What makes Christianity different than any other belief system, whether it be a religion, a philosophical view, or today’s popular cultural belief system often described as secular humanism? In one word, grace! Grace is the word the Bible uses to describe the amazing gift God offers us through his son, Jesus Christ. Grace entails God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness, and offers us his power to change into new people and become more and more like Jesus! The difference is, grace is ALL GOD, and NOT anything we do.

At the time I write this, we have all just heard of the sad passing of perhaps the greatest boxer ever, Muhammad Ali. After he converted to the Muslim religion, one tribute mentioned that he saw all his acts of kindness and service to others as “points” or good works that will get him into the Muslim concept of heaven. This is certainly true of Muslim teaching as well as other religions in some form or another. Even many Christians mistakenly believe our “good works” will somehow impress God and get us into heaven. As good as you and I might think we are, the Bible clearly teaches that because of sin, NONE of us are “good enough”, and our sin separates us from God and a loving relationship with him. (See my last blog for the problem with sin.)

BUT, the good news is that God loves us so much that he came in the form of his son Jesus to die for our sins, taking our punishment instead of us.
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. – Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
In other words, it is all God’s doing! Paul says in Ephesians 2:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

So,what’s so amazing about grace? It frees us from guilt and failure! God is saying to us, “Hey,I know you are a screw-up sometimes (or maybe most of the time) because of sin. I know you say & do things you don’t want to, and can’t seem to change even when you try your hardest. Stop trying! I love you, I forgive you, and if you accept this gift of grace through my Son Jesus, I will give you my Spirit to live inside you and give the power to become a whole new person, the one I created you to be, the one you desire to be deep down in your soul!” Find that hard to believe? Look again at Ephesians 2:10, which was included above as well : 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Notice the sequence: God saves us by grace, not by anything we can do for ourselves! THEN, he re-creates us into brand new people! We re his workmanship (masterpiece), created to do good things he has planned for us! He gives us his own power to change, to begin to think and act like Jesus did. Now, we do good deeds, not to get into heaven, but because we are new sons & daughters in his Kingdom forever! The good works are the affirming thoughts & actions God gives us to share with others, so that they can hear about God’s love and grace and have the opportunity to accept God’s amazing, life-changing offer as well!

No matter what your past, God’s grace allows you to let go of your past and begin, today, to live and think like Jesus. One of my favorite quotes is from Max Lucado, who said, “God loves you just as you are. But he loves you too much to let you stay that way. He wants you to become just like Jesus”. That’s grace! If you are a baby-boomer like me, it’s easy to live with regrets over past failures. We regret not being a better parent, or spouse, or not doing well at work, or messing up important relationships. Younger folks may regret not taking classes seriously in school, or taking the wrong major, or dating the wrong people, etc. Grace says “Let it go! Let God will forgive your past, and give you a fresh start in life under his control and power.”

We used to have a sign taped to our refrigerator that said “God’s part I cannot do; my part He will not do”. Grace is God’s part: he’s already done all the hard stuff for us on the cross, and offers us forgiveness & power to live a new life. Our part is to accept his offer of grace, and to put our complete trust in Jesus to transform our minds and hearts through his Holy Spirit, freeing us to finally live and do the good things we were created for. God’s done his part; have you done your part, and accepted his free gift of grace and forgiveness? I invite you to make that decision today. It will change your life forever!
(If you want to know how to pray to God to receive his gift of grace, go to my website page called “Becoming A Christian”).

I know, sin is an unpopular concept today. It’s old-fashioned, Puritanical-sounding, uncool, and seems judgmental to many. But, if the Bible clearly says that Jesus came to die for OUR sins, to take our punishment on himself, then shouldn’t we take it seriously and at least understand what it means? Jesus didn’t primarily come to teach us to treat each other better and just try to love each other more, as warm and fuzzy and popular as that message plays in our culture! He came because he knew we CAN’T fully do that, and the power of sin in our lives will kill us, both physically and spiritually. His coming into the world was God’s plan (and only plan) to rescue and save us from the destructive force of sin in our lives, and give us a second change to be reunited with Him and have the power to truly live as God originally created us to be! While many Christians DO understand the horrible power of sin, others take it lightly, and most of our culture laughs at the idea of sin and has no idea that God offers us a much better and fulfilling life than we can ever imagine, free from the crippling power of sin in our lives. So, what is sin really?

