In Christ - I am redeemed from the curse of the law

I am redeemed from the curse of the law...

I Peter 1:18,19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 

Galatians 3:10-14 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith." Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who does them shall live by them." Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) ,that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Notes from John MacArthur’s Bible Commentary –

I Peter 1: 18-19 – “Redeemed” means to buy someone from bondage by the payment of a price; to set free by paying a ransom.  Redemption was a technical term for money paid to buy back a prisoner of war.  Here it is used of the price paid to buy the freedom of a person in the bondage of sin and under the curse of the law.  The price paid to a holy God was the shed blood of His own Son.

Galatians 3:10-14 – Anyone who is attempting to earn salvation by keeping the law is under the curse quoted from Deuteronomy 27:26, which shows that failure to keep the law perfectly brings divine judgment and condemnation.  One violation of the law deserves the curse of God.  No one can keep all the commands of the law – not even strict Pharisees like Saul of Tarsus.  Paul goes on to say that no one is made righteous (justified) by the law.  Justification does not come from keeping the law;  this quote from Habakkuk 2:4 shows that justification is by faith alone. Justification by faith and justification by keeping the law are mutually exclusive. Paul uses the word “redeemed” in much the same way as Peter – it speaks of buying a slave’s or debtor’s freedom.  Christ’s death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied God’s justice and exhausted His wrath toward His elect, so that Christ actually purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death.  By bearing God’s wrath for believers’ sins on the cross Christ took upon Himself the curse pronounced on those who violated the law.

There’s something in us that wants to create a system of religion that we can wrap our heads around – that we can accomplish by living well – doing right – serving others – etc.. It’s appealing because it doesn’t require us to give up control – and it gives us a sense of security about our eternal destiny.  The thinking is that if we just go to church every week – pray every day – read a devotional or a few verses of the Bible in the morning – participate in a “Christian” activity during the week – that we’re “good with God.”  Some people add other items to that list – mostly in the form of “don’t’s” – don’t smoke – don’t drink – don’t wear makeup/jewelry – don’t dance – etc. – and as long as we’re not doing any of those things we’re “good with God.”  GOD says that these systems don’t satisfy Him – all it takes is for us to mess up one time – break one commandment – and we’re guilty of breaking them all.  What HE wants from us is everything – He wants us to surrender our lives – to accept that Jesus has once and for all paid the full price for our sins (HALLELUJAH!) – and give Him control of our lives!  As we yield to Him, we will change – we will be conformed into the image of Jesus – we will become more and more like Him until that glorious day when we will be face-to-face with our Savior!  There are no check lists to keep track of our spiritual progress – it’s a moment by moment surrendering to the will and direction of the Father, trusting that He will guide and direct us into a satisfying relationship with Him that will culminate with spending eternity in His presence!  Jesus has bought us back from the enemy of our souls – we have been redeemed from the curse of the law by His blood – that should motivate us to strive to live in closer fellowship with Him every day!

Sharon Pearce, Director

Silent Voices International

355 K Street, Suite H

Chula Vista,  CA  91911

619-422-0757

svoices@pacbell.net

www.silentvoices.org

In Christ - I am strong in the Lord

I am strong to the end...

I Corinthians 1:8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jude 1:24,25  To Him Who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy--to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. 

Daily Word

Pastor Jack Graham

January 30, 2014

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  Romans 15:13

“One illustration I like to use when describing the Spirit’s work in our lives is to set a glove on a table next to a Bible. Then I’ll tell the glove, ‘Go ahead and pick up that Bible.’ Of course, the glove can’t do that because it has no life. It doesn’t matter how passionate I am about telling that glove to open the Bible, it won’t do it. It’s helpless.

“But if I pick up that glove and put my hand it in, then the glove can do whatever my hand can do. The dexterity of my hand becomes the dexterity of that glove. The strength of my hand becomes the glove’s strength.

“Apart from the Spirit of God in our lives, we’re just like that glove, spiritually speaking. We don’t have the ability on our own to obey God. But when the Spirit comes into our lives, He’s like a hand in a glove. His strength and power becomes our strength and power!

“Many people try to live spiritually like a glove without a hand. They follow the latest self-help trend to make themselves better, but they are always left unsatisfied. Let God’s Spirit fill you like a hand in a glove and you’ll discover renewed spiritual strength!

“GIVE GOD CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE AND YOU’LL DISCOVER A RENEWED SENSE OF SPIRITUAL STRENGTH.”

