Reconciled!
Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published: July 20, 2011 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Reconciled!
When I use my Quicken financial software, I have an option every month when a bank or credit card statement comes to “reconcile” my account. The process is intended to insure that the credits and debits that the banking institution have recorded are in harmony with the records I have entered. Should there be a conflict, I need to do something to find out where the conflict is and seek to resolve it.
When reconciling a financial account, it’s always nice to find a “credit” that you had forgotten to enter. Finding an unentered “debit” can be frustrating and financially challenging if it was a large expense.
Have you ever considered how your life would be reconciled with God’s record? You may have a list in your mind of all the good things you’ve done…credits. If you’re honest with yourself you will also remember a list of debits, or the wrong things you have done. How close would your accounting be to God’s accounting of your life?
If you are like most of humanity, you would like to think the “credits” far outweigh the “debits.” Unfortunately, if God showed you your statement, you would be overwhelmed to realize you had far more debits to your account than you would ever be able to offset with good work credits.
How would you reconcile with God?
Before you even need to answer that question, God says to you, “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).
Your “debits” of sin have been completely offset by the complete “credit” Christ has paid on the cross for you. Take time today to thank God for completely reconciling your account through Jesus Christ!
PRAYER:
Lord Jesus, thank you for your unconditional love that took my debt of sin and covered it with your precious blood. Lead me to always live a life that shows gratitude to you for reconciling my account before God my Father. AMEN
Pause to Praise (Part 2)
Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published: May 3, 2013 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
Devotions based on the weekly sermon will resume on August 2, 2021.
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever. (Psalm 145:21)
Pause to Praise (Part 2)
Good morning reader. Did you pause to praise this morning already? How did yesterday go? Did it give you a different perspective on your day?
Psalm 145 gives many reasons to praise the Lord – some expected, some unexpected. Here are four that stand out:
- Pause to Praise the Lord for his GOODNESS.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. (Psalm 145:7)
Too often we focus on what we don’t have and blame God for it. Look around you where you are right now. What do you see that is evidence of God’s goodness? Pause to praise him for it!
- Pause to Praise the Lord for his GRACE
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8)
How quick we are to get angry, point out others faults, or blame God as mean and unloving. How deserving we are of God’s punishment as a result. To realize that as sinful as I am, God has shown me his undeserved love by sending Jesus for me, to cover my sin, to die for me. Pause to praise God for his grace for you!
- Pause to Praise the Lord for his FAITHFULNESS
The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (Psalm 145:13)
Just a couple verses after this, the psalm writer mentions how all creation looks to God to provide…since the beginning of the world he has. How many promises do we break? God has kept all of the ones he has made. What promises do you know that God has made? How has he kept them for you? Pause to praise God for his faithfulness!
- Pause to Praise the Lord for his JUSTICE
The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (Psalm 145:20)
We struggle at times to make sense of evil in the world, terrorists, criminals and devious individuals that harm us directly or indirectly. We seek justice and wonder if it will ever come. Remember, God will bring justice to the wicked, those who do not love him. Justice for evil will come. Praise the Lord for his justice…and the love he shows to us by not treating us as our sins deserve.
Two days don’t make a habit, but perhaps these two days have planted a thought to begin each day with a brief pause for praise. With a little thought, you’ll begin to realize a brief pause is not enough to give God all the praise he deserves each day!
PRAYER: Lord God, thank you for the countless reasons you have given to us to praise you. Forgive me for countless days of complaining. Help me with your Spirit, to establish a new habit to each day pause to praise you! AMEN
Pause to Praise (Part 1)
Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published: May 2, 2013 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
Devotions based on the weekly sermon will resume on August 2, 2021.
Psalm 145:1-4
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
Pause to Praise (Part 1)
So how has your day started today?
“Kid’s get up…we’re running late!” “Another long day at work ahead of me.” “I don’t know if I can deal with this relationship any longer.” “Will I ever find a job?” “Really, can’t we just have one nice day of weather?” “How are we going to pay the bills?” “I’m running out of options to keep my child out of trouble.” And the list can go on.
Before we get too far into our day we have quickly discovered all the things that are or potentially will be wrong about it. Perhaps the thought flits through our mind, “I wish I would have stayed in bed.”
