Jesus is a Friend of Sinners - Pastor Ed Hedding - March 14th 2010 Sunday

Sunday, March 14

Jesus Is a Friend of Sinners

By Pastor Ed Hedding

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say,"Look, a glutton

and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Luke 7:34

It is interesting how one perceives the description of Jesus in the verse above. On the one hand, Jesus, who was the very Son of God and possessed holiness and who knew no sin, was spending a good amount of time on earth with those who were tax cheats, prostitutes, swindlers, gluttons, drunkards, and downright sinners. The religious leaders of the day viewed Jesus with disdain. With this statement, they were making a derogatory comment about Jesus’ lifestyle.

On the other hand, Jesus wore this description about Himself as a badge of honor. In another passage, Jesus said that He came to seek and save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), and that He came, as it says in Matthew 9:13, to call the sinners, not the righteous, to repentance. Jesus knew where the real needs were and who was most receptive to His message of salvation and transformation.

As Christians, do we spend time looking for relationships with those who are lonely and in great need? It takes time and moving beyond our normal routines to reach out in love. It can get messy at times--just ask the Good Samaritan--but Jesus wants us to emulate Him by going to those who have the greatest need to share the greatest love and see the power of God’s grace transform a life.

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Who can you be a friend to that others seem to walk right by and not notice? How can you be Jesus to someone today?

Father, give me Your eyes when I see people today. Help me to be a friend of someone who is walking away from You, whether a Christian or not. Let me be Jesus to him today by being a friend who will listen and walk with him to the Savior, if possible. Allow me the opportunity to share Your truth with him today. Thank You that I can be a friend of sinners just like Jesus. Thank You that You were a friend to me when I was lost and separated from You.

Jesus is My Refuge - Vanessa Von Thun as told to Kerri Bland - Saturday - March 13th, 2010

Saturday, March 13

Jesus Is My Refuge

By Vanessa Von Thun as told to Kerri Bland

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

When I am quiet enough to listen, I realize that Jesus has the answers for all my concerns. He is my Refuge. In the storms of life He protects.

I experienced this during Dale’s hospitalization and brain tumor surgery. The prayers of believers lifted me up and Jesus comforted me. While walking the halls and holding our grandson Jonah, I knew that Jesus was with me. He was my Refuge.

Day by day I am growing in my faith and trusting Him more. He is always there.

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Is there a storm of concern in your heart? When and where will you sit quietly before the Lord today?

Jesus, You are my Refuge. Thank You for the protection and peace that You give to me. Help me now to be quiet and listen to Your voice.

Jesus is the Light of the World - Kerri Bland - Friday - March 12th

Friday, March 12

Jesus Is the Light of the World

By Kerri Bland

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me

will not remain in darkness. John 12:46

I enjoy traveling by plane at night. When flying over cities, the lights of cars, homes, businesses, and highways all come together to form a sparkling pattern on a dark landscape. I marvel at our omniscient God who knows the people behind each light, and I wonder how many of those people know the Light of the World.

This winter Denis and I were on a 6 a.m. flight into Chicago. The lights of the city twinkled everywhere. Capturing my attention, though, was the sunrise with its brilliant orange hues spreading north to south across the horizon. For me, the dawning sun is a picture of the omnipotent Son of God whose light swallows artificial lights. He alone deserves our attention and adoration.

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Where is your focus today? Are you distracted by the bright lights of this world, or does the true Light of Jesus draw you to Himself?

Jesus, Light of the World, thank You for painting pictures in the sky that remind me of Your dazzling radiance. Please help me keep my eyes on You.

Jesus is the Lover of My Soul - Mike Bowen - Thursday - March 11th

Thursday, March 11

Jesus Is the Lover of My Soul

By Mike Bowen and Pastor Ed Hedding

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16

Mike shares that Jesus to him is life, salvation, and unconditional love. He says that Jesus made it possible for us to have eternal life and loves us no matter what. As the verse says, God is love. He is the author of love, and we cannot know love completely if we don’t accept the love that God has for us. God is willing to look past our sins, faults, and failures and sees how valuable we are to Him. After all, He made us in His image. Because of His death on the cross, He gives us the riches of His grace.

We see Jesus modeling this love throughout the Gospels. He showed His love by washing the disciples' feet, and He loved the renegade tax collectors, Zacchaeus and Matthew, who extorted money from their own people. The Lord reached out to Peter in love after Peter denied Him three times.

We know we are part of God’s family because we have that love that gives us the capacity to love others even when they hurt us. God’s love is the conduit to love those around us, even those we consider our enemies.

