still away...

So sorry I'm not back to posting yet - came back from vacation with a series of migraines - on new medicine and hope to be feeling better and back to posting soon.

on vacation...

We've been on vacation this week - I'll be back on the blog site Monday, July 28th.

Debbie

The problem with tradition....

"knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19. but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

I Peter 1:17-19 (NKJV)

Peter is referring to the practice of redeeming someone who had been taken into bondage. A price had to be paid so that they could be set free. What set us free was more precious than gold or silver. The blood of Jesus Christ was the payment God accepted to set us free. We have been set free from the bondage of sin and the curse of the law, but that’s not all.

Peter was also telling his readers that they had been set free from the pointless lives they had lived as a result of the traditions their fathers taught them. That had special significance for the original readers of Peter’s letter. The way of life handed down to them by their forefathers had been empty, binding, and ineffective in meeting God’s standard for holiness and obedience. But God had set them free from such a pointless life of trying to please Him by keeping rules. They had been redeemed from such a life and they were now free to honor God by depending on His indwelling Holy Spirit to live through them.

My favorite quote is one from Dr. Steve McVey of GraceWalk Ministries. He says, "Tell a man who he is in Christ and he can't be stopped from godly activity. Try to control him through rules and you set him up for spiritual ruin." I am convinced that when a person comes to an understanding that God has made them holy, and that they can live out of that holiness, then they will be constrained by the power of that understanding to live holy lives. But when religious leaders try to control the behavior of church members by pounding them with rules and traditions, the lives of those church members will usually reflect everything but holiness. What you usually get from that sort of teaching is "holier than thou-ness" that covers secret rebellion and unholy attitudes.

Christians shouldn't have to be constrained by the rules. Peter is teaching us truth in the appropriate order by which we should live it. First, God has made us holy and we can live out of that holiness. Next, he taught us that we have been empowered by the life of Christ within, Who will work through us and then reward us as if we had done the work ourselves. And now, Peter is giving us one more holy motivation for living holy lives. A HUGE price was paid for our salvation. We were not redeemed with gold or silver or anything worldly. We were purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ.

When Peter spoke of lambs, he was referring back to a foreshadowing picture of Christ in the sacrificial lamb that had been offered up in temple sacrifices. All of Peter’s readers would have recognized the requirements of perfection those animals had to meet. And Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the Ultimate Sacrificial Lamb that would accomplish everything the lambs could never fully accomplish, thus redeeming us and ending the need for temple sacrifices forever.

So Peter said, "Knowing all this truth should be enough to motivate us to holy lives." Knowing the power that resides within us and knowing the price that was paid to save us should constrain us to live holy lives. Rules will never constrain us to such lives. But the knowledge of God's transformation will. Tradition won't do it, but truth ALWAYS will.

You've Been Redeemed, So Your Life Can Honor God....

17. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; I Peter 1:17 (NKJV)

If we take this verse out of the context of the entire passage, we could be deceived into believing that we will be judged for “our” works.

Verse 17: The word “if” in this verse actually means “since.” Peter is addressing Christian readers of his letter and he is saying that since they have called on God to save them, knowing that salvation would eventually result in a day in which they would be judged for the work they did on earth, then they should be encouraged by that understanding, to honor Him in all that they do so that they will be judged favorably. This verse is not speaking of an eventual judgment to decide the eternal fate of believers. Their salvation is already established. We tend to associate judgment with punishment, but judgment can also simply mean “evaluation.” The judgment to which this verse refers is the “bema seat” type of judgment which will evaluate the righteous deeds and determine the rewards of believers (II Corinthians 5:10).

You have to consider the order in which Peter wrote his encouragements. He had just established that the only reason we can be obedient unto holy lives is because of the indwelling Spirit of Christ within us. Once Peter established that such a life of obedience is possible, he then informed us that a life of holiness will be rewarded. First, he established that the only way we can live a holy life is by resting in Christ and allowing His Holy Spirit to lead, speak, and work through us. Then he gave us a great motivation for living such a life. If we honor God by resting in what Christ does through us, then we get the reward for it. I want to make sure you fully understand that process. When we rest in Christ, He does the work through us, and we get the rewards for it!!

Don't just act holy....BE holy!

I've been going back over the last couple of days and looking at some of the absolute truths Peter declares in his epistles. Like this one....

"because it is written, ”Be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1:16 (NKJV)

Peter is stating the truth that God has enabled us to live holy lives by the power of His own holiness!!! He is holy and His Holy Spirit now lives within us. We have become holy by His own holiness, therefore we can "be" holy as He is holy.

An apple tree bears apples because it is by nature an apple tree. Sinners bear the fruit of sin because they are, by nature, sinners. Holiness defines our new nature. We are holy because God has made us holy in nature. We have become “partakers of the divine nature” of God. (II Peter 1:4) We are holy by nature, therefore we can bear the fruit of holiness. It bears repeating...We can be holy because we are holy.

If a Bible verse starts with the phrase, “it is written,” it’s always important to look back to the original passage from which the phrase is quoted. In this case, the phrase is taken from a multitude of Scripture passages, many of which are found in the Old Testament book of Leviticus.

“For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy…” Leviticus 11:44a (NKJV)

This was a portion of a passage of Scripture in which God prescribed the methods that were to be taken in the preparation of foods and in the ceremonial temple cleansings. Certain precautions were to be taken so that the people would avoid unclean foods and unclean activities.

In the days in which the Book of Leviticus was written, God used the ceremonial cleansings in the temple to illustrate the holy lives that were to distinguish His people from the rest of the world. In their outward ritual cleansings, the worshippers symbolically demonstrated that God had enabled them to live clean lives. God was teaching even then, that there was a connection between spiritual holiness and holy living. But remember that everything God instructed them to do in their temple ceremonies was a foreshadowing picture of what He would eventually do through Christ. In this case, the external ceremonial cleansing foreshadowed the spiritual holiness that Christians experience through their relationship with Christ. Our salvation provides the cleansing that was demonstrated in the temple rituals.

Notice the cause and effect of the verse in Leviticus. God said that since He is holy, then those to whom He is God will also be made holy by His holiness. The fulfillment of the picture He painted in Leviticus is that in Christ, we have “become” holy (II Corinthians 5:21) and you can’t get more holy than holy. The word “holy” means that the job has been completed. If there is any part of something that is not holy, then the entire something is unholy.

God says that believers are holy. If you are a beliver in Jesus Christ, then you already have all the holiness you will ever get. And by the way, no one else ever got any more holiness than you did!! Not Billy Graham. Not the apostle Paul or even Peter, the author of this book of truth. In fact, if you are a believer, then you are as holy as Jesus. All believers have been made equally holy, just as He is holy. Therefore, we can all now live holy lives.

Basically what Peter is saying in verses 13-15, is that we can think right and live right because we are right!!

Timeless truth....

Tim and I are passionate about sharing truth - and we are in good company because so many that have gone before us have shared that deepest desire of the heart. The Holy Spirit Who motivates and empowers me to teach and write about the Word of God is the same Holy Spirit who empowered the prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament, and all those who have taught the truth of Scripture throughout history. And the truth has always been and always will be about the grace of God expressed through Jesus.

10. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you… 12. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things which angels desire to look into. I Peter 1: 10, 12 (NKJV)

The recipients of Peter’s letters placed a lot of value on the words of the Prophets, so Peter wanted them to understand that the message he shared was no different from the message the Prophets had shared. The message of grace is on every page of the Bible. The ancient writers of the Scriptures were inspired by God to speak truths that pointed to Jesus. And during the miraculous days in which Peter lived, those truths had come to pass.

Peter was saying, “We’re preaching the same message the Prophets preached!” The same Holy Spirit that inspired the Prophets also indwelt Peter and other preachers of his day and proclaimed the same message through all of them. And that same Holy Spirit still speaks the enduring and unchanging message of grace through Christians today. The gospel of Jesus Christ was, is, and forever will be the same.

Fireproof...

Last night Tim and I had an incredible opportunity to preview the new movie Fireproof - it's done by the two brothers/church/film company that did Facing the Giants a couple of years ago. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful the movie was. I am already excited about what God is going to do with this movie. I truly believe that God is going to use it to heal relationships and save marriages. It stars Kirk Cameron and they announced at the end of the movie that he took no money for doing it. He probably won't get it, but he deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of a fireman in a failing marriage. At times I found myself really disliking him; he was that good!

