Waiting for Love

Juliet_-_Philip_H._Calderon

Waiting for Love

“At your absolute best, you still won’t be good enough for the wrong person. At your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right person.” – Karen Salmansohn

Sandy Hotson who found her “guy” and married him at age 37) responded to the above post on Facebook in the following way:

“Yes! Ladies, and men, this is partly why it is so important to wait for the right person no matter how difficult being single might be. I am SO thankful I waited 16 long and sometimes difficult years. I knew that waiting on God would be worth it but He has blessed me more than what I had imagined. Even at my worst and ugliest, I am treated like royalty”

For all of those sixteen years I was Sandy’s friend and councilor, and for three years the friend and councilor of the “guy” she finally found and married.

One day, visiting with her and my daughter at a coffee shop, I said to her, “Sandy, God has answered so many of your prayers.”

Looking back at me, and in a plaintive voice, she said, “All except one.”

I replied, “Sandy, you will be amazed how quickly God answers that prayer.”

Now this is the amazing part: The very next day Sandy met the man God had chosen for her, and I was privileged, several months later to conduct the wedding ceremony.

Some may ask, “Why did Sandy have to wait so long? Why could God not have answered her prayer long before that?

Because God knows, better than we do “when” answering our prayers will most bless us, and what will most bring glory to His name:

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33 – AKJV)

I say to all single people this Valentine’s Day, who have been praying for a long time for God to bring His choice of a life mate into your lives: “Don’t despair.” His answer may come sooner than you think, or the delay might bring special sweetness to His answer. Whatever the future holds for you, it is in the hands of a God who loves you, and will ultimately bless you most.

Waiting for Love

(© Friday 5^th February 2016 – by Christopher Shennan)

It is worth the wait for love to arrive,

Though the waiting may be filled with despair;

From God you will all your comfort derive –

Find the answer to your longings right there.

God knows your heart and special needs;

He knows all your deep longings too.

He’ll answer your prayers – they’re like seeds

That will grow into answers – to bless you

If you’re looking for love, patiently wait;

A mighty Oak doesn’t grow in a day.

God’s always on time; He’ll never be late;

All of your dreams at your feet He will lay.

Do not grow weary while waiting for love,

For in God’s time it will come from above.

Please visit My website: www.christophershennan.ca
My blog: https://christophershennan.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNShennan
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Juliet by Philip H. Calderon. This image is in the public domain.

Sowing and Reaping

Tree_planting_001

Sowing and Reaping

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7 – AKJV)

This verse is no doubt a warning not to sow evil actions into our lives, for the consequences will be dire. There is, however, a positive message wrapped up in it we would do well to apply to our lives.

The positive message is wrapped up in the word whatsoever. Can’t the word whatsoever include good things we can sow as well as bad things?

Of course it can; indeed, I believe that is its meaning. The only reason it comes off as a negative statement is because the apostle was using it as a rebuke to those who were withholding their support to those who were teaching them God’s truth. He wanted them to know they would not profit by withholding that support. So it is a firm fact: whatsoever we sow, good things or bad, will reap its reward.

It may seem too obvious to mention, but we can’t do a thing about what we have already sown; we can however, do something about what we sow from this point on. Lamenting about our crop failures of the past is not only useless, but actually discourages us from planting good things in the future.

The apostle Paul declared: Not that I have already obtained [it] or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that ^[b]for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of [it] yet; but one thing [I do]: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what [lies] ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12-14 – NASB)

Listening to a message on sowing and reaping, I determined in my heart what I was going to plant in the hope of reaping a crop of blessing in the future. You may have different seeds you want to plant, than I have chosen, but I think no one could do better the choices I have made:

I have Chosen to plant seeds of PRAYER

Recently I conducted an experiment. After coming out of the preservice prayer meeting, I decided to continue praying through the entire service. I wanted to know if it was possible to be fully engaged in the church service, and at the same time be fully engaged in prayer.

