Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a powerful name!
I am almost finished packing. I leave on Monday, traveling to Israel - the Holy Land - the Promised Land. I am very excited about walking where Jesus walked. Seeing places where he healed the sick and cast out unclean spirits. Where he taught the people and the disciples. Where he fed the multitudes.
I expect that seeing these places first-hand will be beneficial to my pastoral ministry. I will be able to describe scenes with more attention to detail - what it smells like, what it feels like, what it sounds like. First-hand experience of these places will, I expect, add a measure of authenticity to my references to them. This experience will be a tremendous blessing to me that I hope to be able to share with you in this space.
The Promised Land. While seeing and experiencing Israel with thoughts of Jesus and his ministry is exciting and beneficial, there is another Promised Land to which Israel can't hold a candle! This land is the place Jesus promised us. He is preparing space for us there, even now.
Jesus called this place, "My Father's House." We tend to think of it as heaven. It is the place where we will spend eternity in the loving, holy presence of the Triune God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. THIS place, THIS Holy Land, THIS Promised Land, the one Jesus promised, is the one that I really long to see!
I know you long to see this Promised Land as well. Did you know that there are people out there who are not aware of this Promised Land? They have never heard about what Jesus did in Israel. They don't know that he died on a cross to save them from their sin.
We have to tell them!
Be blessed,
Pastor Mark
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Grace: Whatever Are We to do with It?
Grace is receiving good stuff that we DO NOT deserve, while NOT receiving the bad stuff we DO deserve!
That is what God does for us. He gives us grace. We don't deserve it, can never earn it. God gives us grace because he loves us. God's love for us is, itself, grace, because we don't deserve it. The Scriptures teach us, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That proves God's love for us!"
Grace is being healed on the Sabbath, even though it was considered unlawful because healing is work, and one is not supposed to work on the Sabbath. Jesus often infuriated the Pharisees with this kind of grace. Grace is being healed on a Tuesday, because any healing we receive comes from God. Yes, I know, modern medicine has a lot to do with curing our diseases and infirmities, but curing is not the same as healing!
Think about it. I can be cured, but still be bitter about having been sick in the first place. That doesn't sound like healing to me. On the other hand, I can be healed (know that I am loved and that my life has meaning) even if I still have my disease.
Grace abounds in our lives in ways that we don't even know about! That annoying phone call you received just as you were about to leave the office may have prevented you from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, thus avoiding a serious accident.
Sometimes, we know about the grace that we receive. The thing is this, whether we are aware of the grace we receive or not, we receive grace!
Now, what do we do about it?
It seems to me that grace calls for a response. If I hold the door open for you, you are likely to say "thank you." We should, at the very least, thank God each day for the grace we receive, but I think grace received calls for more of a response than that.
Simon Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever; Jesus healed her. Her response was to serve.
I wonder if God is giving us a hint as to how we should respond to his grace. What do you think?
Be blessed!
Pastor Mark
That is what God does for us. He gives us grace. We don't deserve it, can never earn it. God gives us grace because he loves us. God's love for us is, itself, grace, because we don't deserve it. The Scriptures teach us, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That proves God's love for us!"
Grace is being healed on the Sabbath, even though it was considered unlawful because healing is work, and one is not supposed to work on the Sabbath. Jesus often infuriated the Pharisees with this kind of grace. Grace is being healed on a Tuesday, because any healing we receive comes from God. Yes, I know, modern medicine has a lot to do with curing our diseases and infirmities, but curing is not the same as healing!
Think about it. I can be cured, but still be bitter about having been sick in the first place. That doesn't sound like healing to me. On the other hand, I can be healed (know that I am loved and that my life has meaning) even if I still have my disease.
Grace abounds in our lives in ways that we don't even know about! That annoying phone call you received just as you were about to leave the office may have prevented you from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, thus avoiding a serious accident.
Sometimes, we know about the grace that we receive. The thing is this, whether we are aware of the grace we receive or not, we receive grace!
Now, what do we do about it?
It seems to me that grace calls for a response. If I hold the door open for you, you are likely to say "thank you." We should, at the very least, thank God each day for the grace we receive, but I think grace received calls for more of a response than that.
Simon Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever; Jesus healed her. Her response was to serve.
I wonder if God is giving us a hint as to how we should respond to his grace. What do you think?
Be blessed!
Pastor Mark
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