Thursday, April 5, 2012

Blotted Out

Deuteronomy 9:14
14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they."

God was certainly angry and He let Moses know it. Moses had been up on the mountain for forty days and nights with no bread or water praying on behalf of the Israelites after leaving Egypt. While Moses was before the Lord, the Israelites grew impatient and turned away from the Lord. They melted all their gold and created a gold calf to worship. So the Israelites spit in the face of God while the man called to stand in the gap for them suffered on their behalf. Can you imagine the anger God felt? God was so angry that He just wanted to blot out their existence. Moses continued to pray on behalf of the Israelites in spite of what they did so God would have mercy on them. Thank you Lord for Jesus! But know this..Jesus continues to stand in the gap for you and me. What would you do if God said to Jesus,  I'm blotting out ____ 's (insert name) existence because I keep delivering him/her from this or that wretched thing in his/her life but ______ (insert your name) keeps going back to it?" or If God said I told _____ (insert name) to get rid of this or that and he/she still hasn't? or last but certainly not least, If God said to Jesus, I gave_________ (insert your name) so many opportunities to accept you but _______(insert your name) refused you.  Blotting out means to erase from existence. Would you want to be erased from existence and have no place in heaven? Thankfully Jesus paid it all!!! But if you don't confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is the son of God and died and resurrected for your sins during this Holy week, then unfortunately, there will be a blank where your name should be. Record of everything you've thought, said and done is recalled by God to be evaluated. Don't be blotted out because you refused to accept Jesus Christ. Don't be blotted out because you spit in the face of God and refused to repent for your sins.

P.S. Check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Show at www.leapoffaithshow.com!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Worthy of Death

Matthew 26:66
"What do you think?"
"He is worthy of death," they answered

The high priest was extremely frustrated and wanted nothing more than to humiliate Jesus. It was forbidden for the high priest to strip one on trial of their clothes according to the NIV Study Bible but in the case of Jesus, their hatred went beyond the law. Jesus didn't respond the way anyone anticipated which frustrated the high priest even more. For the Sanhedrin to say that Jesus "is worthy of death" was to say that he is nothing more than a common criminal and not the King of kings and Lord of lords. But in our Heavenly Father's eyes, Jesus is spotless and without sin therefore He is the perfect sacrificial lamb. A lamb without defect was usually slaughtered to atone for sin. Jesus is the ultimate lamb which made Him worthy of death on behalf of the entire world present and future and the sins you have yet to commit.

We are in Holy Week. Prayerfully you are in a time of reflection and not just tradition. Is Jesus not worthy of your thoughts since He was worthy of death for you and I?

P.S. Countdown to LifeLoveSoul in AMC Theaters the weekend of April 13th! Checkout the trailer at www.noelcallowayfilms.com!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Runaway Train

Isaiah 30:18
18Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

The Israelites had been punished by God for their sin once again but the Lord actually desired to bless them. Most parents do not enjoy punishing children but know it's necessary in order to teach them. God is our heavenly father and He doesn't delight in punishing us but as His children, He knows that punishing us is often the only way we learn. We associate the incorrect behavior with the negative outcome so to prevent the negative outcome we no longer distribute the behavior which brought it on. The Lord desires to bless us just as He wanted to do for Israel but misdeeds must not go unpunished. It is sometimes hard to conceive that God doesn't like punishing us but think about it. He would prefer that we listen to Him in the beginning so we can avoid the misdeeds that lead down the wrong track. A runaway train that's headed off the cliff to death has to be stopped with an emergency brake. The emergency brake is the punishment or consequence we must endure that causes us to stop in our tracks but keeps us from the edge of the cliff. Once the wheels go over the cliff, gravity pulls the train downward and nothing can stop it. If we keep going in whatever the bad behavior is, eventually we go over a cliff to a fate we don't want. The punishment is not always equal to the misdeed THANK GOD! If it were, we'd all be dead. But God doesn't want to keep us there. He wants us to understand the lesson so we can move on and extend a blessing to us. Not because we deserve it but just because He loves you and me. How long have you been the runaway train? Is the Lord about to put on the emergency brake or is it already on? Are you at the edge of the cliff?