As with Facing the Giants, the characters are believable and the interaction between the characters is personable. There are parts that are hilariously funny and other parts that bring you to tears. Please support this movie when it is released in September. They told us that the number of people that go to the movie the opening weekend greatly impacts the possibilities of more theaters showing the movie.

You can go to the website www.fireproofthemovie.com to see a trailer and get more information.

Freedom From the Captivity of the Enemy....

There is an interesting statement made in Exodus 13:17-18.

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.” (NIV)

This text takes place just after the account of God’s miraculous intervention forcing the Pharaoh to release the Hebrew children who had been held as slaves in Egypt. We are told that God did not lead the Hebrews through the area where they would face war, even though that was a shorter route to their destination. And we are even given the precise reason why God chose an alternate route. God said that if they faced war, they might turn around and go right back into captivity. So instead He led them toward the Red Sea where He could show them His mighty power.

Couldn’t He have shown them His power in war too? Of course, He could have. But He knew He would never get that chance because the people would choose captivity over war. God had set them free. There is no way that He would have allowed them to be forced right back into captivity, but He certainly didn’t want them to go back to slavery by their own choice.

Our enemy cannot force us into any form of captivity. But we can choose to sin or we can attempt to live by the law and in so doing we become victims of our enemy’s crafty lure back into bondage.

“And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 (NKJV)

Remember that the truth made you free. When God saved you He "made" you free. You are free because Jesus purchased your freedom with His own life. But you can be completely free, yet still live as if you are in bondage. The truth of God made us free, but it's believing that that that sets you free to live in freedom. Believing a lie is what keeps you in bondage. The only way our enemy, Satan, can bind up a Christian is by deception. And even then, they aren’t truly in bondage. They just believe that they are and for Satan’s purposes, that’s just as effective.

The enemy will try to make you believe that you still have to live up to the measure of the law. Remember that the power of sin is found in the law, so if he can get you to focus on the law, he will be successful in getting you to sin. And if he can keep you in that sin long enough, it will ultimately bring great harm to you.

The enemy will try to make you believe that you are still under the control of sin. He will try to convince you that you are in bondage to some activity that you just can’t stop doing. And you will finally give up in defeat to its power. Again, his goal is for sin to destroy you.

I was once at the lake on a prayer retreat and we broke up from our groups to go pray alone. My friend saw some vicious looking dogs behind me where I was praying, but told me not to be concerned about them. She explained to me that they were in an invisible fence. I was within 10 feet of them, and there appeared to be no barriers dividing us, yet those dogs never got any closer to me.

I learned later how an invisible fence works. An electrical wire is buried just under the ground to form a boundary. For several weeks, the dog wears a devise around its neck that emits an electrical charge every time the dog gets close to the boundary. The dog soon learns how far he can go without feeling pain. After the dog is trained, the devise can be removed from his neck, but the dog will still not venture close to the boundary line.

Those dogs at the lake were fully free to have a meaty meal off of me, but they just didn’t know it. And their lack of knowledge about their freedom was just as effective as a 20 foot fence!!

God has removed us from captivity to our enemy. If we believe the truth of God’s Word, he will never have any power over us again. The truth gives us victory over Satan. The truth makes us free and when we believe it, we can live freely in it!

Freedom From the Control of Sin...Part Two

Continued from the last blog....



So, if we are not under the law and therefore don’t have to focus on it, what will keep Christians from sinning? Since we have been set free from the condemnation of the law, can’t we just start sinning as much as we want? Well, let’s say you live in an imaginary country where speeding is not against the law. Should you drive 80 miles per hour around hairpin turns in rainy weather, just because you know you can do it without breaking a law? Of course not. Just because something is legal, doesn’t mean that it is beneficial.

But Paul had to field similar questions when he was addressing the Romans.

“14. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16. Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17. But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:14-18 (NKJV)

The reason that God can trust us enough to remove us out from under the law is that He also removed us out from under the dominion of sin at the same time. We were all born with that original bent toward sinning. It was the natural thing for us to do because that was our nature as sinners.

Verse 14: But we are no longer under the dominion of sin. In other words, sin no longer has power over us. We can never again use the excuse, “I just couldn’t help it.”

We often readily accept the fact that our salvation saved us from the penalty of our sin. We will even accept the fact that one day in heaven we will be saved from the very presence of sin. But how often do we fully realize and live out of the truth that we have already been redeemed from, set free from, released from the POWER of sin on a daily basis?

You may say, “but it sure feels like sin has power over me.”

Well, if so, it’s because you are not fully living out of the truth of Romans 6:14. When I am at the beach on vacation and I hear that a hurricane is coming my way, I head for home because a hurricane comes ashore on a beach! Now, does that hurricane still have all its power even though I leave the beach? Sure it does, but it no longer has power over me!!

If I live out of the truth of Romans 6:14, I will realize that sin still has all the power it ever had, but it no longer has power over me, because I no longer live under the law where sin’s power dwells. And when I feel the temptation to sin, I must believe with faith that I no longer have to choose to sin.

Verses 15-16: These verses prove that sin is a choice. If you present (willingly give) yourself as a slave to obey something, then you will become a slave to obey whatever that something is, even though you are not required to do so. Why would you want to willingly subject yourself as a slave to sin when you have been set free from it?

Sin is always destructive and God loves us so much that He doesn’t want us to be destroyed by it. That’s one of the reasons why God set us free from its rule over us.

Paul said that all things may be lawful for Christians, but not all things are beneficial to them. (I Corinthians 6:12) God doesn’t do anything harmful to you when you sin, but SIN itself always does. Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation left for sin, but it doesn’t say that there are no “consequences” for them.

When the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin, it is not to rain down condemnation on me. Instead, it’s to say, “Here’s an area of your life where I want something better for you. You are settling for less than the best here. This is going to hurt you if you don’t let Me take it out of your life.”

Verses 17-18: What keeps us from going back into sin once we understand that we are not under law, but instead under grace? Well, these verses are clear about that. Though we were once slaves of sin, we became slaves of righteousness and became obedient “from the heart.” Do you see where our motivation for obedience originates? Not in our knowledge of and adherence to the law, but “from the heart.”

At the point of our salvation, God exchanges our sinful hearts for pure hearts into which He implants His Holy Spirit. And it is out of that new heart, filled with the Holy Spirit, that our obedience springs forth. You may feel that Christians can’t be trusted to be obedient without God giving them a set of rules to follow and the accompanying punishment that goes with breaking those rules. But God is not placing His trust in Christians when He releases them from bondage to the law. He trusts His own work in us. He trusts the new heart He has placed in us. He trusts Christ who lives within us.

Let me just ask you something. When you truly focus on Christ and what He has accomplished in your life, do you really want to go out and sin? Is the deepest desire of your heart to be rebellious or is it to obey God? I believe that when we fully realize the heart change we have experienced, we will be obedient “from the heart” and we will never experience bondage to sin or the law again.


“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.” Romans 7:6 (NKJV)

The point of being set free from the law is not that we “can” sin. It’s that we no longer “have to.” We don’t have freedom so that we can do whatever God’s law forbids. Instead, we have the freedom now to be obedient because we are enabled to do so and we have a desire to do so. We are not motivated by the regulations of the written law that only produces condemnation and gives sin strength. We are now motivated by the desire of our pure hearts.

Freedom From the Control of Sin...Part One

More thoughts about freedom – Think about this.....Americans don’t have to live under the control of the Japanese government, the government of Great Britain, or the government of any other nation we’ve encountered in battle. Why is that? The answer is simple. It’s because WE WON!!! We don’t have to live under the control of a defeated enemy. We are free as Americans because the victory was ours.

Because of the victory Christ won on the cross, our ultimate enemy has been defeated. Satan was defeated forever and we are free to live in Christ’s victory which includes victory over the power of sin in our lives.

But how does that play out in the reality of our lives every day? How do we LIVE in that victory over sin? Well, it has a lot to do with being free from the law. It may seem that focusing on the law would keep us “in line” and away from sin, but in reality it’s a focus on the law that sets us up to sin!

Paul encouraged the Galatians to stand firm in their freedom in Christ and to never be tempted to get tangled up in bondage to the law again. (Galatians 5:1) That’s because sin finds strength in the law!!

