Broken Bands

"He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death

And broke their bands apart."

Psalm 107:14

Does this scripture speak to you? Do you see yourself as one who was brought out of darkness and the shadow of death by the Lord? Were there bands of sin around your hands and feet that He broke apart? I know this is true for me. I was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see. The worst part of being in bondage for me was that I didn't see it. Only until God opened my eyes and  I came out of the darkness into His marvelous light of truth did I realize how imprisoned I was. I never want to go back there. Thank God I don't have to. He has broken the bands apart. I'm free!

Our Wounded Culture

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, 

the forgiveness of sins."

Colossians 1:13-14

Our culture doesn't talk about sin and Satan. People would much rather stay in the darkness then enter into God's light. "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) This is just the way Satan our enemy likes it. He doesn't want people to realize their perilous state and their need for redemption. Christ sacrificed everything to rescue the world from Satan's grip -- the domain of darkness -- and transfer them into His glorious kingdom. Those of us who have received this Divine Transfer have a responsibility to pray for those who haven't. Ours is a wounded culture that needs God's healing, and He has promised to hear us from heaven and heal our land if we humble ourselves and pray (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

The Love of Christ

"For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. "

2 Corinthians 5:13-15

Paul served Christ with such extravagance. But it was Christ's love for him that moved him to do so. The apostle's heart was captivated by His Redeemer's love. Yes, Paul loved the Lord. But it was the Lord who first loved Paul and pursued him on the Damascus Road. Before that time Paul persecuted those who followed Christ, and in so doing he persecuted the Lord Himself. But after He met the King of Kings everything about Paul changed. No longer did he live for himself, but for "Him who died and rose again on [his] behalf." This is evidence of a true conversioin. Those who have made a profession of faith in Christ no longer live for themselves. They now live for Christ.  It's a great mystery how the transformation takes place. It can only happen through the power of the Holy Spirit. And that power is available to all who will come to Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior. ". . .the death of Christ for all, which is equivalent to the death of Christ for each, is the great solvent by which the love of God melts men's hearts, and is the great proof that Jesus Christ loves me, and thee, and all of us." -- Alexander Maclaren

God's Indescribable Gift

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

2 Corinthians 9:15

Most theologians agree that the "indescribable gift" Paul speaks of in this verse is Christ Jesus. Whatever gift God might give, surely there is none that can compare to the gift of His Son for our redemption. How can words describe such generosity from our God? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) This is what separates Christianity from every other major belief system. It is not what we must do to reach God, it is what He has already done to reach us. It is finished. Christ paid the price. He is risen. Our salvation rests in Him. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

The Free Lunch Bunch

Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 

John 6:26-27

Jesus had performed the miracle of feeding the multitude. The next day the people came looking for Him, and Jesus -- always aware of what people are really seeking -- rebuked them. They were only coming to Him for another free lunch and He knew it. The Lord was willing to meet their physical needs. He already had done so the day before. But what He really wanted them to have was eternal life. Something they needed more than earthly food, and which only He could give. "Even when these people were witnesses to the incarnate God, they only wanted more of a show and not more of Him. This parallels people today who want a cheap, easy to swallow message but not the real Message of Truth that convicts and impacts. They want a God who dispenses cures to what we think ails us rather than the real cure to what really ails us—redemption (John 11:40; 1 Cor. 1:22)." -- R. J. Krejcir Ph.D. Into Thy Word Ministries

Words of Redemption

"Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them."

Luke 15:2

"This man -- Jesus -- receives sinners and eats with them." The self-righteous Pharisees and Scribes meant this as a statement of condemnation, but for a sinner like me they are the words of redemption. Sinners know they need a Savior, and they respond when Jesus calls them. They know there's nowhere else to go. They say, as Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 

No More Identity Crisis

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Genesis 1:27

Man and woman were created in God's image, possessing characteristics that are also found in Him. We have a spiritual dimension, an intellectual dimension, a moral dimension and a social dimension. Through these four dimensions we were meant to reflect God's glory. His greatness. Sin has marred God's image in all these areas, robbing us of the perfect reflection that God intended and thus robbing God of His glory. In turn, it creates in us a kind of identity crisis. But God's grace provided a remedy for this crisis. Through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God redeems us and makes us new. A “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).  "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through Christ, God gives us a new identify and we begin to once more reflect His glory. Our identify crisis is over. 

It is Finished

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

John 19:30

"It is finished!" Three common words spoken by Christ, yet with those three simple words everything changed. . .for eternity. The work Jesus had come to earth to do was finished. He had paid the price for the sins of mankind; a perfect, sinless sacrifice given on the cross for our redemption. He who knew no sin had become sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). One sacrifice for all sins for all time (Hebrews 10:12). Hallelujah! Christ has saved us. It is finished!

Leap for Joy

"Then the lame will leap like a deer," Isaiah 35:6 

Isaiah prophesied of the joy of the redeemed. That once they received Christ and eternal redemption, their joy would overflow and like one who was once lame, they would leap as the deer. Are you leaping for joy today?