Got the scoop?

I like to be ‘in the know,’ don’t you?  I am not talking about gossip. I am talking about having real understanding of a person, a situation, that lets me feel connected and involved. Who does not enjoy a conversation is open and warm, where nothing is hidden, where there is no secret agenda?  I am blessed to have some friends with whom I can say, “This is what I think,” and know that they will lean in and offer counsel and/or correction as needed.

God is a Friend to those who walk with Him! "The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them." (Psalm 25:14, NIV)  Another translation says this: "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant." (Psalm 25:14, KJV)  We can know God in a way that goes far beyond just the “Someone Out There,” a distant deity. He will become our Friend, sharing His plans and purposes, speaking of His love to us. How?

Jesus offers us restoration. Confessing our sinfulness and humbly accepting His forgiveness is the first step. Nobody gets to make an appointment with the Lord and announce themselves. We are invited to grace and, receiving the gift, we understand this, that God has "reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." (Colossians 1:22, NLT)

And, then, as with any relationship, we must be attentive to Him!  The Psalm says, "All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant." (Psalm 25:10, NIV)  "My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare." (Psalm 25:15, NIV)  Can any friendship survive neglect or long periods of silence? Of course not.  When we invest time and attention in a relationship, it grows deeper and stronger.  If you want God to speak to you, if you want to learn to hear the Spirit’s encouragement, guidance, and counsel – live in a way that invites Him in.  Most of us have experienced the disappointment that comes from having a friend who gets distracted by other things. They no longer reach out or have time. What happens? The relationship withers.

Are you a friend of God? You can be!  His love is limitless and He desires to know us.

Here is a word from the Word.  For many, it is likely familiar, a favorite quote. Meditate on the truth.  Take the invitation. Let God make you an insider in the Kingdom.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and
find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:11-13, NIV)

____________

Friend Of God

Who am I that You are mindful of me

That You hear me when I call

Is it true that You are thinking of me

How You love me it's amazing

(It’s amazing it’s amazing)

I am a friend of God

I am a friend of God

I am a friend of God

He calls (You call) me friend

God Almighty Lord of Glory

You have called me friend

Israel Houghton | Michael Gungor

© 2003 Integrity Worship Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

Integrity's Praise! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

CCLI License # 810055

When we fall down

The title is correct.  It is not “if” but rather, “when.” One of the things I love about the inspired Word is that the stories of the ‘heroes of faith’ get told in full, without censoring out the ugly stuff! Araham, the father of the faithful, lied about Sarah’s identity to save his own skin. David, the man who loved God wholeheartedly, lusted for Bathsheba, wife of Uriah, and ended up conspiring to murder. Peter vehemently swore he did not know Jesus when he felt threatened.  Later on, he compromised his Christian conviction about God’s acceptance of all people and exercised prejudice against the Gentile believers.

Today I write to encourage renewal and hope. The lie persists both inside of us and in the Christian church that failure makes us unacceptable to God, unworthy of His service.  Jesus’ interaction with Peter on the shore of Galilee says otherwise.  Peter was so demoralized by his denial of the Lord that he went back to fishing.  One morning, after a night of fruitless effort, the resurrected Lord came to the beach.  He did not berate Peter.  He restored him – with confrontation, confession, and commission! "After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep." (John 21:15-17, NLT)   Three denials, three affirmations!

When we fail, God offers forgiveness and restoration. How does it happen?  Look at this amazing passage.  Speaking of the efficacy of the sacrifices of lambs and bulls to atone for the sins of the Old Testament faithful, the Word then tells us - "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:14-15, NIV)

Christ Jesus holds out His hand to us and restores us to our Father; a Mediator of the Holy Promise! 

His grace is free, but it is not cheap.

And it is not a Band-Aid™ to temporarily soothe us;

it is a healing experience that empowers us for a whole new kind of life.

Here in the opening days of this New Year, we must not become obsessed with living a flawless life. Instead, we will choose to celebrate God’s grace. The paradox of holiness is that it is first declared by God, and then grows in us. We cannot perfect ourselves, but He can, and will, make us whole. Paul might have spent his life after meeting Christ filled with shame and regret for his persecution of Christians, a kind of spiritual leper, crying “Unclean! Unworthy!”  He did not! Instead, he accepted the forgiveness of the Lord and help of Barnabas and gave us half of our New Testament by the inspiration of the Spirit!  Might have been thinking about his part in the stoning death of Stephen even as he wrote that ‘there is no condemnation for those who in Christ? 

