Nothing But the Blood

In Old Testament times an animal sacrifice was required year after year. This blood sacrifice was the atonement for sin. The problem was, it didn't last. But thank God he had a better plan. That plan was to send His Son, Jesus to die on a cross for us. The sacrifice that Jesus made was one that eliminated the need for any other sacrifice. And when he made that sacrifice we were provided access to God Himself. In Hebrews 9:11-12 we're told:

"But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he entered into the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."

The good things to come would be the access his bloodshed would provide to the Father. I want to relate that to another verse. Let's take a look at Hebrews 10:19-20 which says:

"Therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, his flesh."

The Amplified translation says "...we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the [Holy of] Holies [by the power and the virtue] in the blood of Jesus." Did you catch that? We have FULL FREEDOM and CONFIDENCE to enter.

If you recall, Matthew 27:51 tells us how the veil was torn from top to bottom when Jesus was crucified. This was something man could not have done. Okay, so what is my point here? In Old Testament times High Priests had to pass through a veil which led to the Most Holy Place. This was where the presence of God was. So now we have the veil being torn, thereby giving us access to the Holiest (God). And we can access Him freely, without fear. That is the result of Jesus' bloodshed. Amazing, isn't it?

We live in a country that grants us freedom. It is a marelous thing. If you've ever been to another country, you know just how great this freedom is. But you know, the freedom that Jesus offers is so much more precious. It is the freedom from the bondage of sin. There is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood. That is the requirement. The penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23), so clearly we all needed a sacrifice. Once we accept Jeus as Lord of our life, the chains are broken. And we can come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and help in times of trouble. We can now walk in the freedom of Jesus Christ. We can be free from fear, we can be healed as a result of that bloodshed, we can have peace and a joy unspeakable, and we have hope for our eternal future. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking this is a far better plan than the previous covenant. Jesus' blood was the perfect remedy for our sin.

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow, no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Taking God At His Word

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3

 

The trials we face are a test of our faith. How we respond to them determines not only our maturity level, it reveals exactly how much we really trust God and take Him at His word. Do we read His word but fail to believe it in our heart? Or do we trust it completely even when we don't see the answers or a change in our circumstance as quickly as we'd like? Over the years I have struggled at times with believing wholeheartedly. Not that I didn't want to believe. But when you've been raised without a father figure (or with a bad one) how you view your father often times becomes how you view God. With my dad, he made all these promises but never kept them. The things he was supposed to do for me, my brother and sister (his children) were done instead for my step sisters and brothers. Dad always told us he loved us, and while I believed he did, I didn't think love meant taking care of your chilren. It was more like lip service. As a result, I developed this mentality that even though God said He loved me and made promises, those promises were really meant for someone else. I had a very difficult time thinking that God would do anything for me. I had tried so hard to do all the right things to make my dad love me, want to be with me, and to be the father he should be. Nothing worked. So how could I expect any of my works to make God love me? I could never be good enough, never do enough. Could I trust His word? One day I had this revelation. God loved me and it had absolutely nothing to do with what I could do for Him. I didn't have to be the straight A student, didn't have to win awards. He loved me flaws and all. Most importantly, He loved me while I was an enemy. And still He sent His son to die for me knowing I didn't deserve it. He made a way where I didn't have to work for salvation. No religious rituals or manmade rules and regulations. Whew! What a relief! As I tried to absorb all of this it was like God was telling me, "I've got it covered. Just believe." So I let down my guard, and tore down those walls that had kept me at arm's length and I decided to give God a chance. It has certainly been the best decision I ever made.

 

Romans 5:8 says: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 

If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what could. He died for us while we were sinners. He didn't wait for us to get all cleaned up, as some would suppose. He didn't wait until we did enough good works. We were enemies of God. So who dies for an enemy? God's only Son, Jesus, that's who. And that is true and unconditional love.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yoursleves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."

