He Seeks What Is Lost

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  Luke 19:9-10
The story preceding these verses speak of a man named Zacchaeus.  He was a tax collector, hated by the Jewish people.  When Jesus came upon the tree Zacchaeus was sitting in, Jesus called him down and went to His house.  As seen throughout the Gospels, Jesus spent countless hours with people such as Zacchaeus.  He dined with them and ministered to them.  And He forgave them, even the sins that we would have a hard time forgiving.

Read John 7:53-8:11

This passage speaks a woman who was brought before Jesus.  This woman had been caught in the act of adultery, a sin so great that the Pharisees and the people should have stoned her according to the Mosaic law.  When questioned about Jesus first answered with a simple statement, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  No one could throw a stone because all had sinned. 

When all the people had left, Jesus looked on her with compassion and said, “Go and sin no more.”

He had just forgiven one of the greatest sins, a sin worthy of death.  She must felt relief and confusion.  The Pharisees had brought her to him to be killed.  That is what Mosaic law commanded.  Instead, she was saved.  More than that, she was forgiven. 

Sadly, this is a sin that many feel the effects of.  The two caught in the sin are affected as well as their families and their communities.  Yet, Christ forgave her.

Consider how you have sinned against God.  This proved difficult for me for many years.  I struggled not so much with my own sin, but with the effects of another’s sin.  I couldn’t get past the fear that their sin had made me unforgivable.  I knew that I had not asked for it.  I certainly did not want it.  But I also didn’t stop it and didn’t tell anyone.  Because of this, I felt as if I was just as guilty as the offender. 

While I know that what had happened was not my fault, the feelings of guilt didn’t go away easily, until I realized that Christ forgives even the worst sins.  He forgives an adulterer and tells her to “go and sin no more.”  What makes me worse than that?  Who am I to doubt that Christ can forgive everything?  And who am I to say what He shouldn’t forgive?

I challenge you to consider this:  What do you doubt that Christ can/will forgive?  Why?

Beauty of Singleness

I have struggled with the desire to be in a committed relationship for some time.  No matter how hard I pray, the loneliness never seems to go away.  But tonight, I was reminded of something that I have forgotten, the Gift that being single has. 

1 Corinthians 7:34 says "An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.  But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of the world, - how she can please her husband."

As a single woman, I have the gift of time, time to spend with my first Love: Jesus Christ.  Rather than mourning what we do not have, we should treasure this time when we can be fully devoted to God and seeking His will and His presence. 

The Father's Love

As a child and youth, I often felt rejected and dejected.  I didn't look like the "popular" kids.  I wasn't pretty or witty.  Instead, I was the kid who hated the way she looked, who was picked last, had the least friends.

Feeling like this, I felt like no one could ever care about me.  Amazingly, God cared.  He stepped into my life at a critical moment.  I had just come out of a difficult situation and was headed into dealing with the repercussions and healing.  We moved by the end of the summer, and I met a whole new group of kids who rejected me.  I threw myself wholeheartedly into learning about this God who loved me enough to save me and invest in me. 

But this is not about me.  It's about God.  Out of love, He sent His son to step down into time.  His Son lived and died to save us.  When His Son was raised from the dead, His Son overcome every pain, sorrow and punishment for sin.  He chose to love a broken people, broken by disobedience and stubbornness.  Even if we've been hurt by others' sins, we cannot deny our own.  When we recognize that we have no strength on our own, we can rest in Him and rise on eagle's wings.

My prayer for you is that God would step into your life and bring you to Him and His healing love and saving grace.  Never stop searching for the Father's love. 

"Vengeance is Mine"

"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
   Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
   Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?"
             Habakkuk 1:13

When I read this, I thought of all the children who suffer at the hands of their "protectors."  Coming from a similar situation, it angers me.  I have often asked God why he doesn't stop the pain and suffering and why he allows his innocent children to be victimized.  It is hard to consider that God doesn't care about the suffering of his children, after all He sent His Son so that all may commune with Him eternally.  However, it is equally unfathomable that He would allow His innocent children to suffer. 

However, there is a hope.  This hope is voiced in Nahum, one of the minor prophets. 
"The Lord is slow to angerbut great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished." (1:3a)

We know the phrase "vengeance is mine, saith the Lord,"  which comes from Romans 12.  However, I always had a hard time with accepting that God would avenge the wrong done to me and to those I knew, but the verse from Nahum gives us more of a hope that we will be avenged.

I do not promote harboring anger or seeking revenge or vengeance for the wrong you've experienced.  Recognizing that God will bring about vengeance is simply a step on the road to healing and forgiveness.  I pray that as you read this God begins your journey to healing.

My Comforter

Over the past few weeks, I have seen God as my provider and sustainer.  Given this, I spent time reflecting on the aspects about God I have seen.  He is Savior, Friend, and Comforter, among others.

Of these, God has most often been my Comforter, especially as I dealt with my past and struggled with my insecurities.  He would oft remind me that I am valuable to Him and have a purpose in the world.  He would teach me about finding security in myself and my relationship with Him.  No matter how often I would forget, He patiently reminded me that my life is His and He has a great purpose for me. 

This came into focus when I felt so worthless that I contemplated just giving up.  As I struggled through many sleepless nights and lacked ears to hear His voice, He patiently called me back.  When I came close to following through, He held me back and reminded me of His great love manifested in His church.

Here I am, 3 and half years later and He is now far more than a comforter.  He is Lord of my life and my story is not about me.  It is about God who loves us so very much that He would give His own Son to be the ultimate sacrifice.  How awesome and amazing He is! 

If you do not Christ as your Savior, there are many of us who are willing to share the truth of a God who would love you that much.  If you do know Christ as Savior, God is there with you every step of every day.  All you need to do is look to the cross and trust Him to save you.

Value In Christ

Recently, I ventured back out on the dating scene again.  Though it was not as successful as I had hoped, I learned the reward of being secure in who I am. 

As little as a year and a half ago, I had next to no security in who I was.  I felt like I needed a man to give me worth, even if it meant giving more than I wanted.  After yet another relationship ended, I decided to take a hiatus from dating and focus on my spiritual walk.  Through finding a church that challenged me to grow, I began to really understand that God values me and wants me to place value on who I am and my relationship with him.

I believe that He wants the same for you.  You do not need anyone to give you value. You are valuable as you are.  After all, "before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you." (Jeremiah 1:5)

Consider this truth.  While this specifically speaks to Jeremiah and his call as a prophet, the same truth applies to each of us.  God knew us, knows us and sees who we have yet to become.  And he consecrated us. 

Will you take this challenge, to seek value in God?  Will you trust that He gives you value and that you are valuable as you are? 

This week, I challenge you to seek God's truth.  Seek what His word says about the value He places on you, His creation.

Here are a few verses to get you started:
Jeremiah 29:11
1 John 2:2

Also, meditate on Christ's crucifixion and why He died for man.

All Things For Good

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28

How awesome is that? God works ALL things for good. Any hurt you've experienced falls under this category. That abuse, those harsh words, pain of rejection. God uses all of these for good.

Challenge: Reflect on hurts that you've experienced. How can God use this for good?