I tried to pray for the pastor, for his anointing, for his inspiration, and for the power of the Holy Spirit to rest upon him. I also prayed for the congregation, that God would open their hearts and minds to the truth.

That first experimental foray into this kind of prayer was quite successful. I found the Holy Spirit’s enabling to stay focussed on both the message and the miracle of prayer. I have since found I sometimes get distracted, and have to pull myself into that double focus. I am now engaged in sharing my vision with others, and increasing the numbers of those doing the same thing.

I consider this a kind of planting. I do not know what kind of crop I will reap from this engagement, but I am planting anyway, assured of the truth of what the Scripture declares: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I have chosen to plant seeds of PROPAGATION

Evangelism is not a new endeavour of mine, and by God’s Grace I have seen fruit for my labour. I have decided, however to make a renewed effort. By writing books, by teaching others to engage in personal evangelism, and by grasping every opportunity to explain the Gospel. Forgetting both the successes and failures of the past, I am determined to plant seeds of evangelism wherever I can, assured always of the promise: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I have chosen to plant seeds of PASSION

It is said of Amaziah that: And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.

I have determined that such half-hearted devotion shall never be the manner in which I serve my Lord. I have made up my mind to plant seeds of wholehearted devotion as never before. The declaration in the book of Jeremiah shall be my beacon, my encouragement, and my inspiration:

And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13 – NASB)

No longer will I focus on the negative impact of Galatians 6:7 alone. I will see in the whatsoever clause in that verse the opportunity and inspiration to plat seeds of prayer, propagation and passion in an effort to glorify my Lord. And in due season I shall reap.

I may not always be successful, but by the help of my God I refuse to dwell in the murky world of non-commitment. I am going to plant, plant, and plant; and leave the ultimate results to the Lord of the harvest.

Please visit .My website: www.christophershennan.ca
My blog: https://christophershennan.wordpress.com/
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Tree Planting by Alex Indigo. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-2.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at the license link. We have made no changes to the photo.

Only Jesus Can do Jesus Stuff

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Only Jesus Can do Jesus Stuff

Wherefore he [Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 – AKJV)

Marsha Horn, one of my followers on Twitter posted the following on her Twitter page:

Eat, Pray and Be Happy! (Only Jesus can do Jesus stuff)

I applaud this; it is a joy to find new ways to restate eternal truths in a way that may capture peoples’ attention, and help them see how truly amazing Jesus is.

Only Jesus can do Jesus stuff

So, what is this “stuff” Jesus can do, that no one else can do?

The first, and perhaps the one dearest to our hearts is:

FORGIVENESS

There is a very real reason only Jesus can dispense forgiveness to a lost world. You see forgiveness comes at a great cost; sin is a horrible reality, and must be paid for. In the moral universe forgiveness is not a cheap commodity that can be casually given to anyone who asks for it.

There are only two ways of paying for the sin you and I have committed – either we must pay for it ourselves, which will cost separation from God for all eternity – or Someone Else must pay for it. Forgiveness for our sins can only come at the price of the shedding of blood:

And according to the Law, [one may] almost [say], all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22 – NASB)

Jesus shed His own blood on the cross to pay for our sins, and therefore becomes the only One through Whom God can forgives us our sins:

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 – NASB)

The next “stuff” only Jesus can do is:

CLEANSING

…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9 – AKJV)

Not only did Jesus shed His own blood to procure forgiveness for us, but he goes a step further and grants cleansing. We are not just forgiven sinners, condemned to continue our sinful lifestyle; by confessing our sins we have forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness.

If that were not enough, Jesus is also the only One Who can assure us a place in:

HEAVEN

Because Jesus has paid for all that can keep us out of Heaven, He is the only One Who can a place in Heaven:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. (John 14:1-3 – AKJV)

There is a whole lot more “stuff” only Jesus can do, and it will take us the rest of our lives to explore it all. Indeed, we will never get to the end of it in this life; we will need all of eternity to gain even a small appreciation of all has done for us.