The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. I Corinthians 15:56

When preachers and teachers try to motivate Christians to the right behavior by using the law, they are only setting them up for defeat. Here’s how that works:

One Sunday morning our church drainage system malfunctioned and every restroom in our church had to be closed. I spoke to a woman after church who said that she had never before sensed a need to use a restroom at the church, but on that Sunday she wasn’t even able to concentrate on the service because she kept thinking she had to use the restroom!!

If you’re on a diet and you spend all day reminding yourself that you can’t have fried chicken what will you end up doing? You’ll go out and get yourself some fried chicken before the day is over!

That’s how it is when we focus on the law. When we keep our minds on the law that points out sin, it actually makes us want to sin. But when we realize that we don’t have to focus on what is right and wrong so that we will only do what is right, then our minds are free to focus on Christ. And when we stayed focused on Christ, the last thing we’ll want to do is sin!


To be continued....

Freedom from the Condemnation of the Law....

On July 4th I started writing about freedom and I had some more thoughts about the freedom we have in Christ. In Him we have freedom from the condemnation of the Law. To completely grasp what that means we have to understand what the law is and why we are condemned by it until we are released from it through a relationship with Jesus.

“Condemnation” is the legal declaration of a guilty verdict and the accompanying requirement of the penalty due. In order for condemnation by law to exist, you have to be bound by the law you break. In other words, you can't be punished by law for breaking a law if you are not under that law!

Suppose you lived in a remote area of the world where almost no one owned an automobile. In this country there would be no laws to regulate traffic, because there would be no traffic. So if you were fortunate enough to have a car, you could drive around the countryside at whatever speed you wanted and never break a law.

But what if you returned to the United States one day and since you were quite accustomed to driving at whatever speed you chose, you flew by a policeman in town at about 80 miles per hour? You would have a problem because you would now be a law-breaker. Was it the act of driving 80 miles per hour alone that condemned you? No, because you had been doing that in the other country with no condemnation because there was no law against it. But in the United States there are laws against such driving and when an action breaks a law, you are condemned by it.

“19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Romans 3:19-20 (NKJV)

Every person who has not experienced the salvation of God is already condemned by their sin nature. That would have been enough to condemn us, but we are still judged by the law. One of the reasons the law was given was so that no one could ever say they didn’t know what was unacceptable in God’s sight. The law proves all law-breakers guilty and since we are under it from birth, there is no defense against the condemnation (guilty verdict) handed down by God for breaking it.

But trying to attain to salvation by keeping the law is not an option because doing everything required by God’s law is impossible. Just breaking one equates to breaking them all, so every person is condemned and cursed by their inability to keep the law. The law makes us aware of our sin, but keeping the law cannot save us from sin’s penalty. God's law is the way by which His condemnation is imparted.

"For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed (counted against us) when there is no law." Romans 5:13 (NKJV)

Condemnation (a guilty verdict) is not imparted when there is no rule of law. As long as you lived in that imaginary country where there were no traffic laws, you were not a law-breaker when you drove 80 miles per hour.

It is so important that our salvation made sure that we are not under the rule and the accompanying condemnation (guilty verdict) of the law because it is the law by which we are condemned. If we are not under it, then we can't be condemned by it!

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law…” Galatians 3:13a (NKJV)

There is that word “redeemed” again. And it goes back to the concept of paying a ransom to set a prisoner free. Christ’s death and our acceptance of His death for our salvation, set us free from the condemnation (guilty verdict) of the law. The law condemned us because we were hopelessly destined to break it, but Christ took us out from under the law so that the condemnation for breaking it would not be imputed to us. Freedom from the law is important to us because we had no hope of keeping the law, therefore we were condemned by it!!

I have been called a "Grace Nazi" because I am so obsessed with making sure the truth about our freedom in Christ is declared. I can't stand to hear a song, a lesson, or any type of declaration that denies our freedom in Christ in even the slightest way. When I hear a teacher or preacher try to put Christians back under the law, I wonder if they realize they are attempting to put them back under condemnation because if we are under the law then we are subject to its condemnation!

One of the greatest blessings of the grace of God is that we are free from the law. There was an old hymn we used to sing when I was a child and it's so true.

Free from the law, oh happy condition,
Jesus has bled and there is remission,
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Christ has redeemed us once for all.

The cost of freedom...,.

I took this picture at the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. I have never experienced anything like the emotion I felt standing on that sacred spot where so many gave their lives for my freedom. Without even knowing them I was drawn to express my thankfulness for their great sacrifice during a time when our country came dangerously close to losing the lifestyles and liberty that we love so much.

But on this day of celebrating our nation’s independence I’m also reminded of another great sacrifice that purchased an ever greater freedom for me. Jesus Christ gave His own life willingly so that I can be free from the penalty, power, and one day even the presence of sin. I am free to have a relationship with God. I am free to live in victory and abundance. I am free from the threat of hell.

As part of the gift of salvation, God has given us ultimate freedom. He has set us forever free from anything that would bind us. And no one, no activity, no habit, in fact nothing, can ever force us back into captivity once God has set us free.

The only price that God would accept as payment in full was the blood of Jesus. But when that price was paid, it was used as a “ransom” to set me free.

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:28 (NKJV)

The word “ransom” used in that verse actually means “to loose.” It was a term used to describe the payment made to secure the freedom of slaves or those taken prisoner by the enemy in a war. Another word for the way Christ purchased our freedom is “redemption.”

When Christ gave His life and His blood as a ransom for us, He redeemed us and secured our freedom from the condemnation of the Law, from the control of sin in our lives, and from the captivity of the enemy.

And if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed and free forever. (John 8:36 pp) We can never again be taken captive. We are secure in His freedom.

One more Clay story.....

Clay at 4 years old

and at his wedding...

When I posted the last blog in honor of Clay's birthday, I was trying to decide between two stories about his childhood that God used to teach me important lessons about my relationship with Him as my Heavenly Father. I chose the story about him refusing to pick up his toys. Through that God taught me about how He doesn't "force" us to do His will. Instead, He chooses to transform us from the inside out, giving us the desire to obey Him. The other story about Clay reminds me of an equally important lesson about God's love and care for me.

When Clay was small, he got bored in school very easily. He would then get into trouble. We came to dread the inevitable phone calls from his teacher. We were so frustrated with our unsuccessful attempts to change his behavior by punishing him. Finally, his teacher came up with a system that seemed to work. She would send home a daily notice of his behavior. If he got more “happy faces” than “sad faces” in one week, then he got a prize. If he got all “happy faces” in a week, he got a really good prize. He was so naturally competetive that he wanted to "win" and did very well with this process.

One night during the time we were in the midst of this process, he was riding the exercise bike in our home, without our permission. We heard a terrible scream. He had caught his toe in the pedals and it was mashed flat. When I heard his scream my first reaction was to respond to him. I cried right along with him and tended to his injury. I gave him some medicine to relieve the pain.

When I heard his cry, it never occurred to me to check his record of “happy/sad faces” first to see if he deserved to be helped. I never even considered the fact that I had told him not to ride that bike and that he was only in pain because he had disobeyed me. He was my child and he was in trouble. It was the deepest desire of my heart to help him and to see to it that he was never hurt in that way again.

Now, since we know that God is a perfect Father, do you really think He would do any less for you? We sometimes get the idea that God won't help us if we get ourselves into trouble. Or that God will somehow check our record of good and bad actions to determine whether or not we deserve His help. But God loves us perfectly and unconditionally. Even our best behavior doesn't merit His favor. We don't deserve anything He does for us. But everything He does for us is based on His love, not our good or bad behavior. When we hurt, He responds with perfect love and always with the appropriate action that is best for us.

I'm glad we made it through Clay's childhood because God did a great work in his life. He is one of the finest young men I know.

From the inside out....

Tomorrow is my son Clay's birthday. From the moment he was born 27 years ago, he tried to take charge. It seemed that we were always in a battle for control. Fortunately, that fierce determination has served to grow him into a fine young man and I am so proud of my son. I always say that he is the best son any mom could ever have. NOW he is.....But there were days during his younger years that I wanted to quit!!

