Jesus is loving Barabbas - a Judah Smith video

     My sister showed me this video last night and it brought me to tears. It's so beautiful and true, and it reminded me of the truth of the cross in a way I didn't know I needed. Please take eight minutes to be blessed by this. Judah Smith is a dynamic and gifted speaker, and the graphics of the video help to intensify the message. For this reason, I suggest you view it in Youtube so that the screen is bigger. :)

-Sarah :)

P.S. My spiritual life has been a whirlwind lately. So many new things that God is introducing to me! I'm not sure I will be able to share them all; I'm afraid of coming across as confusing and I don't want to lead anyone astray. But I hope that I will be able to put some of my thoughts in order enough to give you a couple of posts soon. I haven't blogged in exactly a month! :P

who we are in Christ - God doesn't create junk

     Christians need to have a certain amount of self-esteem. I'm not talking about constantly doing things to keep people thinking highly of them. That's more of what the world (read: unbelievers) would say self-esteem is. People are always saying "believe in yourself!" As if you were something so amazing, that you could rely on yourself to accomplish anything.

     But we can't do that. We can't rely on ourselves. Jeremiah 17:9 says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

     So, as Christians, where do we get self-esteem? We all need it. Otherwise, we'd have such a low opinion of ourselves to the point where we would start lying to ourselves about our worth. We do have worth. But it's not in ourselves. If the heart is deceitful, there's no way we could look in ourselves for truth about who we are. We are more critical of ourselves than anyone else is. We all have our insecurities, and NO ONE on earth is entirely immune to peer pressure.

     We get our worth from JESUS. Since Jesus bore the punishment for all of our sin and fear and insecurities and failings, we have HIS record. That doesn't mean we don't sin. It does mean, though, that we aren't going to be punished for our sin. God looks at us as beloved sons and daughters. I don't know about you, but I find it comforting to know that God thinks I'm beautiful. THAT'S how I should look at myself. The devil likes to whisper in our ears and tell us lies about how we aren't worth anything, how we can never be a success, et cetera. That's when I look at what God thinks of me. He loves me as a Father loves his child! And his opinion will never change. Oh, happy thought!

     I'm an introvert myself, so I count myself as one of the socially awkward club. You know, the kind that go to Chick-fil-a and have to muster up all the courage in their being to go up to the counter and order lemonade. (True story.) So, when I go out in public, I'm constantly comparing myself to people, whether it's my physical appearance, or the way I speak, or my sense of humor. It's easy for me to sit here on my bed and type a bunch of words about how comparing yourself to others doesn't get you anywhere, and how God made you unique and for a special purpose. It's harder once I go out there and try to apply it to my life. But God's always working. He really is. He's showing me this and, slowly but surely, bringing me out of the pit of low self-esteem.

     God has perfect timing. I started attending my new church around August of last year, and last September, youth group started. Our theme for this whole year in youth group has been: "Be yourself; who you are in Christ." It's amazing and wonderful that God would place me in this group, talking about this subject, right around the time I started struggling with self-esteem. Last week at youth group, we did a sort of recap of everything we've learned in the past few months. I wanted to share with you who we are and what we have in Christ.

1) We are inseparable from Christ.
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

2) We are sanctified (set apart and being made holy).
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," - Ephesians 2:4-6

3) We have the Holy Spirit in us. 
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." - Acts 1:8

4) We are free. 
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1

5) We have authority. 
". . .so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs  according to the hope of eternal life." - Titus 3:7

6) We are masterpieces. 
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." - Ephesians 2:10

     Everyone in my youth group also received a card with the following printed on it:

I am a child of God.

I was created in His image for a unique 

purpose that He prepared for me before I 

 was known to this world. 

     I constantly need this reminder of who I really am, otherwise, I would always be beating myself up for my shortcomings and mistakes that I'm bound to make. When I read this card, I'm reminded that God is a forgiving and loving God, no matter how many times I mess up. 

     I'd like to leave you with this video made by the Skit Guys about being who God created you to be. Enjoy. :)

-Sarah :)

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

John 20:1-18 

merry christmas!!!

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!"

--Luke 2:8-14

     Merry Christmas! I'm sorry this post is a little late. I hope your day was blessed as you celebrated the birth of our Savior and spent time with family and friends. 

     This post may be belated, but it's never too late for the Christmas story, right? The above passage, I think, sums up the story of Christmas pretty well. (Please, however, read the whole of Luke 2 when you get the chance.) The baby, the Savior, the king of earth and of heaven, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger––because there was no place for him in the inn. 

