Christmas Credit - Romans 4:23-24

Romans 4:23-24 The words “it was credited to him” were written not for Abraham alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. (NIV)

            My parents were working-class people who raised a large family of six in Glasgow, Scotland. We went through some hard times, but at Christmas, they both did their utmost to ensure that all us kids were given the special gifts we hoped for from Santa. I guess like every other parent in our neighborhood, they borrowed money at a high-interest rate and paid it all back throughout the New Year, only to begin the debt cycle again when December came around. When I look back, I don’t know how they did it, but I’m thankful they loved us deeply to make certain that our Christmases were wonderful times.

            There were no credit cards in those days, so each Friday evening a credit agent came to our house for the weekly payment that my folks had to make. The ritual was usually the same – my Dad would give his pay packet to my Mom – who would take out the amount owed and hand it to the credit man. He would then plow through a whole host of cards, write in the payment and initial it. I don’t ever remember my folks missing a payment, even though the interest rate would have been very high. Over the years, they must have paid back thousands of pounds, but they did it, not just for Christmas, to keep us six kids fed, clothed, and sheltered.

            In today’s passage from Romans, Paul writes about how God credits us with righteousness when we believe in His Son Jesus and that He was raised from the dead. Because of sin, we are completely indebted to God and have no way of paying back what we owe, not even on a weekly basis when we go to church on Sundays. However, the great thing is that God does not leave destitute of His love and care. He allows us to be restored to His favor through the death of Jesus, who paid in full our outstanding debt to God. In other words, Jesus becomes both our creditor and guarantor, so that when we fall into sin, God credits us with Christ’s righteousness and permits us to be fully pardoned. This is why we call the Gospel ‘Good News.’

Point to ponder

How much do I owe Christ? How does His forgiveness help me to renew my faith each day?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may we be eternally grateful for the salvation that You have obtained for our souls. We know that we do not deserve such love and mercy, but we are truly thankful for Your sacrifice and grace. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to offer some feedback on today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawings called ‘City of David.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: David.

Impartiality - or How the socially and politically correct thing is not Biblically correct

Audio version here

Leviticus 19:15 Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (NIV)

I am terrible about judging competitions. I tend to root for the underdog, instead of dealing with things fairly. In the past I’ve judged Halloween costume contests, cutest pet awards, and cake tasting competitions. A couple of years ago, I even judged a Senior High speech contest and found it difficult not to give higher marks to the kids from rural schools. I wanted to be impartial, but I couldn’t disconnect the kids from their backgrounds. I wanted to make up for the deprivations and disadvantages that the poorer kids had. Instead of judging the presentation and content of the speeches, I gave points for effort. When my marks were compared with the rest of the judges, mine’s were entirely different. I was never asked back to judge the competition again.

The Bible warns us about showing partiality or favoritism. If we decide issues between different parties because of who they are and not what the issue is, then we’re guilty of playing favorites. This is anathema to God and something that we need to really learn. In God’s eyes, there are no favorites – all have sinned and are in need of salvation. He deals with people equitably – on an equal footing – and He expects us to do the same. It may not be socially or politically correct, it is theologically sound. God judges us the way in which we judge others. And if our judgments are poor, slanted, or suspect, then He will deal with us according to our own standards, which could mean that mercy and grace are set aside.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to make better choices, decisions, and judgments in all of our lives. Convict us to be fair and to give everyone, rich or poor, wealthy or working class, impartiality. Teach us the practical wisdom behind such ideals. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.

Rehab

Audio version here ... or here

1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. (NIV)

I like Michael Vick as an athlete. I think that he has been given an extraordinary amount of talent that is largely unequalled in the NFL. I’ve watched him since his playing days at Virginia Tech and I believed that he would have become one of the major sporting heroes in the United States this decade. I have been deeply disappointed in what has been revealed. I find it hard to believe that’s someone with so much talent, so much wealth, and so much potential would waste it all on illegal betting and savage dog-fighting.

I hope and pray that Michael is rehabilitated whilst he is in prison. I watched his public apology yesterday and I believe that he meant what he said. He’s a young man and if he keeps himself reasonably fit in prison, he may still have something to offer to his sport. Everybody deserves a second chance. My prayer is that Michael abandons his foolish ways and becomes a better person.

