January 31 ~ Psalm 17:15
And me? I plan on looking you full in the face. When I get up, I'll see your full stature and live heaven on earth.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
This is a Psalm David wrote after God saved him from King Saul and his enemies. It speaks of serving Christ on this earth. But I have another question to ask today. Do you ever think about what it will truly be like when you see Jesus for the first time… I mean really see Him in Heaven? I am reminded of that song, “I Can Only Imagine.” Honestly, we can only imagine… and whatever we imagine, I firmly believe it will be greater than that! What will we do? Will we be speechless? Will we dance and sing? Will we fall at His feet and start worshiping? I really don’t know, but I do know it will be the single most incredible moment ever!
I can’t begin to plan for it, I can’t begin to describe or envision what it will truly be like when I meet Jesus face to face, but I do know this… I do plan to do just that! And in the meantime, I will seek His face in earthly places… in my home… in my work… in my service and my church work… in my daily walk and witness. I will look for Him and ways to serve Him and glorify Him now, so that when I do meet Him in heaven, He is well pleased with me and greets me with open arms.
I plan on looking Jesus full in the face someday… do you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 30 ~ Revelation 10:5
Then the Angel I saw astride sea and land lifted his right hand to Heaven and swore by the One Living Forever and Ever, who created Heaven and everything in it, earth and everything in it, sea and everything in it, that time was up—that when the seventh Angel blew his trumpet, which he was about to do, the Mystery of God, all the plans he had revealed to his servants, the prophets, would be completed.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you heard the phrase “learning never ends?” This may be true – we may learn new things until the day we die. But the fact is, learning will end someday, because scripture tells us the world will end. When all of God’s plans have been completed, time will be up… and the world will end!
I don’t know if you or I will be around for this or not. That, too, is part of God’s plan… the mystery of when Christ will return. It’s part of what makes our “faith walk.” If we knew all the answers, we wouldn’t have any need for faith. But God does have a plan for everything and everyone. It’s all in the scripture, if we want to study it. We may not find a minute-by-minute account of how our life will play out, but we will find the blueprints for how to operate within God’s plan, and that really is what it’s all about.
What about you? Are you with God all the way – even if it means to the end of the earth? Are you following His plan completely and trusting Him faithfully to plan wisely for you? When time is up, will you have completed everything you should? Will you be ready to truly experience full knowledge of God’s kingdom and the revelation of His mysteries?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 29 ~ 1 Peter 5:8
Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Suffering is a relative term, but all of us have at one time or another felt we were suffering. Certainly we have never suffered in the same context as Jesus Christ, but in our own little worlds, our suffering is real and sometimes anguishing and debilitating. And more often than not, our suffering is a result of letting our guard down and allowing Satan a foothold. We falter, and he pounces and causes us trouble. Or… we succeed in our efforts to serve God fully, and the devil becomes furious with us and tries even harder to wreck our plans and cause us heartache. Nobody ever said serving God and following His plans would be easy!
But the good news is that we know Who wins in the end! God gets the last word, and we must hang onto that thought. We must keep our “eye on the Prize” – an eternal life with Christ – and keep our focus on completing God’s plans for us. Keep your guard up. Stay awake and keep a firm grip on the faith. God gets the last word – yes, He does!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 28 ~ Hebrews 9:16
Like a will that takes effect when someone dies, the new covenant was put into action at Jesus' death. His death marked the transition from the old plan to the new one, canceling the old obligations and accompanying sins, and summoning the heirs to receive the eternal inheritance that was promised them. He brought together God and his people in this new way.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Last year, I started a Bible study that was designed to help you read the entire Bible in a year. Each day, there was an Old Testament passage and a New Testament passage, and sometimes a Psalm. In studying the Bible this way, I learned a lot about Old Testament ways… burnt offerings, rituals, sacrifices. The contrast between serving God before Christ came and afterward was vivid and amazing! I have to tell you, I am so glad I am not an “Old Testament believer!” I am not sure I could have held up to the rigors of all of the sacrifices and preparations and just remembering all of the laws!