So Much More

(© Wednesday 18^th November 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

There is so much more Jesus can give,

To those hungry hearts who seek Him,

If only they give Him their wills,

And dare each day to believe Him.

There are many go only so far,

As is needed to just make do;

The treasures of Grace are so vast –

Always available to you.

There’s so much more you can still claim,

On the grounds of mount Calvary;

Don’t starve- a treasure awaits you –

For all of God’s blessings are free.

So much more if you’ll only seek them,

Christ’s opened so many new doors;

Just hunger and thirst to find Him,

All treasures of Heaven are yours.

Please visit My website: www.christophershennan.ca
My blog: https://christophershennan.wordpress.com/
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Forgiven by unknown. Shared on flickr by “Lynn ~ Off and On.” Copyright. Used under the CC by ND 2.0 license: please note the Disclaimer at this link. We have made no changes to this photo as found on the flickr link, above.

Can Holiness be Beautiful?

Can Holiness be Beautiful?

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalms 29:2 – AKJV)

You may have heard the story of the little boy who expressed his belief that the mule in the family’s farmyard was a Christian.

Asked what led him to that conclusion, he said, “It has such a long face.”

What a grim and sad view of what should be and how far it is from reality! Those who are true followers of Christ can experience the joy of the Lord, even while passing through hard times.

The view of a Christian suffering under the burden of trying to live a holy life is a distortion, a shame. And a bad testimony redemption is supposed to be.

The world gains an impression from such images that Christians are “holier-than-thou” people who look down upon those who don’t “measure up” to their standards. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Those who go around with long faces, and present a grim image to outsiders, have either not experience the power of Christ for themselves, or they have lost their joy somewhere along the way. To the true follower of Christ holiness is a beautiful thing – it is something imparted by God, and not self-generated.

It is a tremendous burden trying to be holy when you know for a fact nothing good exists in you:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good [is] not. (Romans 7:18 – NASB)

Hebrews 12:10 tells us we can be partakers of God’s holiness.

Peter reminds us that we can be partakers of the divine nature, and this escape the corruption that is in the world:

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of [the] divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Peter 1:4 – NASB)

So when can holiness be beautiful?

Holiness can be beautiful when it is not self-generated, but imparted by the love and grace of Christ.
Holiness is beautiful when it is accompanied by love and mercy.
Holiness is beautiful when it walks hand in hand with humility.

There are no doubt other characteristics that make holiness a beautiful thing, but there is no need for us to walk about with long faces and a self-righteous aspect.

“…for the kingdom of God is … righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17 – NASB)

The Beauty of Holiness

(21st May 1992)

“Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalms 29:2 – AKJV)

The beauty of holiness is not always seen

By those who are dazzled by the worldly scene.

They think that the quiet and clean living one

Must needs be encumbered, and life’s for him done—

A dreary existence that few can still bear—

Enter upon it? None of them dare.

Because of their blindness, their failure to think,

They pass by such beauty, and don’t even blink

When a man or a woman, of pure heart and mind,

Performs such deeds of the manner and kind

That lift up the fallen, encourage the weak:

Reach out with compassion to those who seek.

They miss that twinkle in the eye of faith,

And the glow of glory in the believer’s face,

And haven’t a clue of the joy and peace

That comes when thoughts of self decease;

Or the light of Heaven that fills the eye

When the merest whisper of truth floats by.

The beauty of holiness — an impossible goal —

Unless it is planted by God in the soul,

Is the only hunger and thirst, I find,

That fills all the being, the heart and mind.

And, though no one else can see it’s glory,

I want this theme to be “my story.”

This image is in the public domain.

How Willing is Jesus?

How Willing is Jesus?

” And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on [his] face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”(Luke 5:12 – AKJV)

Are there times in your life and mine when we doubt Jesus is willing to cleanse us, perhaps of a habit, a sin, or an addiction?

I am sure we do not doubt Jesus can cleanse us, but will He when we have sunk into the depths and failed Him multiple times?

