Wiping Our Sins Away

“O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask Your aid." Psalm 86:5

Debbie, my wife, shared with me the remarkable pictorial devotion below. In turn, I want to share it with you. Hopefully, the pictures will be effective on your computer, but if not, the words alone are meaningful to seeking hearts...

Let us never forget we have an all-powerful, all-loving, risen Lord who is always willing to forgive us...

Blessings Always in All Ways,
Steve
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The Rain-Thomas Kinkaid

Stop at the picture for a second, and watch the Rain... then read on...

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets
of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick.
Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen,spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat.
"Dad, I'm thinking of something."
This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some
fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all
that her six-year-old mind had discovered.
I was eager to hear."
What are you thinking?" I asked.
"The rain!" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield
wipers are like God wiping our sins away."
After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond.
"That's really good, Aspen."
Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take
this revelation? So I asked...
"Do you notice how the rainkeeps on coming? What does that tell you?"
Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer:
"We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us."
I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

In order to see the Rainbow, you must first endure some Rain.

WWJD

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

“He who follows Me, walks not in darkness,” says the Lord.

Jesus plainly tells us to learn Him: to imitate Him. We may have advanced academic degrees, but what good is our learning if it isn’t used to help us be more like Jesus? We work hard. We study hard. We become very knowledgeable in our area(s) of interest. Are we happy? Do we feel the “peace which surpasses all human understanding” (Eph.4:7)?

All of my adult life I’ve been an avid Bible student, formally and informally. What good does it do us to know the facts of the Scriptures if we haven’t the Spirit of the Scriptures?

The Spirit is the manna from God which feeds us in our desert journey through this world.
I remember a great teacher once say, “I’d rather feel contrition than know how to define it.” Indeed, it isn’t learning that makes a person content, it’s pleasing God. Don’t mishear me, learning can be a great enabler toward that end. But let us never confuse the means with the ends.

Don’t we get it: to understand the words of Christ we must emulate the actions of Christ?

Blessings Always in All Ways,
Steve
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A Different Blessing

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them ….” Romans 12:6

“A certain man placed a fountain by the wayside, and he hung up a cup near to it by a little chain. He was told some time after, that a great art-critic had found much fault with its design. “But,” said he, “do many thirsty persons drink at it?” Then they told him that thousands of poor people, men, women, and children, slaked their thirst at this fountain; and he smiled and said that he was little troubled by the critic’s observation, only he hoped that on some sultry summer’s day the critic himself might fill the cup, and refreshed, praise the name of the Lord.

Here is my fountain, and here is my cup: find fault if you please; but do drink of the water of life. I only care for this. I had rather bless the soul of the poorest crossing-sweeper, or rag-gatherer, than please a prince of the blood, and fail to convert him to God.”

(a story I’ve always loved, but never knew the SOURCE)

I want to take a moment to affirm the blessed diversity of the Bread writers (or, as we who manage the Bread refer to them, the Bread “Bakers.”). When the Holy Spirit opened the door for the “Bread” ministry to begin approximately ten years ago, there were only a couple of us writing these Breads. As time passed, the Spirit has spoken to various believers who have stepped to the plate volunteering to help continue this ministry. Currently, there are eight (8) “Bakers.” Our diversity is impressive: almost as though “Someone” greater than us planned it this way! Some have a rather cerebral approach to writing these devotions, others have a more “everyday real-world” approach. Some of us attend a church with a very formal “high” worship. Others of us participate in churches with a rather informal, more unstructured, worship approach. Sometimes a given writer feels led to focus on an academic, or indeed, scholarly, approach. Sometimes, we’ll feel led to speak from a daily experience we’ve recently encountered. What’s so refreshing, it seems to me, is that each week we are treated to a completely different devotional approach: never the “same ole, same ole!” What a great paradigm this is for our everyday living. We can choose to use our differences to divide us…or…we can choose to use our differences to deepen our understanding of the Loving Father of us all, to expand our insight, to solidify our bond in brotherly/sisterly love. It’s always our choice how we will deal with the differences between us, isn’t it?

Blessings Always in All Ways,
Steve
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The Focal Point

“Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of Decapolis. And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Taking him aside from the multitude, privately, He put His fingers into his ears and spat, and touched his tongue. Looking up into heaven, He said, ‘Ephphatha’…that is…’Be open!’ And his ears were open, and his tongue released, and he spoke. And He charged them to tell no one, but the more He charged them the more zealously they proclaimed it. ” Mark 7:31-36

We always have the choice whether to approach Christ with our problems or not. No matter what we’ve elected to do in the past, each time we have a problem in life we have the choice to make anew. If we choose to bring our concern to Him, what a great feeling when we discover that He doesn’t deal with us at a distance but takes us aside, one-on-one, “close-up-and-personal,” and focuses totally on our situation. He then reaches out to us, touches our life at our point of need, and brings the power of His presence into our moment. When that happens, it’s so amazing, so remarkable that we can’t help but tell people about it! Out of my past comes to memory a song we used to sing in our Christian youth group entitled, “Pass It On.” You probably know it, too. It’s resurfaced in my mind every-now-and-then over the years. I can’t remember 100% of the words, but I remember enough that I think you’ll get the point…

“It only takes a spark, to get a fire going…
And soon all those around, warm up in its glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s Love, once you experience it…
It’s warm like spring, you laugh and sing…
You want to pass it on!”

How lucky we are to have a Living…Loving…Lord!!!

Blessings Always in All Ways,
Steve
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The Sacrifice

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“This is my commandment, that you should love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13

Over 2,000 years ago God sent His only Son in the world to be sacrificed for our sins. Today, we can accept eternal life with our God of Love because of this sacrifice. Five years ago, on Flight 93, some sisters and brothers who had never met before, covertly developed a pact of sacrificing themselves to save many of us. They called their loved ones. Then they prayed this prayer. Would you join me in praying the prayer of our Lord and with each word, reflect on the brave brothers and sisters of Love as well as the Ultimate sacrifice of Love for us:

“Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.
(For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever.)
Amen!”

Blessings Always in All Ways,
Steve
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