Keep Our Eyes on Jesus

 

One of the raimbows we saw last year

“Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling,

Fix your eyes on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.”

Hebrews 3:1 (NIV)

               The writer of Hebrews tells us we need to look to Jesus. He is talking to us, not to non-believers. We have written evidence that the people of Israel didn’t always do this. As we read the Old Testament, we see kings ascend the throne who did as they themselves chose. In Biblical terms, they did what was good in their own eyes.

              

               In Sunday school recently, we talked on the importance of keeping our eyes on Christ. One lady said that over the centuries, the church hadn’t done this. We named several events in history that transpired because people chose to ‘do what (they thought) was right’ at the expense of other people groups. The Spanish Inquisition, The Crusades, and The Holocaust came to mind.

              

               Have you ever wondered how our world would be if Christians, those called by God’s name, would look to Jesus before doing anything else? What about our personal lives, would they be different? Can we do this or is it too late?

Dear Lord God:

               We thank You for Who You are. We thank You for the many acts of kindness You perform. Please show us how to keep our eyes on You. Guide us as we walk through each day You give us. Let Your light shine through us in order for those around us to see You. We will give You the praise. In the Name of Jesus we pray, AMEN

               

Confession Leads to Forgiveness

www.tillhecomes again.org,

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

 I said,’ I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.’”

Psalm 32:5 (NIV)

               David pens these words to God. He knew what he had done and had tried to keep it a secret. But that only made David experience physical illness. (: 3-4)

               When I was a sophomore in high school, my geometry teacher said, “Confession is good for the soul.” As I remember, several of us giggled because we had never heard that expression before. But it is true.

               When we admit something we did and that action was wrong, we feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders.

               We shouldn’t be afraid to confess when we have done something that harms another person. Several years ago, one of my friends confessed to me that she had done something she shouldn’t have done. She didn’t need to give me any of the details because I discerned what she had done. It was a while before she could deal with any aftermath of her action. One of the injured parties promised my friend a hard time if she moved back to town. My friend was scared.

               Now, King David received God’s forgiveness and, still, he had issues that arose from within his family, a prototype of dysfunction.

               We learn from David’s life that God forgives us from our wrongdoing but we still may have to weather some storms. God used David in spite of his sin and his family’s issues.

               A lot of us, when we are troubled turn to the Psalms for comfort, strength, and guidance. Most of the Psalms were written by David. Without his moodiness, his thankful heart, and his love for the LORD, we might not have these beautiful essays.

              

Saved by Grace

Christian Quotrs.info

“If we claim to be without sin,

 we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

 But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and

will forgive us our sins an purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1John 1:8-9 (NIV)

               Did you ever watch a movie or a television show where a rough character tempts one of the good guys? The likeable character listens until the shady one finishes his spiel. The last words of the proposal are, “No one will ever know.” The hero of the show responds, “But, I’ll know.”

                Whenever I here this dialogue, I say aloud, “And God will know.” My reasoning for my added thought is based on Scripture.        

                 In Psalm 139, David writes, “you perceive my thoughts from afar. . . Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely.” (:2b, 4)

               Let’s face it, each of us is a sinner saved by grace. All of us, except Christ, were sinners until we asked Jesus into our hearts; then we became saved through nothing we did but by the love of Jesus Christ.

               In this a new year, people make resolutions in an effort to become better than they were in the past.

               The apostle John writes that if we claim to be sinless, we actually lie to ourselves. John continues by telling us if we admit our wrong-doing God forgives us and blots away the impurities and wrongdoings from our hearts.

Prayer:

Dear Father God;

               We thank you for being available to hear us when we confess our wrongdoings to You. We thank You for that privilege given to us. We give You all the praise. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN 

Every Tongue Confess

“that every knee should bow

In heaven and on earth and under the earth,

And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord/ to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:10-11 (NIV)

               Can you imagine the scene? We will see all mankind bowing down, as a form of worship and respect, before God, our heavenly Father. For as far as we can see; people will pay homage to their Creator. Suddenly, we hear a groundswell of voices, speaking in unison. “Hallelujah, all praise belongs to You, El Shaddai.”

               I have heard it said that we Christians get more excited over a game of football, baseball, or basketball than we do over Jesus. But, when this event comes, all people of the world will praise God.   

