DAY 34 “BUT FIRST, SHOULDN’T I ……..”

John 6:35-37 & Psalm 51:10

Charlotte was born on March 18, 1789 in Clapham, England. She was a portrait artist and a humorist. For the first thirty years of her life, she lived such a life of excess that she was called “Carefree Charlotte”. Then suddenly at age 30, Charlotte became seriously ill and was confined to her bed in pain.  Bitter and despondent, she was upset with God.

Two years later, one of her father’s friends came for dinner. He was Dr. Caesar Malan, a pastor and evangelist.  At dinner, a bitter Charlotte made horrible comments. Dr. Malan told her, ‘come as you are to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.’ And he taught her about Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice for her – Charlotte, the sinner. This teaching of Dr. Malan was the opposite of what she had heard about Jesus all her life- pray more, study scripture more and do more. Charlotte was moved so much by Jesus’ grace and sacrifice that she always celebrated that day as her spiritual birthday.

Charlotte never regained her health. But her faith and hope in our Lord and Savior never wavered. She wrote around 150 hymns to celebrate her faith. Her favorite hymn reflected Dr. Malan’s teaching. And the hymn begins -

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Some hymns are well known for their poetic content; some hymns for their grand and magnificent music. Then there is Charlotte Elliot’s ‘Just as I am’.  The hymn, simple in word and music, is now well known as the hymn that brought more people to Jesus than any sermon. It is called the ‘greatest soul-winning hymn’. It simply teaches – ‘Come to Jesus with all your faults, transgressions, afflictions, problems and burdens. Jesus will pardon you, cleanse you, relieve you and accept you.’

Dear brother and sister in Christ: I don’t know your situation. I don’t know your trials, tribulations and temptations. I don’t know what you are doing right now. In fact in this internet age, I might not know who you are. But I know this  for sure - Jesus knows YOU and He loves sinners like YOU and me.

So let’s turn and come to Jesus and he will forgive us and create a new heart in us.

Dear Lord Jesus, you are my true friend and savior. Help me to come to you without any fear. Let your light shine on me so that I can be the light of the world. Amen.

DAY 21 For God so loved……….

Luke 15:11-32

A king hired an artist to draw a painting of the Prodigal Son. The artist worked hard using all of his skill and vision. After he finished the painting, he brought it to the king. The painting showed the father about to embrace the prodigal.   The king was very pleased and paid the artist. The next day, one of the king’s sons asked “why is the father wearing different color shoes?” The king was shocked and outraged to see the father painted as wearing one black shoe and one red shoe. So the King asked his soldiers to get the artist. When the artist was brought to the king, the king demanded why there was such a mistake. The artist smiled and said “O King! Those shoes show love of God for his lost son.” The king was astounded and asked for an explanation. The artist continued, ”The father was not thinking about himself. He was concerned about meeting and greeting the lost son he loved. So he took the nearest shoes he found and ran to welcome the prodigal.”  The king was pleased with the artist’s answer.

We all know the story of the prodigal son. But we being sinners, many times, (1)look-down on the prodigal because his actions brought shame to the father in his town; or (2) empathize with the older son because we consider ourselves faithful and dutiful children of God. In doing so, we overlook what the father has done.    

First let’s see what the father did not do. The father does not remember the shame and dishonor brought on him by the prodigal. The father does not punish, belittle, lecture or shame the prodigal.

So what does the humiliated and shamed father do? He does something that actually brings him more shame. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”(Luke 15:20). First, from the words “his father saw him” we learn that the father was looking, in fact waiting and pining, for his son. Second, this happened during daytime because the father saw the son who was “a long way off”.  And third, the father shamefully “ran”. Around Jesus’ time, the noble and the rich who wore long robes would never run-it was beneath their dignity. Only the poor, the servants and guilty ran in those days.  Running meant lifting the ends of their long robes and exposing legs.  Exposing legs was considered indecent and shameful. But the father does not care! The father runs not caring for his own dignity because he is concerned about his son. 

But why does the father run? He wants to reach and protect his son before others reach him and abuse and humiliate him.  The father so loved the son he is willing to take the abuse and the shame on himself. This is an AWESOME father.

Dear brother and sister in Christ, our Father loves us so much that his love, mercy and grace are much greater than all of our sins. And because of Jesus, ‘instead of shame and dishonor there will be rejoicing’ (Isaiah 61:7) Our God is an AWESOME God. So let us approach him in all humility and relish his love toward us.

(Use your name to fill in the blanks)¹⁶"For God so loved _____________, that he gave his only Son, that ________________ who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn _______________, but in order that ___________ might be saved through him.    John 3:16, 17

Dear Heavenly Father! ‘Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?’(Exodus 15:11) I thank you for coming for me and accepting me(Romans 15:7) Amen.

DAY 18 FROM DEATH TO LIFE (Part 2)

John 5:17–24 & 1 John 3:11-18

The phrase ‘from death to life’ is found three times in the New Testament.  We encounter it the first time when Jesus says “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”(John 5:24)

In John 5:17-24 Jesus makes startling claims- He is equal to God in works, power, judgment and honor and by breaking the Sabbath He makes himself equal to God in His person. Jesus also tells us that He has the authority to confer eternal life to anyone. And using the words amen, amen (truly, truly) Jesus professes and promises that if we believe in God through Jesus’ words, we will pass ‘from death to life’, i.e., we will be with God forever.  

In Romans 6:13 we encounter the phrase the second time  “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Paul gives us no choice - we are commanded that we should not sin. The key word is ‘offer’ – as believers committed to Jesus we should not yield to sin but offer ourselves to God and serve as His instruments. Now why do we offer ourselves? Because we “have been brought from death to life”.

In 1 John 3:11-18, John teaches us the difference between the children of the devil and the children of God. Cain as a child of the devil hated and killed Abel. On the other hand, the distinguishing mark of the Children of God is they ‘love one another’ (the new commandment that Jesus gives us in John 13:34-35).  We should love one another “because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”(Romans 5:5).  John teaches that anyone who does not love has not received spiritual life but abides in the condition of spiritual death. He stresses this by writing “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” (1 John 3:14) And it is here that we see the phrase ‘from death to life’ the third time.

So I ask you - are you not sure of your salvation? Are you not sure you have passed from death to life? Examine yourself, your actions and your love towards others. Your salvation is evident in your fruit(Matthew 7:16) and in your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ.

So let us in faith believe the Good News of Jesus, offer ourselves as His instruments of righteousness and love one another. 

 Dear God I thank you for pouring your love in to my heart so that I can love others. In Jesus’ name I thank and pray. Amen.