Hebrews 3:1-6
My friends, God has chosen you to be his holy people. So think about Jesus, the one we call our apostle and high priest! Jesus was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in serving all of God’s people. But Jesus deserves more honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house deserves more honor than the house. Of course, every house is built by someone, and God is really the one who built everything.
Moses was a faithful servant and told God’s people what would be said in the future. But Christ is the Son in charge of God’s people. And we are those people, if we keep on being brave and don’t lose hope.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In 39+ years of marriage, Greg and I have moved more than ten times. Two of those moves were into new houses that were constructed for us by the same builder… and another was a house he remodeled for us. It would be safe to say that we are partial to Willie Stone Construction Co. This father/son duo and crew have built a reputation in our area for creating beautiful homes and doing quality work.
We’ve added our “touch” to every house in which we have lived. Some were created by reputable builders who put quality work into every board and nail. Others were less than they appeared and required constant upkeep and repairs. So while we always made them look nice, the understructure was not always top notch! We learned through experience and careful observation that who you choose as your builder matters! We also learned that it matters who is in charge of the crew. Some sub-contractors worked very hard day in and out… while others worked far harder and faster when the boss was on the scene! In the end, the house will only be as good as its designer and builder… only as sound as those who actually did the work and the person(s) who supervised them and checked the work.
So what does this have to do with our spiritual life and living with hope? Why was this analogy even used in scripture to present this message? Here’s how I see it. God is the builder… Jesus is the supervising contractor… and we are the house. We were designed and created by God. Jesus came to earth to show us how to live in the house God built for us… to “supervise” our growth and development as His disciples and to actually give us life through His death on the cross… and our lives as Christians are the end result. If we pay attention, listen well, and live with hope and confidence in Jesus, our “structure” will be sound – and last into Eternity. If we play fast and loose and allow shoddy workmanship in the form of sin and the devil’s tricks to factor into our lives, we’ll always need upkeep and repairs… our lives might very well crumble and fall into disrepair… and they might even become “uninhabitable.”
We must stay strong. We must make wise choices. We must seek the best “Builder” for our life (God) and put our faith in a “Supervisor” (Jesus Christ) who will create in us a quality product. We must be on the lookout and guard our hearts against shoddy workmanship and shortcuts. We must truly stay strong and selective and say, “I will only be a house built by God Almighty!” We must claim that “on Christ the solid rock I stand,” as the old hymn says…and have hope and confidence that He will build nothing but the best in us.
Who have you chosen as your Ultimate Builder? How firm is your foundation? Are YOU built to last into Eternity? Don’t you want to be? Isn’t it time you chose Jesus as your “supervisor” and placed your hope in Him? Will this be the day you begin?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label rebuilding our lives in Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebuilding our lives in Christ. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 11, 2012
Psalm 51:7-17
Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.
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.
This particular Psalm was written by King David, after the prophet Nathan told him that God was displeased about his indiscretions with Bathsheba - and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Because of this, God was not going to allow the baby they conceived to live. In 2 Samuel 12:13-14, we read… David said, “I have disobeyed the LORD.” “Yes, you have!” Nathan answered. “You showed you didn’t care what the LORD wanted. He has forgiven you, and you won’t die. But your newborn son will.”
Naturally, David was distressed. More importantly, he was truly broken… and repentant. The next verses tell us that David refused to eat or sleep, laid on the floor and begged God to spare the baby. When the baby died, David dressed, ate, and worshiped God. And because of his heartfelt repentance and broken spirit, God forgave David and blessed him. He even gave another son to David and Bathsheba… the future King Solomon.
Take away a couple of things from this. First, don’t be fooled into thinking you can do as you please, be sorry for what you’ve done, and expect God to forgive you and bless you as he did King David! This story and Psalm 51 are not license to do as we please and expect God to redeem us over and again. Going through the motions does not please God. Secondly, recognize that the only sacrifice that is truly acceptable to God is a broken spirit. This means we must recognize where we have fallen short or failed and genuinely come before God in a spirit of total humility and remorse. We have to have an “I-will-never-ever-ever-do-that-again!” attitude… and mean it!
