A God-Fix
I read a story the other day… A mother and her little girl were in the kitchen working together. All of a sudden the little girl knocked a glass over, by accident, and it shattered. The mother was fussing as she picked it up. For some reason, the little girl, out of the blue, said, “Mommy, what does God do all the time?”
The mother, thinking about this broken glass she was picking up, said, “God spends his time fixing things.” That’s very profound theology. And it’s true! He fixes my problems and your problems every day. And He fixed a way for our eternal salvation 2000 years ago when He sent Jesus.
The most amazing truth in the world is that Jesus Christ took our place on the cross and, as our substitute, paid for our sins on that cross. The Bible says that even now He intercedes for us. First John 2 states, “Jesus Christ, the Righteous One . . . is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Share with someone today about how God fixed your life by bringing you from death to life in Jesus Christ. He’s in the business of fixing lives. What glorious Good News! And many people don’t even know it! So, go tell them today.
To Zap or Not to Zap
I met a man in Europe who was brought up in a good Christian home. He went to a super college and fell in love with a girl there. But, she got pregnant so they got married. They became rich. A few years later they were completely bored with each other. “Nothing to talk about,” he says.
So one day he asked God, “Will you zap me if I divorce her?” When he told me his story, I asked Him what the Lord’s response had been. I was interested. He said that the Lord said, “No, I won’t zap you.” So he went ahead with the divorce.
Well, 40-some years later his life is a complete mess, he’s on to his third wife, and you can tell he’s miserably unhappy. No, the Lord didn’t “zap” him. My friend zapped himself!
That kind of life isn’t what God intended for us. The Bible says that Jesus Christ intercedes for you so that you’ll be strong in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Second Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” Not a life of perfection, but a life of victory and joy and love and purity. A life that is Spirit-filled. The way it was meant to be. Don’t make the mistake my buddy did. Live your life for Jesus.
Exciting the Lord
You know, the apostle Peter had been with Jesus for three years. He heard all the parables. He saw all the miracles. And he actually, intellectually believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Do you remember the story?
Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” His disciples replied that some of the said he’s John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Then he asked them, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?”
It was Peter who answered him. He said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Then Jesus exploded in excitement and blessed Peter! He was thrilled that Peter actually caught it and believed He was who He said He was.
It’s great to excite the heart of the Master, don’t you think? The book of John says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
Let the Lord renew your faith in Him again today. A firm foundation of joyful belief will pave the way for sharing your faith with others, and also, here it comes, exciting the heart of God as you share His Good News. Yes, when you speak well of Jesus, the heart of God is thrilled. So, share the Good News of him today.
His Gentleness Makes Us Great
Do you realize that Jesus actually know that Peter would deny him? At the last supper, He said to him, “Simon, Simon. Satan has asked to sift you like wheat to shake you up.”
He knew Peter was weak. But then Jesus said an amazing thing. He told Peter that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail. He doesn’t say, “I’ve prayed that you won’t deny me.” In fact he told him, “Peter, you are going to deny me.”
Not only did he know that Peter would deny him, but He even interceded in prayer for him in anticipation so that his faith would not be shaken. And after the resurrection Jesus goes looking for Peter. And, when He finds him, it’s beautiful how gentle the Lord is with him.
The Lord is also gentle with us when we fall. He knows that we will fail Him, but He prays for us then gently restores us to Himself. The Bible says in Psalm 18, “You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.”
Let His gentleness and kindness to you, make you love greatly those who stumble along the way! With that kind of love, how can you be anything but contagious?
Forgiveness and Restoration After Peter’s denial of Him, Jesus restored Peter in such a gentle way that Peter hardly realized it had happened! After the resurrection, Peter, John and some others were eating breakfast with Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.
Jesus asked Peter three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He used his previous name, Simon, to remind Peter of his fleshliness, but not to condemn him. It’s as if Jesus were saying, “Yes, you denied me three times. But I forgive you. And more than that, I actually trust you, Peter, with my sheep.” Maybe you have slipped away from the things of the Lord.
You’re a believer. You’re supposed to be rejoicing. But you say, “Heck, I’m just surviving like my neighbor who denies the Lord.” The Bible says in Psalm 51, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Humble yourself today and say, like Peter, “Lord, you know everything.
You know that I love you. Pick me up and restore me, please?” Jesus intercedes for you ahead of your failure and then He waits to restore you to pick you up! What a story you will have to share God’s gentle, loving faithfulness! Go on, settle this thing right now with the Lord and then tell others about it.