We once battled over whether or not he was going to pick up his toys. He was determined that he was not and I was just as determined that he was!! Finally, I put my hands on his hand and pulled him over to the toy. I curled his fat little fingers around the toy, forcing him to grab it. I then dragged him over to the toy box where I "uncurled" his fingers and made him drop the toy in the box. I triumphantly said, "See I told you that you were going to pick up your toys." The problem was that I didn't feel very triumphant. In fact, I felt pretty defeated because I may have won that battle, but I didn't feel like I was doing so well in the war. I got what I wanted, but Clay's heart really hadn't changed when it came to being submissive to my authority.

After so many similar rounds, I found myself wishing that I could just crawl inside that boy and motivate him from the inside out. If I could have just changed his heart so that he would become submissive to my authority, things would have gone so much better for him. Both our lives would have been much less stressful.

Years later, God began to show me that He had that idea long before I did! He could have forced His children to obey Him because He is much stronger than us. He could have dragged us kicking and screaming into His will and forced us into submission. But instead He chose to come and live inside us and motivate us from the inside out. He wants to soften our hearts toward Him, to transform the way we think, and to lovingly draw us to submission to Him by teaching us that His will is always best for us. He places His Holy Spirit inside us to do all those things.

God has never attempted to change anyone by changing their actions. Instead He changed us on the inside and when we are truly changed on the inside, it will show in our outward actions. We can never "do" enough righteous things to "become righteous." But when we come to realize that God has made us righteous, we will be motivated and empowered to do righteous things.

We named our son Clay because our goal for him was that he would be moldable and submissive to God, just as clay is to the potter. Since Clay received Christ for salvation many years ago, God has been faithful to work in Clay's life. On his birthday I'll be praying that God will continue His work of shaping throughout Clay's life and that he will be the husband, father, and man that God has planned. Happy Birthday Clay-boy.

Taking a plunge just for fun....

We drove over to Georgia this weekend to work on our house and try to make it more "sale-able". We scraped wallpaper for HOURS, painted, cleaned up the yard, cleaned the basement, and worked HARD for two days. At the end of the day today we were exhausted and HOT. My grandkids had spent all day in the pool while their parents helped us. My daughter Amy and I went out to watch them swim late this afternoon and commented on how inviting the water looked.

Amy looked at me and said, "I just want to jump in there right now, but I didn't bring a swimsuit." As we looked at each other it was almost like something came over us and we just couldn't help it. We both jumped up, ran toward the pool, and jumped in fully clothed!!!! The kids screamed and laughed and we thought it was hilarious. The water felt great and we had so much fun till Tim came into the pool area and informed us that my suitcase was on the bottom layer of all the stuff he had just loaded in the car. He also informed me that he had no intention of unloading the car to get to my clothes and he then informed me that he was not going to wait on me to "dry out" before we left because he had a wedding the next morning. So I was looking at a two hour drive in wet clothes. And I didn't even care.

There I was; a 53 year old woman, fully clothed in a swimming pool and the most important thing on my mind was that when I left to go back to Alabama in wet clothes my grandkids would remember it and laugh for days! I would do just about anything to make those kids smile. It does my heart good to see them giggle. I just love knowing that I have made them happy.

I can't even imagine how God must feel when He sees us rejoice over something wonderful He does in our lives. It's hard to grasp the fact that my love for my children and grandchildren, even as overwhelming as it seems to be in my life, does not even compare with the love that God has for me. He enjoys me even more than I enjoy my kids! I just know that it pleases Him when I laugh and it thrills Him when I smile. He must love knowing that He has made me happy and given me joy beyond measure.

What did Jesus write in the sand?

Sunday night Tim (my husband and also my pastor) was preaching about the woman caught in adultery in the New Testament from John 8:1-8. It's the account in which Jesus kneels and writes something in the sand. I remembered that a few years ago when I was studying that passage for a lesson I was writing, I wondered why the passage never reveals anything about what or why He wrote in the sand that day.

From studying a book about Jewish observances, I learned that there were several ceremonial practices that were celebrated as part of the annual Feast of Tabernacles. One of those traditions was The Celebration of Water Pouring. The priests would have been divided into three groups, with each group having a definite assignment. The third group of priests were assigned to go to the pool known as Siloam and drew out what was known as "mayim hayim," (living water) which was to be poured it into a golden vase. At the appropriate time during the feast, as the worshippers sang a song about the joy of drawing water from the well of salvation, the High Priest would pour the "mayim hayim" (living water) from the golden vase onto the altar.

God gave specific instructions in Leviticus for the observance of this Feast and each of the components of the Old Testament feasts had significant meaning pointing to its fulfillment in the Messiah. The annual celebration of these feasts began with the institution of the Old Testament temple practices in the days of Moses. But if we fast forward from the Old Testament celebrations of The Feast of Tabernacles and look at a New Testament observance of the same feast we can find an actual incident in which Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the "mayim hayim" in declaring Himself to be the real Living Water.

In the second chapter of John, we learn that Jesus was in town during the Jewish annual observance of the Feast of Tabernacles. (John 7:2) The worshippers would have just sung, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." The Hebrew word for salvation is "Yeshua," or Jesus. Remember that they called the water collected from the pool of Siloam "living water." So for years they had essentially been singing about drawing living water from Jesus, without even realizing it. But here's what happened on the final day of The Feast of Tabernacles celebration in the year in which John recorded the incident about the woman caught in adultery.

"37. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John 7:37-39 (NKJV)

Jesus (Yeshua, Salvation) had the attention of everyone in the crowd when He declared that the true living water would come from Him. He was inviting them to drink of Him, taking in water that would satisfy all thirsts. They could truly do as they had just sung. They could "draw water from the wells of salvation." And when a person drank from Him, they would also become a well from which living water would flow. And just in case we didn't understand what Jesus was implying, John explained His meaning to us. The Holy Spirit was still a future promise at this point because Jesus had not yet been crucified, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven. But in the near future of the people hearing this message, the Holy Spirit would come to live within them and enable them to be vessels filled to overflowing with the living water of the Messiah.

In all the Biblical holy days, about which God gave specific instructions for observing, He painted a picture of salvation for all generations. Even in the Old Testament instructions for these celebrations, it is obvious that God's plan has always been to provide salvation through His Messiah, Jesus; that people would one day be able to draw living water from the well of salvation (Yeshua/Jesus). How could anyone miss the symbolism of His beautiful artwork in the pictures painted by the Feasts, especially this one? Yet some did, and some still do.

In John 8:1-8, a story that happened shortly following the celebration at which Jesus declared Himself to be Living Water is recorded. Early in the morning, after the Feast of Tabernacles seventh day celebration during which Jesus made His declaration about being the true Living Water, Jesus came back into the temple. A crowd gathered and he began to teach them. His lesson was interrupted by a group of scribes and Pharisees who brought him the woman who had been caught in adultery. They quoted the Law to Him, stating that she should be stoned for her sin. They hoped to force Jesus to openly speak and act in opposition to God's law.

But Jesus did something that may have seemed strange to the crowd and to the scribes and Pharisees. He knelt to the ground and began to write a message in the dust with His finger. He then rose and told the accusers that whichever one of them had no sin should be the first one to cast a stone at the woman. He then stooped to the ground again and resumed writing in the dust.

The Bible records that the scribes and Pharisees were convicted by their own conscience and that they all left, one by one. Jesus remained there, alone with the woman, and told her that there was no one left to condemn her. And then He spoke some of the most beautiful words ever spoken.

"11. And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." John 8:11b (NKJV)

Obviously, the message from Jesus to the crowd that day was that He had come to bring salvation and not condemnation. That had always been God's message through Him, especially in the symbolism of the Feast of Tabernacles. But even though they had just spent seven days in celebration, as God's promise and plan unfolded before them in the pictures painted by their observance of The Feast of Tabernacles, they had missed the point again.

What did Jesus write on the ground that day? The passage in John 8 doesn't tell us. But we might be able to draw some clues from Jeremiah 17:13. In this entire passage, the prophet Jeremiah recorded a prophecy about the judgment of the Jewish nation. But in this verse, the prophet Jeremiah is very specific.

"13. O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters." Jeremiah 17:13 (NKJV)

Can you imagine the sadness that must have filled the heart of Jesus as He fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah and wrote in the dust that day? They had once again forsaken the message of the Feasts. They had just seen the promised Fountain of Living Waters standing before them, yet they were more interested in seeing that the law was kept to the letter. Surely it was the names of those who had forsaken the living water that Jesus wrote in the dust that day.