 

Did you catch that? There's nothing in that statement that says we can do anything to earn salvation. God offered us a gift and we can choose to receive it or not. Think about it like this: if a friend gives you a gift, you receive it, you open it, and you enjoy it. Well, hopefully you enjoy it anyway. But the point is, God gave His son. We can receive Him as our Lord and Savior and then we get to enjoy the benefits of being a child of God. We become co-heirs with Christ. How incredible is that?

  

Galatians 3:29 tells us: "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

 

And in Romans 8:17 we're told: "Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."

 

 

All I can say is woo hoo! Thank you Jesus!  

The Click

While reading Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper I had to smile when I read that she has a group of friends she calls cousins. I too have a group of friends. We call ourselves the click. But let me point out that, even though we love sharing times together where it's just us, none of us is the type of person to isolate others from being around us. We all love people. We all have other friends, and we are friendly to those we encounter at church and otherwise. On occasion I may be a bit shy about speaking to people I don't know, but I am working on that. Anyway, the term "click" was sort of pinned on us by another person. We thought it was funny so we just continued calling ourselves that.

After facing a significant loss Lisa came to realize how much she needed her group of friends. In the book she writes:

"Individual friends didn't have enough hands to help me gather up all the broken pieces. If I tried to lean on just one person during the painful season, I probably would have flattened her. I needed a cohesive posse of prayers and compassion. I needed the Christian version of AA or Cheers-a place where everybody knew my name and my junk."

Reading that reminded me of how unique each of my click friends are. They each bring something different to the table. But you know, we all have common bonds as well. When I think of Genia I know that she is a woman of the word. She speaks the truth in love and can at times give you a good dose of "suck it up" if you need it. She leans toward mercy and compassion when dealing with teens and less mature believers. And she has a fabulous humor. She keeps me (or should I say us) laughing. Now Debbie is one of the wisest women I know. She has learned how to control her tongue more so than me, so I find that quite inspiring. Don't get me wrong though. Debbie can speak out bold and strong when she has to. She doesn't fudge on things concerning the word, and she will speak up for the rights of others when they are treated unfairly, especially her family. Her speech is always tempered with mercy and grace. She reminds me of the Proverbs 31 woman. I've always said that if I needed someone to sympathize and offer me a shoulder to cry on it would have to be Maria. She will listen no matter how whiny a person is. She knows how to weave in some encouragement, but you never leave her feeling like you've been scolded for your meltdown. She kind of reminds me of a grandma. You know, they spoil you and love on you and let you get away with stuff your parents wouldn't let you get away with. But then they always know how to persuade you to see it like your parents do. I suppose that is why she makes such a good grandmother. And last, but certainly not least, we have Sister Diane. She is French Canadian and she keeps me laughing. Diane is quite blunt, but every word she speaks is motivated by love. She wants to see us grow and mature in the faith, and speaks the word every chance she gets. You never have to guess what is on her mind. Diane is also a prayer warrior. I know that she would pray no matter what time of day or night. She's a rock I can lean on. I said she keeps me laughing, and often her humorous side stems from a language barrier. We (the click) have pretty much learned what she means when she says things in her own unique way. But it's still funny sometimes. Outwardly Diane may appear to be stern, but she has a heart of gold.

I have been blessed with a special group of friends, and there are days when I wonder how I fit into that picture. All I know is, I'm glad God connected me with this very special group of ladies. My life has never been the same since. They are more than just a casual friend. They are counselors, advisers, teachers, and sometimes comediennes. All together they are my click.

A Review of "Stumbling Into Grace" by Lisa Harper

I recently received a free copy of Stumbling Into Grace by Lisa Harper (from booksneeze.com) to review. There was no requirement that I give a positive review, just an honest one. I have never read any of Lisa's books before and looked forward to delving into this book based on the comments of others, along with knowing her to be a speaker at the Women of Faith conferences. Also, the cover of the book looked absolutely intriguing. After reading the book, let me honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. I love books that set things up with stories, but back those thoughts up with the powerful truths found in the Bible. This is what Lisa does. She's not just giving you her personal little tidbits for the sake of telling her life or some cute story; she's expressing things that bring us back to spiritual truths. And isn't that what life is? A journey of life lessons that all seem to be pointing us back to our Creator? She writes in a diary style and sprinkles it with humor throughout. And one thing she seems to point out clearly is God's grace. It's an easy read, for sure. She always closes out with prayer and a little question section. These questions could possibly be used in a group setting, but are also questions you can ask yourself. There are a variety of topics touched on in the book. Criticism, forgiveness, binding things, the power of touch, honesty, and more. I would say that if you like devotional type reads, then this is the book for you.

