Blood of Christ

March 6th –

Luke 23:46

In Luke 23:46, we witness the heart wrenching scene of Jesus’ crucifixion. The weight of our sins bore down upon Him as He hung on the Cross, enduring unimaginable physical and spiritual suffering. Yet even in His darkest hour, Jesus’ final words, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit,” echo with profound surrender and trust in God’s plan of redemption. And because of that surrender, through the precious blood our Savior sacrificed, we can find forgiveness and reconciliation with God. As we reflect on the depth of our Father’s love demonstrated through the Cross, our hearts overflow with gratitude and awe. Because we are reminded of the immeasurable price paid for our salvation. So how could we not respond to this amazing, undeserved gift, with lives marked by humility, obedience, and thankfulness. For truly, the Cross stands as the ultimate symbol of God’s unfathomable love and mercy, calling us to embrace the fullness of His grace and walk in the freedom it brings.

March 6th – Read More »

February 8th – 1 Peter 4:8

1 Peter 4:8

The one thing Peter wanted Christians to know above all else, was the importance of loving one another. Not because loving others earns God’s forgiveness. For we know that our sins are paid for through the blood of Christ. And forgiveness for sin comes only through trusting in Him. Instead it means that all, even Christians, are sinners who fail and need forgiveness daily. And by remembering the grace shown to us, we can love each when hurt, forgive each other when wronged, and build each other up when we fall. Because love makes it possible for us to be, “hospitable to one another without complaint”, and to use our God given gifts and talents to serve one another. All with the goal of leading others to the Lord, so “in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Pet. 4:11) And as the days grow darker, our love needs to shine all the brighter.

 

February 8th – 1 Peter 4:8 Read More »

January 28th -John 5:6

John 5:6

No matter who we are, each of us at different times in our lives need the healing that only God can provide. The man at the pool of Bethesda was just one of many hoping for a miracle. And he received it through the compassion of Jesus. Christ offered this man grace and mercy, and He offers it to us as well. Our Lord wants no one to suffer in sickness and so He shed His precious blood to become our perfect path to healing. “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.” (Matt. 8:17) Whether the healing we need is  physical, emotional, spiritual, or all three, Jesus not only provides deliverance from our troubles, but also peace, hope, and joy. So if you find yourself at the edge of the pool lying on your mat wondering when your healing will come, be proactive. Pray, trust, believe, and be ready to put in the work for change when Jesus asks, “Do you wish to be well?”

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January 16th – Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah 6:8

Have you ever thought you washed a window to crystal clear perfection only to find it full of streaks when the rays of the sun shined on it? That’s how it is with us. No matter how hard we try, or how clean we think our lives are, they are nothing more than dirty, streaky windows compared to the perfect goodness of God. But because of His boundless love, just like He did for Isaiah, God provides a way for our iniquity to be taken away and our sin forgiven. That way is Jesus Christ. Through His work on the Cross and the shedding of His precious blood the minute we receive Him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit goes to work. First he humbles and convicts us about the filthiness of our lives, then begins transforming, cleansing, and getting us ready for God’s service. No longer unworthy, and like the prophets before us, we can be eagerly obedient to God’s calling. And after our own life changing encounter with the Lord, with a thankful heart we too can say to God, “Here am I. send Me!”

January 16th – Isaiah 6:8 Read More »

November 19th – Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23

I am grateful that Jesus paid my debt in full!

As we swing into holiday mode, people get into the gift giving spirit. And one of my favorite are the stories about good Samaritans paying off the debts of others. We too have a Good Samaritan. One who will provide us with the best gift we could ever receive. And that gift bearer is Jesus Christ. We all have a sin debt owing. And the penalty of that debt is death, which has to be paid one way or the other. So God in His great love, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as a perfect sin offering. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus wipes away all of our sin. And when we trust in Christ and receive Him as our Savior, God credits our account. Because of the blood payment of Jesus, our sin is paid in full, and we are declared debt free! And in return, we get the awesome privilege of spending eternity with the Lord and sharing in His glory!

