He Bore Our Sins - I Peter 2:20-24

What have you done that you felt guilty over? Break something of someone else's, lie to someone, or any number of other things. Guilt causes us to carry baggage that we are not equipped to carry. Too much will weigh us down. When it comes to our sin problem, it is nice to know that Jesus bears our sins, so we don't have to bear them.

Yesterday, we looked at Jesus and how He took the sins of ours and placed them on His body, so that His sacrifice could take them away. Here are some applications to use from this lesson...

1. Give Him Your Guilt ~ We've all sinned. Some are very impacting on our lives. Make it a regular practice to give Him your guilt by confessing your wrongs. The wrongs of the past may be lurking, depending on what they were. If they were "washed away", then they are no longer on the record books to be judged against. Acknowledge the wrongs and leave a lot "lighter".
2. Confess Your Wrongs ~ When you've done something against someone else, practice the action you were taught since you were a child...Tell them you're sorry! Sometimes, just making the call or "coming clean" can make all the difference in the world. It is probably worse on you than it is on others (depending on what it is).
3. Breathe a sigh of relief ~ As Jesus has "bore our sins", praise Him for doing so, but then take a deep breath and sigh with a sense of relief, knowing what He's done for us.

Once you do not have to carry the guilt or you've confessed to the crime, you can breathe a sigh of relief because that baggage is no longer weighing you down. You may have to suffer the consequences, but you don't have to carry the weight.

Walking lighter...

Striking the Flint

If you've ever watched the reality show Survivor, you know how important fire is to the participants, regarding their survival. Fire is one of the things that they need to boil water, keep themselves warm, ward off predators, and various other needs. Without fire, they are in trouble. If they go too long without fire, they are doomed to starve or dehydrate. In the early part of the show, there will be a game that gives flint as a prize. Though the winner may have flint in their possession, they must use it correctly to produce enough spark to get fire.

Fire, sometimes associated with passion, is also important to the survival of the soul. Food and water keeps the physical body alive, but passion feeds the soul. That leads in to this week's quote...

Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark. ~ Henri Frederic Amiel

We are all just "possibilities". There is a possibility that you could be a host of different things. But, when you have a passion about something, you will inevitably start to move toward it.

Want to see a change in something? Don't just be the flint that sits on the shelf, never to strike the iron; rather, be the flint that moves toward the iron. Your fire may not start with the first few strikes, but the collection of strikes is sure to get a flame going.

Without food and water, the physical body is in trouble. Without fire, the soul is in trouble.

May passion create a fire within you so that you will not be just "possibility and latent force".

Striking the flint...

Lifted Up

Things have been a bit rough over the past few weeks, but there are silver linings that God brings about at just the right time. This is an entry to help remind myself when things are looking down, I can look back on here and re-read. So, if you find this entry not like the others, that's OK.

Since April, the local newspaper has been running some of my blog entries to run as a column. As a way to get into peoples' lives, I thought this could be something to reach people in our community. I have no idea who reads the articles and who doesn't. However, I do know that there have been a good number of people who have told me how much they have appreciated reading them.

About a week and a half ago, I received an e-mail from someone letting me know how much they enjoyed my articles. Last week, we were getting our son his booster shots and the receptionist mentioned her appreciation; I was getting a haircut and the lady who cut my hair said that she and others had enjoyed the articles. Just today, within 10 minutes of each other, I was told by two people that they recognized me from the paper and enjoyed reading the articles.

Even in the rough patches of life, God can use you for the benefit of others and can lift you up at the same time!

Fullness of Christ - King - Luke 23:2-3

Have you ever anticipated the arrival of someone or something and, upon arrival, you were disappointed? Be it a surprise that wasn't what you expected, a person you pictured differently, or a package that arrived broken. I've been there before in the case when I was expecting a package to give as a gift, and it came, at the nick of time, but wasn't what I expected. It was heartbreaking. I bought it without seeing the actual item and when it came...disappointment.

I wonder if people felt like that at all when Jesus came on the scene? They had anticipated the coming Messiah, royalty. They didn't get a "great" son of a well-known family. Instead, the people received a "carpenter's son". A blue-collared Savior was not what was expected. Disappointed, probably (at least by some). "This is it. I've been looking forward to a Messiah, and he is it?!" Not a very good welcome into the world, would you agree? Yesterday, we looked at Jesus as a King. Here are some applications to choose to use this week...

