What If... I Didn't Blame Anybody Else?

Alright, we all have done it. The boss shows up to work and questions why you did a certain thing. Your first response is, "well, because so-and-so did this or that!" You are at school and your teacher questions why your homework isn't turned in... well, the dog ate it of course. Or worse yet, your husband questions you about a text you received on your phone from another guy and you're scrambling for an excuse.

One of the things I have noticed being around and discussing life issues with teens and young adults is the increase of the phrase, "It's not my fault."

What if I decided today was the day I started taking responsibility for my actions? What if today I decided to delight in God first and seek Him for all that I am so I don't have to be defensive and make excuses? What if I was faithful to do the right thing so I never had to cover my tracks.

What if...

Blessings,
Keith

Do Not Neglect To Show Hospitality...

Heb 13:1-2 Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Confession time...

In the course of life we often encounter opportunities to serve others and blow past them due to our busy schedules, blindness to the situation, or just plain old selfishness. Yesterday was one of those days for me.

I had been riding on a passenger train for about 4 hours. While I was on the train I was enjoying the beautiful landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. The Olympic Mountain range with its snow capped peaks and the calm water of the Puget Sound set the stage for a great trip. The train was packed full of passengers. My seat assignment was next to, let's just say, a rather large man. Across the table from us was his wife and small child. I was planning on doing some computer work while on the train and due to my cramped quarters I was unable to move, let alone whip out my laptop and write.

Being a railroad employee helps tremendously in these types of circumstances. I walked up to the train conductor and told her my plight. She was more than accommodating and gave me a seat with my own table in a car that was virtually empty... Kudos to the conductor for that one.

I spent my almost 4 hour trip reading God's Word and working on building a website I have been developing for some time. I prayed, ate a snack or two, and caught up on some loose ends. It was a great trip home.

As I approached the busy train station I called ahead to have my ride ready and waiting for me as I disembarked. Sure as clockwork, the ride was there. Oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the other passengers as they greeted loved ones with hugs and kisses, I was in full speed heading to my ride. I had somewhere to go and if you stopped in front of me you would probably get ran over.

Just as I approached the curb I was greeted by a disheveled city resident. He had probably not been showered in quite some time and was missing several teeth. He held out his hand toward me and explained that he was a veteran. In his hand was a tattered veterans card with his picture on it. He asked me for a dollar. Now here is the confession...

I would love to say that I was Jesus at that moment. That I looked him in the eyes and felt his aching heart. That I understood his struggles as he lived as a beggar on the streets. And then offered to pray for him and give him the dollar he was asking for. But that didn't happen.

I did look him in the eye however. Not to understand his heart, but to express my inability to offer any hope. I answered his request with a quick, "Sorry man, can't help you" and ran off to my ride. As I sat in the van in my 10 minute ride to my final destination I began to think about what just happened. Did I just miss an opportunity to entertain an angel? Did I do what Jesus would have done? What a selfish person I discovered I was.

As I discussed this situation later that night with my wife an image came to my mind. I visualized this disheveled homeless guy walking up to Jesus and asking for a dollar. And as Jesus was about to show him His love and compassion, I jumped in front of Jesus and basically said, "Sorry, can't help you. You will need to get it from someone else"

Oh how we can be so lost in our own selfishness. Would it have changed a thing if I had spent even one minute with this guy? It wouldn't have changed my getting home in time for dinner, but it may have changed his life for eternity.

Lord, forgive me for times like this when I am so caught up in my own thoughts and desires that I forget about those you place in my life that I can help. I am your hands extended and I pray Lord that you will give me another chance to show your love and grace to a stranger.

Blessings to you as you draw closer to him today.

Keith

Heal Me - Aaron Jeoffrey

A great video and message:

Heal Me - Aaron Jeoffrey



May you be blessed by this message today.

Keith

Salvation Sunday: Is Today Your Day?

Today is a great day to give your life to Jesus! This is a testimony from Lecrae. It speaks to the heart of God and how He can transform a boy from the streets into a man of God.



If you are in need of a loving relationship with God, feel free to contact Daily In Christ for more information.

Bless you,
Keith

What If... I Didn't Compare Myself To Others?

What if... I didn't compare myself to others?

Have you ever compared yourself with someones else? I am sure I can answer that one for you... of course you have! We all do it. What happens when we live a life of comparison rather than a life of satisfaction in who God made us to be?

Here are just a few reasons why we shouldn't compare ourselves to others:

• Comparing to others causes a life of discontent and unhappiness.
• Comparing ourselves to others makes us jealous and envious of their belongings or accomplishments.
• Comparing ourselves to others can cause resentment and bitterness.
• Comparing ourselves to others often causes stress and frustration.
  

So what if you were content in who God made you to be? What if you decided to forget about what was going on in others lives and thank Jesus for the things He has done for you? What if you found your pleasure simply knowing you are made in the image of God?

What if...

What If... Hell Is Real?

Have you ever just sat down on a bright sunny day and reflected on the things of life that matter but rarely get thought about? One of the subjects that rattles through my mind on occasion is this very question...

What if... hell is real?

There are a lot of emerging beliefs these days and many of them center around this very topic. So what if? What if hell is real? What if what the scriptures have to say about eternity apart from God is absolutely true. Sure, we take what is written in the Bible on a measure of faith, but isn't that how we form any of our world views?

So back to the question... What if hell is real? Would it change how you relate to God? Would it change how you interact with others? Would you even give it a second of consideration? What if...



Have you ever considered the alternative to life apart from God? Does the thought of eternal life in Heaven experiencing pure joy in the midst of the loving Savior excite your heart? Are you in need of spiritual strength and forgiveness? If so, I encourage you to visit http://greatchristianstuff.com/salvation.html

For more on this topic feel free to visit CARM @ http://carm.org/hell

I pray that you will be blessed today as you look to Jesus for your salvation.