Another point to be made is that it’s essential that you know WHOSE hand is in the glove!  You don’t want it to be anyone’s but the HOLY spirit – not a deceiving spirit – not your flesh – but the Spirit of God.  How will you know?  You’ll know because it will only point you in the direction of truth as revealed in Scripture.  That means you need to be in the Word – that’s where you’ll find truth – and wisdom – and peace – and strength!  What a relief, right?  YOU don’t have to keep yourself strong – HE will keep you strong as you learn to allow the Spirit to fill you and guide and direct you! I’m a really visual person, so I plan to pick up a pair of gloves at Goodwill and keep them with my Bible as a reminder that I need His presence in my life every minute of every day! Sharon

Sharon Pearce, Director

Silent Voices International

355 K Street, Suite H

Chula Vista,  CA  91911

619-422-0757

svoices@pacbell.net

www.silentvoices.org

In Christ - I am saved

I am saved...

I Thessalonians 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Titus 3:4,5 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but because of His mercy He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit... 

Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional

January 23, 2010

Propitiation

...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood...  Romans 3:23-25

“The word we are focusing on today is ‘propitiation.’  It's a word rarely found in newer translations of the Bible.  Unfortunately, it's out of fashion, even in Christian circles.  Propitiation carries the idea of appeasement or satisfaction - in this case Christ's violent death satisfied the offended holiness and wrath of God against those for whom Christ died.  Blood spilled to quench the wrath of an angry God?  It almost makes the cross sound like a pagan sacrificial rite.  Little wonder many Christians are uncomfortable with the idea of sinners in the hands of an angry God.

“But wait!  In pagan religions, it is the worshiper not the god who is responsible to appease the wrath of the offended deity.  But in reality, man is incapable of satisfying God's justice apart from Christ, except by spending eternity in hell.  In Christianity, it is God, not the worshiper, who took the responsibility of satisfying His own wrath.

“Herein lies the amazing love of God - the Father's wrath was appeased through the willing sacrifice offered by His own Son.  ‘It was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer...  After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge My Righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities’ (Isaiah 53:10-11).

“This is what makes the good news so great.  ‘For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:9).  God has no more anger left for us, only mercy, pardon, forgiveness, compassion and grace upon grace.”

There are so many promises in these verses – we’re “not appointed to wrath” – we are “washed and reborn” – we’re “saved completely” – and Jesus is always interceding for us!  What peace these truths offer us!  No more striving to be perfect to “earn” God’s pleasure – no more worries about not being “good enough” – no need to struggle to save ourselves.  Jesus is in heaven praying for me – for you – right now!  He knows what temptations we face – and He’s praying that we would have the victory!  What a RELIEF!  Having witnessed the futile efforts of adherents of other religions to appease their “god,” I’ve come to see that Christianity is a revolutionary faith!  And it can be one of the most difficult ones to grasp.  There’s something in us that wants to do something for ourselves – to prove that we’re really not as bad as God says we are – to show Him – and others – that we’re “good people capable of good things.”  When we can finally accept that there’s nothing we can do – nothing we have to offer – then we can rest.  Is there something you need to let go of today?  Something you’re doing to prove your worthiness?  Let it go – and accept that it is GOD who has made you perfect because of the atoning sacrifice of His Son!

Sharon Pearce, Director

Silent Voices International

355 K Street, Suite H

Chula Vista,  CA  91911

619-422-0757

svoices@pacbell.net

www.silentvoices.org

In Christ - I am crucified with Christ

I am crucified with Christ...

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

Your Cross

Morning & Evening

Charles H Spurgeon/Alistair Begg

April 5

Laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.

Luke 23:26

“We see in Simon's carrying the cross a picture of the work of the church throughout all generations; she is the cross-bearer after Jesus. Notice, Christian, that Jesus does not suffer so as to prevent your suffering. He bears a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow. Remember that, and expect to suffer. But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in Simon's, it is not our cross but Christ's cross that we carry. When you are persecuted for your piety, when your faith is the occasion of cruel jokes, then remember it is not your cross, it is Christ's cross; and what a privilege it is to carry the cross of our Lord Jesus!

“You carry the cross after Him. You have blessed company; your path is marked with the footprints of your Lord. The mark of His blood-red shoulder is upon that heavy burden. It is His cross, and He goes before you as a shepherd goes before his sheep. Take up your cross daily, and follow Him.

“Do not forget, also, that you bear this cross in partnership. It is the opinion of some that Simon only carried one end of the cross, and not the whole of it. That is very possible. Christ may have carried the heavier part, against the transverse beam, and Simon may have borne the lighter end. Certainly that is the case with you; you only carry the light end of the cross Christ bore the heavier end.

