Ephesians 2:8-9
You were saved by faith in God, who
treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and
not anything you have done on your own. It isn’t something you have
earned, so there is nothing you can brag about.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
“Look
what I got!” Have you ever said this? Have you ever showed a gift to
someone else and said, “Look what XYZ got me!” as if you had really done
something special. In truth, you did nothing to merit this
gift…someone presented it to you out of love and care. Still, we seem
to act as if we really earned such a present!
I heard a sermon
lately in which the pastor made a very good point about the crucifixion –
and our relationship to it. He noted that during the beatings, the
trials and “kangaroo court” that was conducted prior to Jesus'
“conviction,” Jesus never spoke. Over and again, Jesus was asked who He
really was…or why He didn’t save himself. And we find multiple
notations in scripture where Jesus said nothing.
Then, when
soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross…when His hands and feet were spiked
to the wood, and He hung there for all to see…He asked God to “forgive
them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” The pastor pointed out
that many – perhaps including you and I – have internalized this to mean
that we must forgive others for how they treat us. And in doing so…we
have effectively elevated ourselves to a position on the cross - right
along with Jesus.
This is absolutely not the case! We could
never do what Jesus did…suffer the physical blows that He was
dealt…endure His torture and agony – much less ask God to forgive those
who did these horrific things to us. In truth, WE are the Roman
soldiers, just as much as the men who stood there and drove the nails or
flung the whip.
So this amazing, incredible, indescribable gift
of salvation for ALL of our sins is completely that – a GIFT! We did
nothing to earn it. There is no way we can repay Jesus for it. He gave
freely, from His heart…because He cared. So we have no business
telling others, “Look what I’ve got!” or “See what I’ve done!” – because
we have not done a single thing. It’s all Jesus. I am reminded of a
phrase that the late actor Walter Brennan made famous on a TV western in
the 60s…”The Guns of Will Sonnet.” Brennan’s character, an old army
scout, liked to tell people that he could draw his gun faster than his
son. He would qualify this statement by saying…”No brag – just fact!”
In
this case, we would have to say, “No brag…just JESUS!” The FACT is
that Jesus died for our sins and saved us - and we are called to live in
humble gratitude …to honor Him with our servanthood and obedience. We
are to let others know that Jesus will extend this same gift to anyone
who will surrender to Him and accept His offer. We must live in such a
way that others see the gift we have been given – and want in on it for
themselves. “No brag…just JESUS!” He deserves all of the credit for
our salvation and redemption. Have you been giving Him all that is due?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label gift of Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gift of Jesus. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for July 28, 2013
Luke 2:14
“Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”
What are you truly thankful for? If someone were to ask you this question, how would you answer? Would you list your family, friends, food, clothing, and shelter…your salvation through Jesus Christ, a good job, health, a nice car to drive or good looks? My mother often speaks of how thankful she is to turn on the tap and get hot water… something that is virtually unheard of in many corners of the world. Are you thankful for technology… your laptop and/or smart phone…medical breakthroughs that have revolutionized health care? Do you stop to consider your freedom… clean air… and public safety? Do you voice appreciation for these things – to God and to others?
At the end of the day, each of these brings us one gift… peace. And the direct provider of this blessing is God Almighty! Because of God and His incredible gift of Jesus, those of us who have invited Christ to live in our hearts can someday stand before our Heavenly Father and hear Him say… “All your sins have been forgiven. Your slate is clean… you are safely at home with Me.” Because of the blessings of God, most of us are where we are today… living in the home we have – with the family and friends we have… enjoying freedom of speech and religion, mobility and safety to go and do as we please, relatively good health, clean air and water, and all of the modern conveniences. We probably don’t think about it this way… but at the heart of all we enjoy and everything we do, we are seeking peace.
Until we acknowledge God and His hand in our lives, we will never truly experience complete peace. Until we focus on pleasing God and serving Him… until we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts and guide our every breath, we will not know complete peace… GOD’s peace. I don’t know about you, but I’ve come to the point where THIS is tantamount to me! What I want more than anything in life is to have God’s complete peace, because I know that unimaginable blessings come along with it. God’s peace is the “meat and potatoes”… His blessings are the “gravy”… and I want heapin’ helpings of both!
