Remember

This is Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day originally began as Decoration Day in the late 1800’s. Decoration Day was started to remember those who lost their lives fighting in the American Civil War. Throughout the years Decoration Day was also used to commemorate those who had fought and died in other wars. Then in the late 1960’s it was instituted as the federal holiday that we celebrate called Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is about remembering those who paid the ultimate price, laying down one’s life, to protect the freedoms we enjoy in this country. Sometimes it may be easy to take our freedoms for granted but holidays like this challenge us to remember. We need to remember the price that was paid. Memorial Day helps us to remember that freedom isn’t free. It comes at a price.

There is something powerful about remembering. It has a way of putting things in perspective and focusing our mind on what’s really important. As you remember our fallen soldiers this weekend, I encourage to remember something else as well. Remember the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember the price He paid for our spiritual freedom. Our freedom from sin and hope of heaven came at a great cost. Do you remember what’s been done for you? I’m sure you know John 3:16, but I want you to read it slowly and carefully as you remember Jesus today.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
-John 3:16, NKJV

Remember what Jesus has done for you today with a thankful and grateful heart. Remember the love He has shown you when you didn’t deserve it. Get your mind off of life’s daily distractions and remember what’s truly important today. There is a savior who loves you and who paid the ultimate price that you might be free from sin and have a hope of heaven. Now don’t forget that.

A Sure Thing

Have you ever listened to a sales pitch and thought, “This has to be a scam!” When we find ourselves in these situations, it’s common to cut the person off, explain as quickly and politely as possible that we aren’t interested, and go about our day. Unfortunately, the skill of recognizing these situations often comes with age and wisdom.

I remember when I was 18, Lacey and I went to the mall in Fairview Heights. In the center of the mall was a group doing a presentation on these animals called sugar gliders. This presentation could more accurately be described as a performance. The salesman was doing all kinds of tricks with these small, seemingly sweet and cuddly creatures. They would jump off a bar and glide onto his shoulder or burrow into his pocket on command. These things were awesome and we had cash in hand! Long story short, after blowing an undisclosed amount of money, we had the most feral, nocturnal, smelly marsupial in all of North America! It would bite, scratch, and let out the most terrifying noise if you opened its pouch. My advice to my 18 year old self would be to save your money and stick with dogs!

With stories like these, there’s no wonder that our society is conditioned to believe in phrases like, “There’s no such thing as a sure thing!” or “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!” Scams are out there and discernment is needed, but as Christians, we are guaranteed at least one SURE THING in life!

1 Peter 1:3 – 4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you!

A familiar hymn put it this way….

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

When we accept Jesus, it’s a package deal! We gain access to the Father, the Spirit, and an eternal inheritance waiting in heaven. Finally, a deal that is too good NOT to be true!

For more assurance, read all of 1 Peter Chapter 1.

Aluminum Foil & God's Promises

Have you ever had trouble getting aluminum foil to tear properly while simultaneously keeping it in the box? Aluminum foil and I have been at it for years. Seems like every time I start rolling the foil out it would suddenly want to take a field trip to the kitchen floor. The stuff always gave me problems…..until recently.

I learned something new about aluminum foil that I had never known. At both ends of aluminum foil boxes are tabs. These tabs are put there by the manufacturer with a purpose. If one simply pushes the tabs in, the aluminum foil will stay nicely in the box when you open the lid and tear a piece of foil off. This was a game changer for me. No more chasing aluminum across the kitchen floor. Then I started kicking myself in the butt about it. All those years of frustration could have been avoided. My solution was right there in front of me the whole time. I had possession of what I needed but never took advantage of it.

God constantly challenges people to take hold of the things He has promised. Take a look at these verses from the Bible.

“2 Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. 3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.”
-Joshua 1:2-3, NASB

God is giving directions to His people. Moses is gone and the new leader Joshua is about to take the people into the Promise Land. What’s interesting about this passage is the fact that God says, “I have given it to you.” They haven’t entered the Promise Land yet but its already theirs. God gave it to them. They simply had to claim it. They had to take hold of it. They had to step out in faith, cross the Jordan River, and follow through.

Now that’s peculiar. You can have something that belongs to you, and still need to take possession of it to enjoy it. Do you know what belongs to you? There are promises in life that God has given you, but in order to reap their benefits you must take hold of them. Many times, like the aluminum foil tabs, they are in front of our faces all the time and we do not even realize it. God, like a wise manufacturer, made these promises available to us. Life would be a lot less frustrating if we understood what God has placed at our fingertips and we made the most of it. Consider what might happen in your life if you realized all that God has promised and you put it into practice? Take hold of God’s promises. They belong to you. They are within your reach.

Lord Prepare Me

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says,
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.”

            Since Jesus died and the veil in the temple was torn, there is no longer a separation between God and His people. We now have access to God through His son, and His presence, which was once confined, now comes to dwell in us, making you and me a temple of God.

            This is a privilege and an advantage that the people of the Old Testament did not receive. However, it also comes with some responsibility. Luke 12:48 reminds us, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required…”

So what does it mean to be a dwelling place for God?

The song, Sanctuary puts this beautifully. It is a simple chorus, that expresses a very complex prayer.

Lord, prepare me
To be a sanctuary.
Pure and holy
Tried and true
With thanksgiving,
I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you.

To be a temple for God, you must be…

#1. Pure and Holy

Leviticus 11:44 says, “…be holy, because I am holy.”

            First, we must recognize that the standards we strive to live up to are only possible with God’s help. Nobody meets the criteria except through Jesus, and the power they receive through the Holy Spirit.

            That being said, one definition of pure is “free from any contamination.” Purification is often a difficult process involving heating to extreme temperatures or running through several chemicals and filters. Removing contaminants in your own life can also require extreme measures and sometimes be painful.

As the song says, “Lord, prepare me.”

#2. You Must be Tried and True

            Becoming a Christian is not just one decision or one prayer. It’s something you have to decide every day in every circumstance. To be “tried and true” means you stick it out even when it hurts. Turning your back in the tough times would be like kicking God out of His own temple.

James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

If you are able to do that, you will develop an attitude of thanksgiving that the song talks about. The process may be difficult, but the result will be worth it!

Lord, prepare me!