The Happy God

1 Timothy 1:11 (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible) "…the glad-message of the glory of the happy God…" 

The other day I was laughing and talking with someone about the Lord, and how good He is.  We were having such a fun time.  When I walked away, someone I had never seen before, was listening to our conversation, and glared at me, then quietly cursed at me and said that I had no idea what I was talking about.  If eyes were guns and looks were bullets, I would’ve been target practice! This was not a happy person. 

I love this translation for 1Timothy 1:11 that says "It’s the glad message of THE HAPPY GOD".  This is such great news.  I can assure you today that God's definitely not glaring at you.  In fact, whenever He thinks about you, which is all the time, He's grinning from ear to ear!  To glare means to frown, to scowl, to glower, to make a nasty face (love that one), to look with daggers (like that one too) to give someone a look of disgust. 

Well, there's nothing you can do to make God glare at you.  The gospel of Grace declares that God loves you with a love you cannot measure.  To quote Philip Yancey, "Grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less".  Another definition is " the good, glad, merry news that makes you want to jump and leap for joy". 

God is a happy God and has a glad message, so smile!  God's not frowning at you, He's not mad at you, and He's not even in a bad mood.  You put a big smile on His face! 

No More Religious Do Do

Romans 4:6 "Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:" 

Because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, as Christians, we no longer live a life of do, do, do.  Under grace, we live a life of done, done, done!  Everything promise in the Word of God is already ours through Christ.  

Do, do (aka: doo-doo).  Sound familiar?  It's that little "present" that your dog leaves for you when you're out of the house for an extended period of time.  

Similarly, a "performance based" Christianity, or trying to do good so that we will get good is what I call, "religious do, do".  Trying to pray long enough, or read the Bible long enough, or fast long enough, just to get good, is religious do, do.  Trying to earn God's goodness, or living in fear of something bad happening if you don't do enough, is a total "waste" of time.  Religious do,do. 

Don't get me wrong, praying and reading the Bible and fasting are all good when you are living a life of grace, and enjoying the freedom and victory you already have in Christ.  In Romans 4:6, Paul says the man who God imputes righteousness without doing anything to earn or deserve it, is blessed.  That’s powerful and liberating!   You were made righteous, it was a gift, you can't do anything to earn it.  So, no more religious do, do.  At the cross it became done, done, done! 

Honk Lessons From Geese - Part III

Ecclesiastes 4:10 "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" 

Geese care for one another!  I still remember where I was and how I felt, when I received very timely and caring messages from two friends.  It was one of the toughest times in my whole life, just after my first wife passed.  After the funeral I spent a week in Florida with my Pastor and his family.  When I arrived home, the message light was flashing on my answering machine.  I pressed the button, I and there were two messages from young pastor friends of mine, who shared their love and concern for me.  I still remember their words, almost twenty years later.  It truly made an impact on me. 

When a goose gets sick, wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again.  Then they launch out into formation with another flock or catch up with their flock.  If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as the good times!  Here's a great bumper sticker, "Honk if you love Jesus and people".

You've Got to Love God More!

1 John 2:15 - "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 

There is a great misunderstanding as to why people are entangled in sin and love the things of this world.  Some people say that it's because they don't love God enough.  That if they loved God more, they would sin less.  

In 1 John 2:15, John tells us that "if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him".  Notice it says the love of the Father is not in them.  It doesn't say the love for the Father.  People are trapped in sin because they don't know or don't believe the love of the Father for them.  People are in love with the things of this world is because they have no idea how in love God is with them.  

Once a person experiences the love of the Father, and truly receives it into their heart, they will simply lose their desire for sinful and worldly ways.  When they've embraced God's goodness and grace, they become transformed from the inside out.  Always remember, it will never be about our love for God, but always about his overwhelming and unconditional love for us.

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere…" Psalm 84:10 

What?  One day in God's presence is equivalent to over three years doing things my own way?  Yes, that's what my Bible says.  Spending time every day enjoying God's goodness is how you redeem the time you have lost to worry, fear, addictions, sickness, bondage, and striving in your own efforts.  One day content in God's grace can replace thousands of days and years spent living apart from God, in an affair, as a workaholic, alcoholic, in strife, in unforgiveness, on drugs, depressed, broke, in an abusive relationship, as a perfectionist, legalistic, and every other destructive thing.  

Don't waste another day in guilt and condemnation and regret over the past.  No more lamenting over what you woulda been, or what you coulda had, or what you shoulda done.  Live every day satisfied in God's grace and He will restore to you all the years the "locusts have eaten and stolen from you", Joel 2:25.  No matter what's happening around you, spend the rest of your days enjoying His goodness and expecting His favor.  