What a message that carries for us today. God offers us the most incredible gift of salvation. Once we receive it, we stand before Him holy and righteous, under no condemnation. We stand free from bondage to any law and filled with His Holy Spirit, by which we are empowered to be vessels through which Christ works. We must be aware of the danger of becoming so focused on keeping the law and operating according to traditions that we miss so great a salvation!!

When God passes by....

Just a note...Toward the end of last week, I prepared several blog entries because I knew I had a busy weekend ahead. But I got busy and forgot to actually post them, so today I posted entries for three days. Be sure to read the entries for June 21st and 22nd, before reading today's entry.

In Exodus 33, there is a beautiful story of Moses praying for God’s mercy on behalf of the children of Israel who have rebelled and failed God miserably. God spared the Israelites from the destruction they deserved in response to Moses/ prayer and the intimate relationship that they share.

After this encounter with God, Moses had one more request. He said, “Now, show me Your glory.” And God responded in a way that’s hard for us to understand. He explained to Moses that if He had allowed Moses to see His face, Moses would die. But instead He placed Moses in the cleft of a rock – a rock near Himself – and covered Moses there with His own protecting hand. As His glory passed by, in an act of tremendous love, God whispered His name to Moses, a name so holy the Israelites couldn’t even voice it aloud. And then He allowed Moses to look and see His back.

Think of what this means to us. There are so many times I want to “see” God working in situations of my life. But that is not always possible because the manifested glory of God at work is more than our earthly bodies could stand. It would literally scare us to death if we saw the warfare raging. So even though we can’t see Him working, we know by faith that He is. And while He works, He places us in a safe place near Him; a place where nothing can destroy us because He protects us there with His own hand. And while He works, he keeps speaking His name to us; names like Jehovah Rophe, “I am your Healer”; or Jehovah Shalom, “I am your Peace”, or Jehovah Jireh, “I am your Provider.”

And then the most amazing thing of all happens. When His work is done we can come out of our “hiding” place and see where He has been!!! We may not always get to see His work in progress, but we always get to see the results. We can look back and see God’s fingerprints all over what He has accomplished.

The Captivity of Activity

Today my grandaughter Mattie turned 12 years old. It seems like just yesterday that she was a little girl. I remembered something that happened when she was about three years old. She had heard her Papa preach and she was standing on the hearth pretending to preach like him. I heard her make several comments about Jesus, so I asked, “Mattie, who is Jesus?”

I could see her pondering that thought for a moment and then finally she answered, “I don’t know, but my Papa helps him.”

Isn’t that just like us? We think that we can help Jesus; as if He couldn’t do it without our help – as if we could do anything at all without Him? That is the area of my spiritual life where God has to work on me the most. I tend to be more concerned with what I’m doing to “help” Him that what He wants to do in me. I want to “change the world” more than I want Him to change me.

And so often I forget that I can’t do anything without Him. How would I even know what He is calling me to do if I haven’t spent time with Him – just allowing Him to speak to me and “grow” me into a person that is ready to serve Him. How could I ever expect Him to use me if I haven’t allowed Him to fill me?

Time spent “doing” – even doing good things for Him – is a sinful waste if the “doing” has become a priority over my fellowship with Him. I hope that as Mattie continues to grow up, she will learn from her Granna's mistakes. I hope that the greatest priority of her life will be to enjoy an intimate, exciting, and abundant relationship with Jesus Christ.

After that incredible life lesson God taught me so many years ago, I wrote this poem to express my struggles.



The Captivity of Activity

At times I feel I can really help you God, I just know I have it in me,
To be someone that You can use, and have a ministry others would envy,
Then you expose my wretched pride, my arrogance is revealed,
I’m convicted by my thoughts of self-sufficiency, my vanity’s no longer concealed.

I get so distracted by the busyness of serving, I forget what You are pursuing,
You’re much more interested in what I am becoming than You are in what I am doing.
I wrongly think that You are impressed by the talents of which I can boast,
When in reality it’s my relationship with You that to matters to You most.

Why am I so tempted to return to a life that’s marked by my activity,
When I know from my own experience that it’s just another form of captivity?
I’ll never know the fullness of Your presence if I never stop for rest,
The things I do in the flesh may be good, but what You want for me is Your best.

I get so tired of trying hard and sometimes I tell you, “I quit”,
And I hear You respond with relief from Heaven, “Finally! - I just want you to sit”.
You tell me instead of trying harder, you’d rather me trust You more,
Because apart from You I can do nothing, that’s what Your power is for!

Over and over I ask the same questions, “Where should I go?”, “What should I be?”,
And You say “Stay close, I am the way, you just need to follow me.”
Why do I always wonder where You want me, when You’ve told me it’s at Your feet?
You wait for me patiently time after time, You show up and save me a seat.

How could I neglect a time so precious, a conversation with God most high,
How can I get involved with things less important and let a priceless treasure pass me by?
Oh God, let me focus on You only, please distract me from my distractions,
And let my life be marked by Your holiness and not by my feeble actions.

Does God change His mind?

This week I was studying the Book of Jonah in preparation to teach our Sunday School class. I remembered that when I studied Jonah when I was writing this particular lesson, there was a scripture that provoked some thought in my mind about whether or not God changes His mind.

“10. Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.” Jonah 3:10 (NKJV)

After the Ninevites turned away from their wickedness and turned to God, they were spared from the destruction Jonah had warned them God would certainly bring upon their city. But does that mean that God changed His plans. Does He ever change His mind? In this passage and many others, it sure seems that He does.

However, that seems to go against everything we believe about God. God is all-wise. If He changes His mind, doesn’t that mean that He didn’t know what was going to happen in advance? If He changes His direction, then does that mean that He was heading in a wrong direction in the beginning?

As with all theological debates, there is an answer that will not contradict a single verse of Scripture. First of all, let it be noted and always remembered that there will never be a need for God to change His mind. He knows the ending as well as He knows the beginning. He is, and always will be, operating according to His original plan.

So, what could this passage mean when it says that God relented or, as other versions say, God repented? God brought to my mind something that happened to me when I was a child. And I suddenly had a clear understanding of what the phrase "God relented..." means.

My younger brother was playing baseball at a local park one evening. An unexpected storm blew into the little valley in which that baseball field was located. I tried to climb the hill to get to our car, but I was climbing against the wind. I was quite small and the wind was like a wall in front of me. I couldn’t get up the hill because the wind stopped me still in my tracks. So I turned around and ran down the hill to a place of safety. It was almost as if the wind picked me up and placed me there. I felt like I was flying.

Now, did the wind relent from its original direction? No, the wind was blowing just as hard as ever in the same direction, but it was no longer blowing against me. I could move freely because I had changed my direction and the wind then blew in my favor. The wind didn’t change direction, but I changed in reference to it. It seemed like the wind changed, but I was the one that changed.

The winds of God’s judgment never change their direction. But like the Ninevites, we can change our direction in reference to it. God’s judgment is either for us or against us. We can either be destroyed by His judgment or we can be delivered to safety by it. God never changes, but at the point of our salvation He changes us and in so doing He protects us from His right and sure judgment.

Distracted by service?

38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 (NKJV)

I tend to be a little like Martha sometimes - not in her hospitality and certainly not in her concern for housekeeping and cooking - but in her distraction from what was really important. The first time God ever pierced my heart with this verse was a day I'll never forget. I was one of those Christians that just loved "working" for the Lord. I just couldn't say no to the church. My head only shook up and down; it would not shake from side to side! I always said yes.

My reasoning was that if I served God more I'd grow closer to Him in the process. But after about 15 years of that process I found that I hadn't grown any closer to God. I'd just grown TIRED of ministry. That's when God shined a light on this verse about Martha. Like her, I had become distracted by serving. I had neglected what was really important in my relationship with Jesus to do what I thought He wanted. But like Martha, I was mistaken about what He really wanted from me.

Mary was the sister who understood what He wanted. In fact, Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the "only thing needed." What was Mary's choice? It was to sit at His feet. When I read those verses I suddenly realized that my "serving" was keeping me from my "sitting"!

