Hope For Today

The Big Lie

Jesus will always love all His human creation, however, we cannot stop here because Jesus will always hate sin.

Satiated by their finished meal, the open fires casted a slight shadow over them as they and His disciples continued to listen intently. Preoccupied with the many things they had heard that day and evening were cause for consideration.

One of the things that caught their attention was Jesus telling them He would be ashamed of them if they were ashamed of Him and His words. Oh the deep, painful, and overwhelming sorrow they felt at these words.

Many of us probably associate ashamed with shame. Let’s stop right here.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1.

If you believe in Jesus there is no longer shame or condemnation on your shoulders.

In our verse today (Mark 8:38) Jesus is teaching that being ashamed is two-fold. It applies to those who haven’t accepted Jesus and have misplaced their trust and confidence in the big lie—someone or thing other than Jesus.

It also means Jesus will be ashamed of those who erroneously think, wrongly identify or align themselves with anyone or thing other than Him. I understand this is hard to hear for many especially because Jesus ushered in the new covenant of love.

Jesus will always love all His human creation, however, we cannot stop here because Jesus will always hate sin.

It is because of love Jesus gives the warning in our verse today. The adulterous and sinful generation began the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit and it continues to this day.

How you share this truth matters. It holds much weight. Yes, there is an urgency and we want others to know Jesus loves them. We also want them to know they don’t have to believe the big lie.

I encourage you to think about all the practical ways you can share Jesus. Smiling at strangers, picking up those items that fall off the shelf at grocery stores that others pass by, paying for the order of the car behind you in a drive-thru. These small steps help build our confidence and trust in Jesus and prepare us to move onto the bigger assignments He has for us.

How will you share Jesus today?

Shalom!

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Profit and Recognition

Believing in Jesus is not a for-profit lifestyle

The stunned crowd regained their presence of mind and realized they were hungry. They took some time to share a meal. Sitting around an open fire they pondered what the Teacher had said as they ate fig cakes, raisin cakes and loaves of bread. They drank wine from wine skins to quench their dry and parched throats.

As Jesus began to teach again He was talking about profit and gaining the world. Fist bump, now He was speaking their language. Surely the tax collectors in the crowd were salivating. Wait. Did He just say forfeit? What does forfeit and gaining the whole world have to do with each other?

Believing in Jesus automatically makes you His disciple. Hold up, I can sense and hear some of you saying, this isn’t what I signed up for. I hear you. I’m sorry if the discipleship part was or has been left out of what you’ve been taught. It is still eternally better than the alternative. Everyday I am learning something new about what it means to truly follow Jesus. We can learn together.

Believing in Jesus is not a for-profit lifestyle. Nor, is it for worldly recognition, or, any recognition. How can it be when our heart’s desire ought to be revealing Jesus? Profit and recognition stand in stark contrast to Jesus. Thursday’s post encouraged you to ask God to reveal to you what area’s from your past need to go. Could ego and pride (recognition) and acquiring vast wealth (monetary profit) be included in what God is showing you? It has been for me. I grew up with depression age parents. We always had everything we needed (and this ought to have been enough) but rarely did we have the things we desired. I fell into the trap of credit cards, yes that is plural, at an early age. Praise God for His divine wisdom and guidance. It wasn’t easy allowing myself to be set free from those chains but His plans are always best. We’ve also been working on pride through the years. That is an ugly root. Here’s the thing, when we choose to spend time with Jesus He lavishes us with His love. We begin to desire to change because of Him and for Him. He is so patient as we learn to trust Him and discover the changes that become apparent in our life.

Is it okay to profit? Sure it is if we use it from a kingdom perspective. When we profit it is our responsibility to do good, help and benefit others. In regards to forfeit Jesus is speaking to those who have not made a choice for Him. They may profit and gain recognition but will continue to carry the penalty of sin on their soul causing them to live a part from the light of heaven with Jesus.

Be bold with me today in the way you speak, the way you behave, and the way you share Jesus. Let’s be disciples according to His word. The world needs your smile, your hello, your compassion, your resources—money, time, talent, prayers. The world needs you to love them like Jesus.

Shalom!

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Opposite Day

Continuing their journey, the midday heat has dissipated and the cool of the desert evening is beginning to surround them. He and His disciples approach a large crowd holding torches to light the quickly advancing darkness. A donkey brays somewhere in the distance and the birds chirping begins to quiet as the desert settles for the night

He invites the crowd to come closer along with His disciples as He prepares to teach.

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Mark 8:34,35

The crowd is stunned by His words. His disciples, well, can you hear their thoughts? Deny ourselves…take up our cross…saving our life means losing it…losing our life means saving it? This is not opposite day or is it? The disciples have heard Jesus teach many things but this has them scratching their heads.

Deny is the Greek word aparneomai and means to utterly refuse to recognize the original source involved (Biblehub.com).

Cross is the Greek word stauros and represents unspeakable pain, humiliation and suffering – and ironically is also the symbol of infinite love! At the cross, Jesus won our salvation – which is free but certainly not cheap! (Biblehub.com).

Be encouraged! The Cross is not a symbol for suffering in general. It represents the trials, challenges and hardships we experience in life and are able to endure because of the power of Holy Spirit in us.

Lose is the Greek word apollumi meaning to be lost or utterly perish.

Save (my favorite of today’s words) is the Greek word sózó meaning to heal, preserve, rescue. Rescued from the former version of ourself and delivered into divine safety.

This is all fine and dandy but what does this actually look like for us? When we deny ourselves we are refusing to recognize the version of ourself prior to Jesus. This reminds me of Lot’s wife that turned into a pillar of salt because she looked back. I am not suggesting that we will turn into a pillar of salt for looking back at our former self, in fact, many of us are still working through area’s of our life that have to do with who we use to be, reconciling those area’s and receiving God’s abundant healing. Once we have both feet on the ground and can move forward, then, looking back is useless. I pray the power of Holy Spirit in you to see you successfully through any healing He is doing in you from your past. You’ve got this!

The Cross, oh the blessed Cross. Thank you Jesus for the Cross. Because of His death on the Cross you and I don’t have to endure that torture. We don’t have to live apart from the light and love of God. We don’t have to continue in sin because we have been set free! However, we all have, will and will continue to have struggles, trials, hardship, muck and yuck in our life this side of heaven.

Because of Jesus we aren’t lost and won’t utterly perish. We are rescued, healed and preserved by Him. We are saved.

Denying ourself for the sake of the gospel is the least we can do for what He did for us. With His help explore the area’s of the old version of yourself and ask Him what needs to go. Ask Him to help you let go. Ask Him for His help to endure the cross you are bearing. He is faithful to always help.

Jesus invited the crowd to come closer. He invites you too.

Shalom!