So Much More

I have to say, Romans, chapter 5 has some of the most amazing truths in one portion of scripture.  Four times Paul uses the term "much more" in reference to a believer’s life after the cross…

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him - Verse 9

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many - Verse 15 

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ) - Verse 17 

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: - Verse 20 

God has called you to so much more.  You serve a much more God.  Much more opportunity in life, much more forgiveness toward others, much more favor on your job, much more restoration in your family.  Much more than you ever had before.  Much more than you will ever need.  So much more.

Our Alarm System

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  Romans 8:1 ESV

I'm so glad God blessed us with built in "alarms".  We have negative emotions that tell us that something is wrong with our thinking.    We have symptoms when there is something wrong with our body.  We even have godly spouses, friends and parents to show us things we are too stubborn to receive from God on our own!

But there's one more thing that may not be so obvious.  It's a "condemnation meter".  It looks like a fuel gauge on your dashboard, but it works in reverse.  When the needle is on "Empty", that's good.  According to Romans 8:1, God says there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.  If you're born again, you have received the gift of NO condemnation. 

When you give place to condemnation, the needle begins to move away from "E" and guilt and fear set in.  If you give place to guilt and fear, the needle moves again and destructive habits set in.  Condemnation is now at dangerous levels!  Condemnation is at the root of all fear, anxiety and destructive habits.  The answer, resist all condemning thoughts, accusations and lies with the truth of God's Word. Warning!  Resist ALL condemnation.  

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

Ephesians 3:19 - "And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." 

I read a magnificent story from Joseph Prince's book The Power of Right Believing. He tells of a minister from Oregon who was assigned to provide counseling to patients in a state mental illness facility.  When he arrived for duty, he was sent to a padded cell with a large group of deranged, barely clothed people.  The stench of human excrement filled the room.  When he tried to talk with the patients, they responded with groans, moans and demonic-like laughter.  

Then the Holy Spirit prompted him to sit in the middle of the room and sing the familiar children's song, Jesus Loves Me.  For a full hour, he sang, "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to him belong.  They are weak but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  For the Bible tells me so". 

Nothing happened the first day, but he persisted.  For weeks he would sit and sing the same melody, but with greater conviction each time.  "Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  For the Bible tells me so!"  Soon the patients began singing with him, one by one.  By the first month, 36 of the severely ill patients were transferred from the high-dependency ward to a self-care ward.  Within a year, all but two were discharged from the facility.   

No matter what challenges, failures and misdeeds you or I might face, the love of Jesus remains constant.  "Jesus loves me, this I know".  My question to you is, do you know that Jesus loves you?  Do you know how much He loves you?  How can we know?  The Bible tells us so.  So simple, yet so powerful. 

I challenge you, as often as you look in the mirror, say to yourself, "Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so".  And enjoy the forgiveness, freedom, healing and restoration that comes from truly knowing the love of Christ that passes all knowledge!    

The Grace Exchange

2 Corinthians 5 :21 For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him"

Say you bought something for $10 at the store, and for some reason you wanted to bring it back and exchange it for something else.  Would you be able to exchange it for something that costs $50 and not pay the difference?  How about $500?  How about $1 million.  No way!  Unheard of, right? 

Wrong!  In the "grace exchange" Jesus exchanged our sin for His righteousness. Under the amazing grace of God you always get more, immeasurably more than what you deserve.  In 2 Corinthians 5:21 you weren't just changed you ex-changed!  Jesus was "made sin for you".  He took all of your sin, past, present and future and made you the righteousness of God in Him. 

Jesus became sick and you were given divine health.  Jesus became poor so that in His poverty you might become rich.  Jesus died so that you could live, truly live.  He gave beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  Power and love and a sound and well balanced mind in the place of fear.  Jesus defeated death so that you could receive eternal life. 

It's the Grace Exchange. Believe it.  Receive it. Say thank you. Enjoy it. 

Pole Vaulting and Grace

Mathew 5 21-22 "You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment; But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:"

I really enjoyed the summer Olympics.  One of my favorite events to watch is Pole Vaulting.  Can you imagine running full speed down a runway, jamming a flexible pole into a hole in the ground, holding on for dear life, propelling yourself into the air over a 16 or 17 foot bar, and landing on a cushion.  What?!!  In Rio, after many successful vaults, it came down to Sandi Morris of the U.S. and Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece in the Women's Pole Vault.  Stefanidi won the gold because Morris' leg simply brushed the bar 16'3".

