God's love

The Styrofoam Cake

Posted on by Justice

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a little kid, and I was about to have my whole world torn apart. We were walking through Hy-Vee, and I was practically drooling at the sight of the massive cakes on display in the bakery department. It was at that point that I began to formulate a plan. (Readers Note: I formulate all kinds of absolutely destructive and sometime purely evil ideas. Thankfully I never execute them, I just enjoy the process of planning.) I would steal one of the massive cakes. All I had to do was drop it in the cart and run away. I’ll be honest, it seemed like one of the best ideas I’d ever had. Sure, it went against my morals; but look at that cake. It would be worth it. It was then that I pitched my idea to my parents, because I honestly had no intention of going through with it. They listened and then informed me that all those beautiful cakes were just a facade. It turns out on the inside these cakes were simply Styrofoam. Underneath the layers of sugary goodness lay something far worse than I could have ever imagined. Now I’m just glad I found out before I tried to take the cake.

You might be wondering why I spent so much time sharing my experience at the grocery store. Well, here’s why. Matthew 7:13 says: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” From this verse, we can see that the road of sin looks good, and it seems easy. Sadly, we can also see that many people fall for the deception of the easy road. It looks good, but it leads to destruction. This destruction is eternal separation from God. An eternity spent suffering in the fires of hell. I tried to find one good verse to sum up what hell is like, and I couldn’t, but I can tell you this, you don’t want to go there. (Some verses that provide a helpful description: Matthew 13:42, Revelation 20:10 & 14, Luke 16:19-31) The way of sin will always look appealing to us. If we allow ourselves to dwell upon it, we will become just like I did with the Styrofoam cakes. Infatuated. Many of the great people in the Bible gave into sin because it looked good to them. Why did Adam and Eve ignore God’s warning about the fruit? Why did Abraham try to rush God’s plans? Why did David commit adultery? All of these people sinned because it looked good, and in each circumstance, it was followed by shame and regret. They took a big bite of the cake, only to realize that it was all a lie.

I can think of many times in my life where I made the mistake of chasing after the “Styrofoam cake” of sin. It looked so good to me at the time, but once I had taken a bite, I felt so guilty. I’m sure you’ve made similar mistakes as well. The question is: what can we do to keep ourselves on the narrow path of righteousness? How can we keep ourselves from falling for the lies of sin again and again? We need to remind ourselves that Jesus is what we are truly looking for. When you feed on Him and His word, you will never be filled with shame and regret. John 6:26-27 says: “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw the miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”” Jesus is telling us that He is truly satisfying. Unlike the facades that the devil offers us, Jesus is giving us something good and eternal. Not only is the bread that Jesus offers us better than the cake of the devil; it even has God’s stamp of approval on it!

You Deserve This…

Posted on by Justice

When you pour your time and effort into a project, it’s really easy to feel like you deserve success. When the work you do doesn’t turn out the way you want, you tend to feel like you’ve been ripped off.

I’ve felt this way a lot for the past year. It was my last year in speech and debate, and this led me to dedicate even more time toward preparation for my events. When the competition season finally came around, I was ready to win. I honestly believed that I had earned it. This caused me to leave every tournament disappointed. Every time I felt like someone had stolen something that I deserved.

Let’s be honest. We all like to think that we deserve all of the good things that happen to us. However, the Bible says the exact opposite. Matthew 5:45 says: For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” This verse goes to show that God gives good things to everyone, not just those who deserve it. In fact, those who don’t deserve it are continually blessed because of His unfailing mercy.

Our culture relentlessly tells us that we deserve all kinds of good things. You deserve a raise, to be appreciated, a better car, good looks, even a new grill. The list goes on. We even try to persuade ourselves that we deserve all the gifts that God has given us. “The only thing we deserve is hell.” My dad would tell me this when I was younger. He’s right, we have earned eternal suffering. We deserve separation from God. Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Exactly three chapters later in Romans 6:23, Paul explains: “For the wages of sin is death.” The Bible is very clear with us. It tells us exactly what we deserve, and it’s not good things. We are worthy of punishment. Thankfully Paul continues the verse: “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The desire to earn the blessings of God finds its roots in our pride. I was proud of myself and my cases. I foolishly trusted in them to get me the win. When I didn’t come out on top, I was disappointed and even angry. If you ever feel like you have been robbed of something you deserve, I want to remind you: “The only thing you deserve is hell.” Thankfully Jesus had mercy on us. He held back His judgement and instead died to save us from our sins and our pride. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Our works will never be able to earn our salvation. Jesus died to save us, and He offers us the greatest gift that we will never deserve.

Good Friday: The Best and Worst Day

Posted on by Justice

I have always wondered why it is called Good Friday. It always seemed to me that the name should symbolize the horrors that took place roughly 2000 years ago. When we consider all that Jesus went through, it feels like we chose a poor name for this holiday. Spending more time in God’s word has helped me to realize just how good and bad this Friday really is. Let’s take a moment to look back upon exactly what took place on this day and see whether or not we can still call it Good Friday.