Yes, God will always use His children in ministry, but His call is not to ministry. It's to a relationship with Him. And if we neglect the relationship for the sake of ministry we've missed the point. God has shown me that over and over! But when we prioritize the relationship we'll be amazed at how God uses us in ministry! And as we sit as His feet, we come to understand that He will be working "through" us instead of us working "for" Him. Therefore, we won't get weary and troubled in doing ministry as Martha did!

Motivated By Love....

Yesterday, on Father's Day, I remembered my daddy - who, in my opinion, was the best daddy ever! In June of 2000, the Sunday before Father's Day that year, he died of cancer. I miss him terribly. I wrote this shortly after his death.

Our family recently endured the greatest loss of our lives when my precious Daddy died. We have truly learned that God's grace is sufficient for our times of trial and the life of Christ in us has indeed been our strength. But as a result of something that happened in the midst of that great trial, God has taught me a beautiful lesson about more than just my deep love for my Daddy. He has also taught me about my deep love for Him.
On the morning after Daddy's death, we faced the horrible task of choosing his clothes to take to the funeral home. My mother selected his suit, shirt, and tie and draped them across the edge of the bed. Realizing that this task was almost more than she could bear, I offered my help. She left the room and told me to get his black shoes out of his closet and place them with the clothes.

When I looked down to the floor of his closet where he kept his shoes, my eyes fell upon an old wooden box that held his shoe shining equipment and waxes. On the top of the box was an inclined shelf where he had propped his foot for years in order to shine his shoes. As soon as I saw the box, my mind was flooded with pleasant memories of the Sunday mornings of my childhood. I remembered that my Daddy never put on a suit without shining his shoes first. One of the greatest highlights of my life as a child was when he would allow me to shine his shoes for him. I remembered feeling so needed and so "grown up" when Daddy would let me shine his shoes.

That memory was a blessing on such a sad morning and I quickly thanked God for it. I pulled his black shoes off the rack and placed them next to his suit and in so doing I noticed that they were scuffed and dull. I realized how very sick my daddy must have been to let his shoes get in that condition. I immediately knew what I had to do. I had to shine my daddy's shoes for him again. No one would see them so their condition really didn't matter, but I knew that my daddy would not want to wear a suit without his shoes shined perfectly. So with great love in my broken heart, I removed the wooden shoe shine box from the closet and began to shine his shoes. As I did, my teardrops fell on the top of the shoe and mixed with the dark polish as I rubbed. I literally shined his shoes with my tears.

At that moment, God reminded me of an account in Luke 7:36-38 of a woman who performed a similar task of love for Jesus. He came into a Pharisee's home and reclined at his table. A woman who was well known for her sinful lifestyle saw his dirty feet that were probably cracked and ragged from his journey and she reacted as I did when I saw my Daddy's scuffed shoes. She immediately knew what she had to do. She fell to her knees, weeping because of her great love for Him, and her tears fell onto his feet. She washed his feet with her tears, wiped them with her own hair, and poured expensive perfume on them. A few verses later the Bible records how Jesus explained to the skeptics who questioned her motives that she had acted in such a way because she loved Him and appreciated Him so much. She hadn't done this humble act of service to receive anything back from it. It was simply because she loved Him and she was so grateful for what He had done in her life.

I just thought that God had given me a wonderful experience that allowed me the great privilege of honoring my Daddy until a couple of weeks later. My husband and I attended a Bible study in which the leader taught about our service to God. He explained that maintaining our acceptance in Christ was no more based on our works than our salvation was in the first place. We could never do enough to earn, to deserve, or to maintain our salvation and our position of holiness before Him. It is all based on our receiving what Jesus Christ did for us. We both knew those facts already, but a question arose. If God's grace maintains our salvation and our perfection in Christ, whether we do acts of service in obedience to Him or not, then how do we as teachers and preachers motivate Christians to serve? The Bible study leader answered our question correctly. Christians should be motivated to serve God out of their great love for Him alone. Their acts of service should simply be the overflow of their relationship with Jesus and their love for Him that grows stronger and stronger as they get to know Him better. No other reason for service is needed.

As I pondered those thoughts over the next few days, I questioned God about my motives for serving Him. Were they pure? Were they totally based on my love for Him? How could I know the difference in the times when I was serving Him out of love and when I was serving Him out of a supposed obligation to serve or to get something in return from Him?

God answered me quickly by reminding me of the morning I shined my Daddy's shoes for his funeral. No one asked me to do that. In fact, I didn't know at the time that God would lead me to share this story, so as far as I knew that day, no one would ever even know that I had done it. I wouldn't get any glory or any credit for it. Yet, I wanted to do it with all of my heart. God showed me that when I serve Him with the same attitude as that with which I shined my Daddy's shoes, I was serving Him with the right motivation. I was serving Him only because of my love for Him. That is the only reason I need for serving God and the only motive for service that meets His approval.

God taught me one more lesson through this experience. I remembered that when I was a child, Daddy would sometimes ask me to shine His shoes. There were days that I asked him to let me shine them and those were wonderful, but the days that he asked me to shine them were awesome. I felt that he trusted me and that he thought I was capable of doing an important task. It brought me incredible joy as a child. Looking back now, I realize that he didn't "need" for me to shine his shoes. In fact, he probably shined them all over again after I finished and left the room. But he asked me to shine them for two reasons. He knew what joy it gave me and he wanted to be able to reward me for doing it. He was as motivated by his love for me as I was by my love for him.

God taught me by that remembrance that it is the same way with Him. He doesn't "need" for me to do anything for Him. He is God Almighty, the Creator of everything. He could just whisper and it would be done. But He gives me the privilege of serving Him for the same reasons that my daddy had in letting me serve him. He allows me to be involved in His kingdom's work because of His great love for me. He knows what joy it will bring me and He wants to reward me for doing it! He is as motivated by His love for me as I am by my love for Him. What a wonderful, loving God we serve!

Happy Father's Day!

This is it....

Ok, after this I'm done with blogging about God's forgiveness. At least for now.



Another question that many believers have after hearing me teach the truth about God’s forgiveness is “What about heaven? Won’t I be held accountable for all my bad deeds there?”

You may even say, “What about the verses in I Corinthians that speak of the judgment seat of Christ and say that we’ll be held accountable for all our deeds on earth, both good and bad?”



Remember that you have to interpret the Bible as a whole and this verse, interpreted as many believers interpret it (that we will be held accountable and judged for our sins in heaven), contradicts the basics of grace.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. II Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV)

So what can that verse mean?


It’s important to understand that the judgment to which this verse is referring is not for the purpose of getting “into” heaven. It’s for giving out rewards. Do you realize that there are some things that you do that are not sin, yet they are also not something for which you will be rewarded? For instance, you may think that since you are teaching Sunday School, or giving, or doing some other “good” deed you will be automatically rewarded for it in heaven. But what was your motive? Was it for recognition or to get something out of it?

Teaching Sunday School is not a “bad” deed, but if it is done with the wrong motive, then you’ve received your reward here on earth. There will be no more reward in heaven. Such activity is what this passage refers to as wood, hay, and stubble and will not survive the test of fire.

The Greek word used and translated “bad” in this verse is “phaulos” and it refers to that which is “good for nothing.” It describes an activity from which no profit or gain is derived. This word stresses the lack of value that the deed contributes. Basically, the verse is talking about worthless service. It is not the same as the Greek word “poneros” which means malicious, describing what is evil or “bad”. If God had wanted us to believe that we would be held accountable for our sins, He would have used words that would clearly and without question convey that understanding.

The passages in I Corinthians that address the heavenly judgments are speaking of your deeds, both good and those that are “good for nothing” – they are worthless because they were not done under the leadership of God, you did it in your own strength, or you did it with the wrong motive. But these verses do not provide any basis for believing that we will be held accountable for our sins when we get to heaven.

I know these last few blogs have contained a lot of information, but I just believe that understanding God's forgiveness is so crucial to living in the freedom and abundance of life in Christ!

Here's why:

As long as Satan can keep us deceived about this one matter, our attention will stay focused on ourselves and what we can do to make up for the sins we commit. We will be consumed with doing whatever we can do to keep God from punishing us for them. The last thing Satan wants you to focus on is the truth that your sins have been REMOVED and WHO removed them, because if you do, a chain reaction will start. You will focus on Christ, realize that He has filled you with His Spirit, depend on Him to live His life through you and produce the right behavior you could never do on your own, and God will be glorified through you.

