do not know the end of a particular situation. It seems almost irresponsible to let it go and trust God. But when I remember that I am COMMANDED to live free of fear, it is much easier to reach out to God in faith and have rest within the storm.” ~ Joelle Heilemann

Nothing but the Blood!

Published by reflectionsintheword

“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:” ~ 1 Peter 1:18-19

These two wonderful verses come to us out of a section of Scripture that is addressing holy living. Peter is reminding us, as God’s children, that a very high price was paid for our redemption! The cross cost Him everything: He sacrificed Himself so that we can have eternal life in heaven by simply placing our trust in Him and that sinless blood. The blood of Jesus that flowed down that from cross cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7).

Some treat the blood of Christ as nothing special, they say it was no different from any other blood, but that is NOT what God says in His Word. Here are just a few of the verses that tell us what God says about the blood of His one and only Son:

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His BLOOD…” ~ Romans 3:24-25a

“Much more then, being now justified by his [Jesus’] BLOOD, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” ~ Romans 5:9

“Unto Him [Jesus Christ] that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own BLOOD… to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” ~ Revelation 1:5b-6

God is very clear on the purpose of the blood of Christ, only those who walk in darkness think that there is any other way to be saved! There is no good work we can do to earn salvation. Baptism doesn’t save us; giving money to the church doesn’t save us; helping the less fortunate doesn’t save us… etc. These are all very good things to do and God calls us to do them in obedience, but they CANNOT save our souls!

Only through faith in the blood of Christ can we be saved and be assured of an eternity in heaven with God.

So, knowing this, when we are tempted to return to that sinful, empty life that we were rescued from by Christ, we need to stop and think about what we are doing!! Why would we even desire to go back to that vain lifestyle? To do so would be positively disloyal to our Savior!

We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, which gives us the power to resist temptation and live a godly life that is obedient and pleasing to our Father God; and that will bring us and those around us much joy and blessing!

As humans we inherited an empty, hopeless, and meaningless life from our ancestors, but through Christ we are joint-heirs with Him, which brings us to a life full of purpose, hope, peace, joy, and love!

Thank You Jesus for Your final sacrifice for sin on my behalf, thank You that Your work on the cross is sufficient to cover my sins past, present, and future! I love You so, the Author and Finisher of my faith!!

Contributed by Mary Heuss Nelson