Here’s the deal… God knows when we are sincere. He knows when we are approaching Him with a broken spirit – ready to receive His forgiveness and a fresh start… a “Genesis week,” or new beginning. He also knows when we are playing with Him! So examine your heart… approach God with a humble attitude and a sincere desire to change. Look at a broken spirit as a good thing… your first step toward truly living in Christ – and Christ living in you! Ask God to wash you as clean as snow-white laundry… and do whatever He requires to prove you are serious. Then praise Him over and again for His grace and mercy, a clean bill of health… and the opportunity to start over and live for Him.
©2012 Debbie Robus
Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise.
Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.
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.
This particular Psalm was written by King David, after the prophet Nathan told him that God was displeased about his indiscretions with Bathsheba - and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Because of this, God was not going to allow the baby they conceived to live. In 2 Samuel 12:13-14, we read… David said, “I have disobeyed the LORD.” “Yes, you have!” Nathan answered. “You showed you didn’t care what the LORD wanted. He has forgiven you, and you won’t die. But your newborn son will.”
Naturally, David was distressed. More importantly, he was truly broken… and repentant. The next verses tell us that David refused to eat or sleep, laid on the floor and begged God to spare the baby. When the baby died, David dressed, ate, and worshiped God. And because of his heartfelt repentance and broken spirit, God forgave David and blessed him. He even gave another son to David and Bathsheba… the future King Solomon.
Take away a couple of things from this. First, don’t be fooled into thinking you can do as you please, be sorry for what you’ve done, and expect God to forgive you and bless you as he did King David! This story and Psalm 51 are not license to do as we please and expect God to redeem us over and again. Going through the motions does not please God. Secondly, recognize that the only sacrifice that is truly acceptable to God is a broken spirit. This means we must recognize where we have fallen short or failed and genuinely come before God in a spirit of total humility and remorse. We have to have an “I-will-never-ever-ever-do-that-again!” attitude… and mean it!
Here’s the deal… God knows when we are sincere. He knows when we are approaching Him with a broken spirit – ready to receive His forgiveness and a fresh start… a “Genesis week,” or new beginning. He also knows when we are playing with Him! So examine your heart… approach God with a humble attitude and a sincere desire to change. Look at a broken spirit as a good thing… your first step toward truly living in Christ – and Christ living in you! Ask God to wash you as clean as snow-white laundry… and do whatever He requires to prove you are serious. Then praise Him over and again for His grace and mercy, a clean bill of health… and the opportunity to start over and live for Him.
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for March 26, 2012
Ephesians 2:19-22
That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
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 centuries, men and women have been creating beautiful, useful items out of scraps. Many things that would ordinarily be tossed into the trash can are pulled together by creative and industrious (if not a big crazy) people to make something useful… maybe even a work of art! If you can’t envision what would be worth saving, you need only look at my desk or laundry room! Greeting cards with beautiful designs can be repurposed into a new note card. Tiny fabric scraps can be fashioned into a frilly hair bow, doll dress, or applique for a t-shirt. My grandmother has used incredibly tiny fabric scraps to create intricately beautiful quilts as long as I can remember. My great-grandmothers created a “postage-stamp” out of fabric scraps that were… yes… the size of postage stamps! Even a worn bed sheet or pillowcase can be cut into smaller strips to use as cleaning cloths.
I saw on Pinterest where an artist in Texas took shovel spades and used them to create the individual spines of enormous “pine cones” for beautiful yard art. A discarded metal yard rake was made into everything from a wall rack to hold wine glasses to a desk sorter for mail and office supplies! On one of my favorite TV cooking shows… Chopped… contestants are given four unrelated (and often bizarre) food items and told to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert from them. And on American Pickers, the two hosts often buy items like vintage bicycles and motorcycles and restore them to their original luster. Others are used as spare parts to create a new bike. In this manner, the once useless piece is given a new purpose, whether as the foundation or as a vital “brick or stone.”
All of these projects have one thing in common – a cornerstone, or starting point. Often this is the idea itself. Then piece by piece, scrap by scrap, the project takes shape. You see the quilt or yard art develop. You smell flavorful aromas and discover that there is usually something in the pantry that can create a tasty meal! You look at the shiny new bike and have no clue that it was once a pile of rusty parts! You look at something deemed useless and realize that all you needed was a new attitude… and maybe a little teamwork and some ingenuity.
