I spent the last two weeks with Jason and Heather Thornton, some close friends from church, while my parents were on vacation. (I had a wonderful time, the Thorntons are awesome.) They have a 7-year-old son named Eli. Eli is so much fun; he is always saying something to make us all either laugh really hard or think really hard.
Wednesday night after church, we got into a pillow fight. Eli was standing up near the edge of the bed and I told him to sit down before somebody knocked him off the bed. His response?
(pumping his fist in the air) "No! I will stand, for the Lord is with me!"
That is probably not as funny to read as it was to experience, but it was one of those things that made me laugh really hard. Then later it made me think really hard. Do I have that same confidence in my God? That no matter what I'm up against, I will stand, for the Lord is with me? Whether it is a pillow fight or an all-out spiritual war, my confidence and trust should be solely and completely in my God. He is my strength and my victory. What do I have to fear when my God is with me?
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
"When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" (Psalm 56:3-4)
"'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 1:8)
These are just a few of God's many promises that we do not have to fear, because He is with us. We don't have to cower down, afraid we're going to get knocked off the bed. We can stand, because we know that He is there and He will either keep us from falling or catch us when we do. He is always there, even when we can't see Him, and we have our hope and our confidence in Him and Him alone.
And you know, Eli never did fall off the bed :-)
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Thursday, May 3, 2007
The Ultimate Trump Card
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned...But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!...For if by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."--Romans 5:12, 15, 17-21
This passage testifies beautifully to the awesome power of the grace of God. It shows us just how great His grace is and how desperate we are for it. Now, look at what the passage says if we take Christ and His grace out of it:
"...sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned...many died by the trespass of the one man...by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man...the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men...through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners...The law was added so that the trespass might increase...sin increased..."
Ouch! Look at that: sin, death, trespasses, condemnation. Hopelessness. But bring Christ in and He wipes it all out.
"By the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man." "How much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
"The result of one trespass was condemnation for all men." "The result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."
"Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners." "Through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
"Sin increased." "GRACE INCREASED ALL THE MORE."
"Sin reigned in death." "Grace [reigns] through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Condemnation trumped with justification.
Disobedience trumped with obedience.
Sin trumped with grace.
Death trumped with life.
If you've ever played spades, you know the almost all-powerful sensation you get when you pick up your hand and you see the ace of spades. You might have a terrible hand overall, but that doesn't take away from the effectiveness of the ace or the feeling of power you get from having it. Regardless of the condition of the rest of your hand, you have complete assurance of getting at least one trick. Here's a little secret about life: It doesn't really matter what the rest of your hand looks like, as long as you have The Ace!
This passage testifies beautifully to the awesome power of the grace of God. It shows us just how great His grace is and how desperate we are for it. Now, look at what the passage says if we take Christ and His grace out of it:
"...sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned...many died by the trespass of the one man...by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man...the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men...through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners...The law was added so that the trespass might increase...sin increased..."
Ouch! Look at that: sin, death, trespasses, condemnation. Hopelessness. But bring Christ in and He wipes it all out.
"By the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man." "How much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."
"The result of one trespass was condemnation for all men." "The result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men."
"Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners." "Through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
"Sin increased." "GRACE INCREASED ALL THE MORE."
"Sin reigned in death." "Grace [reigns] through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Condemnation trumped with justification.
Disobedience trumped with obedience.
Sin trumped with grace.
Death trumped with life.
If you've ever played spades, you know the almost all-powerful sensation you get when you pick up your hand and you see the ace of spades. You might have a terrible hand overall, but that doesn't take away from the effectiveness of the ace or the feeling of power you get from having it. Regardless of the condition of the rest of your hand, you have complete assurance of getting at least one trick. Here's a little secret about life: It doesn't really matter what the rest of your hand looks like, as long as you have The Ace!
Jesus is our Ace of spades, only a gazillion times better! He is our Ultimate Trump Card. Nothing can stand against Him. It doesn't matter how much sin increases, grace will increase all the more. Our sin will never outlast His grace. Thank you, Jesus!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)