Grace as a gift

Romans 3:22 -24 the righteousness of God  through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified  by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

The discussion on the topic of forgiveness continues today with a side trip to a meeting Pam and I attended last night. Truth In Love Ministry was in town visiting and sharing. A very nice meeting with many discussions on scripture and a moving testimony from a couple from Florida about how their entire family came to know the truth by digging into the New Testament. The Good News of the Gospel healed them. WWW.HisHealingNow.com is the website if you are interested in learning more. Bottom line, for it is by the gift of grace that we are saved.

I have been writing about my experiences with Andy of late. His situation weighs on my mind. Without any question he is in a difficult situation in a difficult place. I am comforted by the knowledge that God has a plan for Andy. Andy has chosen a difficult path in his life. That is just how he is wired. But there is a big question to consider. Is Andy saved?  By some beliefs, he is not. He is not considered worthy unless he does something to earn his salvation. Can you imagine a more difficult place to earn your salvation than sitting in jail? Does this kind of plan for salvation seem reasonable? Does this plan seem like one a loving, forgiving God who sent His Son to die for the salvation of all would put in place? Of course not. And that is at the center point of any discussion on faith and whether a person is a Christian of not.

If you believe that you are a sinner, and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus then congratulations you are a Christian and are indeed saved. If the above is not what you believe then I feel sorry for you and will pray for your coming to the light that is Jesus Christ. My best analogy is this. Who would be more sincere in their love for God? The person with a spiritual gun to their head being required to do something to earn salvation? Or would it be someone who serves out of love and gratitude, knowing they are already saved regardless of how much they can do? From the bible we know what love is and so we turn to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It  does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but  rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This is the kind of love our Father in Heaven has for us. This is the kind of love that Jesus Christ displayed for us on the cross. True and absolute love. That is the God Andy believes in. That is the basis of Andy's faith, and my faith. We believed with our hearts and confess with our tongues that we have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified  by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  The next time someone asks you if you are saved, remember Romans 3:22-24 because all other paths lead to a destination without Jesus as your true savior.

PRAYER: Most merciful God, You gave us poor sinners a gift we did not earn, nor deserve. Your gift of grace saves all who believe that Jesus Christ, Your Son, died for our salvation. The love that was poured out on the cross is a love which knows no boundaries. It is a love that reaches into the hearts of many, and can reach into the hearts of all. We ask that Your Holy Spirit fills the hearts of the many to seek the truth that is in Jesus Christ. We ask, dear Lord that You would guide our words, our hand and our feet in spreading the Good News of the Gospel to all that need to hear. To You Father, Son and Holy Spirit be all the glory in all that we do. Amen.

Lord, how often….

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will our Father forgive your trespasses.

The ordeal began in May of 2010 when driving home from a business conference in Las Vegas. I received a phone call while passing through Salt Lake City, Utah from my son Matthew. He asked if I had heard about what happened to his brother Andy? That is when I was given the news of Andy being charged with premeditated murder of an Afghan civilian. It’s funny how the world can suddenly stop spinning so quickly.

The ordeal began January of 2010 in a far away land while my son was serving in the US Army. The culmination of this experience was Andy accepting a plea of guilty to unpremeditated murder at a court martial at Fort Lewis, Washington in September of 2011. The process of stating his guilt, and awaiting to be sentenced stretched over two days. In the midst of this trial was a gift straight from God. Andy and I were given an opportunity to talk about important things before he was sentenced and sent to prison. The gift was the opportunity to have a very good talk with Andy about forgiveness. This was not a very easy talk because each of us had long standing resentments towards those who initiated the horrible sequence of events that started this whole ordeal, those who were accusing him of many things and those who were prosecuting him while leaving the leaders unpunished. I had long prayed about what to say if this opportunity was presented. I had prayed that the words would be given to me so that what I said would be the right thing in that moment.  Our talk focused on the importance of forgiving all of those involved. It is paramount that forgiveness must, absolutely must, be undertaken. The parable of the unforgiving servant from Matthew 18:21-35 is a superb depiction of why this is important. The parable is too long to include here, but dear friends of the Risen Savior you should take the time to read it carefully. There is just so much that hits home in so very many aspects of our lives. As we forgive, so are we forgiven.