The man in our text was full of leprosy. In other words, he was in an incurable state and had given up any hope the leprosy would pass away naturally. He had however, a glimmer of hope. He had faith Jesus could cleanse him from his leprosy. The only question was, would He? Was Jesus willing to cleanse him? So his approach to Jesus was tentative, but hopeful: “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

I do not believe this incident is included in Scripture for lepers alone. I believe He wanted to give you and me a pattern to follow when somehow we have sunk so low cleansing appears as an impossible dream. We have failed Jesus so often, and we have been a slave to our passions for so long we doubt His willingness to cleanse us and set us free. Surely He has grown tired of our constant failures and will withdraw Himself from us? How could he not? We cannot forgive ourselves, how could He not feel the same?

I believe the leper’s experience was included in Scripture as an object lesson. Jesus wants us to follow the leper’s example and approach Him with sincerity and truth. He wants us to come to Him with the leper’s plea: ”Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.”

And you know what? I believe His answer to you and me will be the same as the answer he gave to the leper: “I will: be thou clean… “

If You Are Willing, Lord!

If you are willing, Lord,

You can make me more clean,

In fact or in theory,

Than I have ever been.

Much more, indeed,

Than man conceives;

But wholly in line

With what he believes.

I have no doubt, Lord,

You can set free,

But I doubt you will

Have mercy on me.

For I seem so small

In the scheme of things;

And my guilt so real

That hope takes wings.

So I come to you, Lord,

With a plaintive cry;

Though I’m not worthy

Don’t pass me by.

I know you can cleanse

The filthiest kind:

In spirit and body,

As well as in mind.

You are willing, Lord,

You can make me whole;

In thinking, in attitude,

As well as in soul.

With no great effort

In word or deed,

You are able and willing

To meet my need.

“Healing of the Leper” by Niels Larsen Stevns. 1913. This image is in the public domain.

Seeking Perfection

Seeking Perfection

We all agree absolute perfection is impossible in this life – but what about a perfect heart of devotion to God? And what about a heart made perfect in love, which the apostle John clearly declares is not only possible, but expected:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 – NASB)

We carry about the “Nobody’d Perfect” mantra with such zeal and commitment that it paralyses us from striving after perfection. We have forgotten what our Lord said in the Beatitudes:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:6 – NASB)

Satisfied with what? Why, satisfied with righteousness, of course! The King James version uses the word “filled.” Hungering and thirsting after righteousness will result in us being filled with righteousness.

Speaking of the discipline our fathers gave us, the writer to the Hebrews declares:

For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [God disciplines us] for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his holiness.

Whose holiness can we be partakers of? His (God’s) holiness. We are so convinced of our own inability to be holy we forget it is not our holiness God is expecting from us. He is expecting us to accept His discipline in our lives so we may partake of His holiness.

How Close?

(1992)

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him . . .” (2 Chronicles 16:9)

How close can one get

To the likeness of God’s Son?

How close to His image,

The pure and Holy One?

How close can God mould me?

How close can He get

The perfect reflection

To shine from me yet?

Some say there’s no reason

To expect very much

For mankind’s so sinful,

And temptation such

That it’s hopeless to hunger,

To thirst for that prize:

The soul that is blameless

My website: www.christophershennan.ca
My blog: https://christophershennan.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNShennan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherShennanAuthor

Photo by Stefan Kuhn. Used Under The CC0 1.0 Universal License

The Incredible Privilege of BEING a Woman

The Incredible Privilege of BEING a Woman

I feel like I am treading on holy ground by addressing the subject of womanhood – for holy ground it certainly is. I feel like a privileged observer as God creates a masterpiece of life and limb to fulfill a unique and wondrous destiny.

Women were created to fill a VOID

The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:20-22 – NASB)

What a privilege it is for anyone to fill a void in the life of another human being. A woman, however is created with that special capacity to fill the void in the life of the one man God will bring into her life to be with till death parts them.

