Prove It!

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8

Have you ever made a statement to someone to have them respond with a statement like this, "Prove it" or something along those lines?

In times of prolonged adversity, we can begin to entertain thoughts that cause us to doubt Christ's love for us.  At some point in our lives, we all have done this.  Satan is going to come to us and try to get us to doubt Christ's love for us.  He is going plant thoughts in our minds like, "If God really loved you, then He wouldn't let this happen" or "If God really loved you, then He would do this for you."  In order to fight this, we must store up truths in our hearts about God from His Word to use as weapons when Satan tries to convince us that we are not loved by Christ.

The most convincing evidence of God's love for us is when He gave Himself in the form of Jesus Christ to suffer and die for our sins on the Cross.  If you look at the verses 6-7 of Romans chapter 5, you see the depth of the love of Christ.

"For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." - Romans 5:6


"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare die." - Romans 5:7


First, we see that Christ died for the ungodly.  Secondly, we see that it is inconceivable to someone would even die for a good man or even a righteous man.  This tells us the depths of Christ's love for us, because according to Scripture, we are not righteous and neither are we good.  However, despite what we are, Christ died for us. He took the punishment that you and I deserved, suffering the wrath of God the Father because my sin and your sin was laid upon Him.  What love He demonstrated!  God showed His love for us by meeting our greatest need - paying our sin debt with His own life's blood thus satisfying the wrath of God the Father.

"Calvary is the one objective, absolute, irrefutable proof of God's love for us." - Jerry Bridges


Jesus Christ has already proved His love for us, and as a result of that, let us prove our love for Christ and demonstrate that love to a lost and dying world!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, thank You for demonstrating and proving Your love for me through Christ's death on the Cross.  Forgive me for the times when I doubt Your love for me due to my circumstances.  Help me to prove my love for You and demonstrate that love to those around me.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Justifying & Condemning

"He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD." - Proverbs 17:15

I have read through the book of Proverbs many times and I never noticed this verse they way I did last night as I was reading before going to bed.  I just want to share a few thoughts on justifying and condemning.

There are a lot of sins that are mentioned in God's Word, there are some that God says He hates, and then there are those that God says are an abomination.  If you look up the definition of the word abomination, here is what you find: 1. anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred 2. intense aversion or loathing 3. a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit.  This puts it in perspective how the Lord feels about certain things when He said they are an abomination.

Notice what the Lord says in this verse; He says the person who justifies the wicked is an abomination, but He also says the person that condemns the just is also an abomination.  The Lord Jesus Christ told us in the Gospels that the day would come when this would happen.  He said that people will persecute true Bible believing Christians thinking that they are doing God's will and doing society a favor.  Let's face it, we live in a society where wickedness is exalted and you are condemned for obeying and following God's Word.

However, with all of the above being said, I want to look at this verse in a different light for just a moment.  How many times have you and I been guilty of justifying the sin(s) in our own lives while at the same time we condemn others for the sin(s) in their lives?  Ouch!!!  The Lord laid that thought on my heart as I was reading this verse last night.  Many times we look our own sin as no big deal, or that God is somehow going to make an exception for us, but we condemn others for their sin and act as if God cannot or will not forgive their sin.  Then concerning the last part of the verse, many times we are also guilty of that one too.  How many times have you and I not had our hearts right with God bringing us to the place where we condemn those that are right with God?  If we all are honest, we will admit that we are guilty of this.  We look at the person living right and being obedient to Christ and we mock them or we tear them down because we are justifying our own sin and wickedness.

Lord help us as Your children to NEVER justify sin and wickedness whether it be in our society or in own hearts.  Then, Lord help us to NEVER condemn the just due to our disobedience and to the fact that our own hearts are not right with you.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will search my heart and reveal ANY wickedness in me.  Help me to NEVER justify my own sin and disobedience to Your Word.  Help me to Never condemn those who are being obedient to You because of the sin and wickedness in my own heart.  In Jesus name, Amen!

