Paid in Full! (Colossians 2)

Paid in Full! (Colossians 2)

Colossians 2.14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [nkjv]

It was one of those embarrassing moments which has probably happened to most of us at some stage of our life. Frances Martinez was trying to pay for her groceries but was having problems with her debit card. The eftpos machine was refusing to accept it, citing 'insufficient funds' as the reason for its non-cooperation. After a few attempts she left her groceries on the counter and went to phone the bank. When she came back, the cashier had surprising news for her. "Someone has paid for your groceries!" When Martinez asked who this Good Samaritan was, the only clue the cashier could give was that it was a lady who had been standing behind her in the queue. When Frances Martinez arrived home, all she could do was cry. She later told her local newspaper that, "with times the way they are and the economy so bad, it's wonderful to think that someone would do something like that for a complete stranger!"

Although we are no strangers to Jesus, this is exactly what He has done for us! When we were left with no means to pay, He took the long list of sins we have committed and paid for these in full with His blood, nailing them to the cross for all eternity. Our debt is gone!

However we need to make sure that list stays nailed to the cross. The temptation for all of us is to listen to the lies of satan, who tries to get us to remember our past. He wants us to take our list back off the cross. When it is in our hands, it's easy for him to pour on the guilt and condemnation, causing us to doubt God's work in our lives. We forget that it was all settled at Calvary.

Martin Luther once told how satan laid heavy condemnation on him because of his sins. Luther told satan to list them all, and even reminded him of some he had forgotten. Then he told satan to write across the whole list, "paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ."

Just like Luther, we can rejoice and rest in the knowledge that our sins have been 'paid in full' by Him who loves us. They have been nailed to the cross and to the cross they must stay.

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Seven Pounds (Ephesians 2)

Seven Pounds (Ephesians 2)

Ephesians 2.4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) [nkjv]

I recently watched the movie Seven Pounds. Will Smith plays a mysterious man who calls himself Ben and who spends all his time looking for strangers who need help, people dealing with illnesses, or in financial troubles or caught in abusive relationships. As selfless as that sounds, he has a personal reason for helping these people (don't read on if you intend to see the movie!)

Ben is trying to atone for his past. One night, in a moment of distraction, he caused a car accident which took the lives of seven people, including his own fiancee. Burdened by the guilt of this night, he goes to great lengths to find seven deserving people and help them, even if it costs him everything.

This film could have had a very different ending had Ben read Ephesians. We have all sinned. If God hadn't intervened we would been doomed to carry the guilt of our failures with us all through life. Yet God, so rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, even when we were lost in sin, made a way for us through His Son Jesus.

God offers to all of us His gift of grace, but we need to accept it. Like Ben, so many of us acknowledge our failures, and even realise just how undeserving we are. But the real tragedy is that many stop there. Instead of surrendering to God and receiving His gift of grace by faith, many try in their own strength to deal with the guilt, the shame and the hurt.

Some, like Ben, try to earn their redemption through good deeds rather than receive it by faith. At the end of it all, the peace that we are so desperately looking for, is only found in Jesus.

If we are willing to accept it.

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The Bravest Loser! (Galatians 5)

The Bravest Loser! (Galatians 5)

Galatians 5.1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. [nkjv]

Eric Choppin was 36 years old and 407 pounds when he got the call from NBC to say he was a contestant on Season 3 of the Biggest Loser. He had struggled most of his life to overcome his battle with obesity and this was the chance of a lifetime to finally walk free. It was literally now a matter of life or death as he had been recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and a variety of weight related medical conditions.

He worked hard and with the help of his trainers, Eric managed to lose 214 pounds in 12 weeks, making him that season's Biggest Loser. However once the show was over and the cameras were switched off, Eric struggled to maintain his new weight. Over the months which followed, he gained 122 pounds! Feeling ashamed, he did his best to avoid the media by using older photograph's of himself on Facebook and myspace, and even turned down an offer to appear on Oprah with the other Biggest Loser contestants.

In January, Eric could no longer live a lie. He accepted a second invitation by Oprah to share his story and struggle. Many were shocked by how far he had fallen. During the interview he candidly admitted his failure, he apologised to those he had let down and made a fresh commitment to continue his battle to overcome obesity.

I've come to greatly admire people like Eric. People who refuse to give up despite failure.

I wish more Christians had this same tenacity. So many of us keep getting caught out by the same temptations over and over again. After years of falling down, we see ourselves as weak and powerless.

But the truth remains, Jesus has paid the price so we can be free. This doesn't give us a green light to sin but it does mean that if we fall, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So we have a choice to make, do we admit defeat and stay down or are we brave enough to get back up, dust ourselves off, place both feet firmly on the ground and continue the fight.