In Mathew 5:21-22, Jesus does something very interesting.  He quotes the law from Exodus 20:13 in saying, "Thou shall not kill".  Then, just in case people dismiss this commandment because they wouldn’t even think of killing someone, He actually raises the bar, to show their need for a Savior.

He said, "That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment ".  What?!!  If you're angry with someone, you have broken the law?  Yes, that's what He said.  This was just another way of proving that keeping the law is impossible.  He knew that eventually everyone is going to miss it, brush the bar, and it's going to topple over.

What is the answer?  Grace.  Grace pole vaults you OVER the bar, and gives you what you need to overcome in every area of life.  Even if you have less misses than someone else, according to the law, if you miss it once, you are guilty of the whole law.  Not with grace.  God knew we would miss it, that's why He provided a Savior that would take upon Himself all our sin, past, present and future.  He took what we deserve, and freely gave us what we don't deserve…grace.  And grace sends us soaring!  Enjoy!

The Worst Trade in History

Exodus 19:8 "And all the people answered together, and said, "all that the Lord hath spoken we will do"
 
The worst trade that ever took place in sports history was when the Boston Red Sox traded future baseball icon Babe Ruth for $100,000 and a loan of $300,000 to finance the musical No, No Nannette.  Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee, dealt Ruth to the arch rival New York Yankees and watched them dominate the World Series for the next 20 years while his team won absolutely nothing.  Again, the worst trade in sports history!
 
The covenant God made with Abraham and his seed was based totally on grace.  Every blessing that Abraham and his descendents received was unearned.  Every promise undeserved.  This is clearly seen in the exodus of Israel. On their flight from Egypt they complained and murmured, and still God did not treat them as their sins deserved. Instead He gave them grace.
 
At Sinai, everythingchanged. The Israelites traded the grace and goodness of God for the law.  They actually chose a covenant whereGod's blessings now hinged on their faithfulness. 
 
THIS is undeniably THE worst trade in history, of all time!  Before the law, the Israelites sinned and received God's grace.  On the day they received the law the Israelites sinned again, but this time 3,000 people died.   Like I said, the worst trade in history.  They exchanged God's grace and mercy for a performance based covenant, the law..
 
But thanks be to God for the blood of Jesus, which paid the penalty for our sin once and for all, and redeemed us from the curse of the law.  Romans 10:4 says, "Christ is the END of the law for righteousness to them that believe".  Hallelujah!  The trade has been reversed and it's time to win, win, win, again! 
 

Grace Partakers

Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified Bible) "For it is by free grace [God's unmerited favor] that you are saved [delivered from judgment] and made partakers of Christ's salvation] through [your] faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God"

When I was growing up, dinner time was a very memorable experience in the Fortunato household, with seven of us at our kitchen table every night.  Every one talking about their day, all genuinely interested in one another, it was something I will never forget. But wait a minute, let's back up to the beginning.  Here's the real memorable part.  We'd all rush to the table, spread bountifully with my mom's good cookin', my father would pray, then it was "every man for himself".  If you wanted to get your fill, you had to just "take it"!

In Ephesians 2:8, Paul said that we have been made partakers of Christ's salvation.  This word salvation is the Greek word sodzo, which means forgiveness, health, prosperity, freedom, protection, defense, and rescue. Notice he says that we have already been made partakers.  Partake means to take or be given a portion, to have a share or part of something, to bite, consume, feast, or swallow.

So, what do I use to partake of the meal that is set before me? Your mouth. That’s how we partake, we use our words.  The more we use our mouth the more we partake. Faith is the fork that brings what already is to our mouth.  2 Corinthians 4:13 says, "We having the same spirit of faith, we believe therefore we speak".  Faith is believing and speaking!  Believe, receive, and say "thank you".  DINNER IS SERVED!

You're Not the Only One

1 Kings 19:14 " I, even I, only am left" 

Have you ever felt like you’re the “only one” going through a certain problem or challenge in your life? Have you ever looked around and said to yourself, everyone else seems to doing just fine, what’s wrong with me?  I’m the only one not married wherever I go.  I seem to be the only one living paycheck to paycheck. 

Anytime you’re tempted to start a sentence with "I'm the only one", you need to stop.  What you’re about to say is not true.  Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun". 

Remember Elijah, in 1 Kings 19, who allowed discouragement and fear to drive him from totally fulfilling his God given purpose.  Even after he had seen fire come down from heaven and consume his sacrifice, and after he singlehandedly killed 850 false prophets with his sword.  He still allowed fear to rule him, which resulted in a series of bad decisions.  