What about you? Are you struggling to find peace in your heart – about anything and everything? Do you feel a lack… an emptiness or a gnawing sensation that something is missing? Could it be God’s peace? Have you thanked God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon you… and have you asked Him to show you areas of untapped service and obedience to Him that could be blocking complete peace? Isn’t today a great day to start discovering how you can align yourself more closely with God… and receive His peace in return?
What are you waiting for? Praise God in Heaven… He is worthy, and He will give you peace!
©2013 Debbie Robus
“Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”
Jude 1:24-25Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Offer praise to God our Savior because of our Lord Jesus Christ! Only God can keep you from falling and make you pure and joyful in his glorious presence. Before time began and now and forevermore, God is worthy of glory, honor, power, and authority. Amen.
What are you truly thankful for? If someone were to ask you this question, how would you answer? Would you list your family, friends, food, clothing, and shelter…your salvation through Jesus Christ, a good job, health, a nice car to drive or good looks? My mother often speaks of how thankful she is to turn on the tap and get hot water… something that is virtually unheard of in many corners of the world. Are you thankful for technology… your laptop and/or smart phone…medical breakthroughs that have revolutionized health care? Do you stop to consider your freedom… clean air… and public safety? Do you voice appreciation for these things – to God and to others?
At the end of the day, each of these brings us one gift… peace. And the direct provider of this blessing is God Almighty! Because of God and His incredible gift of Jesus, those of us who have invited Christ to live in our hearts can someday stand before our Heavenly Father and hear Him say… “All your sins have been forgiven. Your slate is clean… you are safely at home with Me.” Because of the blessings of God, most of us are where we are today… living in the home we have – with the family and friends we have… enjoying freedom of speech and religion, mobility and safety to go and do as we please, relatively good health, clean air and water, and all of the modern conveniences. We probably don’t think about it this way… but at the heart of all we enjoy and everything we do, we are seeking peace.
Until we acknowledge God and His hand in our lives, we will never truly experience complete peace. Until we focus on pleasing God and serving Him… until we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts and guide our every breath, we will not know complete peace… GOD’s peace. I don’t know about you, but I’ve come to the point where THIS is tantamount to me! What I want more than anything in life is to have God’s complete peace, because I know that unimaginable blessings come along with it. God’s peace is the “meat and potatoes”… His blessings are the “gravy”… and I want heapin’ helpings of both!
What about you? Are you struggling to find peace in your heart – about anything and everything? Do you feel a lack… an emptiness or a gnawing sensation that something is missing? Could it be God’s peace? Have you thanked God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon you… and have you asked Him to show you areas of untapped service and obedience to Him that could be blocking complete peace? Isn’t today a great day to start discovering how you can align yourself more closely with God… and receive His peace in return?
What are you waiting for? Praise God in Heaven… He is worthy, and He will give you peace!
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for December 25, 2011
Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Our Christmas Eve meal was pretty well prepared and in the oven. We planned to eat at 3:30 p.m. My mother and her sister had picked up my grandmother at her assisted living facility, and I glanced up in time to see Mom’s Jeep pull into our driveway. Then I heard my mother yell for my husband to come quickly. My grandmother had fallen. I rushed outside to see her lying lifeless on the driveway. My husband rushed to call 911 as I hurried toward my Mam-ma. That’s when I saw the pool of blood forming under her head and trailing down our driveway.
I pressed a cloth tightly to her head, but the blood soaked through and poured on to the concrete underneath. The ambulance arrived, and my grandmother was transported to the hospital emergency room, where scans indicated no internal head or neck injury. Once the bandages were removed and everything was cleaned, she had a large hematoma (blood pocket) with a small puncture wound in the center. Her head was bandaged, and she was given pain medication, which made her woozy.
The doctor said there was no “medical justification” for admitting my grandmother to the hospital. I begged and pleaded, but he insisted he could not do this. I was at my wits’ end. I looked up and saw a sign beside a door where I was standing. It said “Chapel.” I stepped inside the chapel to call my husband and my mom. As we talked, I looked at plaques that hung on the wall. These contained scriptures, and the first thing I saw was Philippians 4:6-7. Then I read Lamentations 3:22-23, followed by Psalm 23, and finally... Jeremiah 29:11. I suggest you look these last three passages up and read them. I said a prayer before I left the chapel and asked God to handle this… to take my worries and fretting and give me peace about this situation.
