“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).  John the Baptist’s words here may be the most simple yet the most profound words ever spoken. A life-changing, earth-shaking statement.  Jesus, the Lamb who will be slaughtered, will take away sin.  Man’s greatest problem, sin before a holy God, will be dealt with by this meek Lamb, this gentle Lamb who also happens to be the ferocious Lion who will mete out justice and who also happens to be the mighty Creator from whom all living creatures eminate.

My sin has been taken away!  Breathe deeply and rest in this thought!  My sin, my burden, the wrath stored up for me– is GONE!  Gone!  The weight of judgment was laid upon his willing shoulders so that I, a mere mortal, could go free.

How can I say thanks for all He has done for me?!  “I’ll lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” (Ps 116:13).

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain….literally, the Lamb that was slaughtered and butchered.  (Rev 5:9)

So rejoice today!  And rest today!  All my other burdens and concerns in my life this week PALE in comparison to this mighty burden that has been removed by the Lamb of God who took away my sin. Rest and rejoice!

The Word of God stands out with astonishing uniqueness in history.  Read the quote below.

“No book has attracted so much attention, provoked so much opposition, outlived so many persecutions, called forth so much reverence and gratitude, inspired so many noble thoughts and deeds, administered so much comfort and peace from the cradle to the grave to all classes and conditions of men.  It is more than a book; it is an institution, an all-pervading omnipresent force, a converting, sanctifying, transforming agency; it rules from the pulpit and the chair; it presides at the family altar; it is the sacred ark of every household, the written conscience of every Christian man, the pillar of cloud by day, the pillar of light by night in the pilgrimage of life. Mankind is bad enough, and human life dark enough with it; but how much worse and how much darker would they be without it?

“Christianity might live without the letter of the New Testament, but not without the facts and truths which it records and teaches. Were it possible to banish them from the world, the sun of our civilization would be extinguished, and mankind left to midnight darkness, with the dreary prospect of a dreamless and endless Nirvana.

“But no power on earth or in hell can extinguish that sun. There it shines on the horizon, the king of day, obscured at times by clouds great or small, but breaking through again and again, and shedding light and life from east to west, until the darkest corners of the globe shall be illuminated. The past is secure; God will take care of the future.”

From Philip Schaff’s “The History of the Christian Church,”

There is no one like Jesus Christ.  Read the inspiring quote below.  Proclaim Christ fearlessly.

“Taking our position at the close of the apostolic age, and looking back to its fountain-head and forward to succeeding generations, we cannot but be amazed at the magnitude of the effects produced by the brief public ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, which sends its blessings through centuries as an unbroken and ever-expanding river of life.

“There is absolutely nothing like it in the annals of the race. The Roman empire embraced, at the birth of Christ, over one hundred millions of men, conquered by force, and, after having persecuted his religion for three hundred years, it died away without the possibility of a resurrection. The Christian church now numbers four hundred millions, conquered by the love of Christ, and is constantly increasing.

“The first century is the life and light of history and the turning point of the ages. If ever God revealed himself to man, if ever heaven appeared on earth, it was in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. He is, beyond any shadow of doubt, and by the reluctant consent of skeptics and infidels, the wisest of the wise, the purest of the pure, and the mightiest of the mighty. His Cross has become the tree of life to all nations; his teaching is still the highest standard of religious truth; his example the unsurpassed ideal of holiness; the Gospels and Epistles of his Galilean disciples are still the book of books, more powerful than all the classics of human wisdom and genius.

(From Philip Schaff, author of “The History of the Christian Church.”)

Romans 16:19  says, “For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. “

Am I quick to obey?  Am I known for my obedience, as the Romans were?  Obedience is NOT a four-letter word! Obedience is not evil.  Rather, it is a beautiful, glorious, joy-provoking quality.

What is obedience? Simply stated,  doing what we are commanded.  A soldier is disgraced when he defies an officer, but his life and the lives of others are saved when he obeys orders.  A rebellious child brings little joy to his dad, but an obedient son brings gladness to both dad and son.  Insubordination at the workplace may get you fired, but someone who does they are told, and does it well and with a whole heart, is commended and may even get promoted.

So if obedience in the world and in our families is good, why do we sometimes view it as bad or legalistic in the Christian life, like a four-letter word?  That perspective is warped.

Obey today, and experience the commendation of the Lord. Acts 13:22 says it well: “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.”

