Alive and Active

Jesus said if you want to be a great leader then you must be a great servant first. Are we willing to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God? We look to Jesus who was the perfect servant leader as He humbled himself to the point of death of the cross. If you humble yourself and serve others with all we have, like Jesus did, then God will exalt you.

Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving because He rescues us like He rescued Peter. Jesus didn't give up on Peter after Peter denied Him. Instead He showed Peter His glory and came near to him because He was loved Peter. Peter realized it was Jesus on the seashore and he hurried to Him. Jesus calls you back into fellowship with him even when you blow it. We can trust in the finished work of Jesus.

In John 13, Jesus demonstrated to his disciples what role they have with one another and how they should live. We live on a dirty earth and we need to serve one another by confessing our sin and metaphorically washing each other's feet. As Christians we live in humble obedience to Christ and we look to Him who humbled Himself on the cross for our sins. We trust & believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Have you done that in your life?

The world might think it's strange that Christians don't partake with them in living the happy hour lifestyle. We are told in 1st Peter 4 to not join the non believers in debauchery because they will give an account to God. We seek the pleasure of the Lord in all we do. If you are stuck in the party scene, then get out and take the exit ramp to Jesus.

In Daniel 1, Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself and eat the King's food or drink the wine. Daniel understood who God was and he was not going to give his mind away. Resolve or purpose starts ahead of time and Daniel looked for ways to expand the gospel. God gave Daniel and his friends wisdom knowledge and skills. As believers, we have to be like a flagpole that is firmly planted in Christ and not like a flag that is blowing in the wind and giving into the world's desires.

Sin and Grace go together. Our sin leads us to our need for grace and our sin is necessary to understand grace.  When you recognize how much you are loved by Jesus, you will want to obey Him and not sin. Grace is not a license to sin. Instead we humbly live out of the Grace of God.

Jackie Gleason was one of the funniest actors ever, but even a famous actor cannot talk / bluff his way into heaven. The only way to get into Heaven is trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross and was raised on the 3rd day and reigns now in heaven at the right hand of God. 

Luke 23 tells the story of three people hanging on a cross. One criminal rebuked the other criminal and he admitted his sin and he claimed that Jesus was innocent. Jesus then told him that he would be with Him in heaven. ***The Bible makes it clear that we CANNOT earn eternal life. We have all sinned and we all fall short of the glory of God. We simply confess our sins, repent, and trust by faith that Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and we follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

In Matthew 16, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection but Peter rebukes him. Jesus spoke truth to Peter and told him to set his mind on things of God and not man. Sometimes a compliment will come and sometimes a rebuke might come, but our response shapes the growth that comes from it. Peter learned from his mistake and in Acts we see that he gave his life to following Jesus.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asks who do people say that He is and Peter answers you are the Christ the son of the living God. God opened Peter's heart so that he could understand to trust the Lord Jesus as savior. Peter had an aha moment. Just like the prophet Jeremiah, we too are to extract the precious from the worthless. Our job is to allow the Lord God to work through us in proclaiming Christ, because it is Him who opens the eyes of the unbeliever. 

Jesus healed many people when He was on the earth. One of them was Simon's mother-in-law. However, the main reason He came was to fulfill God's plan for saving His people by living a perfect life of obedience on their behalf and dying for their sins.  Sometimes in life we pray for healing. God may or may not heal us. Either way, our responsibility is to let the Lord work in us for His pleasure. Play the hand that you are dealt and trust that God wants to conform you into the image of Christ.