Someone once said, "the secret of happiness is freedom and the secret of freedom is courage."

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An Elephant Never Forgets! (Galatians 4)

An Elephant Never Forgets! (Galatians 4)

Galatians 4.7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. [nkjv]

The African elephant is the largest land animal in the world. In 1956, the largest elephant ever recorded was found in Angola, weighing in at 12,000 kilograms, with a shoulder height of 14 feet! These enormous creatures have incredible strength. In Africa elephants routinely knock over entire trees just to get to the tender branches they like to eat. In India, angry elephant herds have been known to push railway trains off their tracks!

I find it totally amazing that such a powerful animal could ever find itself in captivity. Yet we see them all the time in circuses and zoos all around the world. Despite how incredibly powerful these animals are, they have a weakness. You see, an elephant never forgets!

When an elephant is young, each night it is tied to a tree with a strong chain around its foot. The baby elephant wants to roam and struggles instinctively with all its might to be free, yet because of its small size and weight cannot break the chain. After many nights of struggle and failure, this defeat is etched into the young elephant's mind and they no longer resist.

When the elephant is fully grown, it can be tied with just a small rope to a stake. This powerful 12,000 kilogram animal could easily break free from it captivity yet its mind has been conditioned through its past experiences to believe resistance is futile. So it doesn't even make an attempt!

God's Word tells me that I have been forgiven of all my sins and washed clean by the blood of Jesus. It says I am a new creation. I have been made righteous. I am more than a conquerer, I can do all things and that when God is for me who can stand against me.

It says that I was once a slave to sin but Jesus has set me free.

Yet despite His complete work at Calvary, we often allow our past experiences to hold us captive. We still think like slaves when God calls us sons!

And we wonder why our Christian walk lacks power.

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He Took My Place! (Galatians 1)

He Took My Place! (Galatians 1)

Galatians 1.4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father [nkjv]

Ted Bundy was a normal guy. He lived a normal life. He grew up in a loving Christian home with five siblings. But he carried a secret, one that would eventually destroy not only his life but the lives of many others.

Ted was addicted to pornography.

As a young boy he was introduced to this world through magazines found in garbage cans, but over the years that followed, to satisfy the insatiable cravings inside of him, his addiction grew into harder and more deviant forms of pornography. He eventually moved his fantasy world into reality, becoming one of Americas most notorious and feared serial killers.

At 7.06am on the 24th January 1989, after a prolonged court case, Ted Bundy was executed at Florida State Prison. Hundreds of people outside the prison cheered upon hearing the news of his death. In an interview with Dr James Dobson, 17 hours before he was due to be executed, Bundy told his story and shared his acceptance of Jesus Christ as His personal Lord and Saviour.

Many across America found this difficult to believe! How could God ever forgive such an evil man for the horrific crimes he had committed? The thought of Ted Bundy in heaven left many with questions about God. To many it just didn't seem right.

But regardless of what we think, the truth is clear - Jesus gave Himself for our sins. No matter how black. No matter what we have done, Jesus did the greatest thing anyone could ever do, He gave Himself.

He gave himself for our sins. The word 'for' used in this verse is one which carries the idea of substitution. He took my place. He did it for me.

Paul, the writer of the Book of Galatians, knew better than anyone the power of God's love to transform a sinner's life. He was a murderer of Christians yet he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life was forever changed.

We have all sinned. Even as Christians we sin. The devil is quick to accuse us. But we can take courage from the truth found in this verse that there is One who has paid the price for my sin and His name is Jesus. He took our place and paid the price of our sin so we can walk free!

Martin Luther once said, "Let us equip ourselves against the accusations of satan. If he says, ' Thou shalt be damned,' you tell him: 'No, for I fly to Christ who gave Himself for my sins...'

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The Spread of Corruption (1 Samuel 4)

The Spread of Corruption (1 Samuel 4)

1 Samuel 4.21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. [nkjv]

Finally it seems that justice has been dealt as Phinehas and Hophni are killed by the Philistine army. I wonder what was going through their minds as they accompanied the Ark of the Covenant into battle? Did they really think that God would fight for them? I wonder if Eli ever repeated Samuel's prophetic word to them? The sad truth is that the ramifications of corruption in the priesthood was not just confined to the individual priests in question but was felt by a whole nation and ultimately by the following generation, which carried the burden of shame by being called 'Ichabod'.

This is still true today.

Lord please help me to never treat Your presence as ordinary or take for granted Your call on my life.

This is what I got from 1 Samuel 4, how about you?

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