What is the Lord prompting me to obey today?   To cast my burdens on Him and not be anxious?  To humble myself and ask forgiveness from someone I offended?  To work diligently, not lazily?  To rejoice in the God of love instead of complaining in my heart?  To use my tongue to encourage and praise someone instead of offering sarcasm and criticism?

Like the Romans, may many rejoice over my obedience!!

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” (Mark 1:40-41 NIV)

Jesus was “Filled with compassion.” Another version says, “Moved with pity.” God Almighty is a God who is easily moved to compassion.  We don’t have to beg and urge and plead to get Him to pay attention to us.  Repeatedly throughout biblical history, He comes to the aid of any who are hurting, even when they haven’t yet asked for help.  The greatest example of this is the Cross itself, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…”

Too often I don’t run up to Jesus like this man and expect Him to even want to help me.  I think He’s too busy.  Or my problems aren’t significant enough.  Or perhaps He’s not even that interested, since He figures I can handle it myself.  Interesting word I use:  “Myself”.  Isn’t that just my independent thinking?  “Oh, I’ll be fine on my own.  You take care of your business, and I’ll take care of mine.”

Would I be part of the crowd in Mark 3:10– “…He healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.” Would I press around Him to get healed?  Or would I think, “Nah, He won’t want to heal me.  Besides, it’s my own fault I’m ill.”

Why do I hesitate to believe God is easily moved to pity for me? Pity to know my pain of wayward sheep or my pain from failure to shepherd the sheep well.  Pity not to say, “You got yourself into this mess, so get yourself out.”  Pity to care about my physical pain.  Do I believe that He is easily moved to compassion?

Am I afraid to allow myself to receive His grace out of fear that I might give myself an excuse to sin or whine?  Or does pride stand in my way, unwilling to acknowledge my need for pity?

Our God LOVES to rescue. He IS love.  He HAS compassion.  Let Him be the God of all comfort and compassion. LET HIM IN!!

Psalm 103:13-14 says,  “As a father show compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  For he knows our frame;  he remembers that we are dust.”

Lord, grant me grace to have that simple childlike faith that when I accidentally or even willfully “scrape my spiritual knees” I would run to you like the man in Mark 1 and like the crowd in Mark 3 and beg for your compassionate help. And then grant me grace to believe that you will be “filled with compassion” and will kindly help me in my hour of need.

Charles Spurgeon, a 19th century pastor in England, was a “Prince of Preachers.”  With a command of the English language and insight on loan from God, he had a way of expressing truth that penetrates my mind and heart.  He wrote a book of daily devotionals, 2 per day, called “Morning and Evening.”  This morning’s reading was powerful insight into what prayer shows me about my own needs.

An excerpt from this morning’s devotional:  “The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are.  If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty.   While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness.”

If I am praying much and often, it tells me I realize God alone can grant me wants.  He alone can meet my needs.  And He is rich while I am poor.

Conversely, if I am not much in prayer, what does it tell me? First, that I will try to get what I want by myself, and that God either doesn’t care about what I want or He has no power to give me favor.  Secondly, it  tells me either God does not want to meet my needs, or I don’t even know what I need.  Thirdly, my lack of prayer is revealing on my view of the condition of my soul:  I think I am rich unto myself, not poor nor in need of the riches of God.

Lord, open my eyes today to my poverty. I am pained as I think about my lack of prayer and the message it speaks to me.   Help me to believe you WANT to satisfy my necessities.  Reveal to me my POVERTY and your RICHES so that I will be compelled to pray.  I don’t want to feel guilty for not praying.  I simply want to pray.  Make me desperate for you today, Lord. Just today. I cannot undo my lack of desperateness yesterday.   I cannot worry if’ I’ll be hungry for you tomorrow.  But open my eyes today to hunger and thirst for you, the Satisfier of souls, the Supplier of needs.

(If you want to read Spurgeon’s devotional in its entirety, paste this link into your browser.)

http://blueletterbible.org/morneve/10/1011am.html

Am I using the spiritual gift(s) God has given me?  Or am I flippantly ignoring and abusing them?  Either glory or shame results.

My study this morning in Romans 12:3-8 on spiritual gifts led me to Peter’s words. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Here the Lord (through Peter) says that when I speak (e.g., teaching, encouraging a friend who is down, comforting a fellow Christian who is experiencing pain), I should do it as if I was speaking as God’s mouthpiece. How is that? Reverently, wisely, with a sacredness about it. Not flippant, sarcastic speech. Not crude talk or joking. Not carelessly. But as I were uttering words from God Himself.