Here’s my point… we are the scraps… the useless bits ready for the discard heap. Jesus is the cornerstone… the Idea, the Creative Spark that says “There is something worth saving here!” The foundation is the Word of God and His will for our life… His desire for us to be more in Jesus than we could ever be on our own. The ultimate outcome is God’s Holy Temple… an ingenious, beautiful work of art. We are God’s children, coming together from all backgrounds and histories to represent Him as one body… one heartbeat… one family… one home.
Where do you fit into this picture today? Are you part of the body of Christ? Are you involved in the building of God’s Holy Temple… His family of believers? Do you feel welcome and a part of this home? Or are you still operating like a lowly scrap, destined for the trash heap? Have you discovered your purpose? Are you even looking for it?
Haven’t you wandered long enough? Aren’t you ready to come home… to pitch in and do your part to belong in God’s Kingdom? No skills are required… no ticket is needed. All you have to do is ask Jesus to wash you clean of your sins and set you upright. He will do exactly this… and assign you a spot on the construction crew. Are you ready for your hard hat?
©2012 Debbie Robus
That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
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 centuries, men and women have been creating beautiful, useful items out of scraps. Many things that would ordinarily be tossed into the trash can are pulled together by creative and industrious (if not a big crazy) people to make something useful… maybe even a work of art! If you can’t envision what would be worth saving, you need only look at my desk or laundry room! Greeting cards with beautiful designs can be repurposed into a new note card. Tiny fabric scraps can be fashioned into a frilly hair bow, doll dress, or applique for a t-shirt. My grandmother has used incredibly tiny fabric scraps to create intricately beautiful quilts as long as I can remember. My great-grandmothers created a “postage-stamp” out of fabric scraps that were… yes… the size of postage stamps! Even a worn bed sheet or pillowcase can be cut into smaller strips to use as cleaning cloths.
I saw on Pinterest where an artist in Texas took shovel spades and used them to create the individual spines of enormous “pine cones” for beautiful yard art. A discarded metal yard rake was made into everything from a wall rack to hold wine glasses to a desk sorter for mail and office supplies! On one of my favorite TV cooking shows… Chopped… contestants are given four unrelated (and often bizarre) food items and told to create an appetizer, entrée and dessert from them. And on American Pickers, the two hosts often buy items like vintage bicycles and motorcycles and restore them to their original luster. Others are used as spare parts to create a new bike. In this manner, the once useless piece is given a new purpose, whether as the foundation or as a vital “brick or stone.”
All of these projects have one thing in common – a cornerstone, or starting point. Often this is the idea itself. Then piece by piece, scrap by scrap, the project takes shape. You see the quilt or yard art develop. You smell flavorful aromas and discover that there is usually something in the pantry that can create a tasty meal! You look at the shiny new bike and have no clue that it was once a pile of rusty parts! You look at something deemed useless and realize that all you needed was a new attitude… and maybe a little teamwork and some ingenuity.
Here’s my point… we are the scraps… the useless bits ready for the discard heap. Jesus is the cornerstone… the Idea, the Creative Spark that says “There is something worth saving here!” The foundation is the Word of God and His will for our life… His desire for us to be more in Jesus than we could ever be on our own. The ultimate outcome is God’s Holy Temple… an ingenious, beautiful work of art. We are God’s children, coming together from all backgrounds and histories to represent Him as one body… one heartbeat… one family… one home.
Where do you fit into this picture today? Are you part of the body of Christ? Are you involved in the building of God’s Holy Temple… His family of believers? Do you feel welcome and a part of this home? Or are you still operating like a lowly scrap, destined for the trash heap? Have you discovered your purpose? Are you even looking for it?
Haven’t you wandered long enough? Aren’t you ready to come home… to pitch in and do your part to belong in God’s Kingdom? No skills are required… no ticket is needed. All you have to do is ask Jesus to wash you clean of your sins and set you upright. He will do exactly this… and assign you a spot on the construction crew. Are you ready for your hard hat?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for February 7, 2012
Isaiah 42:1-4
"Take a good look at my servant. I'm backing him to the hilt. He's the one I chose, and I couldn't be more pleased with him. I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He'll set everything right among the nations. He won't call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right. He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped until he's finished his work—to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching."
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.
Those of you who know me well know that I am currently fascinated with repurposing objects and giving them a new life. I have turned the sleeves of shirts and dresses into leggings and pants for toddler girls. I’ve learned how to make vests and other garments from old t-shirts, and tired sweaters have become caps and mittens for babies. Vintage linens… doilies, tablecloths and bed sheets… have become dresses, jackets, collars, and bibs for babies and little ones. An old skirt became part of a bathrobe for my cousin Owen for Christmas, and I have a chenille bedspread that is begging to become several more robes!