November 19th – Romans 6:23 Read More »

November 3rd – John 3:16

John 3:16

I am thankful that God held nothing back to save me

When we consider the perfect, awesome majesty of our Father, we can’t help but ask the same question David asks in Psalm 8:4. “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him.” We are but a speck in this vastness of the cosmos. Frail, wicked, and rebellious enemies of the Lord. But God loves us so much, He stopped at nothing to provide a way for us to be reconciled to Him. Not even sparing His only begotten Son. God fully knew the betrayal, brutality, and rejection His precious Son would face. Yet out of His unmerited love for His children, God sent Him anyway. And because of His love for both us and the Father, Jesus willingly left His glorious throne in heaven to ransom His life for ours. God gave all to call us His. And Jesus shed His blood to save us. We were purchased at a very high and precious price! That’s how wanted, valued, and loved we are by God!

November 3rd – John 3:16 Read More »

June 24th – Hebrews 4:16

Hebrews 4:16

Being heirs with Jesus comes with some pretty awesome privileges. And one of them is the freedom to approach God anytime, anywhere. Because of the reconciliation we receive through the blood of Christ, no longer are we enemies of God. Instead we are His beloved children who can approach our Abba Father, not to receive judgement, but mercy. God wants us to come before Him not with fear, anxiety, or shame. But to come boldly, confident in our standing through Jesus. For He loves us like no other, and has everything we need in every situation. God wants a close, personal, relationship with each of us. And He wants to help, and love us through our trials. So go to Him in prayer, lay your heart at His feet, and receive His mighty grace and help in your time of need!

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May 15th – 1 John 1:7

1 John 1:7

There’s nothing better than standing in the light of the sun, and feeling its warmth upon our skin. But beyond that, the sun’s power also produces valuable Vitamin D that our bodies need to function. As Christians there’s nothing better than standing in the light of the Lord and feeling the warmth of His love and grace. And when we walk in obedience to God, we experience the joy of fellowship. A fellowship with Him and fellow believers that nourishes our soul. But if we choose to step outside of the light, that fellowship with our Father will be interrupted. Which is why we need the power of God. For He keeps us from the enticements of sin. And also from foolishly stepping back into the darkness from which we have been rescued.

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April 1st – John 3:16

John 3:16

As we welcome the new month, and the Easter season, I can think of no better time to celebrate Jesus Christ! Our Lord and Savior who came to die so that we can live. Once we were dead in our sins and eternally separated from God. But our Father in heaven, in His great love, wanted to be reconciled to His children. And so He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to become our perfect sin sacrifice. Jesus willingly and joyfully came to be beaten, tortured, rejected, and nailed to a Cross. All to pay our sin debt in full and bring us back into fellowship with God. And through His loving sacrifice, we now can look forward to life eternal spent at His side. So with hearts overflowing with thankfulness, how can not celebrate with great joy!

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March 30th – 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9

If we’re honest, there isn’t a single day that we can say “I’m good enough”. We may be born again Christians and sin no longer has reign over our souls, but we still fight with the flesh daily. The apostle Paul, who called himself “chief of sinners”, knew this battle well. In Romans 7:22-23 he says, “For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.” 

God doesn’t want sin to have a hold on us, and longs for us to be free of its crippling grasp. The Bible devotes much to the topic to make us aware of its toxic effects. God doesn’t want us to cover up and hide our sin, but rather expose and uproot it. Because unconfessed and unrepentant sin festers under the surface. It spreads like cancer, destroying us from deep within. And it hinders our relationship with God, keeping us from being able to glorify Him.

We may be sinners, but we have forgiveness and atonement for our sin through the blood of Christ. And because we have confidence in that forgiveness, we can be free. Free to ask God to shine the spotlight into the deepest, darkest recesses of our being. And to expose and cleanse any unrecognized or unrelinquished sin. Because even if we fool other people or even ourselves, God knows our true motives and agendas.

What a privilege it is to be able to go to God in prayer and confess our sin. To share with Him our struggle, and to ask for victory. And as we surrender to the process of being shaped into the image of Christ, we will be renewed, strengthened, and refreshed!

Blessings, Becky

March 30th – 1 John 1:9 Read More »