When I serve, I should do it in the strength that God supplies. In other words, my service shouldn’t look like ordinary service that even a non-Christian would do in normal human strength. My service should look different in God’s power. A power displayed in a humility. Graciousness, with no strings attached, like, “I’m serving you, and I expect to be repaid.” Wholeheartedly, giving all the energy required, not reluctantly or with grumpiness.

Am I faithfully using the gifts God has given me? Am I being responsible with them? Verse 10 clearly says I am to be using them to serve my fellow believers. Am I?

Lord, show me what gifts you have given me. Then help me be a trustworthy son of yours, using your gifts in a responsible way to help your children. Help me speak with reverence. The tongue is a “restless evil, full of deadly poison,” (James 3:8), so help me to have pure, not poisonous, speech. And in my service, grant me grace to have your strength, your mighty power. The power to say “Yes” when I am tired. The strength to give when I have few resources of time or money or energy.

Today, Lord, remind me of the gifts I have been given, and empower me to use them so that “in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.” Amen.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  (Romans 12:1)

Do I find myself lacking motivation for the Christian life?  Am I simply slogging through out of habit?  Am I feeling enslaved to sin, whether it’s laziness or lust or loose lips?  Or, instead, am I increasingly finding an inner drive and power that cannot be stopped or quenched?

This is Paul’s challenge here in Romans 12:1.  In view of God’s mercy– in view of His astonishing, amazing kindness in the face of our relentless and dominating stubbornness and fist-shaking rebellion– present your body to Him.  Present your whole being to God as the only logical, reasonable thing you can do.

How do we present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices?  Go back to chapter 6.  “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”  (Rom 6:13)

Daily present your body to God as His tool for righteousness.  You belong to Him and to Him alone.  Don’t give yourself– i.e., “don’t present yourself”–  to enslaving passions like you did before.  Rather, live in the freedom and power of the gospel.  The old hymn, “Take my Life” expresses this daily offering well: “Take my life…my moments and days…my hands…my feet…my voice…my lips…my silver and gold…my intellect…my will…my heart…my love…take myself…it shall be no longer mine.”

Get down on your knees the first thing each morning and present yourself to God as His instrument for righteousness.  Your life belongs to Him, not to yourself, since He brought you back from the dead.  Since He showed you astonishing mercy.   2 Cor 5:15 says that “He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”

May the greatest motivation of my life be the mercy of God!  Forsake presenting yourself to sin today.  Instead, present every part of your being to Him!

Ever felt guilty?  What did you do about it?  Read David’s description of his overwhelming guilt in Psalm 38:

“O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!  2 For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.  3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.  4 For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.”

What did David do to provoke such shame and mourning and heaviness?  He doesn’t reveal the specific sins, but he was consumed by them.

My first reaction to David is, “You shouldn’t feel guilty like that. It’s not right for a believer in Jehovah to feel so bad.  Why are you such a negative person?”  But is that the correct assessment?  Should we be so quick to deny David this Psalm?

As I read the Psalm, I realize that the difference between David and me is not that I never feel guilty.  The difference is that when I do, I am not as apt to run to the Lord in prayer, pouring out my heart to Him.  Rather, I am apt to run to myself or run to a friend and pour out my complaint or guilt to man.  Or I might say nothing and withdraw, simply bottling it all up inside.

David ran to the Lord. That’s what made him a man after God’s own heart.  Whether he faced guilt or shame or fear or anger, David always took it to the Lord.  That’s why the Psalms are so raw emotionally. I think, “David, you shouldn’t talk that way to the Lord.  It’s disrespectful and inappropriate.”  But the thing is, David takes it to the Lord.  Hiis complaining and anger and guilt is taken directly to God.  This is faith.  This is what a man after God’s own heart looks like.

The old hymn says,

“What a friend we have in Jesus,  All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry  Ev’rything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit,  Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry  Ev’rything to God in prayer!”

David took it all to the Lord in prayer.  He let God bear his sins and griefs.  He forfeited no peace.  He bore no needless pain.   All because he carried everything to God in prayer.

Lord, today, prompt me with your Spirit to be aware of my inwardness, my independence, and my lack of faith.  Remind me to be like David, carrying everything to you in prayer:  my guiilt, my fears, my frustrations, and even my joy and happiness.  Like David in Ps 38:22,, “Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation.“