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Category: Salvation (Page 20 of 34)

Overturned

October 20, 2014 / / 0 Comments

“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!” ~Jonah 3:4

You’ve gotta have a sense of humor to read Jonah. There’s so much hyperbole and exaggeration, sarcasm and irony, embedded in almost every paragraph, I think you’ll miss the main points of the tale if you don’t break out into a huge smile and maybe even a giggle or two as you read it. It’s funny that Jonah’s message is that God is going to “overturn” Nineveh. Because that’s exactly what God does. He turns Nineveh completely upside down.

The people proclaim a fast before the king does. Declarations like that usually begin at the top and work their way down. But this one starts in the streets and then reaches the palace.

The king leaves his throne and takes off his royal robes. The throne is empty, it’s wide open now for the Lord to reign in Nineveh. The king is sitting in dust with the least of the common people. This is definitely an overturned king! And his proclamation demands that everyone call urgently on the God of Israel. These mighty Assyrians are now just like the sailors in the first part of the story — crying out to YHWH for their very lives.

In just two short verses, Nineveh has been overturned — not destroyed, but turned upside down in every way possible. It’s a supernatural event. Nobody saw this coming. It goes far beyond what anybody could perceive as normal. Come on, even the goats and cows are fasting and wearing sackcloth!

God does this in order to save the city. He turns it upside down in order to save it. And he’ll do the same for you. Or for your family. Or for your church. Or your town.

Our God will go to whatever lengths are necessary, he’ll do whatever it takes, he will not give up on saving his people. Even when we resist, he keeps on pursuing. Even when we rebel, he keeps on forgiving. Even when we run away, he keeps chasing. He used a violent storm and the weak witness of a runaway prophet to save the pagan sailors. He created and commanded the giant fish to rescue his rebellious servant. And he put five Hebrew words into the hearts of a wicked people and turned an entire nation upside down.

And he’s tracking you, too. He’s chasing you. You know it. You feel it.

What’s God doing right now to get your attention? How’s he working in your life to draw you to him? Is he sending the storms? Is he putting people in your path? Is he piercing your heart with an unforgettable phrase or a particularly haunting verse of Scripture? Is it just a feeling, maybe, that you can’t shake? Is it a person who cares deeply for you and hurts with God’s own compassion for you? How is God getting to you? You may as well start thinking about it, because he’s not going to stop.

Peace,

Allan

 

God Will Not Be Stopped

October 17, 2014 / / 0 Comments

“I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.” ~Ezekiel 34:16

Our God will go to whatever lengths are necessary, he’ll do whatever it takes, he will not ever give up on saving his people. Even when we resist, he keeps pursuing. Even when we rebel, he keeps forgiving. Even when we run away, he keeps chasing.

“Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?” ~Luke 15:4, 8

Our merciful Father used the power of a violent storm and the weak witness of a runaway prophet to save the pagan sailors in Jonah 1. He created and commanded the great fish to rescue his rebellious servant in Jonah 2. And in Jonah 3, our faithful God put five Hebrew words into the hearts of a wicked people and turned an entire nation upside down for him.

“‘I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,’ declares the Sovereign Lord. ‘Repent and live!'” ~Ezekiel 18:32

Our God is on a mission to save the world and he wants us to participate. Either way — whether we join him in that mission or not — our God will not be stopped. He’ll find the young professional in that tiny house in Bogota, Columbia; and he’ll send a group from Amarillo, Texas all the way down there to do it. He’ll save the impoverished orphan girls in Kenya; and he’ll use a bunch of ladies in a sewing room at Central to make it happen. God will save ten thousand people in India; and he’ll use a broken preacher on a TV show to do it. God will rescue the dying and lost in Brazil and Guatemala & Ukraine; and he’ll use your garage sale earnings and your Starbucks money to accomplish it. Our God is on the trail to save and he will not be stopped.

He’s tracking you, too. He’s chasing you. You feel it. You know it. He’s on to you and he won’t let go. Our God is that relentless hound of heaven that C. S. Lewis writes about.

May we adopt that same mindset. May we see the world as our Father sees the world. And may we allow nothing — absolutely nothing! — to get in our way of seeking and saving the lost.

Peace,

Allan

Praise from the Belly

October 9, 2014 / / 0 Comments

The most interesting thing about Jonah 2 is that the prophet gives thanks to God for his deliverance while he is still inside the fish! He praises God for his rescue even before he is on dry land!

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me!” ~Jonah 2:2

Jonah doesn’t even mention the small matter of his residency in the fish. Instead he demonstrates a complete trust in the mercy and compassion of God. He is grateful to be in the Lord’s keeping, even if it’s in the belly of a whale.

“You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God!” ~Jonah 2:6

Jonah gives thanks in spite of the uncertainty of still being in the sea. He gives praise knowing he did not deserve to be rescued. He’s grateful for safety in a most unlikely place. He’s thankful even in great discomfort. Jonah recognizes God’s salvation in spite of his unresolved questions and issues.

“Salvation comes from the Lord!” ~Jonah 2:9

I think we’re all living inside the belly of the fish. We have been rescued from drowning; we’ve been delivered from the bottom of the sea. But we’re still unsure as to how exactly we’re going to be ultimately saved. Jonah praises God, knowing full well that there are only two possibilities for escaping the fish alive — both of them extremely gross! His situation is not even close to being resolved. He knows he’s going to be OK because he’s in God’s gracious hands. He just doesn’t know yet how much it’s going to hurt.

It’s a belly of great expectation. And we’re all there. I’m going to come out of this OK; I’m just not sure how or when. Even in the darkness and stink of my present circumstance, I rejoice and praise the Lord that he has saved me and he will continue to deliver me all the way through to the end.