“And remember, though Simon had to bear the cross for only a short while, it gave him lasting honor. Even so, the cross we carry is only for a little while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory. Surely we should love the cross and, instead of shrinking from it, count it very dear, for it works out for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

It seems like lately I’m hearing about more and more churches who are getting involved with the “feel good” movement – if it’s exciting – “sparkly” – emotional – uplifting – fun – new – it’s making its way into the church.  There’s little talk of the cross of Christ – and the fact that we are to be crucified with Him – daily.  Crucifixion was – and is – excruciatingly painful – there was nothing fun about it – it wasn’t exciting – it didn’t “feel good.”  I guess it’s human nature to want to avoid pain at all costs – but by focusing on the glitz, glamour and “sparkly” we’re depriving ourselves of what we need for growth. I’ve learned the hard way that you can kill a plant with kindness just as easily as you can kill it with neglect – the end result either way is a dead plant.  There are times when I have to go out and make deep cuts in my plants – I have to feed them – water them – and sometimes even dose them with a bit of poison – so that they can grow larger, healthier and stronger.  If all I give my plants is water – and lots of it – if I never prune, trim and clean – then they’re going to suffer, and their growth will be stunted.  SO – Believer – are you out looking for the “fun” and the exciting – or are you out looking for a way to grow?  If growth is what you want, then crucifixion is what you need.  Don’t be afraid to suffer for Jesus – He’s right there with you – He’s gone before you – and He will help you carry your cross all the way to the finish line!

Sharon Pearce, Director

Silent Voices International

355 K Street, Suite H

Chula Vista,  CA  91911

619-422-0757

svoices@pacbell.net

www.silentvoices.org

In Christ - I am a new creature in Christ

I am a new creature in Christ...

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

       

KPRZ Encouragement for Today

February 7, 2012

Starting Fresh

T. Suzanne Eller

“It was a typical holiday scene. My mother hummed an off-key tune in the kitchen. My father lounged in his faded blue recliner, while my husband and brothers talked about the football game on TV. The younger children played cards, while the older kids talked about my daughter's recent acceptance into college.

“As I viewed the scene, I stood still in my tracks. Wait! When did we become a ‘typical family?’

“My past will never resemble a Hallmark card. My mother had her first baby at 15. She lost her footing as she tried to be a young mother and wife. She was physically and verbally abused by her young husband and fled at age 20 to start over. Alone and pregnant—with me—mom met a good man and later they married.

“But the emotional baggage took its toll on that relationship, and later on our entire family. She often threatened suicide. She raged. She lashed out physically. She begged for forgiveness. If I let my guard down to love, the next day or the next week a new scene would unfold. My heart hardened at a tender age.

“Flash forward 25 years. I am no longer a child. I'm a woman with young adult children of my own. God has healed my heart.

“As I stood in the living room I realized that I still viewed my family through the past. I had let go of the resentment, the anger. I loved my mother and father, but I still saw my extended family as broken. In far too many ways our relationship was founded on that perception.

“I stepped back and took a good long look. Who was my mom now? How had she grown? Did I recognize what God had performed in her life?
“The answer was no, and I was not alone in this thinking. My siblings also wrestled with this. No matter what my mother did, no matter how much she had overcome, she still had a scarlet letter branded on her. She was marked "B" for broken.

“My family had been ‘normal’ longer than dysfunctional. I realized it was time to step into the present and leave the past behind.

“That day I fully transitioned from child to adult. I reflected on what God can do in spite of a broken past. I rejoiced in what had taken place in the heart of my mother and our family. It didn't just change me, but it changed my mother and our relationship. Somehow she knew we had crossed a new threshold. The burden of guilt was eased as she looked into my eyes and realized I saw her fully as the woman she had become.

“Several holidays have passed since that day. My mother still hums off-key. I still bring desert. But when I look at my family, I don't just see a family gathering, I see a portrait of God's grace.

“Dear Jesus, do I recognize the miracles You have done in my loved ones? Do I hold on to resentment even if that person has changed? Give me new eyes to see. Paint the picture fresh for me as I extend the mercy You so freely gave to me to one person in my life today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”

What a great reminder that EVERYONE who comes to Christ on His terms is a new creature  How easy it is for us to hold on to the past – to carry a grudge when we’ve been hurt – to be quick to remember a wrong – even after/when the offender has surrendered to Jesus. And yet - THEIR past has been covered by the blood of the Lamb, just as has ours. If God has forgiven them – if He has given them a new start – then shouldn’t we?  Yes – it’s hard – VERY hard – but it’s necessary for our own spiritual health! Is there someone in your life who is a “new creature” – but who still carries the “scarlet letter?”  Forgive them!  Set them – and yourself – free!  Walk in your own freedom – and encourage them to do the same!  Be an instrument of peace in the relationship – allow the Lord to create a NEW relationship – one that is based on your new identities – children of God!  Sharon

In Christ - I am always in God's thoughts

I am always in God's thoughts...

Psalms 139:17,18 How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You. 

Isaiah 49:15-16 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me."  

Jeremiah 29:4-13 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon; “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.  Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters - that you may be increased there, and not diminished.  And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.  For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD.  For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional

April 13, 2011

Will God Give Up On You?

