Good Enough
The prevailing opinion in our society seems to be that good people go heaven. But how good is good enough? Is 51% good deeds good enough for heaven? Maybe 60%; or 75%. What is God’s standard of goodness?
Actually, Jesus disappointed and probably angered a lot of people on the idea of being good enough when He told the crowd gathered for the Sermon on the Mount that they had to be better than the Pharisees (the best of the Jewish society). Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5:20) How can anyone be better than the best? Impossible!
Then, Jesus later suggested that people who had lived a life full of bad deeds could go to heaven by confessing and believing when He addressed one of the criminals who was crucified with Him. 39 One of the criminals who hung there, hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
God, however, in His infinite mercy, grace and love, provided the solution in ultimate fairness when He provided the baby of Bethlehem whose birthday we celebrate during this season. By all means, our sins—the sins of the whole world—rightfully disqualify us from heaven, but God provided a way. We did nothing whatsoever to merit or deserve His gift. That is the amazing truth of Christmas! Despite who we are, God sent His Son so “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Luke 16:-20
Luke 12:16-20And he told them this parable. "A certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘what shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And then I‘ll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night...
Chosen Vessels
From Max Lucado’s Devotional God is With You Every Day: Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.” . . . But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine.” (Acts 9:13, 15) God’s chosen vessels aren’t always gleaming and golden. They may be tarnished or cracked, broken or even discarded. They may be a Saul, driven by anger, motivated to hurt. Saul was. Eager to root out and persecute the early...
Isaiah 58:9b-11a
If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noon day. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places. (Isaiah 58:9b-11a) Isaiah was a prophet addressing the people of Israel when they returned to Jerusalem after nearly 50 years in...
The Four Winds
When asked to write a piece for First Thoughts, I said I’d be happy to. After I agreed to, wind literally swept over me. So I began to really look at the Wind in the Bible. We all know that the Bible contains several references to the power of the wind. The most famous use of wind as a symbol is to represent the Holy Spirit. John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”...
2 Samuel 9
2 Samuel 9 David asked, ‘Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, ‘Are you Ziba?’ And he said, ‘At your service!’ The king said, ‘Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?’ Ziba said to the king, ‘There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.’ The king said to...
Safety for the Soul
Psalm 4 (Living Bible) O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes; you have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer. The Lord God asks, “Sons of men, will you forever turn my glory into shame by worshiping these silly idols, when every claim that’s made for them is false?” Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for himself. Therefore he will listen to me and answer when I call to him. Stand before the Lord in awe, and...
A Joyous Heart
Psalm 69:30-32 How do I praise God? God doesn't want an animal sacrifice he wants a sacrifice of the heart. He wants a joyous heart, a heart that bursts into song because it can't help itself. A heart so full of gratitude that song is the only way a body can express it. I love music; I love to sing the songs of praise in church. I might not have the best voice, but it's the one God gave me so he must think it's good enough. There is something about music that lifts the soul. It's no...
Bear One Another’s Burdens
from A Daybook of Grace "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) "Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens. Give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others. Give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord." (John Baillie) We are not responsible to carry certain burdens of others. In Galatians 6:5, Paul says that “each one should carry his own load.” Another translation for the word in that verse would be a...
Great is His Faithfulness
Lamentations 3:22-23The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. A couple of weeks ago, I had the joy of assisting with Vacation Bible School … it was MONUMENTAL! At the closing each evening, all the children and adults would gather to reflect and sing. One of the songs the children learned was “Great Is Your Faithfulness.” What a true blessing it was to hear these children lift their voices, with some dance moves, to proclaim glory...
Enjoying God
Jeremiah 15:16“Your words came to me, and I listened carefully to them. Your words make me very happy, because I am called by your name, Lord God All-Powerful.” We are convinced that enjoyment is the ultimate stage of knowledge. When we set out to learn the basic truths of an intellectual discipline, we are confounded by all we don’t know. Little by little, we become more secure in ideas and theories. Then one day, we suddenly realize that we have captured the subject and know how to use our...