Sign at the Holocaust Museum

The Power of Nazi Propaganda

Several people have asked how I felt after going through the Holocaust Museum on my recent trip to DC. It's really difficult to explain the emotion that wells up inside you when you see the atrocities committed upon not only the Jews, but those with deformities, blacks, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, etc. If you have a weak stomach, then this would not be the exhibit for you. Very disturbing images. Hitler's agenda was subtly put into motion and many didn't see it coming until it was too late. Even after the killings had begun many of the Jews still didn't know that was what was happening. They would lie and tell the prisoners that they were going for a shower, only to send them to their death.

 

One has to wonder how so many could follow Hitler blindly and without question. As I pondered how such a horrible thing could happen I thought about what most likely kept it fueled once the plan was put into motion...fear and prejudice. This is not too hard for me to understand being that I grew up in a generation where prejudice was common. Not that it has been fully eradicated now, but it was far worse back then, and in years prior to my childhood, prejudice was pretty much the norm. People were afraid of anyone who was different. I would imagine all it took to convince people to comply with his plans was a few military men who made an example of anyone going against Hitler's demands. And I can't in all honesty say that I wouldn't have felt that same kind of fear they did, although I would hope that I would have had the courage to stand up against evil even with the fear of death looming over my head. It had to be a difficult place to be in. Hopefully I will never have to know what I would do in such a situation, but let me tell you, if it happened once, it could happen again. So many things are being pushed into our lives even now. Things we don't agree with, but have failed to stand against in numbers great enough to rule in the voting system. Some think it's not a Christian's place to be involved politically. I disagree. Yes, certain things are bound to happen eventually, but in the meantime, we as believers should rise up when we see injustice. We should make our voice be heard when right is called wrong and wrong is called right.

 

Years ago I read a worship book by Terry Law entitled, "How to Enter God's Presence." In it, he told a story about how a bird was placed in a cage with a snake. In the beginning the bird stayed up high in the opposite corner, afraid of the snake. But the snake just laid there staring. After a while the bird became mesmerized by the glitter in the snake's eyes so he hopped down onto the floor. That went on for a while until the bird moved closer. Keep in mind that the snake didn't ever move. He continued to lay there gazing at his prey. Eventually the snake opened his mouth and the bird jumped in and was devoured. If we as a people stare at sin too long, we too are likely to start thinking it's not that bad. We will be heading toward destruction and not even realize it. As I thought about this story I wondered if those who may have thought Hitler's treatment of the Jews was horrific in the beginning were swayed into being a part of it through subtle tactics. Isn't that how sin is? We may think something is bad, but the more we compromise or rationalize, the less wrong it seems. And let's face it, sin can be fun for a moment, but then it takes a rapid turn and you're caught up in something so big, somewhere you never dreamed you'd be. Okay, so I'm veering from the subject of the Holocaust Museum, but really all of what I said could apply here. If people had paid attention, had stood up when they saw through Hitler's schemes, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. It goes to show just how easy people can be swayed by charismatic personalities. And how simple it will be for the antichrist to come onto the scene and be well received.

 

There is so much more I could say on the subject, but for now, I'll close...oh wait...one more thing...Did you realize that the United States of America turned the Jews away when they sat on a boat in Miami? Some have this notion that the United States stepped in and saved the day...and to some degree they did...but not in time to prevent countless deaths....I love my country, but felt such shame knowing that they had the opportunity to help and refused. So there you have just one more of the many emotions that came on me...