And it’s not just fabric. A friend asked me for a piece of gum at the ballgame recently, and I opened my purse and whipped out a little plastic container that had once held Gerber baby food… now it houses my stash of gum! I melt leftover candle wax and pour it over wicks I bought at Hobby Lobby to make new candles and keep from wasting that last third of the jar of scented wax. An old box that held disposable coffee cups and lids was covered with paper and now holds my sewing patterns.
If I can figure out another use for something, I do not throw it away, no matter how small and insignificant it seems. That’s why I have a handy stash of fabric scraps and lace trims that are perfect for patching stains and holes… I almost always have a button when I need to replace one that is missing… and the rich chicken broth that I used to make soup last week came from boiling the leftover bones of our rotisserie chicken!
Have you ever considered that WE have been repurposed by God? Through the blood of Jesus, we are given a new life. In the scheme of things, we are each so seemingly insignificant and small… yet God sent His only Son to die for us and set things right! I like to imagine that God’s “craft room” is full of broken hearts and beaten-down spirits… sinners and downtrodden souls that He is repurposing into something wonderful for His glory!
We have very much become a “throw-away society.” Yes, I use disposable coffee cups on occasion – but only if I want to take coffee with me somewhere that it would not be convenient to rinse out a mug and stash it. And if I buy a cup of coffee at McDonald’s, I often bring the container home to wash and reuse a few times until the plastic lid disintegrates. The point is that God sees the potential in us. Recently I used a tiny piece of lace trim to cover a stain that threatened to ruin the leg of a pair of little girls’ leggings. That tiny scrap of trim turned something unlovely into something quite beautiful. In the same manner, God can use the tiniest “scrap” of a person to create something wonderful for His desires!
What is our “take-away” from this today? I believe there are two lessons:
©2012 Debbie Robus
"Take a good look at my servant. I'm backing him to the hilt. He's the one I chose, and I couldn't be more pleased with him. I've bathed him with my Spirit, my life. He'll set everything right among the nations. He won't call attention to what he does with loud speeches or gaudy parades. He won't brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won't disregard the small and insignificant, but he'll steadily and firmly set things right. He won't tire out and quit. He won't be stopped until he's finished his work—to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching."
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.
And it’s not just fabric. A friend asked me for a piece of gum at the ballgame recently, and I opened my purse and whipped out a little plastic container that had once held Gerber baby food… now it houses my stash of gum! I melt leftover candle wax and pour it over wicks I bought at Hobby Lobby to make new candles and keep from wasting that last third of the jar of scented wax. An old box that held disposable coffee cups and lids was covered with paper and now holds my sewing patterns.
If I can figure out another use for something, I do not throw it away, no matter how small and insignificant it seems. That’s why I have a handy stash of fabric scraps and lace trims that are perfect for patching stains and holes… I almost always have a button when I need to replace one that is missing… and the rich chicken broth that I used to make soup last week came from boiling the leftover bones of our rotisserie chicken!
Have you ever considered that WE have been repurposed by God? Through the blood of Jesus, we are given a new life. In the scheme of things, we are each so seemingly insignificant and small… yet God sent His only Son to die for us and set things right! I like to imagine that God’s “craft room” is full of broken hearts and beaten-down spirits… sinners and downtrodden souls that He is repurposing into something wonderful for His glory!
We have very much become a “throw-away society.” Yes, I use disposable coffee cups on occasion – but only if I want to take coffee with me somewhere that it would not be convenient to rinse out a mug and stash it. And if I buy a cup of coffee at McDonald’s, I often bring the container home to wash and reuse a few times until the plastic lid disintegrates. The point is that God sees the potential in us. Recently I used a tiny piece of lace trim to cover a stain that threatened to ruin the leg of a pair of little girls’ leggings. That tiny scrap of trim turned something unlovely into something quite beautiful. In the same manner, God can use the tiniest “scrap” of a person to create something wonderful for His desires!
What is our “take-away” from this today? I believe there are two lessons:
- God won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt… he won't disregard the small and insignificant, and
- God won’t quit… and neither should we.
©2012 Debbie Robus
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