Brought to God

I just started reading Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman last week. The book is about living for the glory of God in the mundane circumstances of life, especially in the home. I am about halfway through the book, and as Gloria writes about the magnificence of our Great God, a statement she made about 1 Peter 3:18 jumped out at me. The verse reads, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit." She underscored the fact that in the death of Jesus, not only have we been forgiven of our sins, we have been forgiven of our sins so that we might be brought to God. As sinners, we are considered offensive to God because he is holy and cannot tolerate sin in his presence. Therefore, God sent Jesus into this world, on behalf of sinners. Jesus lived a perfectly obedient life and was therefore able to be the perfect substitute for us. When he died on the cross, he took upon himself the iniquity of us all, so that while he became sin for us, we became his righteousness. The Scriptures say that all who place their trust in Christ have been "clothed" in Jesus' righteousness and "reconciled" to God. Jesus' atonement makes it possible for sinners, like myself, to stand in the presence of God and be considered acceptable and pleasing to Him! Not only does Jesus' sacrifice and atonement free me from the guilt and condemnation of my sins (Romans 8:1) but Jesus' suffering on my behalf brings me to God (1 Peter 3:18) so that I might enjoy Him forever! That is the point that Gloria made in her chapter on "The Power of Parables" and in discussing how God uses the mundane in our lives to conform us to the image of Jesus. These are some powerful and glorious truths that I bless God for allowing me to meditate on today. I would encourage anyone who is struggling with their purpose in the seemingly boring or monotonous circumstances of life, to read Gloria's book and to hope in the God who brings us to Himself through faith in His Son!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.." (Ephesians 1:3) 

Happy Father's Day! 

Real Beauty

I love Shai Linne and his [pregnant!] wife Blair Linne. God has greatly blessed this couple with the gift of music and poetry. When it comes to 'speaking' the truth about God, this pretty much sums it up. When we think our identity is found in the way that we look - think otherwise. Watch and be amazed.