Tag: Changed

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, She, Volume 1

The Woman In the City

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Adapted from, She, Volume 1/p71-72

Read: Luke 7:36-50

We do not know with certainty who the woman of the city was or why she was referred to as “a sinner.” However, we do know that she was aware she was a sinner in need of a Savior, and she understood that Jesus, the guest of Simon the Pharisee, was the only one who could save her. Because of this knowledge, she risked much, if not everything, to reach Him – and then she humbled herself in a posture and action of worship.

We also know, as our study guide points out that:

  • She did not come to Him empty-handed
    • She brought with her an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. (Luke 7:37)

Those who understand the forgiveness of Jesus react in humility and love, not hedonism1 or arrogance.

Bibleref.com
  • She had faith in who Jesus was and what He could do for her.
    • As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil. (Luke 7:38)
      • She wasn’t just enamored with who Jesus was, but “She wept over her sin at the feet of Jesus.” (quote from: She, Volume 1/p71)
  • She knew she was a sinner in need of a Savior.
    • We know this because of what Jesus says to her: “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.'”… 50 He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:48 & 50)
      • We do not need to know what her sins were, but we must not miss that
        • “Jesus saw her faith and forgave her of all that she had done.”2
      • And then He spoke to her the best message she would ever hear, a message that would forever change her from the inside out and free her to go in peace, no longer tortured by her sin, and no longer controlled by the judgment or acceptance of ‘man’.
        • “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48)
        • “ Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)

Friends, I know from experience that when we truly understand the depths of our sin and lay them at the feet of Jesus, we receive the forgiveness of God. We hear Him say, “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace,“ and we are forever changed from the inside out. Paul declares that we are “New creations!” He says, “The old is gone, the new has come.”3 Like the woman in the city, we can go in peace – no longer called “sinner”… and as Matthew West sings so beautifully, we are no longer known as “too far gone” but saved by grace and called by a new name: Chosen child of God! I don’t know about you, but I’m shouting a big Hallelujah and thank You, Jesus! How about you?

If you have not placed your faith in Jesus and would like to know the way to this life-changing peace, please message me and let me tell you about my Jesus. You can also check out “Know These Truths” about the way to Jesus. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, so let today be the day. If it is, let me know – I have a free gift I would like to send to you help you get started in your walk of faith.

The More We Know

What does Luke 7:48 mean?

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

Put Off/Put On

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based on the LGG Study, Secure in Christ/w4d5

Read: Ephesians 4:25-32; SOAP: verse 32

Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger. 27 Do not give the devil an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must steal no longer; instead he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 You must put away all bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Ephesians 4:25-32

Being secure in Christ gives us the freedom and the courage to live like Christ.

From the Inside Out 🦋

Paul has just told the believers of Ephesus to put off their old, sinful nature and put on their new nature, created in God’s image to reflect the righteousness and holiness of Jesus Christ (Eph 4:22-24). Today’s passage is a practical application of putting off and putting on. Paul lists out seven things that should not characterize our lives: lying, anger, Satan’s influence, stealing, unwholesome words, and grieving the Holy Spirit with a hardness toward sin. Thankfully, Paul doesn’t stop here but continues with a practical list of sins that grieve the Holy Spirit: bitterness, anger, wrath, quarreling, and slanderous talk—indeed all malice. He then continues with a list of godly/Christ-like characteristics we should put on, namely: kindness, compassion, and forgiveness (noting that we aren’t just to forgive but to forgive just as God in Christ has forgiven us).

While kindness and compassion may not always come easily, I believe forgiveness can be the most difficult of the three. I have talked to many women who say the same, and more often than I can count, I have had them tell me, “I just can’t or won’t forgive that person.”

God promises that, when we come to Him confessing our sin and asking for forgiveness, He freely grants it for the sake of Christ (1 John 1:9). Likewise, the forgiveness we extend to others should know no limits (Luke 17:3–4). The forgiveness we extend to others is an act of the will. We do not deserve God’s forgiveness; likewise, our forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. No one deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a deliberate act of love, mercy, and grace. Forgiveness is a decision not to hold something against another person, despite what he or she has done to us.

