BLOTTED OUT Colossians 2: 13-14, 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
I love this scripture with all of my heart. I hold to it close and declare it when the enemy tries to remind me of my past or condemn me when I feel like I don’t measure up to God’s standards. Let’s break it down.
First, Paul says that we were dead in our sins but Jesus has quickened us together with Him. The word quickened means to “make one with”. In other words we were caught red handed in sin but Christ came and made us “one” with Him. We now stand in Him and He is perfect and blameless which makes us blameless. How incredible is this? You and Jesus are One!
Secondly, He says that He has forgiven ALL my trespasses. The word trespass is the Greek word paraptÅma which means a lapse or deviation of truth and uprightness or to sin and perform a misdeed. Jesus has forgiven us of ALL our lapses, deviations of walking in truth, and our misdeeds. His word declares that He has cast our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Thirdly, He has blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that were against us and nailed them to the cross. Blotting out hear means to obliterate, plaster or wash away, wipe clear, erase, and to do away with. This is the greatest news in the world. No wonder they call it the “good news”! Not only did Jesus blot out all my sin but He nailed them to the cross that He died on. Our sins have been annihilated. This news should bring comfort and joy to your soul today.
I imagine it this way: I’m in a court room and the prosecutor (the devil) brings all these accusations against me. He stands and names sin after sin, trespass after trespass that I have committed. I begin to hang my head because the truth is that I actually committed these sins that the enemy is sharing to the Judge. After his accusations, it is so obvious that I’m guilty. I am dead in my sin, caught red handed and these ordinances are a book full.
Then I raise my head and say, “Judge it is true. I’m guilty of every handwritten ordinance brought against me today. But, I placed my heart and faith in Jesus Christ and His word says that He has quickened me together with Him.” Then Jesus stands up and says, “It is true Father, he has placed his life in My hands.” The Judge (Father God) then opens the book of ordinances and the pages are sopping wet in His Son’s blood. The Father looks at me and the enemy and says “I don’t see any of these handwritten ordinances against him. All that I see are pages of my Son’s blood.” The enemy huffs and leaves the room in frustration and I’m overwhelmed with joy realizing that my sins have been blotted out!
I write this to encourage any person today that feels down, discouraged, overwhelmed, or condemned by the enemy. If your life is in Jesus, realize your sins are forgiven, your past forgotten, and your best days are before you. You are ONE in Christ and He has blotted out your trespasses.
Thoughts to ponder:
1. How does it make you feel knowing your sins are blotted out?
2. What responsibility do we now have knowing the power of forgiveness?
3. Who can you share the "Good News" to tomorrow?
PLAN, PURPOSE, DESTINY
Jeremiah 1:4-5, 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying:5 “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 29:11, 11 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.
Psalms 139:17-18, 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
1 Peter 2:9, 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Most people don’t comprehend how God loves them. The Bible declares that God is love (1 John 4:8). It doesn’t say that God just expresses love, but that God is love. It is one level to show love in certain situations but it’s another level to actually be love. Think about the God of the universe that holds the galaxies in the palm of His hand. He is great and mighty and beyond what we can even fathom. Yet, He is love and He desires to pour all His love upon you. Thinking upon this should encourage our hearts and make us realize that God cares and is working out the details of our lives.
Before we were ever formed in the womb of our mother’s belly, God knew us, called us, and had a great plan for our lives. His thoughts and plans toward us outnumber the grains of sand upon the beaches of the world. These thoughts and plans are good plans to prosper us and bring about a life of destiny and purpose.
Today, God has great plans for your life. Actually, He has incredible, beyond what we can imagine plans! He loves you more than you can comprehend or realize. He loved you so much that He looked into the future and saw that you would be lost and unable to pay for your sins. So He left heaven, became a man and died to set you free. The Bible says that there is no greater love than a man would lay down his life for a friend (John 15:13). Today, you are His friend and He literally laid down His life for you. There is no greater love than this!
In closing, this means that God loves you even when you fail Him. God has a plan for you even when you don’t follow His plans like you should. God has a great purpose for your life. Be encouraged today and connect with God. Allow Him to forgive you and cleanse your heart and then submit to His incredible plan and purpose for your life.
The Great Commission: Is It Optional?
Matthew 28:18-20, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Today, the world is in much turmoil, uncertainty, and sin. Currently there are close to 7 billion people living upon the face of the earth. It has been reported that 1 billion of these people have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, there are five-thousand people groups or tribes that have yet to be evangelized with the message of the Gospel. This reality must shake us and move us to action!
It is difficult for us in the U.S. to comprehend that there are people that have no clue about Jesus or who He is or what He has done to save them from sin. We live in a culture where we have the freedom to worship God, carry a Bible, and attend one of many churches in our community. This is not the case for the majority of the world.
The other reality is that there are many within our own neighborhoods, schools, and jobs that haven’t understood the reality of an eternal place called Hell. Nor have they understood the reality of Jesus dying to save them from this place. This reality must shake us and move us to action!