Peace,

Allan

Do You Remember?

September 11, 2014 / / 0 Comments

This past Sunday it was Ken. The Sunday before that it was Lynzi. We are so blessed to be able to so often participate in Christian baptisms during our weekly assemblies. We watch and pray, cheer and sing, as these new disciples publicly confess Jesus as Lord and put him on in baptism for the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. What an incredible event!

When I visit with these new followers of Jesus, I always stress that they should look back often on their baptisms. They should intentionally reflect on what God created in them that day they were buried and raised with Christ. We should all remember what God did for us and with us when we came up out of the water.

God has made something brand new out of each of us. He has chosen now to live inside us and to re-create us to experience all of life in a brand new way. It’s amazing, really. Death has nothing on us anymore. And neither does sin.

Do you remember when you were baptized? Who baptized you? Where did it happen? Do remember how you felt when you came up out of the water? Do you remember the songs that were sung? The people who were there?

It was the single greatest day of your life. You may not recognize it all the time. But that was the day you were added to God’s eternal Kingdom. That was the day you were made righteous by the salvation work of Christ and reconciled to your Creator. It was a tremendous day, a cosmic day when eternity broke through the barriers of time and space and took up residence inside your body and soul.

Praise God for the blessings of his loving and merciful salvation. And give him thanks for the great privilege of sharing those wonderful baptism days with others.

Peace,

Allan

Prayer and Peace: Part 1

September 2, 2014 / / 0 Comments

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 4:6-7

Prayer is not a technique. It’s not a formula. Prayer is not a technology which we use to get a force or a “higher power” to do what we want. When Paul talks about prayer, he’s talking about a prayerful understanding, a prayer attitude, a particular way of looking at life. Paul wants the Christians in Philippi to have a prayerful relationship with God based on everything he’s written in the letter up to this point.

In order for prayer to result in peace, Paul expects Christians to be still blown away by their salvation.

I think the fact that we are saved by the amazing grace of a merciful God should startle us every single day. The fact that a holy and righteous Creator sacrificed everything in order to save a wretched sinner like me — it should overwhelm me every couple of hours or so. Several times a day, I think, I should be shocked by it all over again. My salvation is impossible; yet it’s real! My salvation is beyond comprehension; it’s a miracle!

And Paul is careful to remind the disciples in Philippi they can’t ever forget it.

He starts the letter by reminding us that God is bringing this wonderful miracle of salvation to completion (1:6). We are pure and blameless, he says, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus (1:10-11). In chapter two, Paul points out again just what Jesus did for us. He gave up everything! All this grand, sweeping poetry about the sacrifice of our Lord who, he says, is right now working inside us according to his wonderful purposes (2:13). Then we’re told that our righteousness is not our own — we don’t have any righteousness — all of it comes from God (3:9). It’s an outrageous gift from our God!

We are beloved children of that merciful God. We are chosen subjects of that glorious Lord. And we are privileged citizens of that heavenly Kingdom…

“And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” ~Philippians 3:20-21

You are in the Lord, Paul says. You are in Christ. And don’t you ever forget that you never did one crying thing to deserve it.

Every now and then, we might think that we’re better than other people. Sometimes, we might even think we don’t need nearly as much of God’s mercy as somebody else. Prayer will not result in peace unless we are still shocked by our salvation and driven daily to new levels of humility and gratitude to God because of it.

Peace,

Allan

God Always Finishes What He Starts

June 17, 2014 / / 0 Comments

“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” ~Philippians 1:6

God always finishes what he starts. Always. That’s why Paul can look back on what looks like a really lousy time in Philippi with gratitude and joy. Because God had started something in Philippi. And God always finishes what he starts.

God started something in Abraham when Abraham was a hundred years old and married to a barren old lady; and he finished it by giving Abraham more descendants than the sands on the shore. God started something with Joseph in the bottom of a well; and he finished it by feeding the whole world. God started something with a baby named Moses who was ordered to be killed by the most powerful ruler on the planet; and he finished it by rescuing his people out of slavery. God started something with David, the youngest and least impressive of all the sons of a shepherd in Judah; and he finished it by blessing his holy people with more peace and prosperity than they had ever known. God started something in Peter, a middle school flunkee fisherman, working the graveyard shift on the smelly nets at the Sea of Galilee; and he finished it by making Peter and his words a foundational pillar of his eternal Church. God always finishes what he starts.

What has God started in you? I’m not asking what God has finished in you — he’s not finished yet; I don’t care who or where you think you are, God is not done with you. But what has he started in you? Was it thirty years ago? Was it just a couple of weeks ago? What has God started with you?

Maybe you’re thinking, “God has not started anything in me.” Maybe what you remember, maybe your past, is so troubling and so difficult, maybe your present is so bad, you don’t feel like God’s done anything.

No. God has started something in you. He has. I don’t know where you’ve been. I don’t know all the people and places and events in your life. But I do know that our God has never, ever left you. Never.

I would also say that just the fact that you’re reading this post, that you’re right now hearing the word of God and considering his eternal promises means he has started something with you. And you can trust. You can know. He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion.

Abraham lied about his wife and had a son with Hagar instead of Sarah; but God didn’t quit. Joseph was rotting away in an Egyptian prison; but God didn’t give up. The Israelites built a golden calf and brought idols into the Temple; but God didn’t stop. David intentionally broke half of the Ten Commandments in one terrible weekend; but God didn’t throw in the towel. Peter publically denied the Christ, Paul was ruthlessly killing Christians, the evil powers of this planet and beyond had conspired to murder Jesus on a cross; but that didn’t slow God down one bit.

God has started something. Something in you. And God always finishes what he starts.

Peace,

Allan

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