HE SAYS: I am a Skunk in Heaven.

HE SAYS

I am a Skunk in Heaven.

In the 7th chapter of The Gospel of Mathew, Jesus says:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The wonder of wonders is that God knows me.  I know this because he answers my prayers, even little insignificant prayers, but I do not know nor will never know, in this life, why the infinite, self-sufficient, holy creator of the universe pays any attention to me. 

• God does not need me. 
• He does not owe me anything. 
• He cannot stand the stench of my sin.

Yet, He has chosen to love me.  He has given me the ability to do His will.  He has even made me an heir of heaven.  By giving me His Holy Spirit, He has invited me into the eternal relationship of the trinity.

To put this in perspective, I think it is like me inviting a skunk into my home.  No sane person would do this unless they had a way to eliminate the skunk's odor.

Jesus has done this.  His blood has covered my sins and made it possible for me to live in heaven with our Lord.  Alleluia!  He has done it!

Are you willing for your “sin't glands” to be removed?  Will you submit to Christ and allow Him to cover the stench of your sin and bring you into the presence of God?

SHE SAYS: My Heart Leaps for Joy!

When is the last time you felt your heart leap for joy?  I must say that every time I am reminded about what Christ has done for me, I get that feeling!  It happened today.  At church we began singing that familiar hymn Amazing Grace originally written by John Newton that Chris Tomlin rewrote with the chorus “My chains are gone, I’ve been set free…”

Some people apparently don’t like that John Newton considered himself a wretch.  But he was, and I am.  We all are hopeless, blind, and lost without Jesus. And there isn’t a thing we can do about it.  That is why I am so joyful.  “I’ve been found.”  I’ve been released from the chains and set free. And it makes me want to dance and sing praises.

The third verse of this song was most meaningful to me today:

"The Lord has promised good to me

 His word my hope secures

 He will my shield and portion be

 As long as life endures"

I rely on the promise of Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and he helps me.”    I know he helps me...and He can help you. 

Doesn’t that promise make your heart leap for joy too?

SHE SAYS: Rag Tag Warriors

In Revelation 19:11-16, John writes about the rider on a white horse, Christ Jesus (i.e. Faithful and True / The Word of God), who is leading Heaven’s army against the armies of the kings of the earth, Satan, the beast and the false prophet.

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”

What a mighty band of warriors this must be that marches out to confront the enemy. But wait! As they come face to face with them, it is “The Word of God” Christ Jesus, who simply speaks with the sword of his mouth, and victory is accomplished.

This brings me to the thoughts I have been meditating on lately, both in wonder and rejoicing: That God chose me, a prideful, selfish, unloving woman with misplaced priorities. He has shown me my sin and has helped me endure the plowing it has taken to uproot much of it. I am thankful that this process has left me with much less of my “self”.  

Throughout scripture, God selected a bunch of unlikely characters, misfits and broken people who He then redeemed to himself through Christ. I continue to be humbled at the heart of our Savior and Lord. “The One” doesn’t need me or anyone else for that matter to win the ultimate battle, yet He is with me even now in my weakness and low estate.

As Isaiah 57:15 states, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.”

He is here. With us. “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul who considered himself the foremost of sinners, explains this in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, it is “God’s grace which is sufficient for us, that His power is made perfect in our weakness.”  

He goes on to say in 1 Timothy 1:12-15, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Have you been appointed by the King to become one of His band of Rag Tag Warriors. If not, now is the time and all you have to do is ask.

HE SAYS: Prostitutes and Sinners!

I remember the first time I heard that the Bible talked about prostitutes.  I searched the scriptures to learn the truth.  What a surprise to learn that King David’s great-grandmother was a prostitute.

Matthew 1: 5-6 (NIV)  The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

   Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

   Obed the father of Jesse,

 and Jesse the father of King David.

Jesus, the perfect Son of God had a gentile prostitute in his lineage?

I spent the first 4 decades of my life worrying about choosing the correct activities, choosing the correct friends, and isolating myself from evil.  I was a firm believer in the saying, “Bad friends corrupt good people.”  Since, in my self-righteous and pharisaical mind, I considered myself to be a good person, I certainly didn’t want to mess that up.

As Christians, we are called to help the helpless.  Our mission should be to introduce the sick to the Great Physician.  Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 to be careful, but neither are we to hide ourselves away.  We are the light in a dark world.

These words in Matthew 21 are a constant warning to me that my over-inflated opinion of myself is a destructive force.

Matthew 21:31b-32 (NIV1984)

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

My Lord and Savior was condemned and crucified because the “good people” of the time could not believe the Messiah would associate with sinful people.  The sinners loved Him because he cared for them.  He not only cared for them, He saved them.

He has saved me.

Lord, please give me the strength and boldness to proclaim your praise from a high place.  May my life reflect your pure glory to anyone who has lost his way.