I ask the question, is the Great Commission an option? My answer is absolutely not! Jesus commands us to go into the world and preach the Gospel. I believe that every born again believer in Jesus Christ has the responsibility to spread the message and live this commission to save the lost world.
Many Christians “feel” they weren’t called to the mission field so they have chosen to send money and support others to go and preach. But where in the Bible does it give us the option to go or not to go? Where in the Bible does it tell us that if we are uncomfortable spreading the Gospel or we don’t feel safe going to a foreign land that we can send money to someone else to do it for us?
I understand that there are individuals that have a distinct call from God to move to foreign lands to plant churches and spread the Gospel. But if we aren’t careful, we will stop short of the command by just sending money to our missionaries when we ourselves have been called to go as well. Please don’t misunderstand my heart. Yes, God places people in the Kingdom to support financially but we must not allow this to take the place of us “going” too. We all have responsibility to share the Good News.
Jesus has called us to “go”. For some, going is witnessing to our neighbors. For others, it’s reaching the homeless, widows, and orphans. There are those that are called to go to cities, nations, schools, and specific targeted groups. We have all been called to go!
Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. shared his heart in the famous “I have a dream” speech; I too have a dream.
· I have a dream that all Christian believers will forsake this world and passionately follow Christ.
· I have a dream that all Christian believers will see the Great Commission as a personal mandate.
· I have a dream that all Christian believers will see the value of the “Treasure” and will sell out to obtain it.
· I have a dream that all Christian believers will awaken to the reality that lost people are going to Hell.
· I have a dream that all Christian believers will preach the Gospel to the lost.
· I have a dream that all Christian believers will realize that we have been blessed to be a blessing to the unfortunate.
· I have a dream that all American Christian believers will forsake the “American Dream” and pursue “God’s Dream” of every person having eternal life.
Jesus was all about His mission. His mission was to seek and save the lost. It is time that we as Christian believers reprioritize some things in our lives. Many seek after careers, possessions, fame, comfort, and money. I don’t believe these things are necessarily wrong. But where is the priority of spreading the message of Jesus Christ? Imagine if every believer in the world would share the Gospel to the lost today.
Many people struggle to find God’s will for their life. I can tell you what His will is for you… Matthew 28:18-20 (The Great Commission).
Thoughts to Discuss:
· Do I view the Great Commission as a priority or as an option?
· Who could you reach out to today or tomorrow?
Life in the Narrow WayMatthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Today’s family devotion is about taking a look to see what paths and gates we are choosing to walk through each day of our lives. Each morning when we rise from our beauty sleep, we are presented with a boat load of choices. We will either choose to follow the ways of Christ or the ways of this world.
I want to remind you that the ways of Christ lead to life as Jesus stated in Matthew 7:14. But the reality of finding and keeping this life can be difficult and challenging at times. Jesus’ own words state that “few there be that find it.”
Please read the passage of scripture once again.
The word strait in the Greek language is the word “stenos.” This word literally means a narrow place or path formed from obstacles standing close about. The word narrow in the Greek language is the word “thlibo.” This word literally means to be crowded, to suffer, and to face tribulation.
Basically, this is how I intepret Jesus' words in this passage. The way to eternal life is choosing to walk a fine line. It is a constricting and narrow path that bypasses the roads of this sinful world. If you choose this path it will be challenging and you may suffer tribulation. But to choose the narrow path leads to life while the broad and wide road of sin leads to destruction.
We must understand that following Jesus Christ is the greatest decision that we could ever make. It is real living and worth every minute. But, it isn’t always easy. The broad path will at times seem easier and more entertaining but destruction and deceit is it's end!
Thoughts to ponder:
· Do you walk the narrow path?
· Discuss examples of narrow and broad paths and what they look like today.
o Example:
§ Cheating on a test is taking the broad path
§ Shunning sin in the midst of peer pressure is choosing the narrow path
· Is your path leading you to life or destruction?
Priorities
Priorities; we all have them but they differ from our neighbors, friends, and even our closest family members priorities. What is a priority? A priority is precedence or something you give attention to against all competing forces. It is an item, ideal, or attitude that is on top of the list.
When I was eight years old, playing with my G.I. Joes and Super Mario Brothers was priority. I thought that my world would literally end if I didn’t give daily devotion to these items. When I was a teenager, basketball and my clothing style was priority. I didn’t want to be labeled as a geek in high school (although I look back at pictures and I was a geek). Now that I’m a bit older and have a family, my priorities are totally different than when I was younger.
I realize that the things that seemed to be so important years ago don’t even fall in the Top 100 Category of important things in my life today. It is funny how time and responsibility changes everything.
I want to share about a priority that must be #1 above all things. This priority’s name is Jesus! He must take precedence and we must give Him attention against all competing forces. The way that we spend our day, money, time, and choose entertainment is signs of what is priority in our lives. How much time did you spend getting ready for work or school today? How much time did you spend in prayer and devotion this morning? We live in a society that spends more time in front of a mirror than we do preparing our hearts for Jesus.
