Aphiemi (What?)
Father, my eyes are bleary and I am surely weary but this time together is a must, so as I abide here with You I would ask that I would hear Your word loud and clear. Amen.
Luke 5:17-26 (<<click to read the passage)
When we think of forgiveness we tend to think of forgiving others, and that is challenging enough in and of itself. But a problem for many who strive to live their lives for Jesus is that they cannot forgive themselves.
I tell you; I am regularly encouraged by my Life Application Study Bible. Mine happens to be in the New Living Translation but it is available in multiple translations. It would be well worth the investment to purchase one and to use it daily!
Here is what it had to say about forgiveness in today’s passage.
God offers the same forgiveness given to the paralytic to all who believe. The Greek word aphiemi, translated “forgiven,” means to leave or let go, to give up a debt, to send away from oneself. Forgiveness means that a relationship has been renewed despite a wrong that has been done. But the act cannot be erased or changed. The notion of aphiemi, however, goes far beyond human forgiveness, for it includes the “putting away” of sin in two ways: (1) The law and justice are satisfied because Jesus paid the penalty that sin deserved thus sins can no longer be held against a believer. (2) The guilt caused by sin is removed and replaced with Christ’s righteousness. Believers are so forgiven that, in God’s eyes, it is as if they had never sinned. Do you carry a heavy burden for sins you have committed? Confess all to Christ – receive aphiemi – ultimate forgiveness.
Now that is encouraging! In fact, for many, it is out and out liberating! That last line says it all! Confess all to Christ – receive aphiemi – ultimate forgiveness.
Lord Jesus, help us to see ourselves through Your eyes. We would ask that You would help us to live victorious lives not defeated lives. Open our eyes that we might see the wonderous aphiemi You have for us! Amen!
Jan 22nd, 2020, Wed, 6:48 pm
Stop Being Angry!
Father, I am so grateful that You have been there for me for these 57 trips around the sun! Thank You for the multitude of blessings, for every good and perfect gift does come from You! (James 1:17)
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I feel the need to be very up front about one of my struggles. I haven’t written about it a while (see ANGRY!) but it still plagues me. I truly think to a certain degree it is a hereditary mindset but I cannot lay the blame there. I must own it, for I perpetuate it and I really don’t dowse the fire once it gets to blazing. Interestingly enough, unless you are close to me, you don’t even realize the hold it has on me. In public arenas, it rarely shows its face but…not so much with those I hold dear.
I’m talking about anger.
Some things can really set me off. Some people can really set me off.
Traffic is a trigger. Ride with me and it doesn’t take long to go off– at least when I’m with people with whom I am comfortable.
Also, there are certain people throughout my life that with very little tinder can quickly become a massive, engulfing conflagration burning everything in its all-consuming path.
Do I like this part of myself? No. Have I prayed about it? Yes…but not nearly enough.
Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. Ephesians 4:26 (AMP)
Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm. Psalm 37:8-9 (NLT)
Does God understand my issues? Yes. Does He forgive my failings? Yes. Is it OK to not continue to overcome these tendencies? Absolutely not. God extends Himself to me for strength, wisdom, tenacity, patience, love, and anything else I might need. He is but a thought away. Now, I just need to think! James hit the nail on the head.
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:19-20 (NLT)
Left to myself, I will crash and burn every, single time. The only place that I can find the hope to overcome is Jesus…plain and simple.
As you ponder these things today, maybe anger is your “hot button”. But maybe it is something else – another thing that has its talons piercing deep with your flesh, yielding to no one, regardless of all your many efforts. But though I continue to battle, I know – beyond the shadow of any doubt – that my God is bigger than it all. And if I will do my part – that is, yielding my part over to Him – He will enable me to overcome!
…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (AMP)
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so much that He died for us]. Romans 8:37 (AMP)
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (AMP)
Trust in the Lord, my friends, trust in the Lord.
Jan 21st, 2020, Tues, 8:05 pm
Put Legs on It!
It has been a bit of a wonky day, Father. But as I sit down with You tonight may my mind be on You. Everything else is behind me and only You are before me. Amen.
Luke 5:17-26 (<<click to read the passage)
Faith. It is a foundational aspect of our relationship with Jesus. We must have faith, believing that what He says He will do. Our faith in Him brings about our salvation. But as is made evident in today’s passage, our faith not only impacts us but others as well!
Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.” vs.18-20 NLT
My Life Application Study Bible remarks, “It wasn’t the paralyzed man’s faith that impressed Jesus but the faith of his friends. Jesus responded to their faith and healed the man.”
Friend, if you are a believer in Jesus and have sought His forgiveness and serve Him with your life then you have a responsibility to use your faith, in a positive way, to affect the lives of others. The scary part is that our faith, if we are not careful, can leave a negative impact on others!
In my lifetime I have known people who claim Jesus as their Savior but the way they lived their lives did not always make that association clear. Anger. Gossip. Jealousy. Double mindedness and many other vices. We may all deal with some of these attributes on occasion but for some, it is a big part of their everyday lives.
In mentioning individuals in churches I served to other believers, I have gotten raised eyebrows because they knew the individual outside the church setting and obviously would never have believed them to be a follower of Christ due to their actions in the workplace or other areas of life. Believers beware! People are watching us whether we like it or not and the faith we proclaim will be known to all for good or ill.
But the friends in this passage clearly made known their faith in Jesus. They didn’t just believe it in their hearts and minds, they put legs on it and were quick to take their friend to find healing at the hands of the One they believed could make a difference in his life.
