God’s gift . . .
Where Would We Be Without Jesus?
“For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”
Ephesians 2:8
Where would I be if I didn't have Jesus pulling me out of that grave?
Where would I be if I didn't have mercy pulling me away from my ways?
I'd probably crash and burn, stay stuck down in that dirt
Like a prodigal running from home.
Where would I be if I didn't have Jesus?
Thank God, thank God, thank God I'll never know
(Peter Burton, Matt Armstrong, AJ Pruis)
Without faith in Christ, we would be lost, we would continue taking wrong turns and carry heavy burdens . . . but with Jesus, God provides daily mercy and grace that never runs out . . . we find hope in our willingness to trust and be vulnerable . . . we find victory rather than victimhood . . . and we need to be filled with gratitude at the fact that we’ll never have to know where we’d be without Christ because of the transforming power of the Gospel and because of the life we have been given in Jesus.
Could we live without Jesus?
Jesus is not simply someone that we need . . . Without Jesus, we wouldn’t be anybody—without Jesus nothing would exist! The whole Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is constantly at work, bringing about everything that exists.
“For through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”
Colossians 1:16-17
Jesus is the foundation by which everything exists! . . . He is the "glue" holding all of creation together . . . Then there is us—human beings . . . We are created in the image of God, and the perfect image of God is Jesus Christ . . . The Son was born as a human child to give us new birth as sons and daughters of the Father . . . When we believe, He pours the Holy Spirit into our hearts so that we can share in the relationship of love that He has shared with the Father for all eternity, uniting all of us in the Family of God.
We need Jesus to become what we are meant to be, to follow our purpose in this world . . . So, we ask à What will we have Jesus do in us? . . . How can we let ourselves and our surroundings be fertile ground for the abundant fruits that God wants to bring about in our midst? . . . How can we plant seeds, with God’s help, to encourage the harvest that He wants for the world? . . . What are the seeds that He gives each of us to sow in our lives? . . . You know, we can trust if we sow the seeds God gives us, little by little He will be the one to nurture them to provide growth . . . Jesus’s presence gives us many more possibilities and opportunities to live a purpose-filled life.
♪♬♪ . . . Where Would I Be?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TinJk_p9ZVs&list=RDTinJk_p9ZVs&start_radio=1
INSIGHT . . .
What would our lives be like if Jesus Christ had not been raised from the dead?
In 1 Corinthians 15:17 Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless” . . . If Christ has not been raised, then everything we believe is a lie; our faith is a fraud . . . If Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we are still in our sins. . . Because that would mean that when Jesus died, He wasn’t dying for our sins—He would have been dying for His own sins and would still be in the grave . . . If there is no resurrection, then you and I would still have to face the judgment of God for our sins.
If Christ had not been born, then He could not have been raised from the dead . . . If Christ had not come to earth as a baby, He could not have died for our sins and risen again for our justification . . . But Christ was born! . . . He did conquer sin and death! . . . and that means that those who trust in Him will also conquer sin and death! . . . That means that we do have hope beyond the grave!
“Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6a
If Jesus hadn’t died for you and me, we would still be under the guilt and shame of all our twisted, self-centered, sinful deeds.
If it wasn’t for Jesus, we would be stuck in brokenness and weaknesses . . . The Holy Spirit wouldn’t have come into our hearts and changed us, helping us to become a new creation with Christ in our hearts.
If Jesus hadn’t died for you and me, we wouldn’t know God . . . we couldn’t have a relationship with God . . . I don’t want to know what life would be like without being able to come to God in prayer, without God speaking to me, comforting me, and helping me.
If it weren’t for Jesus, we wouldn’t have any hope for the future . . . hope for a life beyond this one with God in eternity.
We have purpose now . . . we know what life is about . . . knowing, believing, and trusting brings contentment and joy . . . and life has eternal value . . . Without Jesus we wouldn’t have any of this.
INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . .
If we are going to love Christ, we need to remember the depths
from which He saved us.
If we are going to treasure all we have in Him,
we need to remember who we were without Him.
(Scott Hubbard)
Look back over your life, and ask yourself, “Where would I be without God?”. . . if you truly can’t remember (or don’t want to) ask God to open your eyes for just a few moments . . . so you can be grateful for what He has already helped you through.
The answer may or may not be clear, but I am sure you might remember a time or two you ignored God, thinking you knew better than Him or felt you could handle things on your own . . . Personally, I would be quite lost, wandering aimlessly with no sense of direction, probably caught up in my own desires and mistakes . . . God’s guidance is important to us . . . He’s our anchor and compass in life, and He promises to keep our “paths straight” when we trust in Him.
Where do you need God’s foundation beneath your feet right now?
Where do you need His guiding compass to help you know your next steps?
