Faith Archives - Page 63 of 117

Our Ever-Present Help {No Matter What Monday}

April 9, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

A few years ago, I was talking with a friend about one of the many ways I think the internet is disconnecting us from each other, not just connecting us. Before Google, if I needed to know how to poach an egg or house-train a puppy or get olive oil out of my favorite sweater, I would call my mom or a friend. Now those phone calls don’t happen because we have all the answers at our fingertips.

So the next week, when my son threw up on the loveseat in our living room, I decided to call my mom to ask how to clean it rather than typing the question into an impersonal search engine. I explained my predicament and asked her what I should do. The first words out of her mouth were, “Have you Googled it?”

I’m thankful for my helpful mom, knowledgeable friends, and of course, Google. But I’m even more thankful for the One we can turn to for help in any and every problem we face.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2)

God is our refuge. He provides safety because He loves us and reigns over any circumstance, any power, or any person that would threaten us. As Paul says in Romans 8, nothing in this world can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ.

God is our strength. The One who created the heavens and the earth is your helper (Ps. 121:1-2). He placed in stars in the sky and the fish in the ocean depths, and He promises to give you His strength when you’re weak.

God is always present in our suffering. This is why the psalmist can say: “Therefore we will not fear . . .” We can face our troubles with confidence that the Lord is with us. He’s not just a passive, uninterested bystander. He is our heavenly Father, our refuge, and our strength.

No matter what you face this week, God is an ever-present help in trouble.

The Risen Christ Conquered Death {No Matter What Monday}

April 2, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I’ll never forget the look of joy on his little 3-year-old face when he heard the news. My first-born, Christopher, was eating breakfast at the kitchen table when he started asking questions about Jesus. He had heard repeatedly that Jesus had died on the cross for his sins. But apparently we had failed to mention one crucial piece of information – Jesus didn’t stay dead. When I mentioned that Jesus rose from the dead, his eyes grew wide and he exclaimed, “Jesus is ALIVE?!?” He clapped his hands exuberantly and shouted, “Yaaaaaay!”

It was such a joy to witness the moment my son first learned the good news of the resurrection. He realized for the first time that death didn’t win. Jesus isn’t still in the grave. He is risen!

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep . . . “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (I Cor. 15:20 and 55, NIV)

Friend, this is good news: Jesus is alive! He isn’t just a suffering Savior who died in your place but a reigning King who conquered the power of death. Yes, He took the punishment for your sin and freed you from its guilt. But He also rose victorious over the ultimate enemy. We read in Revelation 1:18 that Jesus holds the keys to death and hades. Death has no power over Him.

Our risen Savior is the firstfruits of the resurrection. “Firstfruits” implies that there are more resurrection fruits to come! When He stepped out of the grave, He made a way for us to have new life in Him now and eternal life with Him forever. Death has no power over Him, and it also has no power over those of us who are in Christ.

And so even though we feel the pain and sting of death here temporarily, we can look at the empty grave and say with Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Jesus Christ took the sting of death for us, so we wait eagerly for the day when we feel it no more.

No matter what you face this week, the risen Christ conquered death for us.

Our Savior Became Sin {No Matter What Monday}

March 26, 2018 by Marissa Leave a Comment

As I stand at the bathroom sink fixing my hair and makeup in the morning, my dog often torments me by curling up in the empty space I just left in my bed. I long to return to that spot—I’m not a morning person—and it makes me crazy to see him lay his little white head on my pillow and doze off.

Most days, I wish I could trade places with him. His life seems so easy: sleep, eat, repeat. But then I remember that he eats the same thing every day and has to go outside to use the bathroom, even in frigid temperatures and thunderstorms.

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ this week, let’s remember that He is the One who traded places with us. Our Savior saw our hopeless condition—we were sinners who could not save ourselves. He humbled Himself to take our place on the cross, so that we might have a place with Him forever.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Christ became sin for our sake. In this passage, Paul is talking about reconciliation—specifically, how sinners are reconciled to a holy God. Christ took the punishment for our sin so we could be reconciled to God. Paul says He “became sin,” receiving what our sin deserved.

Christ became sin even though He was sinless. If He had sinned even once, the punishment He received would be His own. Only a sinless Lamb could trade places with us and take our place on the cross.

Christ became sin so that in Him we might receive righteousness. My kids and I call it “The Great Swap.” On the cross, Christ took our place and received the punishment our sin deserved. In exchange, He gives us His perfect record of obedience–His righteousness. We receive what Christ has earned: right standing before a holy God and eternal life with Him.

This Great Swap is the good news of the Gospel: those who are in Christ look at the cross and see their debt fully paid, their sin forgiven, and the righteousness of Christ given to them.

No matter what you face this week, our sinless Savior became sin so sinners might receive His righteousness.

God’s Got You in His Grip {No Matter What Monday}

March 19, 2018 by Marissa 1 Comment

Last week, my kids and I walked through an unfamiliar city on our way to a concert. As I started to cross a wide street, my daughter hesitated and looked around anxiously. She didn’t want to follow me as confidently I stepped off the curb.

“Mom? Are you sure we should be crossing here?”

“Sweetheart, am I holding your hand?”

“Yes.”

“Then you can relax. You can let me take care of keeping you safe.”

My daughter didn’t look down the street and see the road blocks that kept that block car-free. She didn’t have the life experience to know that a concert venue plus large crowds plus police blockades equals safety crossing the street. She became anxious because she forgot that the one who holds her hand cares for her more than she can imagine.

Each week, I send out these Monday devotionals to my email subscribers. I sign my emails with “In His grip.” It’s an intentional reminder of a truth that brings me great comfort—I’m in God’s hands. He’s holding on to me, and I’m safe and secure in Christ.

In John 10:27-29, Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Those who belong to Christ can never be snatched from His hand. We can count on this promise because our heavenly Father is greater than all. If He’s holding us, we can trust that He won’t let go. There is nothing that can loosen His grip. One of my favorite songs, “In Christ Alone,” puts it this way: “No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.”

You will face trouble and suffering in this world. But if you are in Christ, nothing you face can ever separate you from God’s loving hold on you (Romans 8:38-39). He’s got you, and He won’t let go.

No matter what you face this week, God’s got you in His grip.

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