SERVING SIX ONE

No one is righteous and no one is perfect. Everyone from birth has sin, but God has given us a gift of Grace, and by this gift, we can be made righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ. All we have to do is accept it. The Bible clearly tells us in Romans chapter 3:21-29 that everyone has sinned. There is no one that is exempt. But through the love of our heavenly Father sending His Son to be a ransom for our sins, we can be cleansed and made right with God. This is because of the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.” If we will only admit that we have sinned and believe what Jesus did for us and accept His incredible gift of grace, we can be delivered from sin and death and live anew in His wonderful love and mercy. And once the Son sets you free, you are free indeed!

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”

Romans 3:21-29

Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? No! Only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

Romans 3:21-29

Do you remember the Golden Rule? We used to be taught it in school. It goes like this — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” I heard that so much growing up. Treat others the way you want to be treated is a pretty amazing, a pretty profound bit of advice. Advice worth adhering too.

Think about it. What if everyone followed the Golden Rule? What if everyone decided to heed its simple yet significant challenge? There would be no prejudice, no hate, no violence, no wars, no cheating, no lying, no stealing, no killing. Crimes would stop. Wars would cease. There would be peace. If… we all followed that one simple rule. One profound, incredible, totally simplistic, little rule — to treat others the way we’d like to be treated.

In this world the Golden Rule has become antiquated to the point of being obsolete. There is a new rule, a rule opposite of the Golden Rule. It is rather a tarnished one. One that actually twists about the Golden Rule. The rule of the world today is “Do to others as they did to you.” Get even. Don’t let anyone treat you bad. If you do you are weak, cowardly and stupid. In the world’s terms, the one who doesn’t retaliate is a push over.

So according to the world’s standards, Jesus Christ was a push over — a weakling that people could take advantage of. Jesus didn’t fight back. He didn’t do to others what others did to Him. When others didn’t appreciate or acknowledge the things He did for them, He didn’t pout and complain to His friends. When others lied about Him, He didn’t retaliate. When others mocked Him, He was silent. When others spat in His face, He kept His cool. When they beat Him, He stood quietly and took it. He didn’t have to get the last word in. Instead, He held His tongue. Then, after they hung Him on a splintery old cross to be ridiculed, publicly humiliated, tortured and killed, He forgave. And, by so doing, He overcame.

Looking at the life of our Savior, the One who withdrew from the normal standards of life, withstood the trials and persecutions, and withheld the notions to get back at His persecutors, we see anything but weakness. We see the epitome of strength. We see someone who sacrificed Himself for the good of others. It is because of that sacrifice that we are not condemned to a fiery hell. It is because of His forgiveness, grace and mercy that we can find hope, joy and peace.

Jesus dared to be different. He dared to do right. He dared to take a stand. By so doing, He made a difference. He overcame evil with good. He fulfilled the Golden Rule.

Now if we were to apply the Golden Rule in our lives, one by one we could make a difference too. We could sow love where hate rules, peace where there is strife, kindness where there is malice, joy where there is sorrow. One by one we could plant the seeds that would change the world, if only we would dare to do so.

God is awesome! No matter what we do, or how we are doing, God still loves us. No matter what troubles we are facing God still cares about us. When you feel no one else cares about you, God does. Even though many don’t pay God any attention, God is still there. No matter how far you are going down the wrong path, God can lift you up, and set you on right track. Don’t ever think that God can’t hear you. When you cry out to Him, He is there.

“For the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor is His ear too dull to hear. Isaiah 59:1″

“All you need is love. All you need is love. All you need is love, love. Love is all you need.” These popular lyrics, written and sung by the Beatles, ring out a message of truth. Love is indeed all you need. It’s all I need. Quite frankly, love is all anyone needs, that is, when it is used in the proper connotation. You see, according to the Bible, God is love (1 John 4:8,16). Now if we apply the Transitive property of Algebra which states, if a=b and b=c then a=c. We would see that if (a) all you need is love = (b) God is love then the result would be (c) all you need is God. And yes, He is all you need.