I once heard that a pastor responded to similar teaching about God's forgiveness by saying, "But if I told my congregation that their sins were already forgiven, they'd go out and sin all the time." Not only did he not trust his congregation, he didn't trust what God could do in their lives. My thinking is this: If someone truly becomes convinced of God's forever, far-reaching, final, full, and fail-proof forgiveness, the last thing they are going to want to do is take advantage of it by willfully sinning! They will want to respond with a new desire to live by the power of the Holy Spirit to avoid sinning against the God who provided so great a salvation!


Choose to believe it right now. You have been forgiven for your sins – past, present, and future. Here's the point. You don’t have to dwell on sin. Dwell on Jesus who bought your forever forgiveness.!

Fail-proof forgiveness....

God’s forgiveness is far-reaching. God’s forgiveness is final. But maybe it’s even more important to victorious living to understand that God’s forgiveness is fail-proof.

God’s forgiveness would not be sufficient if there was anything I could do to diminish it in the future. But He has safeguarded His forgiveness against my failures. When I received His forgiveness it wasn’t because of my performance, and God does not base the continual and continuous maintenance of His forgiveness on my performance either.

The truths of the last two blog entries may have prompted questions in your mind. You may be asking, “But what about those times when I sin? Don’t I have to go back then and ask forgiveness for it? Doesn’t the Bible say I have to confess each sin or I will be held accountable for it?”

Well, let’s look closely at the verse that most people use to teach that confession is required of Christians in order to receive forgiveness for particular sins.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 (NKJV)

In interpreting Scripture, it’s always important to determine to whom the writing is addressed and what was going on in the day it was written. In this passage, it is likely that John was dealing with a group of people who believed that they could work their way into righteousness by doing the right things. The message of their belief system was that they could live a life without sin and therefore earn salvation. John was calling them liars and pointing out that they must confess (admit) that they are sinners, receive Christ, and then “walk” (live) in Him. Once they confessed, they would be forgiven.

In this passage, John was addressing unbelievers who must confess in order to be saved. In verses 8 and 10 that surround this verse, John refers to their claims to be without sin and he calls them liars. If someone never confesses (admits) that they are sinners, then they cannot experience salvation. That’s the point John is making.

But in the next chapter, John begins addressing Christians. In I John 2:12 John writes, “Your sins HAVE BEEN forgiven.” Now think about this reasoning logically. If John had been addressing believers in chapter one when he was talking about the requirement of confession in order to receive forgiveness, then he would have been contradicting himself to say that their sins had already been forgiven in chapter two. He has to be addressing two entirely different groups of people; unforgiven unbelievers in chapter one and forgiven believers in chapter two.

The sentence structure of I John 1:9 implies that the forgiveness that follows confession of sin as prescribed in the verse, is a one-time package deal. ALL of a person’s sin is forgiven at the point of their confession and at the same time they are cleansed of ALL unrighteousness.

How many times have you heard that you can come to Jesus just like you are, get saved, and from then on you have to confess your sins so that you can stay forgiven? Well, if that’s true then we have a problem. Are you completely forgiven or not? Was the sacrifice of Christ enough or not? Was Jesus really telling the truth or not when He said, “It is finished”?

What if you somehow miss a sin and fail to confess it? Praise God, we are already forgiven so it’s not a problem. Our forgiveness is not based on whether we confess or not. If it was, then it would be based on our works – something we have to do. Our forgiveness is based entirely on the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross. If that wasn’t enough, we’re in serious trouble.

For some reason, Christians have a hard time getting over the perceived need to ask forgiveness for individual sins and they often want to continue doing so. They often ask, “Can I continue to confess my sin and ask for forgiveness?” Sure they can, as long as they fully realize it’s not a requirement for forgiveness.

Please understand the humility that comes with the following statement. I do not say this arrogantly or presumptiously. I say it in complete awe of God's work.

Personally, I have stopped asking God to forgive me for my sins because I don’t want to ever appear as if I believe the death of Christ alone was not enough to purchase my forgiveness. I often confess (agree with God that something is a sin) because if I don’t agree with Him that something is a sin, then I will never turn away from it and like all sin, it will eventually destroy something beautiful in my life.

But I now understand that I know longer need to “ask for forgiveness” because to do so would be to ask God to give me something I already have!! I And it would diminish what Christ's death on the cross accomplished in my life. When I received Christ for salvation I received His forgiveness; full, free, final, and forever. Instead, I submite to His conviction, agree with Him that something is a sin, thank Him that He has already forgiven me for it, and then ask Him to live His life through me in that area so that I will never commit that particular sin again.

God's forgiveness is so precious to me and I believe that it has been short-changed in many traditional teachings. When we teach that there is something Christians must "do" to get God to forgive their sins after salvation, then we are saying that Jesus didn't really "finish" His work on the cross.

He said, "It is finished." And I have chosen to believe Him.

One more thing about forgiveness....

"12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”[ Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV)

"15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:15-17 (NKJV)

"Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more"... God repeated that phrase numerous times in Scripture. I think He wants us to get it! But for some reason we find it hard to accept what God has promised us clearly.

We just don't fully understand just how long lasting God’s forgiveness really is. Maybe that's because we relate God's forgiveness to our own. When I forgive someone, I usually don’t forget it. If they hurt me again, I would tend to remind them of the previous times they’ve wronged me. But it’s not so with God. He forgets because He chooses to forget. He buries my sins deep in a sea of forgetfulness. He won’t remind me of them now or at any point in my future.

If I am being reminded of and therefore feeling guilty of past, forgiven sins, then I can be assured that such oppression is not coming from God. Think about this for a moment. Omniscient, all-wise, all-knowing God made a conscious choice to have a memory lapse when He considers our sin. Even if I do something really bad tomorrow, He will not place me under a load of guilt by reminding me that I’ve done that same thing over and over before.

Does He convict me of sin? Oh yes, but it’s not to condemn me and make me feel guilty. It’s because He loves me so much and knows that sin always carries consequences. Therefore, He wants it out of my daily life. He convicts for my protection and so that I will know the fullness of joy, but the sin itself is already forgiven.

God’s grace reached all the way to me when I accepted Jesus and His death on the cross as payment for all my sin – past, present, and future. On the day I was saved, God took care of all them in advance. And that forgiveness lasts forever. That is grace at its fullest use.

You may have always thought that your salvation experience only took care of the forgiveness of the sins you had committed up until that point. But in fact, ALL of your sins, past, present, and future, were forgiven when you received God’s salvation. How many of your sins did God see on the day He saved you? Did He just see the ones you had already committed? No, He saw every one of them that you would ever commit for the rest of your life and the death of Christ on the cross took care of ALL of them.

In fact, God saw every sin that had been or would ever be committed in all of history, and the death of Christ on the cross was enough to purchase the pardon for all of them. God saw the inherent sin nature of every person throughout history, and the sacrifice of Jesus was enough to offer victory over the sin nature in every life. Once we receive Christ as our Savior and appropriate by faith what He accomplished on the cross, His forgiveness is all-encompassing and all-powerful for ALWAYS!

Never reject the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin in your life because the purpose of it is to accomplish the abundant lifestyle of holiness that God knows will bring you full joy. But never fall for your enemy’s attacks of guilt. God does not make you feel guilty. He requires no payment from you for your sin. Jesus Christ paid your debt in full on the cross. You are fully forgiven and you will remain fully forgiven forever. NOTHING will ever change that.

More about God's forgiveness.....

"7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8. which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence," Ephesians 1:7-8

That whole river rolling thing has launched me into some deeper thought about God's forgiveness. In Christ, we experience God's forgiveness for our sins. But just how far reaching is that forgiveness?

Consider David, a boy who became a king, yet took advantage of his undeserved sovereign status to have an affair with a neighbor, resulting in her pregnancy. To make matters worse, he ultimately sent her husband to the front lines of battle where his death would be certain, thus clearing the way for David to marry the widow. Yet, in spite of his horrid behavior, David constantly spoke of the full forgiveness of God.

Or how about Rahab, the prostitute of Jericho who hid the spies sent in to investigate the city before Joshua and the army of Israelites invaded it? In later passages of Scripture we find her name in the great roll call of faith in Hebrews 11, in the Book of James as an example of a person who puts faith into action, and the most amazing miracle of all is that her name is found in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus!!!!