In My Place

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." - 1 Peter 2:24



Since today is Good Friday, I want to take a few moments to reflect on what Jesus did for me and you on the Cross over 2,000 years ago.  I know most all of us understand and know what Jesus did on the cross, how that He took our place and died for our sins.  However, I do think that far too many Christians don't fully grasp the reality and the true implications of the Cross.  It has become too familiar to us.

‎"The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened—but the crash is on the heart of God." - Oswald Chambers

‎"Never tolerate the idea of martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of Hell were shaken." - Oswald Chambers

When Jesus went to the Cross, He was literally taking our place.  You and I are the ones that deserved to be crucified and suffer like that because our sin and iniquity.  We deserved the brutality of the Cross that Christ endured.  While He was on the Cross, every sin that had ever been committed or that was to be committed, was poured upon Jesus.  God the Father turned His back on His only begotten Son because of your sin and mine.  Mere words cannot even begin to describe the reality of what Christ did for us or how much love He has for us.

I would like for you to read the words to this song "In My Place" by Michael Bleecker.

In my place, He stood condemned

He Who knew no sin became sin for us

That we might become His righteousness

Bearing all my sin and shame

The punishment and blame

He conquered the grave

That we might become the heirs of grace

In my place, Jesus died

The spotless Lamb laid down His life

The wrath of God was satisfied

In my place, Jesus died

Nail pierced hands, bleeding side

His body bruised; my God crucified

A crown of thorns, dying cries

His flesh was torn; my God crucified

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Today, I want to encourage you to spend time reflecting on what Christ did for you on the Cross.  Just have a quiet or silent time where you worship Christ.  Just stand in awe of what Jesus Christ did on the Cross!  He took our sin, our iniquity, our wickedness, and the punishment that we deserved.  In return, He gave us forgiveness, righteousness, redemption, sanctification, and most of all what we did not deserve: mercy and grace!

Thank You Jesus for taking my place!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your mercy and grace!  Thank You for coming to this world in the Person of Jesus Christ and taking my place on the Cross!  Thank You for taking the punishment that I deserved and giving me what I did not deserve: mercy, grace, and forgiveness.  In Jesus name, Amen!

The Source Of Our Problems

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom." - Proverbs 13:10



A preacher friend of mine quoted this Bible verse in one of his posts this morning on Facebook and I decided to go read it and meditate on it for a little while.  As I thought on this verse, the Lord began to speak to my heart about writing something on it today.

It is so sad to see that there is much contention in many churches today and in the lives of many Christians today as well.  Why is that?  What is the reason for it?  The answer is pride, it is the root of all contention.  Pride is at the root of the problems and contentions that we have with others, whether it be in the church or outside the church.  Pride comes natural to us because of our flesh and our lusts.  We don't want to be wronged, we don't want to be corrected, we must have things our way, we are going to give someone a piece of our mind.  We manifest all of these attitudes because of pride.

The Bible tells us that God resists the proud.  In Proverbs chapter 6, we find that a proud look is something that God says He hates.    In contrast, the Bible tells us that God gives grace to the humble.  It also says that God is near to those of broken heart and a contrite spirit.  In light of this, there are several questions that come to mind.  Where is our humility?  Where is our brokenness?  Where is our spirit of contrition?

The solution to this problem is simple; if we want to get rid of contention in our churches, our homes, and our individual lives, we must get rid of our pride.  If we are dying daily to ourselves, our flesh, and our lusts, then there is no reason for us to have pride in our hearts.  However, in "American Christianity" the problem is that we do not die daily to all of these things.  Is it any wonder that we lack the power of God in our churches, pulpits, and our individual lives?

If you look to the middle of the word "Pride" you will find "I" and that says it all!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me today to die to my flesh, my desires, and my lusts.  Help me to deny myself and to surrender all to Christ.  Forgive me for my sin of pride in my heart and cleanse me from it.  Give me a spirit of humility, brokenness, and a contrite heart.  Lord, help me to remember, it isn't about me but rather it is ALL about Christ!  In Jesus name, Amen!

Forgetting Where We Came From

"Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." - Exodus 23:9



As I was reading through the book of Exodus the other day, the above verse really stood out to me.  I think that it reveals a fundamental problem that many churches and Christians have when it comes to the lost around them.  I'm afraid too many Christians today have forgotten where they came from.