      No place for him? No place for God on earth? I wonder if those innkeepers would have tried to make room for Joseph and Mary if they had known the significance of who Mary bore in her womb. 

     But, so the Bible tells us, there was no place for them in the inn. God didn't want Jesus born in the best of hotels; nor did he want him born in a palace, as he surely deserved. No––he decided on a stable. This is God we are talking about, after all. He can start from anywhere and accomplish his plan. 

     We all know the rest of the Gospel story: Jesus grew up, and "increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52) He worked miracles and cast out demons. He gained the love and honor from the people, as seen in his procession through the town on a donkey, when the crowd shouted Hosanna! and laid their coats on the road. 

     However, this admiration was not shared by all. Soon after his triumphant procession, he was hanged on a cross by Roman soldiers. Hanged with nails. Nails driven into his hands and feet, his back raw and bleeding, his head poked with thorns. He was mocked. The Son of God was mocked! He was ridiculed and humiliated publicly. But this was not half of his pain, compared to the anguish that came with God's wrath being poured down on him. In the midst of his physical pain, Jesus had to bear––chose to bear––his Father's holy wrath. All of it. His Father, with whom he had spent all eternity with in a perfect, wonderful relationship, was now turning his back on his Son. 

    But Jesus, through this suffering, paid our WHOLE debt, and was victorious over the grave! He ascended into heaven, and now we look forward to his return, when he will take us home to live with him forever. 

     My Christmas challenge to you is: live your life in the light of this message. Because Christmas isn't just about the birthday in the stable (although that is a wonderful message in itself!). It's about the whole Gospel. I know we all know this news already, but thanks for reading through it again. :) 

     Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! God bless you!!! 

-Sarah :)

     

Optimistic Christianity

We got Chinese food for dinner last night. (Chinese food is SO good, but the whole time you're eating it your feeling like the fortune cookie is probably just as "healthy" for you as the other food.)

:)

Anyway, when my sister opened her fortune cookie and read the fortune, she read:

"You take an optimistic view of life."

Normally, we ponder the fortune and it's probability, and then laugh. But this time, God revealed something to me through the little slip of paper in the cookie.

 I realized that a Christian will take an optimistic view of life, because they have have hope that they will never sink so low that they are out of God's saving reach. They have an opportunity to serve others and bring others joy through their words and actions, and the hope of eternal life in glorious heaven.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the ressurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Peter 1:3


May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,


Sarah :)

WESTMINSTER CONFESSION OF FAITH

I am actually in the process of writing my first Worthy post, based on one of the messages given there. But, while I'm working on it, I thought I'd share with you a couple of quotes from the Westminster Confession of Faith. As with The Pilgrim's Progress, these quotes are in old english.





"The most wise, righteous, and gracious God doth oftentimes leave, for a season, his own children to manifold temptations, and the corruption of their own hearts, to chastise them for their former sins, or to discover unto them the hidden strength of corruption and deceitfulness of their hearts, that they may be humbled; and, to raise them to a more close and constant dependence for their support upon himself, and to make them more watchful against all future occasions of sin, and for sundry other just and holy ends."


. . . 


"So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God, and very man, yet on Christ, the only Mediator between God and man." 


. . .


"When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and, by his grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good..."


. . .


"All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers o the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put upon them, receive the Spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry, Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him, as by a father: yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption; and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting salvation.


. . .


Which one of these quotes was your favorite? Are there any confessions of faith, catechisms, Bible verses, quotes, etc. that encourage you?

-Sarah :)

Pilgrim's Progress

I have started reading The Pilgrim's Progress in preparation for my history class in the fall. (School's starting soon!) I think it's like the original version, with all the old english and everything. It's slightly hard to read, but there are some amazing truths in it. I'm posting a couple quotes I found especially meaningful here, so that you can read and learn more about the right way the Christian travels upon.


"He to whom thou wast sent for Ease, being by name Legality, is the son of the Bondwoman which now is, and is in bondage with her children, and is now a mystery this Mount Sinai, which thou hast feared will fall on thy head. Now if she with her children are in Bondage, how canst thou expect by them to be made free? This Legality, therefore, is not able to set thee free from thy Burden. No man was as yet ever rid of his Burden by him; nor is ever like to be."


"There shall be no more crying, nor sorrow, for he that is Owner of [heaven] will wipe all tears from our eyes."


"But thus thou mayst distinguish right from wrong, the Right only being strait and narrow."