Lord Jesus, we realize that only You can bring salvation and healing but we, as we exercise our faith, can bring others to You. If we are real and authentic in our relationship with You, that just whets the appetite of others creating a hunger for You, even before they might fully understand for what they are hungering. Help us to overcome our weaknesses. Help us to trust in You to make our faith stronger each day as we follow closely by Your side. Amen.
Jan 20th, 2020, Mon, 7:49 pm
You Catch ’em. He’ll Clean ’em!
Father, it has been a more laid-back kind of day and those kinds of days can surely be beneficial. As I have been working through some marital counseling, I would ask that I have good retention and when I do have the opportunity to apply it may it be of great benefit to those with whom I share it. Amen.
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My in-laws upon their retirement several years back immersed themselves into a hobby they both enjoyed immensely – fishing! They purchased a modest but nice home on Lake Erie, as well as, a solid dependable boat. As a family, we have many great memories of time spent at and on the lake.
While many on the lake pursued Walleye, their fish of choice was Lake Erie Perch. One thing they were very particular about was how they cleaned them. Each fish was carefully fileted so as to keep as much of the meat intact as possible. It was rare to find a bone in the filets and always…always…they removed the skin. They wanted nothing to do with “fishy tasting” fish. And over the years, with the literally 1000s of fish they caught, they became very adept at fileting.
In the Gospels, Peter and Andrew were fishermen by trade and when Jesus called them to follow Him, “…He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (NASB)
What got me thinking about all of this is when a friend shared that they felt they were not up to par in regards to going to church. They (like all of us – myself very much included) are nowhere near perfect. We do things we know are detrimental to our relationship with Jesus – some of which are black-and-white wrong per His Word, the Bible. Other times things we feel bad about are what so many others over the years have labeled as “wicked”, as my mom used to say years ago. Other things are just apart of life that all of us struggle with – what we say, how we say what we say, difficulties in our relationships…and the list goes on.
When it comes to being fishers of men, many have heard the phrase, “You catch ‘em, He’ll clean ‘em.”
That applies to bringing people to Jesus so that they may find salvation and leaving the cleaning up of their lives to Him. We have no business burdening them with our list of dos and don’ts. And it also applies to ourselves. We do not have to be all spit-and-polish to come into his presence, no matter what anyone says. Our loving Savior accepts us right where we are. If we wait to get to the point where we are “good enough” to be with Him, we will never get there.
I admit right here, for all the world to see, I am still very much a work in progress. I try very hard to be what I know Jesus wants me to be. Sometimes I succeed…and sometimes I do not. Does He love me any less? No, He loves me regardless. Its called mercy. Its called grace. And His supply of those attributes is unfathomable! We will never, ever drain the well dry!
Lord Jesus, help us all today to continue to diligently strive to achieve your heart’s desire for us but may we not get so discouraged that we give up. May we find Your strength and determination to always be moving forward and when we do fall down, may we eagerly take Your hand once more as You lift us to our feet. Amen!
Jan 19th, 2020, Sun, 7:50 pm
RECHARGE!
Father, I must admit that at times going through Scripture can be a challenge but I feel that You have been active the last several in opening my eyes to areas of application for Your word. Praise Your Holy Name for loving me so!
Luke 5:16 (<<click to read the passage)
Cell phones are so prevalent in today’s world. For many, it seems to have become a part of our body and if we don’t have it with us, we feel lost and vulnerable. But one thing that is required if we live this way is the need to recharge. Battery life for these devices is limited. So, if we want to continue using them, we must have some means of filling them with power once more.
Public charging stations are becoming more popular. Many up-to-date restaurants are making USB and electric outlets very accessible for the needy, often with accessibility at every table.
But cell phones aren’t the only things that need regular recharging. If we are ardent followers of Jesus, we need to be filled up with power on a consistent basis, as well. We cannot be productive disciples if we are negligent in rejuvenating our spiritual cells. We absolutely must make time in our busy schedules to consistently spend time in intimate interaction with God. Our own reserves are extremely limited. God’s reserves are infinite!
It says in today’s passage that Jesus – Immanuel, God with us – “often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” (NLT) He knew, especially living with the limitations of His humanity, that He needed all the strength, support and guidance He could get from His heavenly Father.
If God incarnate needed to recharge, don’t we need to even more so?
Wouldn’t we consider someone a fool who heads out for a full day of adventures with their cell phone – snapping pictures, seeking out destinations, taking advantage of GPS, texting their companions – but doesn’t prepare in any way to recharge their battery? No cords, no means of gaining power once again. If they don’t want to use their phone for the duration of their excursions then fine but if that isn’t their plan then they are just up a creek without a paddle!
Yet we live our lives in that way day after day after day! Many believers attend worship at least once a week and are recharged but that can only last for so long! Can you go all week with only one full charge on your phone? No way! It’s the same for us spiritually!
The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the church in Thessalonica (a city in Greece), encouraged believers to be “unceasing and persistent in prayer.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMP)
A more common translation of this passage is “pray without ceasing” (NASB). You may be thinking, that’s not possible! Oh, but it is possible! Granted you can’t bow your head and close your eyes every moment of every day but the Bible doesn’t say anything about that being the only way to pray. We can literally pray, anywhere, anytime. God hears us no matter the circumstances and is always there to help, guide…and RECHARGE!
Jan 16th, 2020, Thurs, 8:20 pm