Adapted from Gotquestions.org/What is Forgiveness?/emphasis mine

I love that today’s reading also included the words of Jesus in John 13:34-35.

“I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”

John 13:34-35

This is a passage I believe all who follow Christ should have hidden in their heart/minds. After all, there is no greater commandment than loving God and loving others (Mark 12:29-31). Loving others, like forgiveness, isn’t always easy; loving others just as Jesus loved us can be even more difficult, for His love knew no limits, not even death on the cross. Friends, we may not lose our lives on a cross like Jesus, but we are called to put off (lose) the old life and put on the new. When we do this, when our life is characterized by kindness, compassion, and forgiveness (all of which require love), we will be the light that points others to Jesus.

Paul writes that our words, thoughts, and actions should point others to Christ and not away from Him. The way we do this is by keeping love at the forefront of all that we do and allowing forgiveness to be our first response to others (John 13:35).

From the LGG Journal, Secure in Christ/p135

The More We Know

Visit LoveGodGreatly.com for more insight on today’s journey

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

No Longer Dead

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Based on the LGG Study, Secure in Christ, w2d1

Read Ephesians 2:1-5; SOAP: Ephesians 2:4-5

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Ephesians 2;4-5

There are a lot of “but God” moments in my life and in the Bible, but verse 4 of Ephesians 2 is perhaps the biggest “but God” statement ever. Paul writes that “we were dead in our trespasses and sins…but God made us alive!” This wasn’t a transformation earned or deserved, but rather an act of mercy and love, a gift of grace. Paul wrote something similar to the Corinthians, telling them, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” As Paul explains it to the Ephesians, God gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead.

What are some “But God” moments in your life?

Have you ever noticed the “but God” moments in your day-to-day life? Sometimes they are more obvious than others, but I guarantee they are there. Ask God to help you see them, to be alert to what He is doing in your life or that of your family and friends. Write them down and read them often, look for them in Scripture. Take time to praise Him for them, remembering they are precious and priceless acts of His mercy, love, and/or grace.

  • When I was five years old, when no one was looking, I disobeyed my parents, climbed into my brother’s Batmobile car, and rolled right out into the street. I was hit by a car…but God spared my life.
  • My daughter Annie was diagnosed with leukemia on her 10th birthday…she faced many difficult battles and was in and out of the ICU for several years…but God healed her.
  • My daughter Abi was born with crippled (club) feet…but God healed her.

These are just a few of my life’s bigger “but God” moments. There are plenty more, including the day-to-day “but God” moments of seeing things like His protection from a wreck or His provision of a necessity when I saw no way for it to happen. All of them, the ‘big’ and the ‘day-to-day’, remind me of His goodness and His faithful love, mercy, and grace. Yet none can compare to the truth of Paul’s statement in my own life – for I was dead in my trespasses and sins…but God…gave me life and now I live!

Good news, good news, Christ died for me, Good news, good news, if I believe, Good news, good news, I’m saved eternally. That’s wonderful, extra good news!

CEF/children’s song

While the Spirit directed my thoughts/writing to the “but God” phrase Paul used, it is crucial to note and understand the significance of Paul’s words in verse 5: that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!). Today’s journal entry by Love God Greatly sums it up nicely:

Paul writes the truth of our state before God. He states that we were dead in our offenses and sins. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that is not pleasing or honoring to God. Our sin completely separates us from our holy God. Not only were we dead in our sins, but we chose to sin. We indulged in our desires and were deserving of wrath. There was nothing we could do in our broken, depraved state.

It isn’t that God gave us a hall pass to be forgiven. No, He took our dead state and made us completely new. The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is such good news! You have been made alive and new!”

Secure in Christ Journal/p67

Thank you, God, for loving us so much. Thank You for your rich mercies and amazing grace, and for Jesus Christ, who died so we could live!

Oh, what love, no greater love
Grace, how can it be
That in my sin, yes, even then
He shed His blood for me

O the Blood/Kari Jobe