1-13-2019

  Good Morning All,

2 Corinthians 5:19; “In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others.”  

   I am sure most of you have seen the news story about the thirteen-year-old who was kidnapped in October and they just found her safe.  I listened to an interview of a woman who had been in a similar situation.  She made an interesting observation.  She said about the experience of these women,” It isn’t who she is; it is what happened to her.”  I like that thought.  It goes with our verse.

    It isn’t who she is; it is just what happened to her.  This is exactly how God views you and me.  We are lost creatures.  It not who we are; it is what happened to us.  We sinned and it took us away from God.  But God restored his loving, fatherly relationship with you and me.  God takes all the brokenness and heals it.

     We say that often but sometimes, the devil and our sinful nature tries to cloud that thought.  The devil likes to try and have us believe that, well; there are some faults that just don’t get away.  These are the people who need it the most.  Perhaps you are a woman who has had an abortion and now feels the pain and the guilt these many years later.  Perhaps you are the spouse who was not faithful in your marriage and now feel the pain that the breakup caused to your family and to you.  Perhaps you are the parent who always brooded at your children; always criticizing and always attacking.  Maybe you are the child who did all you could to hurt your parents.

     Or maybe you are the aggrieved spouse or the child who was abused or the one who everyone saw a different.  Maybe you are the one who always felt left out, left behind and never of any value.  All of the garbage that sinful life heaps upon us; either by our actions or the actions of others: God forgives.  God does not look at our faults; he looks into our heart and he sees us; not for what has happened to us but for what we are; we are his redeemed children.  We are his new creations.  All the old garbage means nothing to God.  He has restored his relationship with you and with me.  We are new in him and we are new for him. 

     We may struggle with the pain of past events but they do not define us; the events are not who we are; they are what happened to us.  The sins of yesterday do not have to define you.  You are defined by God and his loving relationship with you.  We all have garbage in our lives, some more than others, but this is what happened to us.  In this sinful world, garbage happens.  Yet God comes to us through Jesus to save us from the garbage. 

     Through the wondrous gift of love that is in Jesus God sees us, holds us, loves us, cherishes us for who we are; his redeemed children.  He looks past what has happened to us.  He takes what has happened and removes it from us so that we can always be his children.

Dearest Father, you have conquered all there is.  We are now your dear children held tightly in your loving arms.  For all that you have done we give you thanks and for the blessings of tomorrow we praise your name.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret