Tag Archives: Sin

No Distinction

Posted on by

0

One of my favorite parts of today’s passage is what is says in verse 22 – there is no distinction. Listen to what it says in Romans 3:21-24 today:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

I love that passage. There is no distinction at all. All are equal.

But in what ways are there no distinction? What does that mean?

Look what it says. It says there is no distinction in sin – all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.

All of us. All of us have sinned. You. Me. all of you.

Yes, this morning, you and I have sinned. Now, that doesn’t mean that we are scum of the earth or beyond forgiveness or worthless or terrible.

We’ve just all sinned. All of us. We are equal in that. You and me.

But, that isn’t the only place where there is no distinction.

All are justified (saved) by grace through faith.

There is no distinction today. We are all equal. We are equal in a need for God. And we are equal in God’s love for us.

So today, let’s look past each others’ weakness, since we all have them. And let’s love each other, since God loves us all the same.

We are equal in our need for God, and we are equal in God’s love for us.

Today, may we live our lives with no distinction.

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.

You’ve Stayed in the Pit Long Enough

Posted on by

0

In the Old Testament, during the Exodus, the people of God make some mistakes. They complain. The fuss. The worship idols, they rebel against God, the rebel against Moses.

They doubt God and His promises and refuse to move forward and trust in Him when He commands them to.

They do some pretty dumb stuff. And because of that, they are punished. The Lord says that instead of going straight to the promised land, they will wander for 40 years.

And so they wander. And wander. And wander. And wander. This was in the days before GPS, so there wasn’t much they could do!

Until today. Listen what happens today in Deuteronomy 1:5-8

Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’

God says through Moses – you’ve stayed here long enough. You wandered long enough. You’ve been here in your pit long enough. It’s time to move. It’s time to go. It’s over. New life awaits.

It’s time to get up and walk. It’s time to get up and move.

You’ve stayed in your pit long enough.

Today, you have stayed in your pit long enough. No matter what that pit is. Today is a new day. You are forgiven. You are new. Today is a day to walk on. Today is a day to start over. Today is a day to go.

God still has big things for you. God still as new things for you. There is still life and hope and peace for you.

You just have to get up and go.

You can do it. You can get up. You can walk forward. You can leave your pit.

Through God’s grace. Today, you’ve stayed in your pit long enough. Today, get up and go.

And God will go with you!

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.

Who Will Steer the Ship?

Posted on by

0

Sin and temptation are powerful. They really are. Sometimes in our lives, we feel like we are totally helpless in resisting sin. We feel overwhelmed. We feel as though there is nothing that we can do against it.

Paul talks a lot about the power of sin, how it takes over, how it works against us, how we can feel as though we are overcome by it sometimes.

And he is 100% correct there (duh, he is well, you know, Paul, and all of this is inspired by the Holy Spirit!). So then, we why do we fight against? If God loves us in spite of our sin, and we are helpless against it, then why do we worry about it and strain against it?

Listen to what he says today in Romans 6: 12-14:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Do not present yourself to sin, but instead present yourself to God. What? What does that mean?

Today, in your life, what will set the course for your actions? Will it be your sin and temptations? Or will it be God?
Something will steer the ship in your life today.

Something will guide you today. Will it be God? Or will it be sin?

If it is sin, then you will get yourself in trouble. You will trip and fall. You will make mistakes.

Me too, by the way! All of us are equally effected, and destroyed by sin. It’s called being human.

But, if God steers the ship, if God sets the course, then we will be more aware of temptation. We will be more aware of where we are being pulled away. We will be more in tune to His leading and will have more of His strength to fight.

Now, even with God steering, we will mess up. But if He is steering, and we mess up, we are aware of mistakes, aware of His calling to keep going, and aware of His forgiveness.

Sin blinds us to these things. And sin wants to keep us from knowing that we are forgiven!

So, today, in your life, who will steer the ship? Will you present yourself to God? Or to sin?

That decision right now, will affect everything else we do 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.

Not Satisfied

Posted on by

0

One of the things that I know deep, deep down in my heart is this. We are all sinful. We are all broken. We are all frail. We are all weak.

That’s who we are. That’s who you are. That’s who I am. I am not big on judging others, because I know my weakness. We all have work to do in our lives.

I think this one fact is one of the things that draws people to Asbury, it’s a place where you can be loved on and not beat up on. It’s a place where we all admit that we are imperfect.

I know that, and I believe that.

Now, that said, there’s something else I believe. I know I’m sinful and broken.

And I’m not satisfied to stay that way. I know that there is more than my sin and my brokenness. I know that God has to have more than that.

I’m satisfied with staying the same. I want more.

Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 2:17-20 today:

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We are sinners, yes, but Christ is not a servant to sin. We die to ourselves, and to our sin, so that we may live in Christ.

But it’s not really us living, but Christ living in us and through us.

If you are not satisfied this morning, this is the answer. It’s not about you (or me) or our frailties and sin. It’s about Jesus living in us and through us.

It’s about Jesus changing and transforming us. It’s about us getting out of the way, and devoting ourselves to Him. And knowing that life through Him.

Today, there is more. Today, you are more. There is more than life as you’ve always known it, more that life as it’s always been. There is hope, joy and peace.

Today, don’t be satisfied. Today, strive after something bigger and better. Today, life in and through Him.

Today, live!

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.

Come Home

Posted on by

0

There will be a break in posts for about a week or so, my family is going to Disney World this Sunday following worship at Asbury (come join us 8:20 or 10:40!).  I’ll be back the next week and resume posting then!

The Old Testament prophets are constantly warning the people. Stop doing the things that you are doing to break the law.

Stop abusing the poor.

Stop worshiping idols.

Stop departing from God.

They tell the people, over and over again, if you do not stop, there will be judgement. There will be pain.

Sin hurts. Sin destroys. Sin looks like it will be a good thing, it will bring fun, it will bring life, but it doesn’t. It only brings destruction and pain and hurt and loss.

It was once written the reason God hates sin so much is because it destroys His children.

Today, we hear the other word of the prophets. Come home. Listen to what it says in Joel 2: 12-14:

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?

If you return, return with your heart, He will forgive your sin. He will forgive, He will restore.

He will make it, and all things new. He will give hope and peace.

He will welcome us back home.

So today, no matter where we are, when we turn back to Him, He welcomes us back home.

Today, no matter where you are, God wants you to come home.

Peace, life, love and forgiveness are found in Him. And found there. Today, may we return to Him and find what we are looking for.

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.

All Fall Down

Posted on by

0

I spent a lot of time in college listen to goofy, fun, Christian music. In the 1990s, Christian music, the kind of music you hear on K-LOVE or other Christian stations was really just getting starting. And back then, there was a song I used to love called “All Fall Down.” And the reason why I loved this song was because it basically said something that I believe, that I’ve preached my entire ministry.

We are all going to fall down. We are all going to make mistakes. No one is perfect. All fall down.

What happens then?

Listen to what happens today in John 13: 36-38:

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

Today’s passage made me think of that old song. Listen to what Jesus tells Peter today.

You will deny. By the end of the night, you will have denied me three times. Now, this is Peter we are talking about. He’s kind of a big deal. The head of the apostles. The one that preached Pentecost. The one that walked on water, if just for a moment.

He’s Peter.

And he fell down. He made a mistake. He denied. He messed up.

All fall down.

He got back up though. He repented and He stood up through grace. And was faithful. His mistake didn’t end His walk with God. It was merely a bump in the road.

All fall down.

We will each make mistakes. That’s part of the human experience. That’s what happens. What then?

What next? We will all fall down. What will we do after fall down?

May we stand up, and may we stand on grace. We aren’t saved by what we have done, we are saved by what He has done. We are loved because we are made in Him image. We are loved because He has redeemed us.

We are loved because we are His.

Today, we will fall. May we stand. May we stand on grace. Today, when you fall, dust yourself off, get up, keep going.

All fall down. Though His grace may we get up and keep going!

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.

Motivation

Posted on by

0

Today in this passage we read the famous story of when God calls Isaiah. We see God appear in the temple before this and we see him ask a question – who will go for us?

Listen to Isaiah 6:8:

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

And we see Isaiah’s famous response. Here I am, send me! Man of us have heard Isaiah’s response and marveled! What an awesome thing to say, what a great response. What am example.

May we have the strength to do the same!

But where did this strength come from? Where was this motivation found? How could Isaiah decide to forsake everything that he was doing and follow God’s request? Where did this motivation come from?

Look what happend before the famous verse 8, look at 6-7:

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

God took away his guilt. His sins were forgiven. His sin was atoned for. He was forgive and free.

He had experienced the joy and life of forgiveness! He had seen his sins taken away. He had heard and experienced the power of being forgiven.

He had the most powerful motivation any of us could ever have in our lives – grace.

Was God asking for a lot from Isaiah? Yes. God was sending him out on a big life changing mission. But Isaiah gladly and eagerly volunteered. Because he had found the joy of God’s forgiveness. He was new. He was clean. He was forgiven. It was a fresh start. A new day. And he couldn’t wait to go!

Today, you’ve been forgiven. God has forgiven you. You sins are washed away. Serve Him today not out of obligation or fear. Serve Him out of a thankful heart.

We have the greatest motivation in the entire world. We’ve been given grace! We’ve been given forgiveness! We’ve been given love!

And God asks us today, who will go and show that same grace, forgiveness, and love to others?

May our response be the same as Isaiah. Here I am. Send me!

A Prayer of Confession

Posted on by

0

I read this prayer this morning on a site I use in the morning for my daily devotional. It really resonated with me today.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most holy and merciful Father:
We confess to you and to one another,
and to the whole communion of saints
in heaven and on earth,
that we have sinned by our own fault
in thought, word, and deed;
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.

We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christ served us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved your Holy Spirit.

Have mercy on us, Lord.

We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and our exploitation of other people,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts, and our dishonesty in daily life and work,

We confess to you, Lord.

Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failure to commend the faith that is in us,

We confess to you, Lord.

Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we have done: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,

Accept our repentance, Lord.

Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us;

Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.

Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,

That we may show forth your glory in the world.

By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,

Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection.

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

A Turning From

Posted on by

0

This morning, as I was praying and reading, I read a verse that I’d read a good many times in prayer in the morning, but it had never really stood out to me, until today. I ready from Psalm 38, and in verse 18 it says “I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.”

And that got me to thinking. I spend time in my prayer time confessing my sin – Lord I’m sorry for this, forgive me for that. That’s healthy. That’s what God wants us to do. The Bible teaches us confess our sins, and He is faithful and just and will forgive us.

But this verse in Psalm 38 hit me, I am sorry for my sin. And I thought, huh. Am I really sorry? Do I really feel sorry for the sins I’ve committed against God and against others.

Huh.

And then I read in today’s reading from Matthew 3:11-2.  Liste to what it says:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Today,  John the Baptist came saying that he comes with water for repentance but Jesus was coming with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

And so these things all tumbled around in my brain this morning and it became clear to me. I (and we) are called to than just confess our sin. We are feel that since of sorrow over wrongs done.

And we are to repent (i.e. turn from) these things.

That thing in your life, that thing that causes you pain? That hurts you? That hurts your family? That thing is not God’s will for you. God’s will for you is something good. Something life giving. Something that will bring you joy and peace and life.

God wants good things for you. Really.

The reason why He wants us to feel sorrow and turn from our sins is that these things aren’t life giving. They are life draining. And God wants to give us life.

Today in our lives, may we turn from the things that take away life, and turn to the things that give us. May we feel sorrow over wrongs done, but feel joy over forgiveness offered.

God loves you. Really. He does. May we turn from the things that turn us away from Him. And turn to the things that turn us to Him.

He is good. And His mercy endures forever.

Lists

Posted on by

1

This morning as I was reading in Mark, I noticed Jesus do something that I seem to only catch in Paul. I’m sure Jesus did it quiet often, but something about it caught my eye today.

He gave a list.

Jesus was teaching about things that make one “clean” or ‘unclean.”  His disciples had been fussed at because they were “unclean.” They hadn’t washed their hands and the religious leaders said – hey, they are unclean!  Jesus did some teaching on the truth of what makes someone unclean. He said what makes you unclean isn’t what’s on your hands, but what’s in your heart.

And then, He lists off some of this things.  Listen to what He says in Mark 7:

And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

And what always sticks out to me is this. It’s the same thing that Paul does a lot. He says the unclean things like sexual immorality, theft, murder, things like this and folks are thinking, yeah God!  Get ’em!

Get those evil, immoral people! They deserve to be smited!  They deserve your judgement!  Get ’em!

But the list doesn’t stop there. It keeps going.  He gets to envy. . . . pride. . . . . foolishness. . . . . gulp.  Suddenly our judgement is gone.  Jesus has gone from preaching to meddling.  It’s not just “them” who are sinful.  It’s us too.

And that’s the problem with lists. That’s the problem with any of us thinking we are better than anyone else. We are all lacking somewhere. We are have some fault, somewhere. We all miss the mark somewhere.

That’s why it’s called grace. That’s why we can’t earn it. That’s why we all are saved by faith, not by works.

If we are saved by works, then we’d all end up on the “naughty” list.

So today, let’s not keep lists.  Let’s not keep a list of “their” sin.  Or “our” sin.  Let’s just love.  Love as we’ve been loved.  Forgive as we’ve been forgiven.  And know that God wants our heart, above all else. And if He has our heart, He’ll take care of the rest.

Today, may we give Him our total hearts.