He declared in 1 Kings 19:14, "I, even I only am left".  Well that wasn't even close to being true.  In 1 Kings 19:18, the Lord said, “I have 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed to Baal".  Elijah wasn't the only one, and neither are you.  Others have endured and won, and so will you through Christ.  Wipe “I’m the only” from your vocabulary.  Reject the "I, only I” syndrome.  That's a ploy of the devil to get you to quit.  Be encouraged today, you’re NOT the only one!  You will fulfill your purpose!

Inside-Out Living

Romans 8: 11 “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you"

Have you ever run out of clean socks, and the laundry wasn’t quite finished, so you simply turned a pair of dirty socks inside out and wore them again?  If you haven’t, you ought to try it, works for me!  Just sayin'.

What truly changed my thinking concerning the new covenant of grace, was that under this new covenant, I'm no longer living from the “outside-in”, but I'm living from the “inside-out”. This truth changed my perspective about everything.  Everything I needed was resident on the inside of my born again spirit.  It was just a matter of releasing what I already had, not hoping and waiting for the promises of God to manifest themselves sometime in the future.

Healing is in you now, prosperity is in you now, peace is in you now, freedom is already in you, unlimited resources are already in you. If it’s in Christ, it’s in you, because Christ is in you.  No more outside-in living, but instead inside-out living.  Simply begin to release your faith in the goodness and grace of God, and the finished work of the cross.  Begin to thank God for all that you already have because of the blood of Jesus alone!

Romans 8:11 tells us that the Holy Spirit is "quickening" your physical body, from the inside-out.  To quicken means to give life to, Hallelujah!!  Go ahead, turn your thinking and believing inside-out, and watch provision flow for every area of your life!

Approved for the Master's Card

Romans 4: 6 Amplified Bible  "Thus David congratulates the man and pronounces a blessing on him to whom God credits righteousness apart from the works he does" 

An envelope comes in the mail with large letters on the front that says "APPROVED"!  Inside is a letter that begins with "Congratulations you've been approved for a ______ credit card!"  Not just one letter, one time, but dozens of letters from the same company, over and over again.  They figure that sooner or later you're gonna take the offer.  After all, if feels great to be "approved".  The companies that send those letters want you to feel that "This is great, I'm approved, something really good just happened!"  Everyone wants to be approved, it validates you, it says you're ok, you're doing well.  Hey, it's better than being disapproved, right?

In Romans 4:6, a blessing is pronounced upon your life, and guess what, you didn't do anything at all to deserve it!  I call this being approved for "the Master's card".  An important gift was credited to your grace account, it's the gift of righteousness.  The day you made Jesus the Lord of your life this gift was given to you and you did nothing to earn it.  

"The Masters card" has given you an unlimited account to draw upon, and the great part is, there's no payments!  Hallelujah!  No monthly reminders, it's all covered!  So what does God want us to do? Draw on His unlimited supply, no interest, and no payments.  

He has pronounced "the blessing" on you and you did nothing to deserve or earn it!  Final approval has been given through the precious blood of Jesus, all payment has already been made.  This card doesn't borrow from the future, but instead has secured your eternal future.  This card has been paid in full!  Enjoy!

Pick Up Sticks

Numbers 15:32 " And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day"

When I was a kid we spent a lot of our rainy days inside playing all kinds of games. Monopoly, war, a card game, hide and seek, one of the games we always played was a game called " pickup sticks". The object of the game was to pick up the most sticks. To begin the game a bundle of sticks are randomly distributed so that they end up in a tangled pile. The players attempt to remove a single stick without moving any other stick. Players must not move any other things while attempting to remove the stick, if any other stick moves, he loses his turn.

In Numbers 15: 32-36, there's a story of a man who simply picked up sticks on the Sabbath day, you would have thought that he broke some law or something because immediately he was thrown in a prison and the Lord said " The man shall be surely put to death"! WOW! What is going on? You pick up a few sticks on a Sabbath and your put to death. According to the ten commandments you couldn't do any work at all, no raking leaves, no laundry, no washing the car. That all changed when Jesus came, Moses came by the law but Jesus came by grace and truth, under the law there was serious consequences for breaking any of the laws of Moses, now you can "PICKUP STICKS" and not be stoned! Good news you are not under the law but you are under grace so you don't have to live under fear of punishment from an angry God He loves you and accepts you!

So pickup as many sticks as you want this Sunday, play tennis, go swimming, and if your scheduled by your boss to work, you're in a guilt free zone He is your Sabbath rest, be blessed not stressed! God's not mad at you He's not even giving you a dirty look, He certainly loves and accepts you.