I am truly grateful that God sent Jesus, and that Jesus followed God’s plan through and gave His life for mine. I am grateful that because of His sacrifices and obedience to God’s plan, I don’t have to worry about rituals, sacrifices, offerings of animals, and more. All I have to do is focus on Jesus – His grace and mercy for me – and to seek God’s plan each day for my life and do all I can to accomplish it. This was all part of the plan, too! Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that wonderful? You are a part of God’s plan – are you doing all you can to seek Him and accomplish His goals for your life?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 27 ~ Ephesians 1:7
Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever sat down with your parents and mapped out a plan for something? Maybe your dad was transferred with his work to another town and you had to plan a move. Maybe you have been looking at colleges and reviewing scholarship offers and trying to figure out where you will study. Maybe you are an adult who is helping an elderly parent select an assisted living facility or nursing home. Maybe you or a family member is ill and the doctor has outlined treatment options, and you are trying to decide which plan is best.
Imagine the conversations between God and Christ. Some of them are even described in the Bible. I am reminded of Christ talking to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane… asking for the cup of crucifixion and suffering to be taken from him if there is any other way. And we all know how God replied. We also know that Jesus accepted God’s plans for His life, knowing that in doing so, it would mean freedom for all of us! Literally, the weight of the world rested on Christ, and He accepted the task.
All of this was done for you and for me - all of this was done to buy our freedom from sin forever. I can’t imagine the conversation – “Son (or daughter), I want you to pour out your life – to suffer, bleed, and die on a cross – so that all mankind has a chance to live with us in heaven for all eternity.” “Okay, Father, if that’s what You ask, I will do it.” Could we ever even remotely be that obedient? Often we can’t even get it right picking out a plan for a move, college, a nursing home, or our health! Yet Christ was willing to give His LIFE for all of us… people who were hundreds and thousands of years from being born… people who didn’t deserve it… people who could never repay Him. How can we not be humbled by that? How can we not want to bow before One Who loves us so unconditionally? How can we ignore His plans for our lives? It’s time for another reality check. Where are you today? Are you following God’s plans, or are you trying to make up your own as you go along? Turn back to Jesus. Follow Him. You won’t regret it!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 26 ~ Ephesians 1:3
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
A couple of years ago, my husband and I “adopted” a little boy in Ghana. It wasn’t a typical adoption. We are sponsoring Timothy Kodjo Owasu Frim through an organization called Compassion International. We send this organization money each month to help cover Kodjo’s needs. In Ghana, most families exist on an income of about $32 a month, so our monthly contribution of $30 for Kodjo will go a long way to provide him with clothing, food, health care, school supplies, and more. We write letters to Kodjo, and he writes to us, sharing what he is learning, and how he is growing – physically, cognitively, and Spiritually.
We didn’t plan to adopt Kodjo. We didn’t spend months thinking about it and preparing. God just convicted us one Sunday that this was something we needed to do, and as we thumbed through an album of available children to “adopt,” we were both moved to choose Kodjo. We have grown to love this little seven-year-old boy, but we know we will most likely never meet him face-to-face. Hopefully we will have some influence over his future through our letters of encouragement and our financial support, but ultimately, we cannot give him all that we would or coul,d were he under our roof.I am so grateful that Jesus will make the difference – for us and for Kodjo. He planned for this little boy long ago, and He planned for us to select him and be part of his life. He planned all of this and more, and the gifts we are unable to provide, He will bring. He will bless Kodjo; He will bless us, and someday, we will all be together in Eternity. Now that’s a Plan!
Jesus didn’t just thumb through a book and see our pictures and choose us. He knew all of us long before we were born and planned thoroughly for each of us. What has God written on your heart? What plans is He making for you? Ask Him to guide you and show you the correct path. It may not include adopting a little boy from Ghana, but you never know! Whatever He plans, take joy in knowing that by following His plans, you are giving HIM great joy, and nothing could be better than pleasing our Jesus in this way.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 25 ~ Galatians 5:4
I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
One night at the practice for our church’s Praise and Worship team, the talk turned to some of our practices. The band members were asked our feelings on whether or not we should provide attendees with a bulletin for our service. There were a lot of opinions and ideas. From there, the question arose, how should we let the pastor know when time is running out if he/she is longwinded? Again, there were several schools of thought. THEN someone said, “We should get all of the announcements and “business” over with at the first of the service so that the rest of the hour can be uninterrupted worship and time for the Holy Spirit to work. Even more discussion followed.