This is for those who feel they can’t go on. To those who have given up. To those who think there is no hope….

There is hope, and His name is Jesus. In this world that is filled with darkness He is the light. In this world where brothers hate and betray one another, He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. In a world where lies are abundant, He is the truth and the way. He is a refuge and a source of strength to all who will call only on His name. In Him, there is no darkness. There is no guile and no shadow of turning. He is unchanging. He is the same today as He was yesterday and He will be the same tomorrow. His love is unconditional, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations, no matter how much it is put down, ridiculed or forsaken. He is, He was and He forever will be. To His kingdom there shall be no end.

These last couple of weeks have been rather difficult. Tuesday, March 10th was two months since my brother’s death and Wednesday, the 11th was his birthday. I sure miss him. I miss the sound of his voice. I miss the talks we would have. I miss him calling me and saying “grab a piece of paper and a pen; I gotcha some recipes.” I miss him calling and telling me what the weather was going to be. He was my weatherman. I miss his advice on hunting and fishing, taking care of my dogs, keeping the deer out of my garden, and all of his incredible cooking tips. And I especially miss hearing the words he told me at the end of every phone call or visit — “I love you Sis.” And he meant it too. They weren’t just words to him. He loved his family and he made sure he told us every chance he got.

It’s crazy though how we take the little things in life for granted. Things that we don’t realize are priceless treasures until we no longer have them. What I wouldn’t give now to hear my brother’s voice. To feel his big ‘ol arms around me giving me one of his bear hugs. I appreciated them then, but not nearly as much as now.

Wouldn’t life be so much better, so much fuller, so much sweeter if we would really value it? I mean think about it. We get so caught up in our petty little dramas, in keeping up appearances, in running here and there, in trying to appease ourselves, that we fail to realize that our time is slipping away. Our days are numbered. Everyday that we rush past is a day that we can never get back. What we put into it may very well affect our future, but that day is gone.

So value the day. Treasure the moment. Make it great. Appreciate those you love. Really appreciate them. Tell them you do. Don’t hold grudges. Get over them. Don’t waste time. Make the most of it. Life is short. Life is precious. So love it and live it. Or rather, live it with love.

Psalm 46:1
God is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in trouble.

Oh my goodness how true this verse is and how evident its trueness has been in our lives these past couple of months. God is our refuge– the place that we can go and hide, the place of safety and security when everywhere else feels unsure, the place where we find relief from hurt or pain, the place of comfort and assurance. He is our shelter from the storm.

A storm hit our family on Saturday, January 10, 2009. I was awakened that morning by a phone call I will never forget. It was my dad calling me to tell me the devastating news he had just gotten….my brother was dead. Disbelief, shock, hurt, anger, confusion, pain, panic–all the emotions you wish never to feel, were all there. Swirling together. Clouding my mind. Dulling my senses. Gripping my heart. Distorting my sense of judgment. But in the midst of it all, there was a Presence. God’s presence. Holding me. Lifting me up. Giving me strength to somehow carry on. To get through the next minutes, hours and days that followed. Strength to not only get through my brother’s funeral, but also to speak and sing at it. Strength to be strong for my Mom and Dad. Strength to not only get through but to carry on. God’s strength is amazing.

It is because of that strength that my family and I have been able to go on. Though there are times when my heart literally feels like it will break in two and I am so weak and overcome with emotion that I can hardly stand, God is right there holding me, wrapping His strong, loving arms around me and girding me up. No one can fully understand it unless they have been through it. You just cannot understand how you can face another day, but God gives you what you need, when you need it. And believe me His grace IS sufficient. His love holds your heart.

God feels our pain. He understands. He grieves with us as we grieve, yet when the grief begins to be more than we can handle, He lifts it, giving us strength to carry on. He never leaves us. Never forsakes us. He is a forever friend. Without Him we are nothing and can do nothing. In Him we have all we need.

Indeed, God is our refuge. God is our strength. He will not only see through the valleys you have to go
through, but He will carry through them!