To forgive is an imperative. To continue to do so is difficult, but also just as important. This can be especially difficult when those you are forgiving continue to wrong you. There are two points to consider. Jesus tells Peter in Matthew 18:22 they must be forgiven “seventy times seven.” The point is not to start counting so that if you reach 491 you do not have to forgive, rather to just let it go. For if you are counting, then you really have not forgiven. A subtle point, but a big point to consider.  The second point is not a scripture based, at least not one that I can find a reference for. If you do not forgive someone, then they are living inside your head rent free. Your ability to find peace will be vastly diminished if you do not let God handle it. You will deny yourself the opportunity to embrace the peace from God that surpasses all our earthly understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is a peace that we so desperately need in our lives.  Embrace forgiveness and enjoy the freedom that comes with it.

I believe of all the talks I have enjoyed with Andy, that our talk on forgiveness was one of the best, if not the very best. It was meaningful in so many ways to both of us. Partly because it was the last one we will have for several years unencumbered by distance or limitations of the environment to talk openly and freely. It helped Andy, and I, move forward in processing through with this tragedy in our lives. Clearly the Lord saw there was a need for our talking through this issue, and he gave us this marvelous gift. And for that I am deeply humbled, and will be forever grateful.

PRAYER: Lord and giver of life, You remind us daily of the importance of many things in our lives. These reminders come in many forms. Some reminders are like a huge billboard along the side of a road, others are like a faint whisper into our ears. The reminder to forgive others is one which we need to be given often and loudly. Your Son, Jesus, paid a terrible price on the cross for the sake of forgiving all sinners. For that we are eternally grateful. Help us as we go about our lives to practice that same forgiveness in our own lives. Let the nothing dwell in our hearts and minds that harbors resentment towards those who have trespassed against us. We ask for Your help in Your Holy Spirit to have the strength and faith to live that type of live. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Repay no one for evil

Romans 12:17 Repay no one for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

I have been feeling somewhat introspective of late. Lost is thought and reviewing past events that I have absolutely no ability to change is what it really boils down to. I have been thinking about my son Andy’s court martial. The days and all they held have come and gone. But the echoes of the events will reverberate for a long time.

I am processing the events leading up to, during and immediately after Andy’s court martial in September. It is not a matter of being depressed, rather I am reflecting on the experience to determine if I have learned all I needed to learn.  It is important and I know that there were many opportunities to learn and now I have opportunities to share what I learned from the experience.  The time spent with Andy is one I will always cherish. It was a time of shared adversity. It was a time to develop bonds that not every father and son have the opportunity to experience. Frankly I pray that no one else will ever have to go through what we went through and continue to go through. But, we live in a broken world so we can expect that this will happen again unless we try to do something to stop it.

The series of events that led up to Andy being involved in the killings in Afghanistan are a tragic tale of missed opportunities, profound lapses in leadership, and a complete absence of common sense. The war in Afghanistan is splayed across our news each and every day. The loss of human life is tragic. The repercussions within our own country will be felt for many years to come. In the midst of all of this is a huge lessen to be shared that goes right to the heart of Romans 12:17. Repay no one for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. I will not debate whether the war being fought in Afghanistan is right or wrong. But I will debate how we are supporting those who stand in harms way. We are asking our young men and women to fight an enemy that does not share the same sense of morality that we share within our society in the USA. We are giving our men and women in uniform the difficult task of not giving in to the temptation to repay evil with evil. We owe them our support. I frankly do not care whether you support the war or not. But to not give our support in prayer is inexcusable. To fail to pray that they will do what is honorable at all times and in all places is just the only thing to do. To do less dishonors our faith and their service. We can look back to the cross and draw the inspiration for praying. Jesus prayed for mercy to be shown to those who knew not what they were doing (Luke 23:34). Jesus modeled compassion that we need to grasp onto and carry as our banner. We need to step up and pray for these men and women to do what is honorable in the sight of all when the world around them may be clamoring for them to do otherwise. That is the compassion we need to show to all of our service men and women. You do not have to like that there is a war, but you should take the time to pray for those serving to be honorable. My hope in asking each of you to take time to pray is that in the future, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters will not have to endure what our family is enduring. Neither do we want families in far away lands to suffer as the family of the young men who lost their lives in senseless killings. This should have never happened, and with the help of God, it will never happen again. Please take the time today and every day to pray.

