by Stacey | May 2, 2013 | The Weekend Visitor
Many Christians do not really grasp why God has forgiven us of our sins. It’s not as if God the Father woke up one morning and was having a great day, just feeling terrific about being the Sovereign of the universe, then decided on a whim to have mercy on his elect and look past their iniquities. God did not save us because the loving part of him finally out balanced the justice part of him. We must not picture God up in heaven muttering: “You know your sin? And all your rebellion and failures and disobedience? You remember all that? Well fuhgettaboutit. It don’t bother me. I love youse guys and I ain’t gonna mention your sin no more.”
Without giving it much thought, many of us picture the atonement as nothing but undeserved mercy from a loving God. We forget that the mercy we receive is a mercy merited on the cross. God has not saved us by the removal of justice, but by the satisfaction of it.
Justice is shot through the entire plan of redemption. God never once set aside his justice. There is a hell because God is just. And people go to heaven because God is just. Our sins are counted to Christ, so that he died in our place. His life and his death counted to us, that we might live.
We are not forgiven and given eternal life because God waved a magic wand and decided he would just overlook our sins. He has not overlooked the smallest speck of your sin. The good news of the cross is that the tiniest little speck of your sin, and all of the great big sins as well, have been paid for by the perfect and final sacrifice.
We were not saved on a whim because God decided one day he might as well have mercy on sinners. We are saved because God sent his Son to become the curse for us. Every last lustful look, every proud thought, every gossiping tongue, God demands justice for all of it. And the resurrection of Jesus bears witness to the glorious good news that all the demands of justice have been met so that Christ would be the first to conquer death, but not the last. Divine satisfaction through divine self-substitution.
I am the Senior Pastor at University Reformed Church(RCA) in East Lansing, Michigan, near Michigan State University. Married to Trisha with five young children.
*Used with permission
by Stacey | Apr 25, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Nick just turned five, and the name Slick Nick still applies. He has, in the past, had adventures with Vaseline that have earned him the name (like the time he covered himself completely in Vaseline!.
It’s hard to imagine this angelic boy EVER disobeying.
We use Vaseline to sooth the dry patches of skin that plague our children. They all know the large tub is off-limits and only Mommy applies Vaseline, but man, does it look gooey and fun. Judging by Nick’s slippery body and slick hair, he had a blast.
His petroleum jelly grin prompted an outward smile and an inward groan. As a former hairstylist, I know it takes a shower marathon to remove Vaseline from the hair.
As Nick unhappily scrubbed down for the third time in less than an hour, it occurred to me that his curiosity came with a high price tag. He missed game time with the other kids as we attempted to rectify his retro 1950’s hairdo.
Sin comes with a high price tag. Whether our slip is premeditated or innocent curiosity, there are consequences and a price. Nick paid with two days of showers and it cost me free time and a replacement tub of Vaseline.
Like Nick, I experience consequences for my sin as I live in a fallen world filled with other sinners like me. The price of my sin is a life – either my eternal life or Jesus’s life. One of us will pay.
Jesus died on the cross and offers God His life as payment for my sin. After Jesus died, He rose from the grave, swallowing death in victory. I can thank Him for the payment, live a life of repentance and change on earth, look forward to an eternity in Heaven. Or, I can refuse His offering and by default commit to paying the cost myself in an eternity spent in Hell.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
by Stacey | Apr 18, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Our world is a mess. Atheist or believer, this is our common ground. We are cohabitants in a land that contains the potential for great good and horrific evil.
Each person has the potential for good and evil. God gave us the powerful gift of choice. Each person must choose which force will rise as victor. For centuries, the vast majority have chosen wrong.
Where is God?
It is okay to question God, but it is wrong to question His goodness and holy character. Bring your questions with the understanding that God is beyond our understanding. Ask in humility, knowing God is the authority. None of our questions are too hard for God (Kevin Weeks).
In biblical times, God has used the most wicked people to show his people how far they had strayed. Evil appeared to win. Sound familiar? Does it raise an important question? Why doesn’t God stop bad things from happening?
That’s not fair.
If God were fair every single person would be condemned to die. There is none righteous, not one. Yet God offers us hope in Jesus. Yes, all evil deserves punishment. Evil acts like the recent bombing and school killings deserve, and I hope they receive, the full consequences of their choices under the law.
However, I too deserve punishment. I too, have sinned. I too deserve to fall under the full weight of God’s punishment. If God were fair, I would. I am thankful that God is not fair. The unfairness of His grace, love and justice come together in forgiveness through Christ.
Everyone has dirty hands in this messy world.
How do I trust God when the world has turned upside down?
Remember that God came. I do not cope with mankind’s bent toward destruction alone. God came. He came for me, in the person of Jesus. He came for you. He offers deliverance from sin. What matters most is not wrapped up in this life, but is wrapped up in the life to come. This life is unfair, but the next one is not.