I vividly remember walking with my Dad to his place of work when I was no more than ten years old. “Son,” he said seriously, “women are God’s special gift to us men, and he has made us responsible to treat them with the love and respect they deserve. Your mother is God’s special gift to me, and to you. Don’t let me ever hear you disrespecting her in any way.”

Now I know that sin has caused a horrific abuse of women in our generation, and in many generations before. That however, does not take away from the incredible privilege every woman has of being able to fill the void of her husband, and as a mother, of the children God gives her.

Women were created to present a VISION

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32 – NASB)

Every woman in the marriage bond has the privilege of presenting to the world a vision (a picture) of the relationship between Christ and his church. The apostle makes it very clear the relationship between a man and his wife is a depiction of the spiritual union between Christ and His church. (See Ephesian 5:25-29)

Women were created to be a VESSEL

One of Webster’s definitions of the word “vessel” is: “a person into whom some quality (as grace) is infused.”

Men and women are equal insofar as their value to God is concerned, but God infuses women (if they are fulfilling their destiny) with some unique capabilities, such as the love she can bestow on her husband, and upon her children.

Sure, these can be distorted, but a woman who loves the Lord will display these qualities in a unique and God-given manner.

Being a Woman

(© 15^th September 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. (Proverbs 31:10 – NASB)

To be a woman is of such great worth,

As is seldom understood or conceived;

She is uniquely gifted from her birth,

With all of God’s blessings she has received.

If only a woman would realize

All that her God has designed her to be,

She’d gain just a glimpse of pure paradise,

And taste what it is like to be truly free.

God has not made women a lesser breed,

Though some men are sure to say it is so;

He has made them special to fill great need –

To go into places no man dare go.

A matchless grace all good women possess;

Being what they are, they have power to bless.

Image by unknown photographer. Used under the CC0 license.

The Necessity of Rest

The Necessity of Rest

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. (Psalm 23:1-2 – NASB)

I was rushed to hospital three times in the past month, having had to call 911.

I had separate stays in the hospital, to a total of twelve days, covering most of the month of August. This explains, for those who have been wondering, why my blogs have been so infrequent of late. My hospital stays brought to mind a true story I heard when I was in Missionary Training College during my late twenties.

Charlton Smith, one of the leaders of WEC (Worldwide Evangelization Crusade) at the time, was in South Africa with His wife, helping out at the college.

His wife (I can’t remember her name) told us a story about her husband that left an impression upon us all.

Charlton was working at WEC Headquarters in London England when he fell ill had landed in hospital. A writer like myself, he just didn’t know when to stop, burning the candle at both ends, and taking on more duties than he was able to handle.

When his wife went to visit him in hospital he sheepishly told her, “I believer the lord spoke to me today.”

“Oh? And what did he say to you?”

“The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down…”

My family tells me the Lord is saying the same thing to me, and that, at 72, I need to stop taking on new ministries. They believe my landing in hospital is God’s way of telling me to slow down.

Whether they are right, or not, rest is one of God’s gifts to us as His servants.

It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved [even in his] sleep. Psalm 127: 2 – NASB)

Over exertion in God’s service could be an indication we are not trusting Him to work His works through us; we feel it is all up to us

Resting

He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters. (Psalm 23:2 – NASB)

Come ye apart and rest awhile,

To renew your strength and your zeal;

Christ has your labour in His hands –

He is giving you time to heal.

Anxious labour, without full trust,

Cannot be pleasing to our Lord;

He gives sound sleep, and perfect rest,

While you are trusting in His Word.

So, labour long, but take your rest;

It’s a gift from Heaven above –

You’ll find your strength will be renewed,

And you will sense, once more – His love.

The Invalid by Louis Lang in the Brooklyn Museum. 1870. This image is in the public domain.

Enemies Unseen

Enemies Unseen

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]. (Ephesians 6:12 – NASB)

I am indebted to a friend, Bill Chipman, whom I have not seen for around forty years, for opening my eyes to a cardinal truth.

In essence he said, “Never see another person as your enemy. The enemy may be using them, but they are not the enemy – they are themselves victims being manipulated to cause you harm.” Or words to that effect.