"As to thy Burden, be content to bear it, until thou comest to the place of Deliverance: for there it will fall from thy back of itself."


"Then he took [Christian] by the hand, and led him into a very large parlour that was full of dust, because never swept. . . then said Christian, What means this? The Interpreter answered, This parlour is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet Grace of the Gospel: The dust is his Original Sin, and inward Corruptions that have defiled the whole man. He that began to sweep at first, is the Law; but she that brought Water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now, whereas thou sawest that so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did so fly about, that the room by him could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choaked therewith; this is to shew thee that the Law, instead of cleansing the heart (by it's working) from Sin, doth revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul, even as it doth discover and forbid it, for it doth not give Power to subdue. Again, as thou sawest the Damsel sprinkle the room with Water, upon which it was cleansed with pleasure; this is to shew thee, that when the Gospel comes in, the sweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then, I say, even as thou sawest the Damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the floor with Water, so is Sin vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean, through the Faith of it, and consequently fit for the King of Glory to inhabit."






- Sarah :)

Music. . . and the Gospel

I love music. LOVE LOVE LOVE etc. music. I play violin and piano, and I also enjoy listening to music, especially worship songs. I think God uses my love of music to speak to me. One song in particular by the Annie Moses Band called "Tough as Nails" is really amazing. Please watch the video below to hear the song. Both their songwriting and musical talent are amazing.

Did you listen to it? Good. Did you hear the line "But he did not fight when the hammer fell; his love was tough as nails . . ."? (amazing line, by the way!) That line got me to thinking. Jesus didn't fight when he was being nailed to the cross. He could have just spoken, and legions of angels would have come to his aid! But he didn't. He let them kill him, because in his death millions would be restored to life.

And, in turn, this got me to thinking about something else. Whenever I go through a difficult time, I know I can always count on God to see me through it. He never forsakes me. (The only reason that is true is because of the Gospel . . .it all connects in the end, you see!) But when Jesus was on the cross, he didn't receive help from God. He cried out to his Father, saying "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But God had turned his back on him.

Jesus was utterly alone. For the first time ever, he didn't have God right there with him.

Imagine what you would feel like if you were forsaken by God. But very quickly after imagining it remember that God promised never to leave you or forsake you! OK, good.

Jesus had a closer relationship with God than any of us have. And he was forsaken by God!

But there's some excellent news coming up. Because he was forsaken by God that night when he hung on the cross, we will never be forsaken. Ever. In my life. (get that... you know, from Up? :) Never mind.)

I do believe this marvelous news calls for a celebration. An outburst of thanksgiving. Aren't you so thankful that Jesus has saved you?!?!? (If you happen to be reading this and you don't think you're saved, I would encourage you to ask God to help you believe all of the above. The Christian life is a wonderful life.)

I hope you are encouraged by this!

Sarah :)

perspective in trials

"More than anything else I could ever do, the gospel enables me to embrace my tribulations and thereby position myself to gain full benefit from them. For the gospel is the one great permanent circumstance in which I live and move; and every hardship in my life is allowed by God only because it serves His gospel purposes in me. Wen I view my circumstances in this light, I realize that the gospel is not just one piece of good news that fits into my life somewhere among all the bad. I realize instead that the gospel makes genuinely good news out of every other aspect of my life, including my severest trials. The good news about my trials is that God is forcing them to bow to His gospel purposes and do good unto me by improving my character and making me more conformed to the image of Christ.

"Preaching the gospel to myself each day provides a lens through which I can view my trials in this way and see the true cause for rejoicing that exists in them. I can then embrace trials as friends and allow them to do God's good work in me."

- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer for Christians, pages 31-32

QUALIFIED

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:9-14

AM I A CHRISTIAN? (JOHN 14:15)

Do you ever ask yourself that question? A couple nights ago, I was listening to a message by Elyse Fitzpatrick, and she was talking about how everyone is going to die one day. She said that we would either go to a place of joy, or of sorrow and pain and regret. (Of course those aren't her exact words, but that's the gist of it.)

That got me to thinking (you know how "scary" stuff is always much scarier when it's 10:00 at night): What if I'm not a Christian? What if I do go to hell when I die?