The Scripture from Psalm 145 tells a different story. This individual understood that while it was easier to blame God for problems, it was better to praise him as King. This individual while it might have been easier to curse the name of the Lord, it was better to praise his name forever and ever. While this person may have been tempted to shove God to the background, he found it better to simply try to grasp how great he was. While it would be easier to spend time keeping our kids busy to have an “advantage” in life, he found it more important to share the mighty acts of the Lord with his kids and relatives.
He paused to praise.
How about going back and restarting your day? Perhaps it starts with just one thing, but pause to praise your God, your King for what he has done in your life. This may start with simply slowing down enough to ask, “What is God doing in my life that is praiseworthy?” I’ll let you think about this today. Read tomorrow’s devotion or more of Psalm 145 for some ideas of reasons to praise the Lord.
But today, you, reader, pause to praise!
PRAYER: Lord, we often times pause to pray which you invite us to do. We ask you to do this or that for us or take this or that away from us. Perhaps Lord, these are ways you are working a blessing in my life today. Help me today and every day moving forward to simply pause to praise you for your greatness and being part of my life. AMEN
“LIKE” the Lord!
Devotions based on the weekly sermon will resume on August 2, 2021.
Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published: November 2, 2012 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
Psalm 22:22-23
I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
“LIKE” the Lord!
A good referral has always been a good thing. But referrals used to move relatively slowly, one personal conversation to the next. Now in a matter of seconds, hundreds of positive or negative evaluations of one’s person, work or business can flood the pages of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. A business can rise or fall on the social media’s ranking realm. As a result and for better ratings, businesses encourage you to “LIKE” their page so they get more positive recognition and thus a trustworthy reputation.
How many “LIKE’s” do you think the Lord Jesus would receive?
The writer of Psalm 22 had nothing by “LIKE’s” to give for the one about whom he wrote. This Psalm is packed with prophetic statements about the Lord Jesus and his suffering on the cross for the sins of the world, your sins, too. Having stated these realities in the first verses of the Psalm, the inspired author writes, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.” Why wouldn’t he “LIKE” the Lord Jesus? He was forsaken by God for his sins (Psalm 22:1-2)? He suffered instead of him (Psalm 22:7-8, 12-18)? He took care of his salvation!
Like a Facebook friend who encourages you to like their page or business profile and encourage others to do the same, the writer then encourages all of Israel praise the name of the LORD. Jesus was not just the suffering Savior for the writer, but also for the world.
Unfortunately, in our society, Jesus doesn’t get the praise and “LIKE’s” that he deserves. People feel like following him cramps their style. Individuals push him aside like an outdated history book. In the name of political correctness, Christ is seen as too offensive. Unfortunately those that do this are missing out on the benefit Jesus came to secure – paying for their sins and the sins of the world. It is a big mistake to not “LIKE” Jesus!
Regardless of what others do, let the reader of this devotion “LIKE” the Savior all the more and encourage others to do the same. He is worth of our trust, our faith and our lives.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to this earth to lead a perfect life in our place and suffer separation from God for us. We praise you for your unending love and your overwhelming grace that you should “LIKE” us! Lead us in every arena of life to praise you and encourage others to do the same. AMEN
Where Is God When I Need Him Most
Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published: November 1, 2012 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
Psalm 22:1-2
Where’s God when I need him most?
After years of addiction to alcohol, angry outbursts at his wife, and a strained relationship with his teenage daughter, John felt all alone. He realized what his actions had created. He intentionalized returning to church, building his faith and trying to repair relationships. But when challenges continued and progress seemed non-existent, he questioned, “God where are you?”
If each of you would insert your own story and your own situation, you have probably have felt at times, “God has forsaken me.” It’s not a pleasant feeling to have and certainly a real place we don’t want to be…apart from God.
It’s certainly a status we deserve. Isaiah wrote, “Your sins have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2) God hates sin. It creates a barrier of guilt and shame and certainly deserves the punishment from God. Yet, while he has every right to leave us to our sin and its consequences, he chose instead to forsake his Son. As he suffered on the cross the sky turned dark and Jesus cried out these words from Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) God had forsaken his Son because of our sin.
The result? God loves to be with us and promises to be with us through the challenges and joys of life. The reality is like the poem “Footprints” indicates:
Why, when I needed you most,
Have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The years when you only see one set of footprints,
My child, is when I carried you.”
Where is God when you need him most? Right beside you.
PRAYER: Lord, there are times when I feel alone and forsaken by you. Lead me to realize that I forsake you all too often. Thank you for forsaking your Son so that I would never fear you forsaking me but enjoy your presence now and into eternity.