“I grieve to think how I treated my friends when I was in the hospital.  They would sit by my bedside while I lay there in stubborn silence.  They would bring magazines, and I would shrug my shoulders, saying I wasn't interested.  My friends would offer to wheel me outside, but I would reply, ‘No, I'd rather sit here in front of the television.’

“I'm sure that I provoked a lot of exasperation in some of my friends.  A few stopped coming around, and who could blame them?

“We sometimes feel that way about God.  Deep down we know we probably provoke Him with our sloppy prayers.  We feel that He must be peeved with our ho-hum approach to Bible study.  We're certain that He's irritated with our sins and annoyed with the constant ups and downs of our spiritual walk.  God, we sadly assume, must be exasperated to the point of giving up on us.

“If we are truly a part of God's family, we can be sure that He will love us through the tough times.  Children can be exasperating-even children of God-but the Lord will never forget us.  He will never give up on us.  Nothing, neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor sloppy praying, nor halfhearted Bible study will be able to separate us from God's constant and abiding love.

“In light of this, how should we then live?  It should humble us to think that God will not, even cannot, walk away.

“Lord, if anyone should be annoyed or provoked, it should be me with my halfhearted approach to prayer and Your Word.  Forgive me when I grieve You, my Friend.”

Blessings,

Joni and Friends

What a comfort to know that God doesn’t get fed up and write us off!  Even when we’re at our worst, He is thinking about us, working situations and circumstances in our lives as a means of redirecting our paths back to Him.  I love what Joni said – “It should humble us to think that God will not, even cannot, walk away.”  He CANNOT walk away.  He CANNOT stop thinking about you.  He CANNOT stop loving you!  If you’re His child, it’s for keeps – forever – for always – and no matter what – you are HIS.  He will do everything within His power to woo you back into the intimate relationship you were made for.  He is always thinking about ways He can show you how much He loves you.  He’s CRAZY about you – His love for you is high and wide and deep and inexhaustible!  He can’t WAIT to have you back with Him – so until then, know that you are always in His thoughts!  Sharon

In Christ - I am loved by God

I am loved by God...

Jeremiah 31:3  The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." 

Romans 8:38,39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

I John 4:16-19 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because He first loved us. 

Encouragement for Today/KPRZ

March 12, 2010

With All My Heart

Zoe Elmore

         

"’I'm giving this to you with all my heart, Daddy.’ Annie spoke those words as she handed her daddy the wrapped gift. Dan opened the gift to find a small cardboard box, the lid had been torn off, mailing label still attached and a rubber band had been secured to fashion a handle. Dan scooped up his daughter in his arms and thanked her for his birthday gift promising to carry his new lunch box to work the very next day. Dan was true to his word and proudly carried the new lunch box to work the very next day.

“Now how many people would actually carry their lunch to the office in a tattered and torn cardboard box? Talk about showing your love with your life in a world where talk is cheap and we value appearances over promises! Dan's tender act of love toward his daughter touched my heart and brought this verse to mind.

“1 John 4:16, ‘And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him’ (NIV).

“While Dan's new lunch box fell apart within a day or two, Dan's love for his daughter is real, personal and lasting just like the love God has for us. God's love sees beyond our brokenness and sin and transforms our tattered and torn lives into something beautiful and precious.

“Our heavenly Father's love is not based on appearance or gender, education or wealth; it's based on one thing: Love. It is God's very nature to love.  It is the love of self-sacrifice. God proved His sacrificial love by sending His Son Jesus to die on a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. God draws us to Himself by forgiving us of our rebellion against Him, and by sending His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. God did this in spite of the fact that we did not deserve it. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, NIV).

“God's love is personal. He knows each of us individually and loves us personally with all His heart. His love is a mighty love that has no beginning and no end. Why does God love us? It is because of who He is: ‘God is love.’

“If you're longing for the personal and individual love of a father and have never experienced the deep, rich, immeasurable love of God I encourage you to stop and follow these five simple steps.

“1. Admit your sin and your need for a Savior.

“2. Be willing to turn from sin (repent)

“3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you.

“4. Through Prayer, receive Him as your personal Lord and Savior.

“5. Surrender your will to His, and ask Him to help you trust and obey His ways.

          

“Dear Lord, I believe You are the Son of God. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask You into my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”

What a sweet reminder of how God sees us – as His beloved child!  When we do anything in His name – when we choose to do what’s right – when we honor Him in obedience, we’re like little Annie, giving our Daddy the best gift we can offer.  And like Annie’s father, God is blessed by our efforts, no matter how meager!  What are you doing to show God how much you love Him today?  Is there an area of your life – your heart – that needs to be surrendered?  Do it now – give it as a gift to the One who will always love you!  Sharon