The word oppress has many meanings, one of them means to put down.  This is the way that many lost people see us Christians.  They see us looking down our noses at them, making condescending statements about them, they see us condemning them rather than condemning their sin.  The Lord warned Moses and the children of Israel not to oppress a stranger.  He told them that they knew what it was like to be a stranger because of their time in bondage to the Egyptians.

As Christians, we must never forget where we came from!  We know the heart of a lost person, because we used to be one.  Before we trusted Christ as our Savior, we were strangers to Him, we were in bondage to our sin and to the world.  The Lord was reminding Israel of how they were treated by the Egyptians and was telling them not to treat strangers the same way.  Think back to your days as a lost person and remember how you felt, think about your burdens, think about your sorrows, and how you just simply needed someone to show you the love of Jesus Christ.  Please do not misunderstand what I saying, we cannot and must not overlook sin or turn a blind eye to it, but we must show those around us that we care.

During Pastors Conference at FBC Jacksonville Johnny Hunt made the following statement, "The longer I'm a part of God's family, the further removed I am from those for who Christ died."  That is such a sobering thought!  Too many Christians in our churches today have isolated themselves in a bubble from the world around them.  The result of this is that they have forgotten where they came from, they have forgotten the heart of a lost person, and they have become cold to the lost.

May God break our hearts and give us a consuming compassion for the stranger and the lost!  Have you forgotten who you were and where you came from before Christ saved you?

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, may I never forget who I was and where I came from before You saved me!  Lord, break my heart for those who are lost and give me a consuming passion for those who are hurting and desperately need You!  Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace demonstrated toward me when You saved my unworthy and wretched soul!  As You have loved me, shown me mercy, shown Your grace to me, forgiven me, help me to do the same to those that are still in bondage to sin.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Being Crucified With Christ

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20


I know that this is a verse that many of us have memorized, but how many of us have really considered the implications of this verse?  For me personally, I can honestly say that I had not really grasped the reality of this verse and what it means concerning my walk with Christ.

First, Paul says that he is crucified with Christ.  How many of us can truly say the same thing?  Have you crucified your flesh today?  Every day you and I must crucify our flesh, our desires, and our lusts.  Then Paul says that the life he now lives is not his, but it is Christ living in him.  Once you trust Christ as your Savior and Lord, your life no longer belongs to you.  Now your life belongs to Christ and you are to allow Christ to live through your life.

Do you have victory in your life over sin, your flesh, your desires, and your lusts?  If you are losing the battle, it is because you are not crucifying yourself with Christ.  Today, ask the Lord to empty you of self, to empty you of your worldly lusts and desires.  Then ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit and His power.  If you and I are going to live a victorious life, we must crucify our lives everyday with Christ.

Are you crucified with Christ?  The life you now live, is Christ living in you?

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me to crucify my life, my sin, my desires, and my lusts each day.  Empty me of self and fill me with Your Spirit and Your power.  May Christ live in and through my life as I crucify self each day.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Forgiveness

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9


I just wanted to share a quick thought today on forgiveness.  I personally think this verse is one of the greatest promises ever given to us!  As a child of God, if we are willing to confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.

When you ask Christ for forgiveness, He will give it.  Despite your sins, Christ offers immediate forgiveness.  It doesn't matter what you have done or how bad you have been, Jesus Christ offers forgiveness to those who confess their sins to Him in repentance.  Do you have unconfessed sin in your life?  If so, it is time to take Christ up on His promise!

It is such a blessing to know that when it comes to forgiveness God doesn't play favorites!  Since God doesn't play favorites when it comes to forgiveness, neither should you and I.  God's Word commands us to forgive ALL that have wronged and hurt us, not just the ones who have asked for forgiveness or who have made things right with us.  If you are a child of God, Jesus Christ has completely forgiven you, and you must completely forgive others.  Anything less is disobedience to God's Word!

Lord, help us today to forgive others as You have forgiven us!

