Thankful for Our Salvation

If you have been saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, forgiven of your sins, and reconciled to God you have something to rejoice about today. God the Father has given us so much through His Son Jesus. The Apostle Peter reminds us of those blessings in 1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV),

3 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 resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Did you catch those reasons to rejoice? In Jesus we have a living hope. When Jesus saves us, He makes us brand new as the life and presence of God take up residence within us. We have real hope that we can hang onto because Jesus is alive. Rejoice for we are made alive in Christ and given a hope that does not disappoint.

In Jesus we have an inheritance that is being kept for us in heaven. My, oh, my do we have something to look forward to. Our inheritance in Christ cannot be corrupted or destroyed. Evil things will never taint nor spoil it. It will never be lessened it its beauty or value. Rejoice for the best is yet to come.

In Jesus we have God’s power that guards us as we walk in faith. God is watching over His people. He protects, provides, and guides so that we may receive the fullness of our salvation in the last time. He gives us everything we need no matter the season of life. God will see us through every hardship and trial we face. No need to despair. Rejoice for God will finish the good work He started in you.

Take a moment today to rejoice in what Christ has done for you. Smile, say thank you, clap, shout, and sing to the Lord for you blessed beyond measure.

Jesus Makes All the Boo-Boo's Better

Sometime back when my son Corban was little, I scraped my leg on a branch that I was trying to move. When I was laying on the couch in shorts, he noticed it. With his 3-year-old perspective, Corban said, "Ooohhh daddy, you have a boo-boo...but Jesus will make it better." I said, "Thanks bud. Yeah, Jesus will make it better."

A few weeks later my leg was all healed up. I was sitting in bed talking to Corban on a Saturday night before we hit the hay. I was going to be preaching on the crucifixion of Jesus the next day from Mark 15:15-38. Corban noticed that my leg was all healed up. He told me, "Look Jesus made your boo-boo better." I said, "Yeah, Jesus made my boo-boo better". He then added some extra insight, "Jesus makes peoples boo-boos better". I said, "That's right bud." He continued, "Jesus makes all peoples boo-boos better."

My son was so young at the time, and he didn't fully understand what he was saying. Jesus really does make all our boo-boos better. He takes away all our sins, all our guilt, and all our hurt. He takes it all away. Do you know the healing and forgiveness of Jesus Christ? If you put your faith in Him, He can change everything right now. Have you experienced a hurt in life that needs the gentle touch of our Savior? He can restore and redeem any wound. You simply need to trust. No matter the boo-boo you may have, Jesus has a remedy for you. Remember these words of John the Baptist from John 1:29,

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Growing in Our Walk with Christ

On May 23rd, 2022 my son Corban had his last day of kindergarten. He hopped out of the truck, with backpack in tow, and walked through the front doors like it was no big deal. What a difference it was from his first day of kindergarten. He wanted me to hold his hand and walk him all the way into his classroom on the first day of school. Over the course of the school year, he grew up and learned the ropes. He didn’t need his hand held anymore. He could do it by himself.

Growth is an important part of life. God wants us to grow as well. There are parts of our spiritual walk where we need our hand held at first. We need someone to walk us through, calm our fears, or make sure we are doing it right. That is not where we are called to stay though. We are to mature and grow in the faith. We are to learn how to walk without fear or worry. How have you been growing in your spiritual walk? What differences have been made in your life in the last year? Look at what Paul tells us in Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV),

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

We are to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ in way that puts our roots deeper into the soil, lays a firmer foundation in the faith, and reaches new heights of spiritual maturity. We also to abound in thankfulness through every part of the journey. None of us are finished yet. We all still have some growing to do. Just make sure you are not staying in the same place, becoming stagnant and stale. Instead, stay on the move for the Lord like a fresh flowing stream and grow up into all that Christ has for you. In time you will no longer need your hand held, rather you will be the one walking beside those who are young in the faith.

Jesus and Peter Walking on Water

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” -Matthew 14:27-30

The glory is God’s power to save and not that Peter walked on the water. Peter was not putting Jesus to the test, instead, he was the only one in the boat to react in faith. His impulsive request led him to experience a rather unusual demonstration of God’s power. Peter started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the high waves around him. His faith wavered when he realized what he was doing.

We may not walk on water, but we do walk through tough situations. If we focus on the waves of difficult circumstances around us without looking to Jesus for help, we too may sink. To maintain your faith when situations are difficult, keep your eyes on Jesus’ power rather than your inadequacies. We all face trials and problems. Many times, our focus is on the problems, and we don’t focus on Jesus. We worry and get scared about what to do. Peter did too, but he called out, “Lord, save me!” God’s power through the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can really help.

When we have a relationship with Jesus and are following Him, we aren’t judged by the amount of faith we have, but by whom our faith is in. We aren’t likely to see anyone walk on water, but we probably have witnessed many people do amazing things when they were focused on Christ. I am sure we all have witnessed things in our own lives that God saved us from, certain situations and that He saved our soul. That is as amazing as walking on water. Nothing else matters more than God saving us.

Has Jesus ever asked you to step out of your boat and into a potentially scary situation? What happened? As you look ahead to the rest of your day, what situations do you foresee that might pull your attention away from Jesus?

Lord, I believe anything is possible with You. Help me fix my mind on You alone. Work through me today in a way that brings You all the glory. Amen.