What is the point?
I am not here to find satisfaction or fair treatment in the world, as it is now. I forfeit a wonderful encounter with an all-powerful God by searching, as if it were my due, for those things.
I am here to bring glory to God. In all circumstances. In all times. That can happen only if I pray for God to work as if it is His glory that really matters. Because, it is His glory that really matters. It is God’s glory on the line. His goodness. His character. I must pray that He will be glorified in me, regardless of the circumstances.
“If you have a God great enough and powerful enough to be mad at because he doesn’t stop your suffering, you also have a God who’s great enough and powerful enough to have reasons that you can’t understand. You can’t have it both ways (Timothy Keller, King’s Cross).”
by Stacey | Mar 21, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
Before we know it Easter weekend will be here. Families will gather. Meals shared. Eggs hidden and found. Our family celebrates with a mixture of activities. Our kids search the basement for candy eggs, we share a special family meal, and use the our very special tablecloth.
We attend a church service on Good Friday. It is somber, sad, and reverent. It’s when we focus on the ultimate act of sacrifice. Christ’s death. Nailed to a cross because he claimed to be God. Not a god, THE GOD.
As a mother, my mind drifts to Mary and a sermon I heard long ago about this very moment in her life. This moment of pain, watching her first-born son stretch his arms out accepting the nails.
For nine hours Jesus hung until he breathed his last.
Mary is silent. She does not claim that Jesus was the result of a one-night stand or the product of a premature frolic with Joseph. She does not stand at the foot of his cross and deny his claim to be the Son of God because she knew.
Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Son of God.
And now he was dead.
I can’t help but wonder what Jesus’ friends thought as all this played out. Did they see walls when Jesus finally breathed his last? Did they have long-term plans for Jesus’ political future only to have them shattered? Did they truly understand his mission on earth? If this is Good Friday, what is so good about it?
When the apostles feared swords, Jesus offered healing (Luke 22:49-51). When they saw failure, Jesus saw fulfillment (Luke 24:13-35). When they saw death and destruction, the God of hope stepped in and changed everything.
Why is Good Friday good? Because Jesus’ death is the beginning of the new covenant between God and his people. The covenant we are under today. The covenant that God will honor because He always keeps His word.
That, my dear friends, is good.
*Artwork by Jonathan Weeks
by Stacey | Mar 14, 2013 | Devotionals, reflections, and encouragement
I registered for a 1/2 marathon, something I never thought I would do. That’s 13 miles or 21.1 KM. It involves a schedule of exercise three times a week, one of those times consisting of a walk longer than ever before.
And they just keep getting longer.
This new way of life began mid-January. I started on schedule, actually, ahead of schedule. My type A personality began a few weeks early.
Then – holidays arrived. A blissful week in the hot sun on a sandy shore. A week without training. I wasn’t concerned since I started early. I could easily finish my training schedule while taking a week off. But I didn’t account for the loss of momentum and how it would affect me.
Upon our return I didn’t want to carve out 1.5 plus hours three times a week to devote to training. Not even a little bit. But lucky for me, I’m training with three other women who believe in me more than I believe in myself. They won’t let me stay on the couch. They share their success and struggles and we cheer each other onward. I have no doubts that in June we will cross the finish line together.
Tonight, as I was back on the treadmill for 9 KM, Beth Moore’s words came to mind. “When it comes to Scripture memorization, think marathon – not sprint.”
Interesting.
While I was on holidays fitness wasn’t the only priority to suffer. I am now officially two weeks behind on the Romans Project. And because it has been so long since I have recited the verses in Romans chapter one, I’m losing the verses I once knew. The past few days/weeks out of routine have tempted me to give in and give up.
Think marathon, not sprint cycles through my brain with each step on the treadmill. This is a set back, not the end. I’m in training for something far greater than a medal after 13 miles. I’m after a crown. A well done, my good and faithful servant. A hiding of God’s Word in my heart.
I’m training with a God who believes in me more than I believe in myself. His strength is perfect when I am weak.
So, today is a new day. I pick up where I left off. The verses quickly come back. Fresh motivation surges through my body.
I’m in this for the long haul. It’s a marathon. A race to hide God’s Word in my heart. By His strength I will cross the finish line.
*Kate at her first cross-country meet earlier this year. She is learning to think marathon – in more ways than one.
morning and was having a great day, just feeling terrific about being the Sovereign of the universe, then decided on a whim to have mercy on his elect and look past their iniquities. God did not save us because the loving part of him finally out balanced the justice part of him. We must not picture God up in heaven muttering: “You know your sin? And all your rebellion and failures and disobedience? You remember all that? Well fuhgettaboutit. It don’t bother me. I love youse guys and I ain’t gonna mention your sin no more.”
ABOUT KEVIN DEYOUNG