So I talked to my parents, and they helped me so much. We talked about how you can tell whether someone's a Christian or not by the fruit in their life. My dad also pointed out something I never knew before. You know John 14:15? "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." My dad said that Jesus wasn't saying "If you love me, you'd better keep my commandments!" No, Jesus was saying that, if we love him, we literally will keep his commandments. The Holy Spirit will make you keep them! That was really encouraging for me because I knew I had the desire to keep God's commandments (that desire came from him, of course!) We already have all the power to keep his commandments. . . we just don't understand it. That made it seem really easy to fight off sin! If we have all the power (that is from God) already, we can easily win! And each time we sow to the spirit, it will get easier!

So, in conclusion (so that it doesn't sound like I went off on a tangent), if we want to obey God's commandments, we have the power that only comes from God. That is some pretty good assurance of your faith!

Hope this was encouraging!!!

Sarah :)

MORE ON REVELATION

"And [John] knew that the ending of The Story was going to be so great, it would make all the sadness and tears and everything seem like just a shadow that is chased away by the morning sun.

'I'm on my way,' said Jesus. 'I'll be there soon!'

John came to the end of his book. But he didn't write 'The End.' Because, of course, that's how stories finish. (And this one's not over yet.)

So instead, he wrote: 'Come quickly, Jesus!'

Which, perhaps, is really just another way of saying. . .

To be continued. . .

- The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones

JESUS FORGIVES ALL. I REPEAT, ALL. OF OUR SINS.

Think about it awhile.

GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Here is the final part of my 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 study. Sorry it took so long!

Verses:

Psalm 118:1 – Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Psalm 118:1 tells us that we should be thankful for God's steadfast love for us. If we pray for thankfulness, and dwell on how much God loves us, God gives us thankfulness. Colossians adds that we should be thankful in whatever we do. We take a lot of things for granted; most things we have, actually. If we stop and write down all the things we have and should be thankful for, it would help us be more thankful. We should also be thankful for things that may seem bad in our lives. Please read this section from "The Hiding Place" about this. (For those of you who haven't read it, the "I" is Corrie ten Boom.)

"We can start right now to thank God for every single thing about this new barracks!"

I stared at her, then around me at the dark, foul-aired room. "Such as?" I said.

"Such as being assigned here together."

I bit my lip. "Oh yes, Lord Jesus!"

"Such as what you're holding in your hands."

I looked down at the Bible. "Yes! Thank You, dear Lord, that there was no inspection when we entered here! Thank You for all the women, here in this room, who will meet You in these pages."

"Yes," said Betsie. "Thank You for the very crowding here. Since we're packed so close, that many more will hear!" She looked at me expectantly. "Corrie!" She prodded.

"Oh, all right. Thank You for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds."

"Thank You," Betsie went on serenely, "for the fleas and for–"

The fleas! This was too much. "Betsie, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea."

"'Give thanks in all circumstances,'" she quoted. "It doesn't say, 'in pleasant circumstances.' Fleas are part of this place where God has put us."

And so we stood between piers of bunks and gave thanks for fleas. But this time I was sure Betsie was wrong.

Later in the book, we see the good that came from the fleas.

One night I got back to the barracks late from a wood-gathering foray outside the walls. . . . Betsie was waiting for me, as always, so that we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were twinkling.

"You're looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself," I told her.

"You know we've never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room," she said. "Well–I've found out."

That afternoon, she said, there'd been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes and they'd asked the supervisor to come and settle it.

"But she wouldn't. She wouldn't step through the door and neither would the guards. And you know why?"

Betsie could not keep the triumph from her voice: "Because of the fleas! That's what she said, 'That place is crawling with fleas!'"

My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place. I remembered Betsie's bowed head, remembered her thanks to God for creatures I could see no use for.

This is an example of how God uses things that seem to be bad for our good. Isn't it so cool? :)

Something to remember when we don't feel thankful is that Jesus died for us so that we can go to heaven forever. If, with God's help, we can be thankful for something as big as that, we can remember to thank God for the little blessings (and trials, little or big) in our lives.

I hope reading this has left you encouraged!

Sarah :)

GOOD FRIDAY

Happy Good Friday! I hope you have had a good day remembering our Savior's sacrifice on the cross for everyone who believes in Him. Matthew 27:32-44 tells the story of what Good Friday is about:

As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Jesus was, for the first time, separated from his Father. He had ALL of the sin that EVERYONE in the WORLD had committed in the past; the sin they were committing as they stood there watching Him die; the sin they would commit in the future. ALL of it. And He had never experienced sin firsthand. And Jesus experienced death for the first time, too.

But he didn't stay dead. He was 100% God and 100% man. He rose from the dead 3 days later, proving that he was God!

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."

Have a good day!