Me in Jesus - Day 4 of 10

Impossible (right?!) for a butterfly to revert back to a caterpillar? So are we to understand who we are in Jesus.

That person who you were, your regretful past, your sins, ALL gone in Jesus! You can want to not forgive yourself. You can want to hold onto and dwell on the past. But that would be of your own doing and choosing. 

In God's eyes, because of what Jesus did on the cross for you, your old self is gone. Gone. Gone. Gone!

In Jesus you ARE a new creation. So what does this mean for your life moving forward? What are the implications? How are you encouraged? Who in your life needs this reminder as well?

Watch the following for a fun way to remember the good news of 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Me in Jesus - Day 3 of 10

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39 ESV)

Plans will go awry.

People will disappoint.

Misfortune will come.

But one thing...the only thing we can always count on is the love of Jesus!

His plan for you is perfect.

He will always be in your corner.

In Him is found true joy.

What does this assurance, the love of God known in Christ Jesus, mean to you? What could this assurance mean to another?

Be comforted by Citzen Way's Nothing Ever (Could Separate Us):

Me in Jesus - Day 2 of 10

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1 ESV)

Familiar with "junk files"?

Every time you use your computer, junk files are made. They are created when you open a document. They are created when you browse the internet. Just powering your computer up and shutting it down creates junk files. 

There are 2 main problems with junk files: 1) They take up a lot of disk space; 2) They slow down your computer. For these reasons junk files should be deleted from your computer on a regular basis. I'll let you google yourself on how to delete junk files, but it is an easy process--only takes a few click. 

Now what about the junk, the times we blew it, the past sins, in our lives? They can take up space inside us--filling us with guilt, regret, etc. They also slow us down from being whom God created us to be. 

Thankfully, Jesus did something about this! He died on the cross for our sins. He rose from the dead defeating sin and death. Because of Jesus' work, our sins, our past, is wiped clean. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Even though this is a truth about who we are as followers of Jesus, I think we need the reminder. I need the reminder. The church in Rome to whom Paul wrote needed the reminder.

How has your past taken up too much residence in your life? How has your past slowed your life down and kept you from being whom God created you to be?

Read Romans 8:1 over and over again. Hold on to this truth. Let this truth take prominent space in your heart and mind. Let this truth free you to move forward in life, to live your life for Jesus, to share this good news with all you encounter.

Sit back, be refreshed, be reminded and soak in Andrea Hamilton's song No Condemnation:

Me in Jesus - Day 1 of 10

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4 ESV)

Most of this 10-day devotional is about assurances--assurances of the truth as to who we are in Jesus. These assurances knock down the lies we tell ourselves and/or the deceptions we allow the evil one to whisper in our ears. 

Your baptism into Jesus was more than a "thing" you did. It was more than a symbolic ritual that happened to your life. It was more than a proclamation of faith. Your baptism into Jesus was transformational! Your baptism was God changing your life--all His work--100% credit goes to Him. The power of this life change, what made it all possible, flowed out of Jesus dying for your sins and being raised from the dead. Jesus did this so that we would walk in newness of life.

If you were baptized into Jesus, you have a new life--the old is gone! That is the truth as to who you are! There was something in the water which changed your life forever. 

Watch Carrie Underwood's music video Something in the Water. Listen to the lyrics carefully. In the song, where do you find God's work in baptism? What hope does Carrie reflect upon regarding her being baptized into Christ? What encouragement do you find in Carrie's testimony? How may you walk in newness of life with the hope and promise God gifted you through baptism? (And if you believe in Jesus, have faith in Him, but have not been baptized, what's stopping you from receiving this amazing grace gift?)

new 10 day devotional coming tomorrow....ME IN JESUS

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1 ESV)

I believe all followers of Jesus need those regular reminders as to who we are in Jesus. For whatever reason we allow lies to pervade our mind and forget the truth of our existence in Jesus. Those lies do no good...for ourselves...for the loved ones in our lives. Thankfully in God's Word, especially from the apostle Paul, we have many reminders of the truth as to who we are in Jesus. 

You are invited to join me tomorrow for the 10-day journey - Me In Jesus. I could easily have titled this Us In Jesus, but I desire for you, the reader, to really understand who YOU are in Jesus so that you may be encouraged, equipped and hear/know/believe the truth about yourself. Of course you are invited to pass this devo on to others so that they may be encouraged as well.

On the lighter side of life, have a laugh over the lies Brick Tamland believed about himself and the joy he received from the truth. :)

Meet Jesus - Day 40 of 40 - Divider

Read Luke 12:49-59. 

"Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!" (Luke 12:51 NLT)

Wow, that doesn't sound like Jesus. Not the Jesus we hear generally hear about in our congregations. I could have easily skipped this section of Luke onto an aspect of Jesus that would sound more "favorable" to people....more "nice" Jesus. But if we are to meet Jesus, we need to meet the real Jesus--that includes Jesus: Divider. 

And go back to read the real Jesus in verses 49-50, "I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished." This is about as human and raw as we are going to see. This is 100% Jesus. This is 100% Jesus: Son of God. He was sent for a most difficult mission--to give up His life, in the worst way, so that we may be saved. It was serious. Jesus was (is) that serious about us. He loved (loves) us that much. 

So how would you introduce Jesus: Divider to a friend? What words would you use to explain Jesus' serious, committed, sacrificial love for a world, for a people, steeped in sin and rebellion against Him? How would you explain the good news of Jesus: Divider? I won't give you the answers on that. Something to truly wrestle with on your own, with your small group. Take the time to grapple through it. 


And so ends our 40 days of Meet Jesus. Thanks for sticking through this journey! You may be thinking, "Hey Craig, we haven't even finished Luke. Why did you stop in the middle? There are 12 more chapters to discuss!" Well, therein lies the challenge for you. 

In 40 days, we've only begun meeting Jesus and learning all of the nuances and complexities of Him. I invite you to keep reading Luke on your own. Read only the header sections and look closely as to who you find Jesus to be in each section. There is a lot more to say about Jesus than 40 characteristics. Keep going. Keep meeting Him yourself. Keep learning how to introduce who you are meeting to others, especially those who are far from Him. This 40-day journey is over. But your journey in meeting Jesus continues! Many blessings!