The Greek word for sin in the New Testament is hamartia, which means “missing the mark”. A common way to think of this is to imagine a target and you are trying to shoot arrows at it. Sin means that you always miss the target, no matter how hard you aim and try! As hard as we try to be good and just, God says that because of sin in our lives, we are always “a little off”, missing the target, the beautiful and amazing life that he really wants for us. We often jokingly think “that guy or gal is a little off”, but the truth is, we ALL are! When my 3 boys were small, they loved going to the comic store. Of course, Superman was always a comic hero. He was always powerful, good, and just. But the comic creators also made a new character called Bizarro, who had many of Superman’s powers, but was flawed in character. He tried at times to be good like Superman, but his flawed character always led him ultimately to destructive and evil behavior, and he was part of the Legion of Doom! Sin in our lives is a spiritual disease that warps our very thinking, which leads to wrong motives and actions. Even as Christians we struggle with the negative effects of sin. We are in many ways the “Bizarro” version of our best selves, caught in the snare of sin. And the whole world is flawed, a Bizarro version of what God intends, with many trying to do right but not quite making it (think of our flawed political process!) Paul described his struggle like this:
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do–this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God–through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25 (NIV)

What Paul is saying in this somewhat confusing passage is that our “sinful nature”, the way we were born, will drag us down every time and lead us to think and do things we may even know are wrong. Sin leads to physical death, as we all know (Romans 6:23), but it also results in a state of spiritual death, which we are born into in this world! Paul describes it this way:
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. -Ephesians 2:1-5 (NIV)
Ah, verses 4&5 give us hope!! Even though we are spiritually dead, God in his mercy and love offers us a change to come alive again spiritually, through the resurrection of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit! My next blog will go into detail about this wonderful hope of new life that Jesus offers us. But be assured of this: as bad and hopeless as sin is in our lives, the mercy, grace and power of God is even more amazing than we can ever imagine, and he offers us a whole new life through Jesus!

The bottom line: don’t “settle” for sin! Most non-believers, and even many Christians, settle and resign themselves to a life limited by their sinful nature! They try their best, but are still slaves to their sinful nature. They give up hope and use the false excuse “I was born this way, so I can’t change”. But God wants more for you NOW, not only in the future Kingdom of Heaven! Max Lucado, author & pastor, said “God loves you just as you are. But he doesn’t want you to stay that way. He wants you to become just like Jesus”. The Bible says we are all either slaves of our sinful nature, or we accept God’s power to change and become followers of Jesus, living by his power and direction. Don’t settle for your Bizarro self. Let God change you to become more like Jesus each day, and become the person God created you to be!

Fellow believers, aren’t you getting sick and tired of politics? It seems like things have gone to an all-time low in discourse and even ideas. It looks like whoever wins the next Presidential election, at least half of our country will be disappointed and even angry for the next 4 years (even many in the party of the winner!). Then the cycle begins again! I believe Christians (and others) need to stop putting our trust, time and money in political solutions and get back to what Jesus called us to do. In Matthew 28 it says, 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) Jesus came preaching about the Kingdom of God,which is not of this world and is not political, and is far superior to any political agenda and any nation, even the United States. Our calling is to invite people to become followers (disciples) of Jesus, inviting them to receive forgiveness and new life in Him, and then join us in his eternal Kingdom.

Does that mean that politics and politicians are evil? No, of course not. But neither party will ever solve all your problems, and they will not meet your needs. Only God can ultimately do that. All politicians are sinful,imperfect people, just like you and me. And it appears the two likely nominees at this point will both have an abundance of character flaws, perhaps too many to even deserve our vote and support. Do we really think they can live up to their sweeping promises? Has any President delivered on the “new America” theme that they all promise? Not yet! And they can’t, because slogans and legislation can’t change way people think and act. These are heart issues, and Jesus came to save us and make us into new creations by transforming our hearts and minds. (Romans 12:2 (ESV)- 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. ) When we begin to think and act more like Jesus, we treat each other better, we are more forgiving and compassionate, and we become more humble and actually learn to put others’ interest ahead of our own, just like Jesus did for us!(read Philippians 2: 1-11) Isn’t that the kind of world and culture that we all would prefer to live in?
Many folks are looking to an “alternative” to what’s before us. I would suggest committing your time, life, and energy to following Jesus and his Kingdom! No, it’s not a 4 or 8 year plan to change America; it’s an eternal plan to redeem the entire world, and to remake us into the people we were originally created to be! And for those who accept his offer of forgiveness and new life, Jesus promises us to come back and create a new world where all believers will live together under his love. There will be no sin, no sickness, no death, no injustice nor hatred, and (thank God) no political parties and “us verses them” mentality! Plus, we get new and eternal spiritual bodies, which sounds pretty good to many of us aging baby-boomers!

