Hard times are here, but how long will they last? No one knows, but God. For several months my pastor, Dean Curry, (http://www.life-center.org/) has been on a campaign to bring encouragement to those he influences and prompting us to do likewise. A couple weeks ago he shared a thought that had invaded his heart during the wee hours of the morning. For some reason he likes to twitter his thoughts when everyone else is asleep. Anyway , I enjoyed this one. He saud somethong like this, "While many are anticipating breakdown, why not look for breakthrough!" That's my paraphrase. Ironically, the very same moment I received the message from him I was reading Psalm chapter 37. As I got to the 18th verse this is what I read:
"Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever." Now I was pumped about that and it would have been sufficient, but I continued on to verse 19 and read: "They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough." I stopped to get a good perspective of what was being said and see if I could claim this promise for myself. After reading again I got stuck at one word...innocent (NLT). So I looked at the NIV to see if this version had a word that was a little more inclusive than innocent. It got worse...blameless! Oh well, never mind, it sounded good. But I couldn't stop there. I still wanted to be included in this one. I asked, "Lord who are the innocent, the blameless?"
Well, I don't believe it was a coincidence that I listened to a message while I was out running that same morning from Greg Boyd called Return to Innocence. Straight out of Luke 18:15-17, Jesus talked about the innocent ones, the little children. He said that if i want to ebter the Kingdom i had to be like a child. I have to be like a little child in my faith; looking to God as the source, the model, for my satisfaction, my everything!
I am to believe without condition what God declares about me in His Word and His actions. For God loved the world so much, He sent Jesus to die for me and everyone else in this world. All of this so that we could be declared the innocent, not because we are without fault, but because Jesus is without fault. When I believe and accept this by faith, He is in me and I am in Him. God doesn't see me as the innocent one but His son Jesus in me as the innocent one. Now that is a deal!
I receive the promise of an inheritance that lasts forever, no disgrace in hard times and more than enough during famine because my Father, the source of everything good sees me as INNOCENT/BLAMELESS through His own Son, JESUS!
Free to serve
Anson
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