Sometimes fallen idols make the best witnesses of God’s redeeming love. When I read Paul’s letters in the Bible, I’m reminded that he originally persecuted the church and may even have killed some of Christ’s followers. On the Damascus road, things changed for Paul in a mighty way. The Lord revealed Himself to Paul and showed him the error of his ways. Paul was given a second chance and he embraced it.

We all make mistakes; we all fall short of God’s expectations; we all are in need of redemption and rehabilitation. Christ comes to us in the midst of our troubles and crises to release us from our addictions, obsessions, temptations, and miscalculations. He has the power to renew our lives; He has the ability to restore us to God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You died for our sins so that we might not be defined by our mistakes, but rather refined by Your grace. Help us to turn away from those things that potentially lead us away from God. Grant us mercy when we sin. Give us hope to make our lives better again. Release us from our past regrets and guide us to a future glory. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

Grace is Amazing

Audio Version here

John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. (NIV)

For a while, Grace was a popular name for girls in Scotland, especially among those who are now Baby Boomers. I used to wonder if the name Grace was chosen for spiritual reasons, because Billy Graham’s revivalist meetings were taking place in Scotland when these girls were born. Maybe Grace was chosen as a name because everyone was rediscovering the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

Then I realized it was probably something else, or rather someone else who caused the name Grace to be popular in Scotland: Grace Kelly. She was idolized by people throughout the world and when she married Prince Rainier of Monaco, her life was a fairy-tale come true. Perhaps Grace was chosen as a name for all of those Scottish babies long ago because their moms wished a happy, successful, and beautiful life for their daughters.

The Greek word for grace in the New Testament is charis (cha-rees), from which we get the word charity. It describes an act of graciousness that has been divinely influenced or inspired. We often talk about our God given rights, but in this case, we are talking about God given guidance which influences our thoughts and hearts into showing mercy, lending support, and offering help to people. This grace is often applied in circumstances where our help, charity and love is largely undeserved or unexpected.

That’s exactly what God offers to us through Jesus Christ, His Holy Son. He grants us a grace that can never be equaled. God’s grace sustains the universe and maintains our lives. God’s grace forgives our sins and redirects our ways. God’s grace gives us a divine opportunity to be restored to His favor and everlasting love. We deserve to die for our disobedience, disrespect, and distrust of God. Instead, through Jesus Christ, God offers an undeserved way out of oblivion, a merciful path to heaven. That’s why an ex-slave trader like John Newton could write a hymn called “Amazing Grace.” It is totally unexpected; it is completely undeserved.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are our grace, our mercy, and our love. Even although we are completely unworthy and undeserving of salvation, You offer us forgiveness, restoration, and eternal peace. Enable us to grasp this grace and to cling to the charis that You give to us. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Forgive and Heal

Audio version here

Matthew 9:5 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? (NIV)

Forgiveness is an easy thing to talk about, but a hard thing to do. I’ve known people, including myself, to be shackled to the chains of unforgiveness, which can paralyze emotions, diminish relationships, and destroy love. The bane of bitterness is fed by our inability to say or hear the word “sorry.” A sad fact about life is this: forgiveness can be the key as to whether or not we lead healthy, productive, and faithful lives. What we do with forgiveness sometimes molds who we are and what we will become.

Recently, I’ve known someone to be forgiven something very serious and shown a great deal of mercy. I thought that this would bring them back into church, praising and thanking God for the clemency this person was given. Several Sundays have passed and they haven’t come to worship God. This person has taken forgiveness for granted and that saddens me. I think if I was forgiven as much, I would be first in line to get into the sanctuary on Sunday morning. Heck, I wouldn’t even wait till Sunday – on the day I was forgiven I’d be back in church!

When Jesus deals with the paralytic man, He not only cures him of being a cripple, He also heals the paralytic’s broken soul. Sometimes the lack of forgiveness and the burden of guilt can seriously affect the body. Was this man’s paralysis brought on by a relentless guilty conscience? I guess we’ll never know, but from the scripture, it seems very important to Jesus that forgiveness be given first and restoration be experienced later.

Perhaps you’re experiencing something similar. Perhaps you need forgiveness for something you intensely regret, or maybe you’ve been waiting on forgiveness for such a long, long time. Whatever the case, know that Jesus has both the power to forgive and to heal. If you sincerely come to Him with what bothers you today, He will be merciful; He will show compassion to you.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know everything about our lives. You know the hurts we carry in our hearts and the mistakes that still burn in our minds. Forgive us and heal us. Be merciful and compassionate. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.