Or consider Paul, who was once called Saul, a well recognized Christian killer. Yet after experiencing the forgiveness of God, Saul was renamed Paul and catapulted into a career as a missionary for Christ and author of numerous New Testament books. His past life posed no limits to God.

And consider the Jewish leaders, Roman politicians, and evil citizens who stood at the foot of the cross on which Jesus hung, dying for their sins. He looked down upon the very ones who had nailed Him to the cross and said, “Father, forgive them”.

You may think that something you have done in your life is beyond God’s forgiveness. But when you consider the Biblical accounts of the people God forgave, these and numerous others, surely you must realize that there is nothing you have done that is out of the realm of God’s forgiving nature. For me, there is so much comfort in knowing and reminding myself of the extent to which the forgiveness of God will go.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, He has fogiven your sin and set you free from the bondage of sin (Romans 6:14). But to live fully free, you must fully accept the forgiveness of God in your life. Do you realize that if you are a Christian, there is nothing you have ever done or will ever do in the future that God hasn’t already forgiven? Complete forgiveness was part of the original salvation “package”. Accept that truth today and respond with me in thanksgiving and praise.

The river rolls....

"As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us." Psalms 103:12 NKJV

We're at the lake this weekend and I was just looking out the windows watching the river roll by. The view reminded me of something that happened to me one day when I was working at a hospital in Knoxville, TN. My office window overlooked the river and as it flowed by I realized that the river always flowed in the same direction. I had been contemplating this Bible verse on my drive into the office and I was reminded of it by the flow of the river. It happened again today.

God gives us a beautiful illustration of his far-reaching, long lasting forgiveness in this verse. I wondered why God said that He had separated our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. I know that He was careful to choose words that paint a clear picture for us, so I wondered why He chose that direction instead of saying that our separation from sin is as far as the north is from the south.

As I thought about that I realized that I could begin traveling from my office and drive south to the South Pole, then begin driving north till I reached the North Pole, then travel south again to my starting point. South, then north, then south again. However, I could also travel around the world millions of time going east, reaching my starting point over and over again without ever driving in any direction but east. It hit me like a lightening bolt. Though there is a South Pole and a North Pole, there is no East Pole and no West Pole.

There is no place at which east meets west. And suddenly that verse took on a whole new meaning for me. If God had chosen the words “north from south” then that would mean that there would be some eventual point at which I would meet up with my sins again. But by carefully choosing the words “east from west” God was showing me that there would never be a point in the future where I will meet my sins again.

I won’t face my sins again; not in this life and not in the life to come. After fully realizing that fact through an understanding of this verse, everything began to make sense. God’s forgiveness is truly forever. And He cared enough about my sense of security that He painted a picture that will forever assure me of that fact, especially when I see a river roll. The assurance of knowing that I am forever fully forgiven gives me peace. Peace like a river.

Love that's greater than a "quick-fix"...

I warn you before you start, that I'm totally ignoring Tim's advise to keep these blogs short! This one will be my longest one ever. But God has shown me so much today that I can't keep from sharing it. I'm like Jeremiah with a fire in my bones. (Jer. 20:9)

Last night Tim and I received some news that really disappointed us. We have struggled over the last eight months because our house in Georgia has not sold. So we have now put our “retirement” home on the lake up for sale too. We have resigned ourselves to the necessity to sell one or the other. Within an hour of putting the for sale sign in the yard on May 30th, we had a couple knock on the door wanting to see the lake house. Unbelievably, I had just cleaned the house that day, even cleaning out closets!! That in itself is a miracle. I just assumed that even my housecleaning was part of God’s plan to sell this house. The couple loved it and came back to talk seriously about buying the house on Saturday the 31st. That’s significant because I have been confident for the last few months that God was going to settle our issues with these houses by May 31st. Ever since Tim and I have been in ministry, May has repeatedly been a month in which God settled things for us.

So, with all that in mind, I had pretty much let myself get all excited that the lake house was SOLD. They were to call us on Monday to make a firm offer. We got home from a meeting Monday night fully expecting to receive good news and be released from the stress of owning three houses. When the couple called and told us that they had changed their minds for no sensible reason, I crashed. I was so discouraged that I bordered on questioning God’s wisdom and even His love for me. I was angry, frustrated, and confused. None of which were emotions that were of God. I surprised myself that I could react as I did. I cried. I yelled. I told Tim that I would never have let one of my children get all excited about something and then “pulled the rug out from under them” like God had done to me that night. I begged God to show me what He is doing with all of this.

Then today I got a devotional email from a source that has never emailed me before. Of all days for them to start communicating with me!!! The basic message of the email devotional is that God’s goal for my life doesn’t always match my own. My goal is to be successful in ministry; and by that I mean that I want God to use me to reach and teach people TRUTH – at a level by which I measure success. But God’s goal for my life is for me to come to KNOW Him better and LOVE Him more and ENJOY Him fully and to become confidently assured of His love for me.

At first my response was, “Well, You’ve chosen a really odd way of showing me that’s Your goal for me!” But then I kept reading the email. It spoke of God using our afflictions and suffering to bring us to a point of abandonment so that we could reach His goal of knowing, loving, and enjoying Him and being assured of His love. I protested that I had nothing left to abandon. Honestly, I have a loose grip on everything because I learned a long time ago, that there is nothing more important or fulfilling than being right in the center of God’s will. In my reasoning, my willingness to sell anything we own to be able to do His will was “abandonment.”

But then I had a sudden and clear understanding of what God was saying to me through the email. What if God didn’t sell either one and He instead left me in the struggle for some reason that only He knows? Have I abandoned my right to have Him work for me just like I want Him to work; to “fix” my problems in one of the ways I choose?

I started considering that what was keeping me from “enjoying” Him lately was that He wasn’t responding to me as He had always done and therefore I was confused and frustrated. I suddenly realized that the only way I can come to KNOW Him more (His goal for me) is for Him to progressively reveal more of Himself to me, which will by necessity mean that He will not always respond to me in the same way. He responds to me in different ways as He takes me deeper into my understanding of Himself and as He matures me spiritually. In other words, He deals with me in one way until I understand a particular characteristic of Himself, then as He matures me, He can deal with me in a deeper way that I wouldn’t have been able to handle before.
I also had to admit that I felt that He “owed” it to me to sell a house because I had “obeyed” Him in following His will to Sylacauga, AL. And when He didn’t sell my house, my reaction shocked even me by revealing the attitudes that had been lurking within me; attitudes I didn’t even realize existed within me. I was reminded of the process of “refining” and how the process brings to the surface all the dangerous impurities that devalue and weaken precious metals. God has made me perfect and holy at salvation, but within me there are lingering misunderstandings about God and His ways, so I still respond with emotions that aren’t so perfect and holy. And those emotions and misunderstandings lurking within me, keep me from enjoying Him fully and also keep me from being confidently assured of His love for me. So God has faithfully brought those attitudes and misunderstandings to the surface so that I am now aware of them and can let God deal with them.

My goal is successful ministry by the standards I’ve set. God’s goal is for me to KNOW, LOVE, ENJOY, and be CONFIDENT in Him. Here’s what He has shown me. Until He corrects those lingering misunderstandings, (which sometimes best occurs through the process of afflictions and sufferings) neither His goal nor my goal will be met. But when God’s goal is realized in my life, then my goal will be realized as well. Until my goal for my life matches His (until I want to KNOW, LOVE, and ENJOY Him more than anything else) then I can’t possibly be successful in ministry!!! And by the way, I couldn’t be trusted with a successful ministry with those lingering misunderstandings and attitudes.

But when KNOWING, LOVING, and ENJOYING Him becomes the most important pursuit of my life, ministry will be as natural as breathing and it will be successful by God’s standards!!! And I will be increasingly, continually, and permanently assured of His love for me.

If I saw my child hurting, but knew that allowing that child to continue in the hurt would be to their ultimate benefit, the most loving thing I could do would be to endure the pain of watching them continue hurting. If fixing their problems provided temporary relief but cost them a greater gain, then I would not be a good mother if I fixed things for them. And my love for my children doesn't even begin to compare to God's love for me. I am so thankful that He loves me so much that He refused to give me the easy way out of my problems and instead He endures the pain of watching me suffer so that I can receive the eternal benefit He wants to accomplish through my afflictions.