1. Jesus wasn't a disappointment, after all. We see only what we choose to see. See a forest or an adventure? A mountain or extra time to spend with God? May we recognize Him as the "ruler" that He is and submit to His authority, as "all authority" (Matthew 28:18) has been given to Him.
   
2. Jesus' Kingdom is not bound by earthly limits. Kingdoms bring about a sense of protection and security. Praise Him for setting up His Kingdom and giving us the chance to be a part of it!
   

Christ is the king of many things: truth, salvation, grace, peace, righteousness, glory, saints, the ages, kings, and is eternal. (Matthew 21:5; Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:38; Hebrews 7:2, 1:8; Matthew 25:31-34; Revelation 19:16, 12)

May we appreciate Him all the more as He is, hopefully, the King of our lives, as well!

Seeing Jesus even "fuller" and letting Him rule...

Wondering What Happened

Have you ever returned to a town you used to live and noticed that in your time of absence things changed? Changes like: Businesses closed, buildings torn down, town expansion, etc. We reflect back "in the day" when we lived there and the way the environment used to look. I remember taking my wife to a town where I used to live. It was very small and it only took about 15 minutes to "tour". I enjoyed trip down memory lane of returning to the "Prairie Chicken Capital of the World", with a population of 130 (in 2000), according to the Wikipedia website.

Change is happening in our world all the time. In order for change to take place, someone must be willing to work and carry out the work that creates change. For those that do not put in the work, they may wonder what happened while "they were gone". This brings us to a quote that challenges me as I think about change and the effort it takes implementing change...

There are those that work, there are those that talk about those working, and there are those that wonder what happened. ~ DudLee Brennfoerder

Which category do you generally fit into? Are you a "get involved" kind of person, a "talk about whose getting involved" person, or a "when did this change" kind of person? As a society we are infected with this mentality. It affects us in various facets: communities, jobs, churches, etc.

Usually those in the latter two categories have a difficult time seeing the purpose in a project. The more we're a part of a project the more we see the purpose and develop a passion in the project.

As you look around your community, workplace, or church, think about how you will be involved with a project/program. If there isn't a work going on that you want to be involved in, think about an area that you are passionate about and see what might happen. Your passion will may end up being magnetic to others, causing them to desire to be involved, also.

It is very enjoyable to be involved in areas you feel strongly about. It motivates you so much that you may find it hard to quit or not look forward to the time when the project is finished. Get involved...who knows what fun adventures are right around the corner that you never would have known about if you didn't pursue your passions.

Energized by being involved...
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Picture came from: http://www.thelope.com/2006/09/three-meals-in-kansas.html

Being Strong

A lot of people have what is commonly referred to as a "sweet tooth". I'm one of those people. I tend to want to have something sweet, even if small, after a meal. Sometimes I come up with quirky things to satisfy that craving. It can be really difficult to resist. Maybe one of the things that you crave is chocolate...which brings us to this quote...

Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of those pieces. ~ Judith Viorst

Strength is defined by Webster as "the quality or state of being strong". This can cover different aspects. For instance, knowing when to say no to things, standing up in the midst of trials, or lifting great amounts of weight.

Life is full of choices. May God give you the strength, as you end your week, to make good choices.

Seeking strength...

Unleashed Imagination

One question every American child is asked sometime during childhood is "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Some will state the occupation of a parent. Others may say to be a sports star, an actor/actress, or another type of celebrity. What was your answer?

Why didn't we make it to that goal? I think that part of the problem lies in this week's quote...

Nothing limits achievement like small thinking;
nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination. ~ William Arthur Ward

At some point, either you or someone very close to you will start to limit your achievement by thinking small. In the movie "Rudy" there is the transitional scene where the main character, who happens to be the baby of the family, says "Someday, I'm going to play football for Notre Dame." Laughter and doubt comes forth. "Yeah right" are the thoughts. This small thinking and the many obstacles in life didn't stop him from making his dream come true. If you saw the movie you cheered along with him when he accomplished his goal.

What small thinking has limited your possibilities? Financial, doubt, fear, whispers from your conscience, life going in a different direction, jeers, faded passion? What about seeing where you're at and re-routing your direction so you can still expand the possibilities? Don't let things stop you, just use the obstacles as opportunities to be re-routed and see what is around the next bend, but keep on going! Imagination is absent of boundaries. Let yourself dream, then start seeing how you can get from where you're at to that point!

Don't think small, and maybe one day you'll get to "play for Notre Dame" too!

Enjoying imagining...