Blessings,
Keith

I Have Been Crucified With Christ - Part Four

Gal 2:20 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.

I have been discovering over the past several days what being crucified with Christ means for a born again believer. It isn’t a physical death and resurrection, but a spiritual death and rebirth. Being crucified with Christ is to die to the law. To die to sin. And to die to the desires of my flesh.

In the next part of the verse I am encouraged by knowing that Christ lives in me. I no longer live by my old standards and desires, but I live differently because of the indwelling of Christ. I am a renewed person in the likeness of God and I now pursue holiness and conformity with Jesus.

In my last post I saw what it means to live by faith in the Son of God. Faith is defined as complete trust or confidence in someone or something. When we live by faith in Jesus we are putting our complete trust in Him and who He is. No longer living in the flesh. Making a choice to live by faith in the Son of God changes us. I seek a life that looks more like His.

Today I am considering the final part of this verse:

who loved me and gave himself for me.

This verse, Gal 2:20, was one I memorized early on in my Christian walk. I have probably said it over and over at least one thousand times. And as I would say it, I never grasped the true meaning of and magnitude of what is packed into it. Until recently…

As I meditate on this final portion of the verse I am overwhelmed by the Love of God for me. I know for myself, the love of God is something I have taken for granted often. I believe the reason for this is that I really don’t grasp the severity of my sin before Him. Because of the Grace of God, killing sin doesn’t always take shape the way it should. So in this last post on Gal 2:20 I want to spend a little time understanding why this last phrase, “who loved me and gave himself for me,” has so much significance.

Rom 5:10 tells us: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

While we were enemies… The first reason I find this last part of verse 20 in Galatians so significant is that Christ died for me as an enemy. Do you remember what Jesus says in Matt 5:44? He says to love your enemies. This verse shows me that Jesus doesn’t only teach the things of God, but actually fleshed them out for you and for me. While we were enemies of God He took the punishment on the cross for our disobedience. He paid the ultimate price so I could live free in Him. How amazing is that? He gave himself up for me. Not a group of people, not the whole world (which he did), but for me as an individual. I was on His mind while He was on the cross.

Secondly, I am in awe of the fact that the creator of the universe loved me. Not because of anything I have done or will do. Just because He loves me. Eph 1:4-5 says before the foundation of the world he chose me because of His love. When I try to wrap my mind around that one I can only be amazed.

In summary, God loved me before the foundation of the world. And in that great love for me, He sent Jesus to live a perfect life and die on the cross taking the punishment I deserve. John: 15:13 tells us that no greater love is this, than one would lay his life down for his friend. What about laying your life down for your enemies? That is what Jesus did for me… and you!

Blessings,
Keith

Part one

Part two

Part three

I Have Been Crucified With Christ - Part Three

Gal 2:20 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.

And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.

I have been crucified with Christ… I have been writing over the last several blog posts about what it means to be crucified with Christ. How we, as Christians, can begin to learn how to no longer live our own way of life, but to live knowing that Christ lives in us.

In this passage in Galatians I find it interesting that Paul states that he "no longer lives," and then in the next sentence says that "he now lives." This may appear as a paradox, but is clearly a true definition of what he means when he says in 2Cor 5:17; therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

When we give our lives to Christ we crucify our old life of sin. We actually die to sin and are no longer bound by the law (Gal 2:19) and our inability to keep it. We have been raised up with Christ and now live a new life in him. Jesus says in John 15:5, apart from me you can do nothing.

Paul wants us to know that Christ is the source for all we have. He has taken residence in us and we in Him. Certainly we still have to live in our flesh. We still possess a body, but in that body we no longer live by the way the flesh used to lead us. We now live our life by the faith that He produces in us. (Heb 12:2) Jesus is the founder and the perfecter of our faith.

Living by faith means moment by moment looking to Jesus for our strength, trusting Him for direction, and believing in His Grace. In addition to looking to Jesus in faith for wisdom and strength, we are living more like Him as well. In 2Cor 5:15, Paul says we no longer live to ourselves, but to Him who died for us.

Many of us claim to be followers of Christ. We go to church on Sunday and try hard to be good. That can be a good thing, but Paul is not talking about being good or going to church. Paul is talking about a completely transformed life. He is talking about us having the attributes of Christ and living accordingly.

So if my life is crucified in Him and I am no longer governed by my flesh, and I live in Him by faith, what should my life now look like? Here are some things I need to consider to see if I am really living by faith in Him.

• Jesus is loving, even to the point of dying for those who were His enemies. Am I willing to die to my selfish desires in love for those I encounter?
• Jesus is humble and patient. Do I express humility in everything I do?
• Jesus is gentle, meek, and kind. How am I doing in this area? Am I filled with the Love and Kindness of Jesus?
• Jesus is prayerful. Being like Jesus requires me to be in constant contact with the Father.
• Jesus is sinless. As I live by faith in Him and experience His grace, I too will be less capable of sin. When my desires and thoughts are in constant alignment with His, sin is an abomination.
• Jesus cares for others. Living like Jesus means that I no longer look out for myself only. I look to Him for guidance and use my resources to help those in need.

Being crucified with Christ isn’t about being saved from hell. It isn’t fulfilled by going to church once a week and living like a chameleon in the world the rest of the week. Being crucified with Christ and living our new life by faith in Him is about becoming Jesus to the world. It is about us loving, trusting, and depending on Him so greatly that we begin to look more and more like Him every day.

My prayer today is that we, as Christians, stop trying to be good. We stop trying to accumulate possessions. We stop looking to our own needs first. And we start looking like, acting like, and being like Jesus.

Blessings,
Keith