His words about God’s grace move me deeply. "With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2, The Message) "Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life." (Romans 8:6, The Message)  "If God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about." (Romans 8:8-9, The Message)

Are there some dark chapters  in your story? Does some temptation whisper its seduction in your heart? Is fear fighting with faith in your chest? Stop soaking  in self-pity. Refuse to listen to the lie that you are unworthy. Cling to the Mediator of Grace, the One whose perfection wraps around our failures and ushers into the Presence of God.

Here are words from the Word. Spend a few moments letting them fill your mind, as you invite the Spirit, to make them living Truth today.

 

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." (Isaiah 1:18, NIV)

"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me." (Psalm 51:2-3, NIV)

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9, NKJV)

When we fall down, we have only to look up, see Jesus’ hand extended. And that, my friend, is the Gospel Truth.

_____________

And Can It Be

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior's blood

Died He for me who caused His pain

For me who Him to death pursued

Amazing love how can it be

That Thou my God shouldst die for me

Amazing love how can it be

That Thou my God shouldst die for me

He left His Father's throne above

So free so infinite His grace

Emptied Himself of all but love

And bled for Adam's helpless race

'Tis mercy all immense and free

For O my God it found out me

'Tis mercy all immense and free

For O my God it found out me

Long my imprisoned spirit lay

Fast bound in sin and nature's night

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray

I woke the dungeon flamed with light

My chains fell off my heart was free

I rose went forth and followed Thee

My chains fell off my heart was free

I rose went forth and followed Thee

No condemnation now I dread

Jesus and all in Him is mine

Alive in Him my living Head

And clothed in righteousness divine

Bold I approach th'eternal throne

And claim the crown through Christ my own

Bold I approach th'eternal throne

And claim the crown through Christ my own

Charles Wesley

© Words: Public Domain

Jerry D. Scott, Pastor

Faith Discovery Church

www.FaithDiscovery.com

How To Live the Best Life in 2018

We all desire to be loved, don’t we? We will do almost anything to be valued, to feel like we are a worthy person. And, it can be a trap! We confuse “I like what you do” with “I love you for who you are” too often. That is not surprising, really, for many of our human relationships are formed around roles and performance.  While we are children, it does not take us long to discern that others like us more when we do what they ask us to do. But, what an amazingly wonderful thing happens to us when (or if) we discover that kind of love that has nothing to do with how good we are, how well we do our job, or our attractiveness.  Finding a person who shows us that kind of love that says - “I love you just because …”  makes us feel most alive.

Christian, do you know that God loves you ‘just because you are?’

Jesus says this - “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (John 15:9, NIV)  Jesus lived in complete harmony and intimacy with the Father, without separation, without shame, without pretense because He knew that “God is love.” Do you believe that or are you still convinced that God loves you only when you are good, when you manage to live an entire day without saying or doing anything too sinful? Yes, it is true that we rebel and resist and that those choices (called ‘sin’ in the Bible) separates us from knowing God. But, God’s desire is for us, so much that He gave His Son to restore our relationship to Him. He did so for no other reason than His love. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! " (1 John 3:1, NIV)

The conspiracy of evil will try to keep you and me from believing that God loves us.  From Eden to now, the whispered lie is that we are rejected, unworthy, unvalued! And, where that is the only ‘truth’ fear grows and from that fear comes all kinds of destructive choices; hate, addiction, manipulation, hypocrisy, controlling religious behaviors – just to name a few. But, when we believe what the Word says; " God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first. " (1 John 4:17-19, The Message)

The best life we can know in 2018 is founded on the fact of the love of God, for you, for me, that desires us, that promises us life now and eternal! Before you object, pause to meditate on the story Jesus told about a son who took his inheritance, left his father, and wasted it all in rebellion. When he remembered his father’s house, he was drawn home,  but even then tried to make a deal.  But the father ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and welcomed him home.  This is the story of God’s love for us.  It will free us to be all He desires for us.

So here is a word from the Word – one of the most beautiful and powerful passages in the Bible. Receive it, believe it, and let it change you from the inside out.
"And may you have the power to understand,

as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:18-19, NLT)

__________________

How Deep The Father's Love For Us

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts no pow’r no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Stuart Townend

© 1995 Thankyou Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055