Month: April 2010

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He Did It Right

Most mornings I wake up with a song in my heart and a smile on my face. No need for coffee. I’ve got His joy surging through me each morning. But what about those occasional mornings when I wake up and everything seems just a bit off? No song. No smile. And at times it feels like no God in sight. What I mean by that is that He seems so far away.

An interesting thing happened to me this morning. I woke up just that way. Everything seemed off. I seemed off. I don’t like coffee, but it sure felt like I needed one.

I sat down in my prayer chair. I know He never will leave me nor forsake me, but I almost wanted to ask, “Are You there?”

Then this little thought flitted across my mind. I’ve heard it before. I’ve thought it before. But this morning I recognized that the enemy of my soul was behind it and trying to cause me to not be confident before God. This is what I heard, “Did I do something wrong?”

There have been times in the past when I’ve entertained that thought. The more I thought about it, the further God felt and the further down my soul sank. But not this morning. I heard that thought. I was a bit puzzled by it. And then I said, “What matters is that He did it all right.”

My righteousness, my right standing with God, is not based on me. It is based on what Jesus did and that’s not changing.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21, KJV)

For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. (2 Corinthians 5:21, Amplified)

I did not earn my righteousness by doing everything right. I was made righteous through Jesus. I like how one minister put it. He said, “In life I got an F. Jesus got an A. I got His report card.” (Leif Hetland)

So this morning, rather than sit in my prayer chair, feeling miles from God, and wondering what I may have done wrong. I sit in my prayer chair and thank Him that Jesus did everything right, and I got His report card!

God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, The Message)

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My Only Hope

…but Hannah had no children. (1 Samuel 1:2, KJV)

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. (1 Samuel 1:10, KJV)

Hannah became pregnant and in due time bore a son and named him Samuel [heard of God]… (1 Samuel 1:20, Amplified)

After years of barrenness, God was Hannah’s only hope. Without God she had no hope. Without God she had no son. But with God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat… And they took him, and cast him into a pit… (Genesis 37:23-24, KJV)

…and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites… (Genesis 37:28, KJV)

And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison… But the LORD was with Joseph… (Genesis 39:20-21, KJV)

And Pharaoh said to Joseph… You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word… (Genesis 1:40-41, Amplified)

Joseph had a dream, but he ended up in prison. There would have been no hope of fulfilling his dream now. No hope for getting out of that prison. But God was with Him. God was Joseph’s only hope and Joseph went from prison to second in command of the nation of Egypt and fulfilled his dream.

And, behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 7:2-3, KJV)

He had an incurable disease. He had no hope until he saw Jesus. And with a touch and a word he was healed!

What impossible situation are you facing today? Let Him be your only hope and see the impossible become your reality!

[For Abraham, human reason for] hope being gone, hoped in faith that he should become the father of many nations… (Romans 4:18, Amplified)

For in You, O Lord, do I hope… (Psalm 38:15, Amplified)

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Always Ready to Love

And one of them struck the bond servant of the high priest and cut off his ear, the right one. But Jesus said, Permit them to go so far [as to seize Me]. And He touched the little (insignificant) ear and healed him. (Luke 22:50-51, Amplified)

So here’s the scene, Jesus and His disciples are surrounded by men with swords and clubs. They have come to arrest Him. For what? For doing good and healing all.

A mob had come. It was a riotous scene. It was a chaotic scene. In the midst of it all a bond servant’s ear is cut off. The bible calls it an insignificant ear.

Jesus is about to be arrested, but He stops for a moment and heals a man who is among those who have come to take Him away. And He heals this man of something that is referred to as insignificant.

But it wasn’t insignificant to Jesus. He didn’t care that it was someone among the mob that has come to lead Him to His death.

At this most crucial time in the Messiah’s life, He stops, He heals, He loves.