"God's heart of mercy provides for us not only pardon from sin but also a daily provision of spiritual food to strengthen us." - Jim Cymbala


Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for Your faithfulness!  Thank you for Your promise of forgiveness if we confess our sins to You.  Father, forgive me for any sin or iniquity that is in my heart this day.  Help me to forgive others as well, not just the ones who ask for it, but even those who don't.  Lord, help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me!  In Jesus name, Amen!

It's Time To Move On

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." - Ephesians 4:31-32


Have you ever heard someone say, "I can't forgive them, you don't know what they have done to me" or "I'll forgive them, but I won't forget."  Maybe you have even said those very words yourself due to someone doing you wrong.  However, the world has no rewards for those who remain bitter and angrily focused on the past, and neither does God.

Are you still holding a grudge or bitter about something that happened in the past?  If so, most importantly, you are disobeying God's Word, but you are also just wasting your time.  Hatred, bitterness, and remaining angry over the past are not part of God's plan for our lives.

Since we all have that old sin nature, we are quick to anger and quick to blame someone else, but then we are slow to forgive and even slower to forget.  However, as Christians we are commanded by Jesus Christ Himself  in Matthew 5:43-48 to forgive those that wrong us, to love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and to pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us.  I remember a while back preaching on that very passage and I had a woman come up to me after the service to let me know what she thought about what I preached.  She told me that I couldn't say that until I had been in the person's shoes who had been wronged or hurt by someone else.  The only problem with her statement is that I was not the one telling her that she had to forgive this person who had done something terrible to a member of her family.  I was merely reading the words that Christ had spoken.  Jesus Christ is the one who says that we must forgive, no matter what.

Right about now you might be saying, "You don't know what they did, you don't know how terrible and heinous the thing was they did."  While that may be true, I don't fully understand the impact of what someone else has had to go through, it still doesn't change the words of our Lord.  Think about what Jesus Christ went through when He was crucified.  He was completely innocent of the crime He was accused of.  He was mocked, beaten so bad you could not recognize He was a man, He endured the agony of the cross, yet He said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Jesus Christ was taking our place and the punishment that we deserved because of our sin and yet He asked the Father to forgive us for what we did to Him  WOW!!!

If Christ could forgive someone like me for putting Him on that cross because of my sin, then surely I can forgive someone when they wrong me, no matter what.  Now please don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that it is going to be easy to do this and to live this.  It is going to be the hardest thing that you will ever do.  This is one of those things that is so easy to preach and say, but it is so hard to do because of our sin nature.

Is there someone that you need to forgive?  Is there something you need to let go?  If so, forgive them, let it go, and then ask God to forgive you for your sin of holding on to that bitterness and hatred.  Life is short and eternity is fast approaching.  It's time to move on and show the love and forgiveness of Christ to others as He has shown it to us.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, forgive me for any hatred or bitterness that might be in my heart.  Forgive me for my disobedience to Your Word.  Thank you Lord for forgiving me even though I do not deserve it.  Help me to show the love and forgiveness of Christ to those around me.  In Jesus name, Amen!

The Sin Of One Person

"Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against the morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you." - Joshua 7:13


Have we ever taken the time to think about the impact our sin can have on other people?  Most of us think that our sin will not affect anyone but ourselves.  However, the Bible makes it clear that the sin of just one person can paralyze an entire nation.  That is a very sobering thought!

In Joshua chapter 7 we read of a man named Achan, who took of the spoils from the Jericho, even though God had forbidden the children of Israel to do so.  I am sure that Achan did not believe that anyone would get hurt as a result of his actions.  However, the sin of Achan cost him and his family their lives.  It also caused Israel to lose a battle they should have easily won and innocent soldiers were killed as a result of his sin.  Israel was denied the victory, power, and the blessing of the Lord!

We must realize that our sin DOES have an impact on others!  Choosing to disobey Christ might cost us His blessing upon our family, or the power of God may be absent from our church because we are disobedient.  It is possible that those around us will have to suffer because of our sin and iniquity.  The Bible says that the obedience of one Christian can bring blessing to others, but it also makes it clear that the unconfessed sin of one Christian will have an impact on those around him.  Remember, one person does make a difference!