Eventually, we stopped and stood back and laughed, because all of the little things we were discussing were just that – little things. And while they are each worthy of consideration and discussion when planning for a meaningful worship service, they are not Spiritual “deal-breakers.” And more importantly, they are mere “religious plans and projects,” and focusing on them intently takes the focus off of Christ. It may not be a “fall from grace” per se, but anything that takes the focus off of Christ, even momentarily, separates us from Him.
How awesome is it to know that it is all far less complicated than we try to make it?! This scripture ends with a great summary – “what matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.” Christ loves us and desires a relationship with us. In fact, He has planned for it. Our job is to accept the plan, and to love Him and serve Him in return. The rest – the “religious plans and projects” are just gravy. They may enhance our worship. They may help us to stay focused, but in the end, they are manmade plans for serving a supernatural God, and they will fall short every time. Keep it simple, love Christ, serve Him faithfully, and let the rest take care of itself according to His plan.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 24 ~ 2 Corinthians 3:4
We couldn't be more sure of ourselves in this—that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation. We wouldn't think of writing this kind of letter about ourselves. Only God can write such a letter. His letter authorizes us to help carry out this new plan of action. The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Has anyone ever written a letter of recommendation for you? Have you ever written one for someone else? It’s a pretty big responsibility. If you are writing, you are endorsing that person, vouching for their character and/or expertise. If someone is writing one for you, they are putting their own reputation on the line by saying that you are capable of doing what you say and what is asked of you.Paul is telling the Corinthians that the fact they came to Christ is a “letter of recommendation” to others. Their life in Christ, written and planned by God, tells others, “I vouch for these persons. They are MINE. They follow Me and My ways. They are part of My plan.”
Notice that Paul says this letter is “not written out with ink on paper.” It is written “with Spirit on spirit – HIS life on our lives.” This is the most important “letter of recommendation” we can ever hope to receive. This is the one that counts. The others may land you a job or win you an election, but this one is the “ticket to heaven” – and to living in God’s will on this earth. I pray today that you will make sure that your life’s “personal folder” has this “recommendation letter” in it. I pray that His spirit has written on your spirit, and His life and plans are yours.
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 23 ~ Romans 1:16
It's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God's way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: "The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Do you really live? “Yeah… sure!” you may say. “I have a lot of friends who share good times with me. I drive a nice car and wear nice clothes. I have a good job (or my parents have a good job and I have access to money). I have a significant other and a great relationship. I would say my life is successful in pretty much every way!”
But I ask you again, do you really live? Because, you see, in order to really live, you have to trust God completely. You have to follow Him in every nook and cranny of your life. With God, it’s not about the parties or the people… it’s about His POWER and His PLANS and your willingness to follow them.”The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.” Do you?
©2008 Debbie Robus
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January 22 ~ Acts 22:14
"Then he said, 'The God of our ancestors has handpicked you to be briefed on his plan of action. You've actually seen the Righteous Innocent and heard him speak. You are to be a key witness to everyone you meet of what you've seen and heard. So what are you waiting for? Get up and get yourself baptized, scrubbed clean of those sins and personally acquainted with God.'”
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Okay, so maybe you and I have not been literally struck blind on the road by the Light of Christ. We walk in faith that He is there, but we have not physically seen His glory like Paul. But do you understand that God handpicked you, nonetheless? Do you get that He has a plan of action for your life? He has spoken to you, in many ways. He has called you to serve him. Now what will you do?
As the scripture says, it’s time for us to get up and scrub ourselves clean of sin and get personally acquainted with God. It’s time for us to humbly ask for His forgiveness and mercy, then accept it! It’s time for us to know God so well that we are 100% certain that our plans are His plans, and to move forward with them. Is this a daunting challenge? You bet it is! Can you do it? With God’s help, all things are possible. So I ask you today, “What are you waiting for?” You have been chosen and planned for by GOD ALMIGHTY… it’s time to get a move on!
©2008 Debbie Robus
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