PRAYER: Almighty God, Your Spirit fills each believer with faith, love and hope. The promise of the cross is one of life eternal in the your presence O Lord. Your love and mercy endures forever. We ask Father that your Spirit would fill each and every man and women serving in our armed forces at home and abroad with the knowledge of good and evil. We ask Lord that Your wisdom would fill their minds with the overwhelming desire to not repay evil with evil. We ask that their actions would be indeed honorable in the sight of all. We ask Father that they would be given the strength and faith to resist the temptation to do what is wrong in Your eyes and the eyes of the world. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Spirit are one God, now and forever. Amen

Casting all your anxieties

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.

Do you have something that constantly concerns you? Is there an aspect of your life, or that of a family member, that worries you?  Is there something going on that causes you to be distracted? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then welcome to the Worriers Club.

If I had a nickel for every time someone told me to “give it up to God” I would be a rich man. After a while that phrase can grow to be very tiresome, and even irritating.  After all how do you really go about giving something up to God?  Do you try to hand it to him?  If so, where are his hands?  ;-) Do you try to tell him about it? Have you ever really given it serious thought? So, how do you go about “giving it up to God” or cast all your anxieties on him? It can be an easy thing to do. But in my experience it has been tough to let God keep it without trying to wrestle it back.

First of all there is a little matter of remembering who is really in charge of our lives. If you answer that question with “I am in charge of my life” then I wish you the best in all of your future endeavors and the many worries you have to look forward to.  If however you answered “God is in charge of my life” then congratulations. You remembered the most important aspect of being a believer.  We need only look a few more versus in at 1 Peter 5 to see the correct answer. “To Him be the dominion forever and ever, Amen.” The key word there is dominion. He is in charge of all things. Another clear example of this comes from Matthew 26: 38-39. Then He said to them,"My soul is sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch with me. ” And going a little farther He fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, it if be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”  These two scriptural references give us excellent guidance on the order of things in our lives. 

Rule number one. God is in charge. Rule number two. Refer to rule number one.  Armed with this knowledge we have the tools we need to come before our Lord in prayer. We give it up to God in prayer. We turn our troubles, our worries, all our anxieties over to the Lord. For is it by His will all things are accomplished. The one who breathed life into Adam, and spoke creation into existence is capable of all things. When we surrender our will to the will of God we know that all is well. We are comforted that it will be to His plan, not ours.  And when we are tempted to take our problems back so that we can worry about them some more or try to fix them, we have to remember about rule number one. Give it up in prayer and keep giving it up in prayer. It is a nice way to be reminded that God is the source of all of our hope. We know from 1 Peter 5: 10 “the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." Amen.

PRAYER: Blessed are You God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have dominion over all things on earth and in heaven. We ask that You comfort us with Your peace that surpasses all understanding. We ask that Your will be done in our lives and not our will. We ask, dear Lord, that You would guide our steps along the path that You have laid before us. Let there be more of You and less of us in all that we are and all that we do. We ask this in the name of Your Son, who gave Himself on the cross for all mankind. Amen.

Seeking Someone To Devour

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded;  be watchful. Your  adversary the devil  prowls around  like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I have a very good friend, a strong Christian whom I greatly admire, who has for as long as I have known him referred to the devil as the roaring lion. The analogy is a very fitting one I have to agree.

How quickly can one go from all is well to being in very serious trouble.  Recently I witnessed the telling of an experience that clearly demonstrated how quickly this can happen. The young man, my son, was presented with a choice of following an order and shooting, or choosing not to shoot. To say the blink of an eye is all the time it takes might be about right. Or, that may actually be too long of an example of the duration of the time to make a decision. the situation can come upon you so quickly, and leave you just as quickly. The problem is that the after effects can be devastating for the rest of your life. They can truly be life changing. They can be truly life changing for your time here on earth. Beyond this mortal coil is another matter entirely.

