THE GREAT CREATOR-HEALER
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:14
A few years ago, I had a rather serious skiing accident and severely tore the muscles in one of my legs. In fact, my doctor told me that the tear caused excessive bleeding. The healing process was slow, but during that time of waiting I found myself in awe of our great Creator (see Col. 1:16).
I’ve wrinkled a few car fenders in my lifetime and dropped more than one dish. They’ve always stayed broken. Not so with my leg. As soon as the tearing of my muscles occurred, the internal healing mechanisms that Christ created in my body went to work. Invisibly, down deep in my throbbing leg, the medics of His marvelous design were mending the tear.
Before long, I was up and running again with a whole new sense of what the psalmist meant when he said that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and my heart was filled with praise (Ps. 139:14).
Sometimes it takes something like an injury or a sickness to remind us of the masterful design that we carry around in our bodies. So the next time you face an unwanted interruption—no matter its cause—focus your attention on Jesus’ wonderful love and let Him lift your heart to grateful worship in the midst of the pain!
Lord, help us to see beyond the moments of our lives and to delve deeply
into Your marvelous handiwork and perfect design. Forgive us for our short-sightedness and teach us to see You in every circumstance.
Worship of the masterful Creator begins with a grateful heart.
A PROVEN SUCCESS :
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet....For this my son...was lost, and is found. – Luke 15:21-22, 24
Prove yourself. In today's world, that's what you constantly feel you have to do, right? On the job, among friends, even at home you're always working to win the approval you need. Working to convince those around you that you deserve the salary, the friendship, and even the love they give you.
Is there any escape?
You better believe there is! It's called grace. Unearned and undeserved favor and acceptance. And there's only one place you can find it--in the heart of God Himself.
There's no better picture of God's grace in action than in the story of the prodigal son. Few of us today can really feel the impact of that story like those first Jewish listeners Jesus told it to. You see, by their standards the prodigal son had committed some of the most despicable acts possible. He'd not only taken advantage of his father and spent his inheritance in riotous living, he'd left the nation of Israel and made covenant with a foreigner--a pig farmer! That was as low as you could get.
In their eyes, that boy's rebellion was so serious his father's only recourse was to disown him.
But that's not what this father did! He welcomed his repentant son home with open arms. He offered him grace--unmerited favor--that was based on the father's love rather than the son's performance.
Next time you catch yourself struggling to make up to God for something you've done wrong, working to win His approval, let the story of the prodigal son set you free. Let it remind you that, in spite of your sins, your Father has received you with open arms. He's put a robe of righteousness on your back and His signet ring on your hand. He's put the shoes of sonship on your feet!
Do you feel unworthy of all that? God hasn't based His relationship with you on your worthiness. He's based it on His love for you. You don't have to struggle to prove yourself to Him. As far as He's concerned, you're a proven success.
Remain Steadfast In The Faith
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in the faith… 1 Peter 5:8–9
When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”
This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.
I checked the Word of God and realized that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.
But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith”, if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”. (Isaiah 54:14)
So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” My friend, that is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!
Thought For The Day
We resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are the righteousness of God in Christ.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:14
A few years ago, I had a rather serious skiing accident and severely tore the muscles in one of my legs. In fact, my doctor told me that the tear caused excessive bleeding. The healing process was slow, but during that time of waiting I found myself in awe of our great Creator (see Col. 1:16).
I’ve wrinkled a few car fenders in my lifetime and dropped more than one dish. They’ve always stayed broken. Not so with my leg. As soon as the tearing of my muscles occurred, the internal healing mechanisms that Christ created in my body went to work. Invisibly, down deep in my throbbing leg, the medics of His marvelous design were mending the tear.
Before long, I was up and running again with a whole new sense of what the psalmist meant when he said that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and my heart was filled with praise (Ps. 139:14).
Sometimes it takes something like an injury or a sickness to remind us of the masterful design that we carry around in our bodies. So the next time you face an unwanted interruption—no matter its cause—focus your attention on Jesus’ wonderful love and let Him lift your heart to grateful worship in the midst of the pain!
Lord, help us to see beyond the moments of our lives and to delve deeply
into Your marvelous handiwork and perfect design. Forgive us for our short-sightedness and teach us to see You in every circumstance.
Worship of the masterful Creator begins with a grateful heart.
A PROVEN SUCCESS :
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet....For this my son...was lost, and is found. – Luke 15:21-22, 24
Prove yourself. In today's world, that's what you constantly feel you have to do, right? On the job, among friends, even at home you're always working to win the approval you need. Working to convince those around you that you deserve the salary, the friendship, and even the love they give you.
Is there any escape?
You better believe there is! It's called grace. Unearned and undeserved favor and acceptance. And there's only one place you can find it--in the heart of God Himself.
There's no better picture of God's grace in action than in the story of the prodigal son. Few of us today can really feel the impact of that story like those first Jewish listeners Jesus told it to. You see, by their standards the prodigal son had committed some of the most despicable acts possible. He'd not only taken advantage of his father and spent his inheritance in riotous living, he'd left the nation of Israel and made covenant with a foreigner--a pig farmer! That was as low as you could get.
In their eyes, that boy's rebellion was so serious his father's only recourse was to disown him.
But that's not what this father did! He welcomed his repentant son home with open arms. He offered him grace--unmerited favor--that was based on the father's love rather than the son's performance.
Next time you catch yourself struggling to make up to God for something you've done wrong, working to win His approval, let the story of the prodigal son set you free. Let it remind you that, in spite of your sins, your Father has received you with open arms. He's put a robe of righteousness on your back and His signet ring on your hand. He's put the shoes of sonship on your feet!
Do you feel unworthy of all that? God hasn't based His relationship with you on your worthiness. He's based it on His love for you. You don't have to struggle to prove yourself to Him. As far as He's concerned, you're a proven success.
Remain Steadfast In The Faith
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Resist him, steadfast in the faith… 1 Peter 5:8–9
When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”
This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.
I checked the Word of God and realized that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.
But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith”, if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”. (Isaiah 54:14)
So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” My friend, that is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!
Thought For The Day
We resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are the righteousness of God in Christ.
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