We are not fighting against flesh and blood, the apostle tells us. Our real struggle is against the forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. There is a real battle going on in places unseen, between the powers of darkness and the powers of light.

We need to ally ourselves on the side of the angels, and we can do this by prayer, but we must not align ourselves against those human agents who hurt us. Every one of them is someone for whom Christ died.

The prayer Jesus Christ prayed while suffering on the Cross, is a good prayer to emulate:

But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34a – NASB)

The Enemy

(Saturday March 22^nd 2002)

“An enemy has done this,”

Said the Master to his men,

When the tares were sewn amongst the wheat

And the crop was threatened — when

The servants found their labour

Would not easily yield their fruit,

And the truth would not prevail soon

Without conflict and dispute.

Joshua, too, discovered

That the battle down below

Was intense and filled with danger

As any mortal man could know.

The swords were real and blood spilled

On the field before his eyes,

And the enemy would never

Give in, or compromise

These are lessons and they’re pictures

Of the conflict you and I

Are engaged in every moment

With forces, low and high.

And though we cannot see them

In the realms of time and space,

The only way to fight them

Is by God’s Amazing Grace.

There are those who think that Satan

Is a myth or folk tale told —

Not real, but well-imagined

By the infirm and the old.

But they’ll find when life is over,

And the sand of time runs out,

That the Liar of all ages

Is no Fiend to Joke about.

Yes, the child of God can triumph

Against the enemy of souls.

He can undermine his tactics

And frustrate all his goals.

And yet the battle rages,

And the saints of God must fight;

Resist the prince of darkness

To come out into the Light.

Michael Casts Out Rebel Angels (1866) by Gustave Dore. This image is in the public domain. Description: Illustration for John Milton’s “Paradise Lost.”

Wanted: Dead and Alive!

Wanted: Dead and Alive!

Colossians 3:1-11

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3 – NASB)

Those old Western movies were quite exciting. There was a lot of shooting, fighting and chases on horseback. There were robberies of stagecoaches, land barons evicting poor farmers from their land, Indian attacks, and the usual romance thrown in.

Something else was common in those movies – wanted posters posted on the Sherriff’s office wall; they usually read:

WANTED:

Dead or Alive

Reward: $5,000

A picture of the wanted man was also prominently displayed on the poster.

God also has His wanted posters. Instead of using the phrase DEAD or ALIVE, I thought what God wants His people to be are those who are both dead and alive.

Imagine a poster like the following:

WANTED:

Men and women both

Dead AND Alive

Reward:

ETERNAL LIFE

Only people who are both dead and alive can truly accomplish God’s will for their lives. We must be dead to sin, but alive to God through the life of Christ dwelling in us.

Now, if you have no idea what I am talking about, let me explain.

The Christian faith is not like other religions; it is supernatural in origin, and supernatural in its working. So, we are talking of a miracle based on the finished work of Jesus Christ. In that light nothing can be impossible – even being dead and alive at the same time. Even living a holy life.

Living a Christ-like life is not impossible, or loving God with all our hearts, minds and souls and strength – and our neighbours as ourselves.

By the power of the Gospel our old lives are dead. By faith we live a hidden life, dead to sin, and alive to God through Jesus Christ.

There is no other way.

Alive to God

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3 – NASB)

The person you were is now dead.

If Jesus has redeemed your soul,

He has hidden your life in God,

And your spirit He has made whole.

Both dead and alive we both are;

Dead to sin and alive to God –

We’re born again of the Spirit –

We’re not on the path we once trod.

The blood of our Lord has cleansed us.

He paid for our sins on the Cross;

All that we thought was great gain,

We count now as nothing but loss.

I remember, praying out loud,

“Lord, please don’t let me go back there,

Where my life was burdened with sin.”

Now I find His love everywhere.

So I’m dead, and also alive;

My life is now hidden in God –

The things I regretted are past –

The path of forgiveness I’ve trod.

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Tag Archives: Faith