We should take the counsel offered by the Apostle Peter to heart my friends.  Being of sober mind is not just a condition of not drinking alcohol or taking drugs. It is truly a state of mind in which we consistently use good judgement. We carefully and conscientiously stay connected with God in prayer and study of the Word. We practice living the will of God in our lives day-to-day, hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute, second-to-second. It is a life skill to be constantly practiced, or it can be lost, or lapse in ability to implement on a moments notice.  Satan is constantly on the prowl much like a hungry lion seeking to devour someone. We must stay in a state of constant vigilance, lest we are devoured. We must earnestly seek the wisdom of God, the love of Christ, the discernment of the Holy Spirit in all that we do. Check the words of Amos 5:12-15 "For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins--you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and  turn aside the needy  in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will  keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,  as you have said. Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the  Lord , the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." It is truly an evil time. Some times more so than other. Keep up your guard and be constantly vigilant.

Next time, we will explore more of what is offered in 1 Peter 5 and learn how to endure the trials set before us in love.


PRAYER: Almighty and everlasting God you are the source of all wisdom. Your creation stands in stark contrast in majesty and fullness to the simple things created by mankind. Your wisdom is unquestionable and your love unshakable. Guide us Father in our daily lives. Reveal Your will to us that we live in obedience and not in variance to Your wishes. Let our lives be a tribute to Your Son. This we ask in the name of Jesus whose love for all saves all. Amen

The Aftermath

Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.'

All that could be said at the trial, has been said.  The ruling by the judge has been rendered. The trial is over. It has been a week and one day since we all parted ways in great sadness, despair, and yet with a sense of hope for a brighter future. It is a hope that is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ.

I have waited to write this devotional for a week and a day because I needed time for healing. I needed time for God in His Holy Spirit to bring peace to my soul. I needed time for prayer, contemplation, study of the Word to work within me. I needed to put the whole ordeal, in all its' horrific detail, into proper perspective. Hearing the words from the Judge stating my son's plea to unpremeditated murder was accepted was shattering. The finality of the judgement was delivered along with a reminder to my son that the judge was confident Andy can put this situation behind him and be successful in his future. Many tears were shed on that day. A very difficult media interview, that documented for all posterity the worst day of my life, was given.  Firmly in the grip of grace I was able to stay composed. I was not just leaning on Jesus, he was holding me up.  By myself, I could not have done what needed to be done. By himself, Andy could not have done what he knew needed to be done to take responsibility for his actions and to move forward with his life.  Jesus was. and still is, holding Andy and each of us up to endure whatever hardships may befall us. The weight of the sentence passed on Andy is tremendous. Seven years are to be served.  For some people that would be the end. There would be seven long and difficult years without hope. It could be completely devastating and lead to a pitiful existence.

But how can it be for a believer?  How will time pass for a follower of Jesus Christ?  In reality it can be a time of deep reflection, study of the Word, and long hours in prayer.  The tremendous difference be between the believer and the nonbeliever is that there is HOPE!  Romans 3:22-25 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as  a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  This is the basis of our hope. We are sinners, we are judged on this earth for the sins which break earthly law, and we are forgiven of our sins by the One who is not bound by the earth. We are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that day on the cross. The divine forbearance of God the Father passed over former sins and cast them as far as the east is from the west.  The aftermath of that day for Andy, for me, and for all of us is not one of despair and emptiness. The aftermath is of a bright hope, a glorious future awaits us all. We have to cast off the despair which can weigh us down in a destructive cycle of self pity and doubt.  We must embrace the glorious future that can be found in the path illuminated by walking in faith with Jesus. My friends, the aftermath is not of ruin and wreckage. It is bright as the dawn of a new day after the storm has passed.

PRAYER: Lord God, Heavenly Father you bring the dawn of a new day to us each and every day. You illuminate for all to see the brilliance of Your creation. You help us to put into perspective our troubles, our sorrows and our pain. Your peace, that surpasses all understanding, comforts us when it seems we are beyond consolation. For this Lord, we are eternally grateful. We stand humbled before you. We give thanks for the blessing of Your Son Jesus Christ in our lives and our salvation. Praise be to The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen