GUILT DENIED EQUALS GRACE DISCARDED

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." (1 John 1:10)

This verse is one that used to really bother me a lot. It seemed to me so stupid! Who on earth would ever dream of saying that they had not sinned? Then one day as I was reading the familiar words, I realized that we have to put the emphasis where I am sure John meant it. If we put the emphasis on the word "sinned" we get the meaning. "If we say we have not sinned we make God a liar, and His word is not in us."

John is not so concerned with people who actually deny that they ever sin, but with those who claim that the sin they do commit is not sin at all, and therefore deny that they are guilty. John means that there are times when we are not prepared to admit anything wrong about what we are doing.

Today, more than ever we find those in this precise position and maintaining it. I read somewhere that we call this age the age of permissiveness, and what permissiveness has at its very core is the denial of guilt. Men change the labels and say things that God's law condemns are not sin. Labels can be changed, but that doesn't change what is inside and sin in the sight of God is still sin. Those to whom John is referring rejected the condemnation and judgment of God upon the sins whey were committing.

We are told that "God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” If it is true that those whom John refers to, as well as for us today, have a guilt that is denied,… then that leads to a grace that has been discarded.

If there is no guilt there is no sin;... if there is no sin, there is no need for a Savior. That adopts a position which simply makes God a liar, and says that God's whole plan of salvation is irrelevant and meaningless, and that the Gospel of God's saving grace in Jesus Christ is nothing but a quack remedy for an illness (sin) that never existed. What a sad and tragic destination for those who walk in the darkness!

KNEEL IN PRAYER...STAND UP TO ANYTHING!

I’ve come to notice that the best position from which I can truly see God is when I am on my knees, humbled before God’s awesome majesty! It is from my knees that I can look up to all the greatness of God, and gain a better perspective on just how wonderful He is.  Prayer puts us on our knees to receive the fullness of God. I find that when I'm on my knees, I am more focused…my heart is more humble… and it just seems that I am closer to Him. It is when I am on my knees that I recognize more clearly that I am before the love that changes me. I don't know how it works,…but there's definitely power when I'm on my knees.

Mother Teresa once said…“Prayer enlarges your heart until it is capable of receiving God’s gift of Himself.”  Prayer spoken humbly before God creates many rooms in your heart for God to occupy with His great power and immense love. Position yourself to receive the gifts of God…position yourself to open your heart to who God is and what God has for you. It’s just my opinion…but, there is no better place than on your knees. A person who kneels in prayer will be able to stand up to anything.

This is a great poem that has blessed my life in knowing that without prayer we cannot be successful in the things of God. I read this somewhere and copied it to use someday. It is a poem called “Traveling On Your Knees” written by Sandra Goodwin. I hope you enjoy the poem as much as I did.

TRAVELING ON YOUR KNEES

Last night I took a journey
To a land across the seas.
I didn't go by ship or plane
I traveled on my knees.


I saw so many people there
In bondage to their sin,
And Jesus told me I should go,
That there were souls to win.


But I said "Jesus, I can't go
To lands across the seas."
He answered quickly, "Yes, you can
By traveling on your knees."


He said, "You pray, I'll meet the need.
You call, and I will hear.
It's up to you to be concerned
For lost souls far and near."


And so I did; knelt in prayer,
Gave up some hours of ease,
And with the Savior by my side,
I traveled on my knees.


As I prayed on, I saw souls saved
And twisted persons healed,
I saw God's workers strength renewed
While laboring in the field.


I said, "Yes Lord, I'll take the job.
Your heart I want to please.
I'll heed Your call and swiftly go
By traveling on my knees."


By Sandra Goodwin

WANT TO SEE MY SCAR?

"After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20 NIV).

Here I sit, kind of gathering some thoughts for Easter,… reading about the resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of John, chapter twenty. Now, I have read this story plenty of times, but this time God opened my eyes to see something I had never noticed before.

It was later in the day…after Mary Magdelene had discovered the empty tomb, and ran to tell the others that the tomb was empty. The disillusioned band of disciples were huddled together in their hiding place, and the Bible tells us Jesus appeared in their midst. He didn't knock. He didn't open the door. He just simply appeared.

"Peace be with you," Jesus said. But the disciples didn't recognize Him. He looked like Jesus,…he talked like Jesus,… but how...how could it be? In order to convince the disciples that He was indeed the risen Christ, Jesus made a simple gesture. He held out His hands and revealed the nail pierced hands. Then he pulled aside his garment to reveal the scar in His sword pierced side. It was then...that they believed.

As I read these verses, God replayed the scenes in my mind's eye, and finally it captured my attention ... "'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John 20:1-20). They didn't recognize Jesus until He showed them His scars. It was almost as if God were saying to me, “This is what I wanted you to see.” They did not recognize Jesus until He showed them His scars,…and this is how others still recognize Him today...when men and women who have experienced the healing of past wounds are not ashamed to show their scars to a hurting world.

See, Jesus did not have to retain the scars of the crucifixion on His resurrected body. He could have returned without them. After all, He is the one who put new flesh on the hands and feet of the lepers. So, why do you think Jesus' kept His scars when he returned from the grave? He chose to keep the scars, I believe, because they were precious to Him... that's how others would recognize who He was.

Do you know it is still the way that people recognize Jesus today,… when we are not ashamed to show the scars in our own lives? What do you think of when you look at the scars on your own body? What comes to mind? How can you use the scars in your own life (the ones that are on your soul) to bring glory to God? It happens when we reveal the wounds that are now healed….when we tell about the Healer who made it possible.

Dear God, thank You that Jesus kept His scars when He rose from the dead. I pray that I will not be ashamed of the scars in my own life, but that people will recognize the Healer in my life through my story. In Jesus' name, Amen.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT MONDAYS?

I suppose for those of us who are in the ministry…Monday is that day to either celebrate… or, to second guess what happened yesterday! I don’t know if it is factual or not, but, I’ve heard it said that Monday was the number one day for pastor resignations. I suppose at least some of that comes from the “second guessing” of what happened on Sunday.

I know from my own personal experience that the number one thing I find myself “second guessing” on Mondays…especially when I am in one of those valley times… is me! I start thinking, “Did God REALLY call me…or, was it the pizza I had the night before?”

But then, I call to mind how Paul began nearly all of his letters… he would begin each one of them by identifying the fact that he has been called to be an Apostle by God Himself. That helps me to remember that God knew EXACTLY what He was doing when He called you and I. And not only has He called us…but He has gifted and empowered us to do the work that He has prepared for us to do! Isn’t that something?!

Pastor…Ministry Leader…Teacher…God knew exactly what He was doing when He called you! He didn’t dial the wrong number. There wasn’t an angel that messed up and went to you instead of your next door neighbor. He called YOU! And…when we learn to allow our identity to be in the fact that the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE called us… instead of how many people have “friended” us on facebook,… or how many people we have in church …we can truly learn to rely on His strength and not our own!

He called us…not because of who we were… but in spite of it! He knew everything about us…all of our previous sins (and the future ones as well), and yet still chose to call us to Himself and give us stewardship of something that is very near to His heart…His church! WOW!…GO GOD!

He called you not because He knew you could get it done…but because He knew you were the person who would bring Him the most glory. Rick Warren once said that… “God most often puts His strongest gifts in His weakest vessels!” (I thought he was really smart until I realized he was paraphrasing 2 Corinthians 4:7.)

He called us…and, He gifted and empowered us to do HIS work! Sure, there are times when we feel like we literally can’t go on. There are times when it seems that our strength is zapped and we want to tap out. But, I’ve found that it is in those times that He most often does His best work!

He called you,… equipped you,…will sustain you… and be with you always! So, if you are second guessing yesterday…just remember that God isn’t second guessing you! Fix your eyes on Him and get on with whatever He’s called you to do!

WHAT'S THE SCORE?

"Love is patient, love is kind...it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV)

Have you ever known someone who is a perpetual scorekeeper. I mean, they spend their life with scorecards in hand, tallying up the points. I listened to a woman as she just poured out her family's shortcomings to me. The names are all fictitious, but you may recognized some of the players in your life. "Mary never comes to see me," and, the woman began to complain about her granddaughter. "And she never calls me either. I saw her sitting on the other side of the church last week and she didn't even come over and give me a hug." Then, she continued, "Billy is just as bad," talking about her grandson. "He never comes by unless he wants something. I never hear from him, but if he wants money for a mission trip…that’s about the only time I get a letter. He's just like his father…he never pays any attention to me unless he wants something."

