NOT Ashamed

Dear friends,

                 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek," (Romans 1:16).

                   Reading those words brings relief.  Every time this verse pops up, I am surprised by my response - a resounding yes. This time, I'm asking myself why. 

                     Life is stressful.  It's exhausting to stay smiling, be kind, keep everyone happy.   So many variables mean so many ways we can mess it allll up.  So many reasons to be ashamed.  But believing that God's Word is perfect?  No one said it was easy, but the power found in the Bible is so strong and alive that no fault can be found in it, even by human standards.  Believing in it is nothing to be ashamed of.  Romans 1:16 is finding God's grace anew.   

"He will swallow up death forever;

and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,

and the shame of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the Lord; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

-Isaiah 25:8-9 

Why are you afraid?

                          Fear is debilitating.  It takes us captive and puts us in a self-enforced headlock.  (I dare a contortionist to try that).  When we have fear or anxiety,  its because we put our trust in another person.  And to them, we entrust our entire happiness, all the good things we could receive, and all our thoughts.  Maybe we're sure that we can't make things right for ourselves.  And that is right thinking. 

                     Am I telling you to go, trust other people with your happiness and consequently make ourselves miserable?  No, that makes them into a god.  When we are afraid, we can know that we have made an idol - whether we're afraid of or for a person, a thing, success, ect.  Fear is idolatry.  Fear says, "I need ___ to give happiness to me.  And I'm worried that it won't happen."  Once again, this is right thinking.  The idols in our life will fail. 
                 
                   Remember the 150  times in the Bible that God says, "Fear not,"?  He doesn't stop there - He says, "Fear not because I am with you." We have to be afraid of the things put our trust in because our human frailty knows that we cannot be strong without God.  We do not have to be afraid of trusting our God because He will gives us strength through His presence.  Isaiah 41:10 says, "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."  Because He is with us, we don't have to be afraid!  We can be strong!    He promises to be our Savior, to give us grace sufficient for our weaknesses, to walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death, to be with us to the very end of the age, and to raise us into everlasting life.  He is the ultimate God.  He is strong enough to win over all our fears. 

"In the Midst of the Storm, Jesus Speaks"

Continuation of Mars Hill Church

Rev. Tripp unravels, why we need 'to preach the gospel to ourselves,' as Ann Voskamp says every day.  Why we feel despair so often and it's because of who we listen to the most.  But most importantly, we know Who overcomes it.  I wish this would have been the reason that I named this blog "I am not for me."

"Jesus Isn't After Making Life Easy"

Mars Hill Church has such great resources on youtube, and this might be the pinnacle. 

"We esteem a predictable, easy life more than we esteem the awesome, transforming work of the Redeemer."   Click play to see what it's all about and why Jesus walked on the water. 

Ephesians 1:7-8

           Ann Voskamp constantly emphasizes the need for preaching the Gospel to ourselves every day.  Take this verse with you throughout today, and I will do the same.  Ephesians is a balm for our souls, a beautiful one.   

            "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight." Ephesians 1:7-8

Don't Figure Out Your Life, Don't Save Yourself

              We've turned Christianity into a self-help guide.  If we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that we can't save ourselves, why do we spend so much time fortifying our own walls - in the name of our Savior?  We come up with theories, ways to view love or our bodies, life changing trips.  But why?  There's a drive within many of us, forever whispering in our hearts that I have to not let this _____ get to me, I have to come up with a way to deal with what's consuming my life.

              Saving ourselves is hard in two ways: to figure out, and to put into action. 

              There's a simple way to see how sinful humans are inside.  Here it is.  We turn God's 100%  sure solutions into the hardest choices to make.  God never told us to figure out our lives - the magic equation, word that will solve our problems.  Instead, He revealed the greatest mystery, His Son, and even does us the favor of telling us that we cannot fathom Him.  He just says believe Him.  His words are more secure than anything else we will ever know - He created it all.  
              "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave--what can you know?"  Job 11:7-8  "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:18

               Our Savior never told us to save ourselves.  That foolproof remedy found through sweat and tears?  We cause ourselves more tears when we fail, or when it fails and life is still a mess.  I wonder, what would happen if we remembered the depth of our need for an Immanuel when trying to patch ourselves up, in order to live the next day?  Meanwhile, you have a salvation that renews world.  It's the same solution, every day, for eternity.   

             "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10  "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"  Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:25-26
             Tonight let's pray to remember our contract, our agreement, to Jesus' salvation and that the Church will proclaim it.  We need it. 

Brandon Booth

Here's the first article of its kind I've seen on this issue that we struggle every day with. 

How can Christians be simultaneously dead and alive? 
"So when you think of your sin, picture yourself the way Scripture does."   

http://www.brandonbooth.com/2013/11/zombies-and-the-gospel/