When I stepped back into my grandmother’s exam room, I was visibly upset… and the nurse who had been treating my grandmother offered… “I can ask the ER doctor to call the doctor on duty upstairs and see if he will admit your grandmother - at least overnight.” She didn’t make any promises, but it was worth a shot. A few minutes later, the nurse returned to tell me that my grandmother was being admitted.
I cannot tell you the overwhelming peace and relief that flooded me when the nurse offered to talk with the doctors. I cannot begin to express how I felt when she returned to tell me that the doctor had agreed. I was so grateful to God for working out what I could not… and for directing me into that chapel for a few minutes. There, as I read those scripture passages, God gave me what I needed… peace and a sense of calmness, reassurance that He was in control… hope and love overflowing.
This is the gift of Christmas. It’s not found in the stockings, tinsel and beautifully wrapped packages. The love of our Heavenly Father, expressed by the birth, life and death of His only Son, surrounds us and meets our every need. All we have to do is open our heart and receive Him.
I was prepared to lose my grandmother on our driveway. I felt God’s peace and calm there in a way I cannot begin to describe. But I am grateful that He chose to wait for another place and time for this inevitable event. Meanwhile, I am reminded once again that God is in control… that I am His, and He blankets me with His love, grace and peace. My prayer for you this Christmas Day is that you feel His presence, too. I hope your holiday has been less “eventful,” and that you have celebrated the love of Christ with those most dear to you. Merry Christmas!
©2011 Debbie Robus
Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Our Christmas Eve meal was pretty well prepared and in the oven. We planned to eat at 3:30 p.m. My mother and her sister had picked up my grandmother at her assisted living facility, and I glanced up in time to see Mom’s Jeep pull into our driveway. Then I heard my mother yell for my husband to come quickly. My grandmother had fallen. I rushed outside to see her lying lifeless on the driveway. My husband rushed to call 911 as I hurried toward my Mam-ma. That’s when I saw the pool of blood forming under her head and trailing down our driveway.
I pressed a cloth tightly to her head, but the blood soaked through and poured on to the concrete underneath. The ambulance arrived, and my grandmother was transported to the hospital emergency room, where scans indicated no internal head or neck injury. Once the bandages were removed and everything was cleaned, she had a large hematoma (blood pocket) with a small puncture wound in the center. Her head was bandaged, and she was given pain medication, which made her woozy.
The doctor said there was no “medical justification” for admitting my grandmother to the hospital. I begged and pleaded, but he insisted he could not do this. I was at my wits’ end. I looked up and saw a sign beside a door where I was standing. It said “Chapel.” I stepped inside the chapel to call my husband and my mom. As we talked, I looked at plaques that hung on the wall. These contained scriptures, and the first thing I saw was Philippians 4:6-7. Then I read Lamentations 3:22-23, followed by Psalm 23, and finally... Jeremiah 29:11. I suggest you look these last three passages up and read them. I said a prayer before I left the chapel and asked God to handle this… to take my worries and fretting and give me peace about this situation.
When I stepped back into my grandmother’s exam room, I was visibly upset… and the nurse who had been treating my grandmother offered… “I can ask the ER doctor to call the doctor on duty upstairs and see if he will admit your grandmother - at least overnight.” She didn’t make any promises, but it was worth a shot. A few minutes later, the nurse returned to tell me that my grandmother was being admitted.
I cannot tell you the overwhelming peace and relief that flooded me when the nurse offered to talk with the doctors. I cannot begin to express how I felt when she returned to tell me that the doctor had agreed. I was so grateful to God for working out what I could not… and for directing me into that chapel for a few minutes. There, as I read those scripture passages, God gave me what I needed… peace and a sense of calmness, reassurance that He was in control… hope and love overflowing.
This is the gift of Christmas. It’s not found in the stockings, tinsel and beautifully wrapped packages. The love of our Heavenly Father, expressed by the birth, life and death of His only Son, surrounds us and meets our every need. All we have to do is open our heart and receive Him.
I was prepared to lose my grandmother on our driveway. I felt God’s peace and calm there in a way I cannot begin to describe. But I am grateful that He chose to wait for another place and time for this inevitable event. Meanwhile, I am reminded once again that God is in control… that I am His, and He blankets me with His love, grace and peace. My prayer for you this Christmas Day is that you feel His presence, too. I hope your holiday has been less “eventful,” and that you have celebrated the love of Christ with those most dear to you. Merry Christmas!
©2011 Debbie Robus
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