The book of Mark gives us some of the clearest insight into what happened immediately before Jesus was hung upon the cross. Mark 15:16-20 says: “The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the company of soldiers. They put a purple robe upon him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit upon him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.” I don’t know about you, but this passage horrifies me. It seems to perfectly describe the seeds of sin and hate that the devil is constantly sowing in our lives. I wonder how it was possible that these men were able to be so spiteful against someone who had done absolutely nothing to harm them. What amazes me even more is the fact that Jesus remains silent. You don’t hear Him calling out for help. He doesn’t even rebuke them. Instead, He willingly takes the punishment that we deserve.

In the gospel of Luke we are provided with the most vivid description of the crucifixion. Luke 23:32-43 says: “Two other men, both criminals were also led out with him to be executed. When they came near to the place called the Skull, they crucified him along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was written a notice above him, which read: This Is The King Of The Jews. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”” This is it. Jesus hanging there on the cross to pay for our sins. There is not a hint of anger in His voice. Sadness, perhaps, but not anger. Instead as He hangs there dying He shows His love. “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” How could they not know? They were brutally murdering an innocent man. Not only that, they were brutally murdering The Son of God. Jesus had every right to be angry, but all we can see is His great love.

Perhaps the love that Jesus showed almost 2000 year ago is the reason that we call today Good Friday. The fact of the matter is that great evil took place. The devil was most definitely rejoicing to see Jesus dying, but he wasn’t ready for what would come next. In hindsight we know that Jesus rose from the dead. We know that we can spend all of eternity with Him thanks to the gift He gave us. We know that His blood paid the price for our sins. This should be humbling. We are so rotten, that it cost Jesus His life to cover over the mistakes we made. One final thought that I believe we all should be thinking about this Easter. One of the criminals mocked Jesus. We all know where he went when he finally died, and it’s not a nice place. The other man approached Him in humility, asking for forgiveness. What did Jesus say to him? “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” This is why we call today Good Friday. Not because of the great evil that took place. We call today Good Friday because of the good news of salvation that Jesus purchased for us.

A Thanksgiving Poem.

Posted on by Justice

Thanks be to God the giver of life.

He silences pain,

And settles our strife.

He sacrificed all to eternally gain,

Communion with us the work of His hand.

What have we to give?

What does He demand?

That we follow in love,

Toward the promised land.

He fills us with joy.

He changes our name.

He came as a boy,

And traded His fame.

He lived blamelessly,

And modeled for all,

How we must live, in spite of the fall.

There’s nothing He can’t do,

No person’s too small.

Soon He’ll welcome us into,

His glorious hall.

So let us rejoice,

This Thanksgiving day,

In the God whose mere voice,

Casts sorrows away.

Being Thankful For Thanksgiving

Posted on by Justice

Thanksgiving is coming around the corner and will be here before you know it. With how busy our lives can get it may become easy to see Thanksgiving as just another holiday. Let’s be honest, things are crazy, it seems impossible to clear your ever-growing to-do list, and you just need a break. After all, what is there to be thankful for? The extra work added by another event we are obligated to celebrate can easily steal the thanks from Thanksgiving. So, really, what do we have to be thankful for?

Thanksgiving has become another overly commercialized holiday; with all the stereotypes we have to meet, our celebration can quickly become another task. If you feel this way, don’t worry, I did too. It wasn’t until I began to write this post that I realized just how many things we truly have to be thankful for. I hope that this serves as a reminder to be thankful for Thanksgiving.

Let’s take a trip back to the beginning. Imagine a large gathering of men in black suits and funny looking hats gathered around a huge table eating food. (Oops, the stereotypes kicked in again.) When we think about the first Thanksgiving, we can often be blinded by the stereotypes our culture has generated. The Pilgrims didn’t have it easy. Before their famous celebration, life was really hard. They had pulled into the wrong harbor and were forced to build a colony for themselves. The winter had taken the lives of many of the settlers and starvation was starting to kick in. It wasn’t until they met Samoset and Squanto that things began to look up. Even after they had received help from the Indians things didn’t calm down. They still had to work hard to provide for their families, and they probably had significantly less time for entertainment than you and I do. What was it that caused the Pilgrims to be thankful? They chose to focus on God and His provision instead of how hard things had become.

The same God that the Pilgrims found their joy and Thanksgiving in is still with us today. Hebrews 13:8 reminds us that: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”. What does this mean? If the Pilgrims found their joy in Jesus, we can too because He never changes. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. It is God’s will for us that we give thanks in everything. Yes, that does mean we ought to be thankful even in the busiest moments of life. No matter what challenges you are facing, God wants you to be thankful. Don’t worry, He won’t tell us to do anything without giving us the strength to succeed.