               In order to be able to praise Him then, we need to look for small things, already given to us, to thank God for. During 2013 I started writing down things to praise Him for. I got started in May. I managed to record 1,000gifts from God. In 2014, I started on New Year’s Day. As of December 30th, I recorded 1034 special gifts for which I praise God. I am truly blessed. If I were to print them out I would have 38.4 pages of “Thank You” statements to God. This is a good exercise for me. I sometimes forget that God is with me all the time.

               My plan for this year, 2015, is to write those gifts in longhand in a daily planning journal.

Confessing Faith

“Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.  But because of the Pharisees they would not confess  their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue, for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.

John 12:42-43 (NIV)

 

               John writes of leaders who secretly believed in the Master’s teachings. These men feared being cast out of the Hebrew house of worship. He makes a bold statement about the reason these men were quiet about their thoughts “for they loved praise from men more than from God.”

               Are we in the 21st Century very different from the leaders who believed in Jesus but chose not to share their beliefs with those around them? I think not.

               I remember hearing a story about a young man who found the Lord just prior to going away to college. When he came back to church over a school break, someone asked him how his friends on campus responded to his mew faith. He hung his head and said, “They don’t know of my faith.”

               Does everyone who knows us know of our faith? A church friend of mine has a burden for a neighbor who is very seriously ill. As my friend prayed for guidance on how to reach this neighbor and her family, she received a two word answer—‘Live it.”

               This answer applies to each of us. We can say all we want to about Jesus and about God but, unless our neighbors see our faith lived out, we are ‘spinning our wheels’ and getting nowhere.

               When we confess our faith before others, we also do it before God. If we keep our faith to ourselves we impede the growth of God’s kingdom.  In my young adult years, a person who kept his or her status quiet was thought of as fence-sitters—never really taking a stand for the Lord.

Dear Father God:

                              Please give us the strength and the courage to stand for you in this broken world. Teach us to long for Your praise. Guide us to demonstrate Your love for others as we go through our daily walk. All praise belongs to You. I ask this out of Your grace and love. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN

Confess through Prayer

 “Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you.”       Nehemiah 1:6 (NIV)

               Nehemiah lived in exile in the city of Susa. Although he was a prisoner, he had an important job in the palace, that of cupbearer to the king.

               His brother Hanani journeyed to Susa. Nehemiah asked about those that survived the exile. What he heard broke his heart. He mourned and fasted and prayed for a lengthy time.

               Nehemiah prayed that his God be close so He could hear his requests concerning the people of Israel. He confessed the sins of the Israelites, including himself and his father.

               In our 21st Century, we have times when a circumstance burdens us so much that we can only fast and pray about it. Sometimes, we have to include ourselves as participators in the sins that we see around us. When we want to see a situation improve, we may have to search our hearts to see if we might be part of the problem. If we discover that, indeed, we are part of the problem, we are to confess our guilt before God.

               We confess our need for God when we approach His throne. As we pray to Him, we learn that we can confess to Him through Jesus Christ.

Consider Our Hearts, RDJ 1/2/2015

Journal Entry 1/15/2004

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said ‘Listen and understand. What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean. . . But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean.’” Matthew 15:10, 18.

              

               Jesus has been confronted by the Pharisees about hand washing. He responded with their breaking God’s word for the sake of their tradition.

               The Master told then what goes into a man’s body doesn’t make him unclean but what comes out does. The disciples went to Jesus and told Him he had offended the Pharisees. Peter asked Him to explain the parable.

               The Teacher told them that what comes out of our mouths comes from the overflow of our hearts.

               When we hear someone saying foul things, their thoughts come from a foul heart. We believe our brain controls all our speech but Jesus says our hearts do. If our heart is cleansed from sin, then what comes out of our mouth will be pure. Then we will be clean.

               King David asked God to create a new heart in him. God forgave David of his sin. He can create a new heart in us, if need be and God will forgive our sin.

UPDATE:

    This is my writing from eleven years ago.

The focus scripture came alive for me one day when I realized I said something I shouldn’t have. I thought about why I let my mouth go into saying very harsh words. I found myself thinking that I was angry to the point of frustration. Deeper than that, my heart felt as if it were boiling over.

               I learned a great lesson that day; this scripture passage is true.


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