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How are you realizing God’s love in your life? Do you know an unlovable person with whom you can share God's love this week?

Jesus, thank You for Your unconditional love for me. Thank You for filling my heart with Your love. Help me to let Your love flow out of me and show it to others around me who are in need of Your love. Give me the ability to love even my enemies.

The Importance of Christian College

Dr. Jeff Meyers talks about how much we invest in our children's education for College and the importance of having a College degree. Why not send our kids to accredited Christian colleges where they have a far better chance of coming out with a Christian worldview and a great education? Read this interesting take from a professor from a secular college and how he views his mission with our young impressionable students as they enter secular college their freshman year.

Interesting article about what some secular colleges view as their goal with our children. Here is a piece from Dr. Jeff Meyers from Bryan College - Passing The Baton Newsletter.

Here's what the late Richard Rorty, one of the most prominent philosophers of the 20th century, said on the subject: "... I, like most Americans who teach humanities or social science in colleges and universities ... try to arrange things so that students who enter as bigoted, homophobic, religious fundamentalists will leave college with views more like our own ... The fundamentalist parents of our fundamentalist students think that the entire 'American liberal establishment' is engaged in a conspiracy. The parents have a point ... we are going to go right on trying to discredit you in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your views seem silly rather than discussable. We are not so inclusivist as to tolerate intolerance such as yours ... I think those students are lucky to find themselves under the benevolent Herrschaft [domination] of people like me, and to have escaped the grip of their frightening, vicious, dangerous parents ..."*

When it comes to reshaping values, liberal universities know precisely what they're doing. And the reality is that about four out of five students walk away from their Christian faith by the time they are in their twenties.**

Jesus Is Faithful - Carol Urda - Wednesday - March 10th

Wednesday, March 10

Jesus Is Faithful

By Carol Urda as told to Kerri Bland

… all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted to you. Mark 11:24

Many times in my Christian life I have claimed the promises of Jesus. He has been faithful to His Word and provided my needs.

As my multiple sclerosis has advanced, my physical limitations have increased. It is now necessary for me to have a handicap accessible bathroom. I applied through the Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services for help with this project. They offered to contribute $3,000 toward the remodeling of our bathroom. However, the contractor estimate was $4,000. We did not have the additional funds to proceed.

I prayed, “Lord, You have promised to provide all my needs. You know that I have MS and our bathroom is very difficult for me to use. I thank You in advance for providing the remainder of the necessary funds.”

The next day the coordinator of Vocational Rehab called to inform me that after reading the cost estimate, they decided to supply the entire project price. I cried as I hung up the phone because I knew that this was God’s provision.

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What is your need today? Ask Jesus to meet it and watch Him keep His promises.

Lord, You are Faithful. Your Words are true. Help me to trust that You will keep Your promises and meet my need.

Jesus is my Guide by Twila Belk - Tuesday - March 9, 2010

Tuesday, March 9

Jesus Is My Guide

By Twila Belk

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

Isaiah 42:16

I pulled my car into the drive-through lane at the bank and waited behind a Mercedes Benz with a beautiful big dog in the back seat. I had seen the same car while driving in town earlier in the week. Both times the dog’s head stretched outside, way beyond the window. For some reason that seemed odd to me. I turned to my young son Ryan, who was with me, and said, “What’s up with that dog?”

“Well, Mom, maybe it’s a seeing-eye dog.”

Instantly my creative mind took over. That’s it! Why hadn’t I thought of that before? The driver is blind! I pictured how it might work: The dog barked once when there was a red light. It barked twice for a green light. And it howled when there was a pothole in the road to avoid.

To me it was a clear illustration of blind trust.

That scenario reminded me of the times in our lives when we don’t know what’s on the road ahead. Perhaps we have a tough decision to make. We could be going through a difficult time and not know what to do. We might be in the midst of many unknowns and have no idea what to expect. It can be hard on us—really hard. BUT we have a seeing-eye GOD who is always there for us. Always ready to guide us on paths we have not known. Always ready to pick us up and head us in the right direction if we seek His help.

I’ve learned from experience that we have a great big God who can be trusted to guide us through any situation in life.

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In which circumstances could you use some guidance today?

Have you asked the Guide for help?

Jesus, thank You for leading me when I don’t know the way. Thank You for guiding me when I’m on unfamiliar paths. Thank You for lighting the way before me and for smoothing out the rough places. Thank You that I can trust You when I don’t know where to go, what to do, or how to do it. You are my Guide.