Through our time together, this lady mentioned several family members and friends who had disappointed her,…who had not lived up to her expectations, or who had not given her the love she "deserved.” The more I listened; the clearer a picture began to take shape in my mind. I could see my friend with a big stack of scorecards. At the top of each card was a name: a grandchild, a child, a friend, a pastor,…yes, even one with MY name printed across the top.

• If someone telephoned her, they got 1 point.
• If they stopped by for a visit, they got 1 point.
• If they gave her a hug without being asked, they got 1 point.
• If they told her she looked pretty, they got 1 point.
• However, if they did not show the proper display of affection,… they lost 5 points.
• If they did not come by for a visit within the expected amount of time, they lost 5 points.
• If they did not send her a card on the appropriate days, they lost 5 points.
• Birthday cards, Christmas gifts, phone calls, visits, etc, were all tallied on mental score cards for later retrieval.

It no doubt kept her very busy keeping track of all the plusses and minuses for each person.  Cam I share with you a great life lesson? As long as this woman keeps mental scorecards on the people in her life, she is going to be miserable. And if you or I keep scorecards for the people in our lives, we will be miserable as well.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 says, "Love is patient, love is kind...it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs" Love is about giving. Not necessarily about giving money or gifts,… but giving love. Can I say that again? Love is about giving love.  Love does not keep records and scorecards of wrongs, or even perceived wrongs. It does not involve an accounting of plusses and minuses. It does not keep a running list of kindnesses to reward those who come out on top, and shun those who do not.

Self-centeredness says, "What has that person done for me lately?” Love says, "What can I do for that person today?" Self-centeredness makes mental lists of how others have disappointed him or her. Love makes mental lists of ways he or she can bless others. Self-centeredness withholds affection and approval from those who don't deserve it. Love gives affection unconditionally because none of us do deserve it. Self-centeredness says, "Come here and give me a hug." Love says, "Come here and let me hug you." Can you tell the difference? Even a ten-year-old certainly can. He or she might not be able to verbalize the difference, or even recognize it, but they certainly feel the difference in the pit of their stomachs and in the tenderness of their hearts.

With genuine love, there are no scorecards. I'm certainly glad God tore up mine long ago. David wrote in Psalm 130:3, "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sin, O Lord, who could stand?" Certainly not me! If God doesn't keep a scorecard, making notes of the ways I have offended Him, or disappointed Him, or not given Him the attention He deserves,… then why do I think I have the right to keep scorecards on the people in my little world. He doesn't give plusses and minuses and then tally up our cards to see whether or not we deserve His love. So why do we do it to others? God gives and gives and gives, and gets very little in return. Why does He do that? Because He loves you and me perfectly and unconditionally.

How about you? Do you keep records and scorecards? Do you keep mental lists of what people do and don't do to deserve your love? If so, you'll never be content or at peace in your relationships. No one may see the scorecards sitting on your coffee table, but they'll know they are there. They will see them in your eyes, they will hear them in the tone of your voice, and they will sense them in your touch. And, there may be a few brave souls who refuse to play the game and decide to bow out of your life altogether.

Here is what I would like to suggest. Tear up the records. Get a stack of index cards. Write one person's name at the top of each card. Start with your children, your grandchildren, your parents, your in-laws, your spouse, your siblings, and…please…don’t forget your pastor. Then move on to your circle of friends. Beside each name, write the words, "Score Card." For example: Pastor John's Score Card. Hold the stack of scorecards in your hand and pray this prayer: "Dear Lord, I am no longer going to keep a scorecard for ____________. Help me love like You love - unconditionally, with no strings attached. Help me to be thankful for the attention I do receive rather than resentful for what I don't. I do not want to become a bitter person that people avoid, but a grateful, graceful person people enjoy. And Lord, whenever I begin to fall into the old habit of making mental notes of how someone did not live up to my expectations, I pray that you will convict me and help me to replace the negative thoughts with a prayer of thanksgiving. In Jesus' Name, Amen

After you have prayed, take each scorecard in your hand and tear it into tiny pieces. Now, throw them away. Be free. And, enjoy life.