Month: October 2014

You see this picture?

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DV0103You see this picture? Its from John 8. The woman caught in sin.

You and I were caught. No, it is not a scandal in the news perhaps but the shame and fear of consequences does something to our entire being.

Your mind and heart has a race and you cannot catch your breath. God catches people doing everything from stupid to evil things, everyday, all the time.

See the frowns of the religious, even so-called church people and the tenderness of Jesus?

Yes he is looking at you. he stands in between you and them.

The jury of the religious are powerless to hurt you despite your sins.

This is the day Jesus says with a smile of love, “I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more.”

Today, is the day Jesus showed you forgiveness of sin and freedom from sin.

He shows you mercy despite your crimes.

You did not ask, he just does it. Your spirit comes alive and your desires now have changed.

Jesus Christ shows you justice as well.

The justice of the cross.

He died in your place. He was glad to do it. He loved you as he did it. He loves you gladly now.

All the LAW and its law-men could do was justly bludgeon you with stones.

You see that smile? Jesus has spoken in his justice and righteousness and all is well.

You will never be condemned. The consequence and power of sin has been broken by Christ the Almighty Savior. 

Beautiful Words

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il_340x270.623982910_pj66When Christ announced the fulfillment of the wonderful day of God’s good news, freedom, recovery, healing and favor in which we live the scriptures declared, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” (Luke 4:22).

The word for gracious is charis. It is the word we use for grace. His words of grace spoke then and reverberate now not like an echo but a continuing transmission.

Despite the rejection of some, blinded by unbelief (2 Cor 4:3), these words Jesus spoke immediately exerted an influence upon those that heard them.

All of a sudden the light of Christ shined into the hearts of the people like when the first words God spoke in the empty chaos of earth and said, “Let there be light.” (Gen 1:3) in the Old Creation, but NOW in the new Creation (2 Cor. 5:17) the gospel speaks and brings the light of the glory of God-not planetary light, or the sun, moon and stars but the uncreated light of the face of the SON-Jesus in dark empty hearts. (2 Cor. 4:6). In him was light, shining in the darkness that could not put that LIGHT out (John 1:1-5).

In Jesus a bright undeniable light shined in in what was once called, “Death City.” (Mt 4:16). These gracious words were like “honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Prov. 16:24). Gracious words are words of beauty.

Christ shepherds us with two shepherd’s staffs and he named one “Beauty or Favor and the other Union or Unity” (see Zech. 11:7). We have the favor God showed Christ, the union Christ had with his Father. You see, Christ is our unending, unbroken covenant. “This is what the LORD says: “At just the right time, I will respond to you. On the day of salvation I will help you. I will protect you and give you to the people as my covenant with them. Through you I will reestablish the land of Israel and assign it to its own people again.” (Isaiah 49:8NLT). 

Christ is The Promise, our promise. He is The oath, our oath. That was God’s promise directly to Christ! It was primarily to the eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ he said, “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you.”  He helped Christ through his death through HIS glory (Heb 5:7; Rom 6:3). Now those promises are ours because it is to Christ we belong and he belongs to us. For us in CHRIST- “no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Cor 1:20).

Today Jesus himself has beautiful feet, though nail scarred, with beautiful words good news, freedom, recovery, healing and favor for you (Isaiah 52:7). Just hearing the steps of the Son of God and his gospel has already started the process, enlightened your eyes, opened your ears, make you leap for joy (Isaiah 35:5) and revived your spirit (Gen 45:7). He has made you glad (Ps. 92:4).

You will taste these gracious words and see that the Lord is good. (Ps. 34:8).

-Stephen Gibney

GOD’S PEACE IS YOURS

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jesuscalmingstormGod’s peace is yours today. It really is yours.

He says, “Peace I give, MY peace I leave with you.”

Just trust these words. You do not have to make anything happen.

  • Anxiety has no stranglehold over you anymore.
  • Fear will no longer enslave you.
  • Loneliness will no longer dog your steps.
  • Addictions power is broken by the blood of Christ.

You are his beloved child!

Symptoms and circumstances do not rule your life. Christ does. JESUS IS LORD! His grace, mercy and PEACE are multiplied in your life.

Multiplied is made up of two words in the original “fill” and “multitude.”

It means abundance, overflowing, increasing and to fill to maximum potential.

May God give you more and more MERCY AND HELP and GRACE AND FAVOR and PEACE AND TRANQUILITY OF SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Believe your Lord, He can be trusted. He never fails. He loves you all the time.

GOD IS OUR FRIEND

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04psalm139_3-vi“My journeys and my rest you scrutinize with all my ways you are familiar.” (NAB)

How God knows us, He is familiar with us. We are of great interest to God. This is difficult to comprehend. God must be love, grace and mercy. All who put their faith in Christ are his friends. To the most boring and mundane person, to the most active and exciting. It is no matter. The all-seeing, all-knowing God is familiar with all our ways. He being familiar, does not mean he just knows us, but he associates with us.

The word “acquainted” in the KJV and familiarity in the NAB are colder than the Hebrew teaches. God is associated with us by friendship. He makes it a habit of being around us, being seen with us, talking to us. He has decided to be our friend and He enjoys our company. Jesus is the friend of sinners and the friend of saints. He likes us as friends and loves us as children. I mean we all have people who love us but do not like us. It seems crazy but it is true. When people like us they like being around us and being with us.

This verse three of Psalm 139 says he “scrutinizes.” us. The word in Hebrew is sift or winnow. He inspects our travels and rest closely. It would seem he looks closely at our activity and leisure. He likes being a part of what we do. He lives in us and his word lives in us. It is no wonder that he is our friend.

When he scrutinizes it teaches that God isolates that which is most important or useful and gets rid of that which is undesirable. This can be a reference to growing in holiness as he purifies our heart, very true.

But it would also indicate that God is not pettily criticizing every word, action and thought. He KNOWS us. He sees the big stuff, the deep stuff, the stuff that counts in our lives and he loves that about us.

After all, we reflect who he is as he gives us holy desires and abilities.

HE SEES WHEN I SIT AND STAND

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known“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.”

God our Father seems so interested in us. We would think he has better things to do, but He is watching us from the beginning of our day to the end of it. He closes the distance with his presence in everything we do. He watches every time we sit, or stand. When we wake up and go to bed. It is hard to imagine.

He sees with perfect knowledge our thoughts, words and actions. We know we fall so far short that we are ashamed. Instead of seeing a smiling proud Father, we see him as one who frowns and is frustrated and even angry with his children. This could not be further from the truth.

What God sees is that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Just as the Son of his love, Jesus Christ sat down on the right hand of His Majesty on high, the highest place of honor, so we are seated with Christ. He loves us as he loves Christ.

He sees when we sit down.

He sees us doing all to stand, as we use the armor he gave us, the armor Christ wore, the armor of designed by God. He sees us standing upon his Word and in prayer: in truth, righteousness, peace and faith. His royal sons and daughters fighting against Satan and his schemes.

He sees us when we stand.

JESUS KNOWS YOU

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PS 139“O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.”

Do you realize how much God KNOWS you. He knows your heart. You do not have to be afraid of that knowledge.

If you are a child of God. God no longer sees a heart that is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. Why would he? That was the old you. That was B.C.

He loved you as a sinner. Christ died for you as a sinner. He took your sins to the cross and forgave you, forever. This power of the gospel cannot be underestimated.

God has given you a new heart! He has put a new spirit in you! You no longer have a heart of stone-he removed it. Now you have a soft heart and God’s Spirit dwells in you. His decrees and laws are written on the very fiber of your being.

This is all his work and it is marvelous in our eyes and he delights in you.