We must make Jesus’ words, actions, and mission priority in our lives.
Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at anytime we should let them slip.”
Let’s earnestly heed to the spritual knowledge we've obtained and the encounters we’ve had with Christ. They must remain on top of the list or they will slip away.
Discussion Points:
What is priority in your life?
How much time do you spend in God’s Word compared to media devices?
Do your actions prove that Jesus Christ is priority in your daily life, talk, money, friendships, and values?
How much time do you spend in God’s Word compared to media devices?
Do your actions prove that Jesus Christ is priority in your daily life, talk, money, friendships, and values?
Do You Realize What You Have?
Hebrews 2:1, 1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
I heard a story of a man who purchased an old broken down Harley Davidson from a garage sale. He purchased this motorcycle for close to nothing. When this man began to restore this Harley, he made a call to a Harley Davidson Corporate Office looking for certain part for the motor. After giving them the serial number on the motorcycle they later called back asking for that serial number again. After verifying the number they then asked the man to take off the seat and check for any writing under the seat located on the motorcycle. With amazement the man replied, “Yes, it says THE KING”. Harley Davidson then shared with the man that they had been looking for this particular Harley for several years and that had belonged to Elvis Presley. They then offered the man a great amount of money for the motorcycle.
I began to think about the guy who sold this Harley in the garage sale. Obviously he didn’t know the value of what he possessed. This man owned the motorcycle that Elvis Presley had owned at one time and it had custom features worth more than this man’s house. He sold it for hardly anything at all. It must have been sickening to this man to realize that he owned something of great value but took it for granted.
When we have Jesus Christ in our life, we possess the greatest gift you could imagine. There is nothing that compares to Him and how good He is to each of us. Not only is the relationship with Jesus priceless, so is His word (Bible). I pray that we live with the understanding of how great our God is and how blessed we are to have Him and His Word in our lives.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do I live in a way that demonstrates my gratefulness for Jesus and His Word in my life?
2. Do I treat Jesus and His Word like the man who so easily gave up his Harley Davidson?
3. How does the world try to compete with the gift of Jesus (salvation)?
4. Does the world’s offer compare or supersede the offer Jesus gives us?
5. Is there anything that has become priority in place of spending time in God’s Word?
Prayer:
Father, we pray together as a family that you would ignite our hearts with passion for You and Your Word. Forgive us if serving You and reading Your Word hasn’t been priority in our lives. Please remind our hearts daily of the sacrifice and the gift of eternal life that has been given to us. We want to live in such a way that expresses gratitude and passion for You!
Is Your Face Still Shining?
2 Corinthians 3:13,“Nor [do we act] like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze upon the finish of the vanishing [splendor which had been upon it]. (Amplified Version)
In Exodus 34:29-35, you can read about Moses climbing Mount Sinai and spending time with God. When Moses would come down from this meeting with God, he would talk with Aaron and the Sons of Israel about what God had spoken to him. Aaron and the Sons of Israel noticed that Moses’ face would be shining after his time spent with Jehovah. When Moses was finished speaking with these gentlemen, he would then place a veil over his face because the shine would eventually fade away. Moses used the veil to cover up the faded glow of his face.
My thought today is this, “Is Your Face Still Shining?” It is obvious when someone is spending quality time with Jesus. Their life shines! With that said, it is obvious when someone is not spending time with Jesus. They either hide behind a veil or they just let you know that they have forsaken God’s ways. If we are not careful we will hide behind veils rather than sacrifice to spend quality time with God.
I want us to understand that there is a cost to have a shiny face. Imagine the sacrifice Moses offered to be in the Presence of Jehovah. First, Moses would have to leave the people and climb a large mountain. On his journey, he would have to fight through fatigue, overcome steep areas, avoid snakes and wild beasts, pursue through rocky and slippery places. But, once he would arrive to the place where God was residing in Mt Sinai, he would experience life changing moments.
We must understand the sacrifice and the payoff of consistently spending time with God. Below is a short outline:
A. We must continue to climb the mountain of prayer everyday
1. As we climb we will have to separate from the crowd (friends, television, etc.)
2. As we climb we will have to push through times of tiredness and laziness
3. As we climb we will have to overcome the temptations of this world
4. As we climb we will have to continually overcome the rocky and unstable places in
life
B. If we set our hearts to climb the mountain, we will receive benefits
1. At the top of the mountain is where God’s Presence abides
2. At the top of the mountain we will hear His voice
3. At the top of the mountain we will receive His words
4. At the top of the mountain we will receive His direction
C. Spending time with God will cause our lives to shine
1. We will shine in times of trouble
2. We will shine and be examples to the body of Christ
3. We will shine the goodness of Jesus to the lost world
Ask yourself today, “Is my face shining or has it faded away?” I encourage you to climb the mountain of prayer!
