Tag Archives: Christ

New

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You are new today. The past is the past.  It is done away with.  It is over.  It is gone.  It is past.

For those of us in Christ, we are a new creation.  Not we will become a new creation. We are a new creation. We are new.

It’s not that the past will be done away with.  The past is done away with.

It’s not that it will be left behind us.  It is left behind us.  It’s done.  It’s over.  It’s gone.

Listen to what Paul says today in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

newToday, you are new.  Now, you may not be fully formed.  You may not be perfect. You may not have it all figured out.  you may not be yet what you need to be and what you will be one day.  Sure, that’s all true.

But, you are new.  You are a new creation.  You are forgiven.  You are restored.  You are made right.  You can walk today in life, new mercy, new grace, new hope, new peace, new life.

You are new today.  Live new.  Live with hope that comes from being a forgiven child of God today.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

We are One

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We as Christians, we are one. We may be part of different local churches. We many share the exact same view of every issue or every belief. We man not be the same mind on everything.

But we are one.

There is one body. There is one Spirit. We are part of the same body.

We are one.

Listen to what Paul says this morning in Ephesians 4:4-6:

There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

TOSHIBA Exif JPEGThere is one body. One spirit. One hope. One Lord. One faith. One baptism. One God and Father.

The same Holy Spirit calls us into relationship with the Father through the Son. We share the same faith. We share the same hope. We share the same body. We all believe the gift of baptism.

Yes, there may be differences between us all. But that’s ok. For we are one.

Now, imagine if the church would live as one. Imagine if we would work together. Serve together. Make a difference together.

Glorify God together.

There is so much for the kingdom that we can do together.

So, today, let’s not “act” like we are one. Let’s realize that we “are” one. And let’s live in that reality.

Today, let’s realize that there are so many more things that unite us, instead of separate us. We really are one.

Really.

So, let’s treat each other as family. Let’s love each other. Let’s serve each other. Let’s serve with each other. We are one.

Let’s show the world that. Let’s show the world our love, our Lord, our hope, our calling.

We are one. Let’s live like it today!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

We Need Each Other

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We are all connected to each other. Through Christ, we are connected.

He is my Father. And if you are His, you are His child as I am. That makes him your Father as well.  And if He’s your Father, that makes us family. That makes us siblings. We need each other. We are connected. That’s just the way that it is.

None of us were made to walk this path of life alone.  None of us were made to walk it without someone beside us.

No matter how unworthy you may feel.  No matter how little you may feel.  No matter how unimportant you may feel.  You matter.  You are important.  You are important to God, important to the Body of Christ, important to us all.

You matter.  You do.  No matter where you are, we need you.  Listen to what Paul says today in 1 Corinthians 12:21-26:

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Every part of the body is important. The hand. The foot. Each matters.  Each is vital.  Each is needed.

As it is with us. We matter. Each of us matters. To God. To the church. To each other. And, we need each other.

To love each other. To hold each other accountable. To help each other. To challenge each other. To grow each other. To disciple each other.

We are a body. We are family.  We need each other.

Today, is my deepest prayer that you are plugged in somewhere where you know that and you feel that.  That you know that you matter. That you know that you are needed. That you know that you belong.

Today, you matter.  Today, you belong. Today, in Christ, are you family. Today, we need each other.  May we not live along.  May we love, plug in, help, and care for each other.

We are part of a body, Christ’s body.  May we never forget that we need each other.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Boasting in Weakness

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Boasting is not something we are supposed to do. The Bible tells us in Proverbs, it’s the pride that goes before the fall. If we brag, if we boast, if we get too full of ourselves, trouble will come.

Boasting is not good.

Yet today, we see Paul talking about boasting! He says – I will boast. You would think such a statement would be something that would be leading him to trouble.  Listen to what he says in 2 Corinthians 12:8-10:

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul says – I will boast in my weakness. For in my weakness, I know Christ’s power. In my weakness I am strong.

That’s something to boast about.

That goes so different from our world. Our world tells us to boast about how awesome we are. How great we are. How perfect we are. It’s about us.

Paul says to that – No! I will no boast in anything about me, but I will boast in Christ thought me. Every great thing in my (and our) life is no because of us.

It’s because of Him.

We have not earned it. We can’t earn it. We can’t boast in ourselves. We boast in Him. As I tell folks at Asbury, if anything I do is good, He gets credit. I’ll take credit for the bad stuff.

His love, His mercy, His grace, these are gifts. And when we realize how weak we are, we can boast even more in them. That’s what Paul is saying. He has realized how much he does not deserve God’s grace, and God gives it any way.

Which makes Him love God even more!

So, today, don’t boast in yourself. Boast in God. Boast in His goodness, mercy, and grace. In our weakness, His strength is made perfect. When we are lesser, He is greater.

If you’re going to boast, boast about your weakness. And when we know that we are weak, we will find that He is strong.

And that’s something to boast about.

Light versus Dark

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As those of you that have heard me preach on the subject know, I’m just fascinated by the concept of light and darkness.  Maybe that comes from my background in chemistry.  Maybe I’m just a geek. Who knows?

But, we do know this. There is no such thing as darkness.  Darkness doesn’t exist. It is simply the absence of light.

So, when light enters in, the darkness vanishes.  It doesn’t have a choice. When there is light, there simply is no darkness. It cannot abide where there is light.

So, when we realize that, listen to the words of John 1:

5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.

He is talking about Jesus.  Jesus is the Light from God. And His light drives out all the darkness.

And I’m not just talking about darkness in a big picture sense. We know He will win the battle over evil one day. I’m talking about darkness on an individual level.

When His light enters in to the darkness, it drive the darkness out of the areas of our lives.

So, in that, where is there darkness in our lives? Where is that area of our lives, of our souls where darkness reigns?

Where is there hate. . . . pride. . . . .lust. . . . .whatever. . . . .

And in these areas, have we let the light of Christ enter in?

When we let that light of Christ into these areas, He drives out the darkness.  Darkness cannot remain where light is.  And He is the Light of the world.

Have we let His light into our lives?  Have we let it shine?  Have we given it to Him?

His light will drive out the darkness.

May He do so in our lives.