We can try to do everything on our own, but it’s a mistake . . . Many times, things look like opportunities or great ideas, but they’re actually tricks, temptations, distractions, or deceit from the enemy . . . causing harm, setbacks, or sending us in the wrong direction . . . We need God’s help, affirmation, and direction daily . . . and Christ has opened the door for that close, prayer-filled kind of relationship for us with God.
“Those who trust in themselves are fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.”
Proverbs 28:26
Ask God where in your life you need to rely on Him and His truths.
What do you need to re-examine in your life to be sure you are walking in wisdom?
God will keep us safe when we walk in His wisdom and seek Him in all things . . . Trusting in His guidance keeps us on the right path and protects us from dangers we may not even see . . . We can be sure that His plans for us are always greater and better than anything we can imagined on our own.
Take some time to talk with God . . . and thank Him for the gift of His Son, who provided the way for you to be able to walk and talk with God forever.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
ILLUMINATION . . .
After World War II, Corrie ten Boom traveled the world, sharing how God sustained her and her sister during their time in a Nazi concentration camp (because their family had hidden Jews) . . . She used an embroidered crown tapestry to tell her story . . . On the back there was a tangled mess of many different colored threads and all sorts of knots . . . But when she turned it over, there was a crown, beautifully woven out of all those messy threads and knots on the back.
Although the threads of my life have often seemed knotted,
I know, by faith, that on the other side of the embroidery there is a crown.
(Corrie ten Boom)
Pause a moment and think about a needle and thread . . . We seldom consider either, until we need them . . . A needle and thread are essential tools for repairing all kinds of items—sewing buttons, fixing hems, tears, mending torn seams, repairing linings, sewing fabric, or repairing upholstery . . . then there are the creative uses—making clothes, quilting, embroidery, patchwork, and appliqué . . . and even improvised tasks with a needle like removing splinters, piercing ears, or creating a makeshift compass with a magnet.
Each has small uses—for little things—but when you put the two together, greater things can be accomplished . . . Kind of like us with God . . . We can try to accomplish little things, but when we work with God’s help and guidance, greater things can be accomplished . . . When we let God be the needle, or weaver, and each of us the thread, when we work together with God, trusting Him in our lives, an amazing tapestry can be woven . . . a beautiful tapestry of our life stories.
Life is But a Weaving (The Tapestry Poem)
My life is but a weaving between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow; and I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper and I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas and reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful in the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares; nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those who leave the choice to Him.
(Corrie ten Boom)
A life woven with God is often described as a tapestry . . . He is the Master Weaver crafting a work of genius from both bright and dark threads of life’s experiences . . . We may not understand immediately, but through active surrender and living in devotion we learn to trust in God's ultimate purpose for our life story.
Often, we only see the messy underside, yet God sees the completed, beautiful pattern of our lives from above . . . True peace comes from trusting the Weaver's skill, especially when circumstances don’t make sense . . . And, as God weaves, we need to participate through prayer and trust . . . having faith in knowing that eventually we will understand the "reason why" when the work is complete.
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible.’”
Matthew 19:26
INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . .
Music brings a warm glow to my vision,
thawing mind and muscle from their endless wintering.
(Haruki Murakami)
I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.
♪♬♪ Current . . . Death was Arrested
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne4yF-0gSRU&list=RDNe4yF-0gSRU&start_radio=1
♪♬♪ Traditional . . . You are My All in All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ingDiAbsbT4&list=RDingDiAbsbT4&start_radio=1
INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .
Why do we need Jesus? . . . First, because we need His salvation . . . Only God can forgive us—and He made this possible by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world for us.
“I have come that [you] may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10
We also need Jesus in our lives right now, every day . . . we need His guidance and wisdom, and His comfort and hope when hard times come . . . We also need the strength He provides to avoid temptations that will destroy us from within, and we need His help to live as we should.
God has given us the greatest Gift of all—His Son, who died on the cross and rose again
so that we can know Him personally and spend eternity with Him in heaven:
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
(Billy Graham)
God loves us—He loves you, He loves me—and He wants us to be part of His family forever . . . He loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world to die as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,
he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
Have you opened your heart to Jesus Christ? . . . If not, turn to Him now with a prayer of repentance and faith . . . and thank Him for what He has done for you.
And if you do know Christ . . . How long has it been since you thanked God for your salvation? . . . We should not let a day go by without thanking God for His mercy and His grace to us in Jesus Christ.
Thank God for His continued presence and power in your life . . . Remember, when we come to Christ, it’s not the end but the beginning of a whole new life!
Heavenly Father, thank you for being our Creator, Designer, and Master Craftsman.
Thank you for the gift of Your Son and the price He paid
so that each of us may be in relationship with you.
We wouldn’t be here without Jesus.
Thank you for weaving together all the strands of our lives into something
that will bring You honor and glory.
Help us trust that your will and your ways are best.—Amen
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