Luke 4:18 (ESV):
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
Jesus' ministry on the earth was a complete picture of what God has been doing and has wanted to do with His people for all of history. Our problem is often that we don't see the need for the completeness of Jesus' ministry in our own lives. We exclude ourselves from thinking we are weak and in need. As I read this passage recently, I was struck by the thought that I'm the one who is poor in spirit, lacking in the knowledge of God. I'm the one who is held captive, bound by my sin. I'm the one who is blind, and cannot perceive the truth right in front of me. I'm the one who is oppressed by my enemy and in need of God's favor for my life.
My father's suicide broke my heart more deeply than I can express in words. But then I realized that my heart had been broken before by other circumstances of life. I desperately needed, and still do, the touch of Jesus to bind up my broken heart. I want to say to you, whether you believe in Him or not, that the healing of your broken heart will not come by intellectual understanding. It will not come through counseling. It will not come from meditation, or even modern medicine. It will only truly come when the living Jesus touches you in a supernatural way that no other god is capable of. Come away from the gods you follow and see that Jesus is the one true God, that His power is likened to no other.
Isaiah 61:1-4 (ESV)
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
3to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Let God Be True
Romans 3 (NIV):
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."
I recently heard from someone that they grew up in the church and subsequently left on account of "Christians" in the church doing un-Christian things. I've heard this before as a reason some give for staying away from the church. Those of us who have been entrusted with the Word of God do have a responsibility to uphold it, as Paul says later in this chapter. But when we don't measure up to the law of God, it does not mean that God is no longer faithful, or that He has failed. In fact, Paul argues that His judgment of sin is always just. So yes, it is sad that one would feel the need to leave the church on account of the unrighteous acts of the people there, but does that justify judging God to be unfaithful? No, ultimately it does not. Is God unfaithful to me because of the people who have hurt me? No. Paul says here let God be true and every man a liar. That is, God's truth and faithfulness is not determined by man's faithlessness.
God has asked His church to represent him in the earth. We must be aware of that. But we must also ask ourselves "am I putting my faith in the God of the bible, or am I putting my faith in the imperfection of his followers?" When others around us fail in establishing the perfection and love of God's kingdom, we must be willing to say "Let God be true, and every man a liar."
Till next time,
Jeremy
1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. 3 What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God's faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."
I recently heard from someone that they grew up in the church and subsequently left on account of "Christians" in the church doing un-Christian things. I've heard this before as a reason some give for staying away from the church. Those of us who have been entrusted with the Word of God do have a responsibility to uphold it, as Paul says later in this chapter. But when we don't measure up to the law of God, it does not mean that God is no longer faithful, or that He has failed. In fact, Paul argues that His judgment of sin is always just. So yes, it is sad that one would feel the need to leave the church on account of the unrighteous acts of the people there, but does that justify judging God to be unfaithful? No, ultimately it does not. Is God unfaithful to me because of the people who have hurt me? No. Paul says here let God be true and every man a liar. That is, God's truth and faithfulness is not determined by man's faithlessness.
God has asked His church to represent him in the earth. We must be aware of that. But we must also ask ourselves "am I putting my faith in the God of the bible, or am I putting my faith in the imperfection of his followers?" When others around us fail in establishing the perfection and love of God's kingdom, we must be willing to say "Let God be true, and every man a liar."
Till next time,
Jeremy
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Compelled, Called, Moved?
Actually, I feel compelled to do more than comment. I have never had interest in blogging until very recently. Now, I feel the need to write all the time, so I'm jumping in. Here's the story:
I lost my father about a year ago (2/13/10) to suicide. I have been on the roller coaster of grief ever since. It's unpredictable. You just never know when you'll be sad, happy, angry, lost, anxious, confused, or exhausted by all of it. I've battled heavily with depression as well. It seems to come in phases, one of which began last October (2010) as I approached the 8 month anniversary of my father's death. A seemingly insignificant number, but for some reason, it hit me hard. I began to journal almost daily to deal with the deep grief I was experiencing. Over the next four months, I wrote about almost every issue of my life. I didn't expect to write for that long. I'm not one to journal regularly. I write song lyrics, the occasional poem, but not page after page of processing deep struggle. I am a thinker, but again, I've never really been interested in writing it down.
Now, I feel compelled to write, to talk, to share. I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and it is His truth that has led me to this place. It is His truth that has given me reason and purpose for living. If you are reading this, then you are the reason I'm writing. I just can't seem to get away from the urge to share the truth of the gospel and my passion for the truth of God's Word. He has changed me. I want you to know that he can change you, too.
Till next time,
Jeremy
I lost my father about a year ago (2/13/10) to suicide. I have been on the roller coaster of grief ever since. It's unpredictable. You just never know when you'll be sad, happy, angry, lost, anxious, confused, or exhausted by all of it. I've battled heavily with depression as well. It seems to come in phases, one of which began last October (2010) as I approached the 8 month anniversary of my father's death. A seemingly insignificant number, but for some reason, it hit me hard. I began to journal almost daily to deal with the deep grief I was experiencing. Over the next four months, I wrote about almost every issue of my life. I didn't expect to write for that long. I'm not one to journal regularly. I write song lyrics, the occasional poem, but not page after page of processing deep struggle. I am a thinker, but again, I've never really been interested in writing it down.
Now, I feel compelled to write, to talk, to share. I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ and it is His truth that has led me to this place. It is His truth that has given me reason and purpose for living. If you are reading this, then you are the reason I'm writing. I just can't seem to get away from the urge to share the truth of the gospel and my passion for the truth of God's Word. He has changed me. I want you to know that he can change you, too.
Till next time,
Jeremy
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