So, what can believers do NOW to impact the culture? In future blogs, I hope to point out how radically different and better God’s kingdom is to anything we have now. As Christians who belong to God’s Kingdom but still reside here temporarily, I would suggest we begin by trying to alter the negative, divisive conversation around us. Look what has this has led to: I have many friends over the years that include both Democrats and Republicans. They are all fine people, but political discourse has led many to turn on those who disagree politically and say mean and hateful things about “the other side”. Part of being a Christian is remembering that we are ALL made in the image of God, and Jesus loved each of us enough to die for us (and that even includes Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton!). Even those two, believe it or not, probably at some level desire to help people, and have done some good things in their lives. Jesus came to redeem us, not to condemn us, and we Christians can be leaders in changing the way we speak to each other. I challenge you to find good things about others and emphasize that, even with those you disagree with! Paul gives us a great format to follow in Philippians 4: 6-9:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Rather than get so upset and worried over political discussions, I invite you to refocus your time and energy in God’s ultimate plan for the world! He wants to reconcile the world to himself, and he wants to use you and me to help do this! Won’t you join him?

All of us want to be liked and respected! When we are young, (and for many, all their lives), we are obsessed with how we look in the mirror (weight, beauty, etc.) As we get older & get jobs/careers, we want respect and admiration for what we do and how we do it. At every age, we want good friends who will tell us we are valuable and likable, and an important and integral part of their lives. And in our age of social media, we all want our Facebook and Twitter posts to be “liked”! I must confess, that as I share my blogs on Facebook as well as my website, I am guilty of wondering who will “like” my blog! The problem is that if we depend on any or all of these things to give us our self-image, (how we view ourselves), we will be constantly disappointed!

My wife CJ and I just returned from a month in Florida at the Villages retirement community. It is an impressive place, and I was encouraged by the high level of activities available for people to stay in shape and remain fairly healthy. However, my baby-boomer friends, no matter how much we exercise and eat healthy, our bodies will get weaker and slower over time, and eventually return to dust or ashes. And no, none of us are going to look so good that we turn heads at the beach anymore (heck, most of us never did anyway!). As I played several rounds of golf, I met numerous nice people, and found out mostly what they used to do for a living! It’s tough, especially for men, to base your whole self-image on your job title. It makes it much more depressing in retirement to try to figure out who you are now, and what are you supposed to do with the rest of your life! For some, it seems like life ends in a constant series of golf outings, (substitute your favorite hobby, or sitting around watching TV), nice dinners in restaurants, going out for entertainment, doing some traveling, and hoping you have enough insurance to cover the various levels of senior care you know you have coming! And even sadder, many of us start to not only feel old, but we succumb to thinking old! Because our bodies feel more aches & pains, our minds lure us into thinking we are “old people” who don’t have anything to offer anymore!

Let me suggest a better plan! Turn your life over to Jesus, and recognize who you can become IN CHRIST, now and forever! And if you have already surrendered your life to Jesus, remember who you are!! Live and act like the new, eternal creation that God has made you into! 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. -2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Yes, even though we “feel” old and have the inevitable aches & pains, WE will live forever in Christ! C.S. Lewis reminded us, “We don’t HAVE a soul; we ARE a soul. We HAVE a body”. In the same chapter of II Corinthians 5, Paul reminds us that we should keep our eyes on the ultimate prize, to live with Jesus in His Kingdom:
2 Corinthians 5:1-10 (ESV)
1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

The bottom line is, yes, we will get older and our bodies won’t last forever! (Hey, isn’t it a privilege to be able to get older?) But if we are new creations in Jesus, having surrendered our lives to his rule, the real us, our souls, will live forever with Jesus in His Kingdom! Peter, writing to persecuted Christians who struggled to go on and face lives that at time seems to offer no hope, beautifully described how God sees us in our forgiven and redeemed state in Christ:
1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-12 (ESV)
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Brothers & sisters in Jesus, remember that we have received God’s mercy & forgiveness, and have become new creations in Christ! You and I will live forever, so stop thinking like the world and limiting who you are, just because you feel older physically. Spend your time here sharing the good news of God’s forgiveness through Jesus, invite others to join the Kingdom, serve and love the hurting in Jesus’ name, and live fearlessly, knowing that nothing nor no one can ultimately keep us from our wonderful, eternal future in Jesus! Live bold, not old!