God’s will for us is that we be thankful in everything, but how are we supposed to do that? I’m a pessimist. If I want to, I can complain about pretty much anything. People often tell me to look on the bright side, and honestly, it only puts me in a worse mood. What is the cure for this disease of “unthankfulness” we all struggle with? Philippians 4:6-7 explains the secret to being thankful in everything. “Don’t be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This advice came from Paul, if anyone had a reason to complain, he did. He often went without what he needed, in fact later in the chapter, he explains how he had learned to be content despite his circumstances. How was Paul able to be thankful through the hard times? He held onto his hope and love for Jesus. When we really take the time to consider all that God has done for us, we ought to be more than just thankful. Jesus gave His life so that we can have fellowship with God, if that’s not something to be thankful for, I’m not sure what is.

Thanksgiving is of greater significance than we often tend to think. It’s time that we pull away all the stereotypes and remember what it truly means to give thanks. You don’t need turkey, family, or even my personal favorite, KFC gravy, to be thankful. All you need is to remember the God that gave His life to save you from your sins. This Thanksgiving I’d like to challenge all of us to take inventory of how much God has truly blessed us. I know it may be hard, but God calls us to be thankful in everything. What does that mean? We ought to be thankful for Thanksgiving too.

No Greater Love

Posted on by Justice

When you consider love, what do you think about? Do you think about a person that you love, or do you think about that restaurant you just couldn’t live without? I absolutely love eating at Canes. All of these things tend to make love look like it’s simply a feeling. I feel love when I am around my family, or I feel love when I am with my favorite food. Our culture has defined love as a feeling or an emotion. However, the biblical view of love is something far more than that.

In the Bible, love is not described as only a feeling. Love is described as an action. In John 15:13 Jesus says: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” In this verse, Jesus is explaining that the greatest form of love is that one lay down his life for his friends. From what Jesus says, we can learn that love is not simply an emotion or a feeling. Love is sacrifice.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life.” God loves us so much that He gave up His Son to save us from our sins. Jesus gave up His life because He loved us.

Love is not just a feeling we get when we are around someone we enjoy being with. True love requires sacrifice. Sometimes it can be something simple, like spending time with a family member even though you are busy. Other times it can be hard, like giving up your life to save someone else. Jesus is the perfect example of love. While we were still sinners He died for us to save us from our sins. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, and love our enemies. This doesn’t mean conjuring up a warm and fuzzy feeling for them. Love means a willingness to sacrifice.

A Perfect Plan

Posted on by Justice

Have you ever had plans for something that just didn’t work out? You began working towards your goal, things were going great, and then you hit a dead end. This can be incredibly discouraging. It’s really hard to see your plans fall apart before your own eyes. You worked so hard for it, and now it all feels meaningless.

Romans 8:28 says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

This verse is an excellent reminder when our plans fall apart. It reminds us that God has a perfect plan and His plans never fail. All things work together for the good of those who love God. Even when it seems like everything is falling apart God is working for the good of those who love Him. Trust God when your plans fail. He loves you and He has a perfect plan.

Hope For a New Year

Posted on by Justice

It can be hard returning to our normal routines. After all, we just had a great break from the wear and tear of our daily lives. It was great celebrating Christmas and ringing in the new year, but now it feels like there is nothing to look forward to. The good news is that there is something great coming soon.

Revelation 22:12-13 says: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first, and the last, the beginning and the end.

For those who have given their lives to Christ this is great news! Jesus will be coming soon, and that is something incredible to be looking forward to! If you have been having a hard time coping with returning to the routine, you have something wonderful coming soon. Set your eyes upon Jesus, and look forward to His return. His love never fades, and His joy never wears thin.

If you haven’t put your trust in Jesus, now is the time to. Sometime soon He will return and judge the world. We are all worthy of His judgement, but the good news is that He saved us. Jesus died so that we could be free from sin. Trust in Him to give you joy and peace, He will never fail you.

The Savior is Born!

Posted on by Justice

The time had come for Jesus to be born. After all those years of waiting the Son of God had finally come!

Luke 2:1-7 says: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,
who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

It’s somewhat shocking that the Son of God was born in a manger. Jesus deserved far more than that, but He loves us so much that He was willing to be born in a manger. Jesus’ life is full of sacrifice and humility. God was willing to step down from the highest of high, to the lowest of lows, for us. As we reflect on the love and humility of Jesus this Christmas, let’s take time to show His love to others. It could be something as simple as taking some time from something that you wanted to do, and spending that time helping someone who needs it. Be sure to spread the love of Jesus this Christmas.

The Importance of Praise

Posted on by Justice

When something good happens to you do you remember to thank God for it? How about when something confusing happens, do you still praise God through those times? Mary had just been blessed greatly with the news that she was going to be Jesus’ mother. But that good news was also quite surprising. Despite the fact that she was confused by this news, she still praised God.

Luke 1:46-55 says:

“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in the chaos and forget to praise God. Mary’s song is a great example of how to praise God even when it may seem hard. Don’t forget to praise Him for the wonderful gift that he so generously gave us. Remember to praise God for who He is this Christmas season.