Have you said, “I do.” to Jesus?

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Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 ESV

On our block, there are twenty people I call my neighbors, and in my directory, I can find a dozen others, that I call our friends. But over the years, the names on all my lists have changed except for one: my wife, Nancy. If, like us, you had a traditional wedding ceremony, you said words like these “Do you _____ take ___ _for better or worse, for richer, or poorer, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful as long as you both shall live?”  In the exchanging of vows, we entered what the Bible calls a covenant relationship. The same is true with God, and for us to be more than just the friends and neighbors of Jesus, there must be a moment when we say, “I do.” In the wedding ceremony there are more than vows, there is also the moment of the exchanging of rings.

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My wedding band remains on my finger, as a public statement that I belong exclusively to Nancy. She has a say in my affairs that no one else does. It symbolizes our inner commitment. In Christianity, God has a ring for us to put on called baptism. Once we have said, “I do” to Jesus and confessed Him as Lord, we put on His ring by being baptized. Though the water doesn’t make us a believer, it shows God, as well as my friends and neighbors, that I have accepted Jesus as my Lord, that He is in charge of the affairs of my life, and I gladly put on His ring. But, as the commercials say, “wait there’ s more!” After the vows and the exchanging rings, there comes a moment when the minister turns to the groom and says, “You may now kiss the bride.” For most of us guys that was no problem. We were delighted to do so! In the Christian life, Jesus also has something like that kiss, called communion, The Bible says that as often as we do it, we remember His death until He comes. The death of Jesus was His ultimate act of love, to pay the price for our sins so that we could go to Heaven and live forever with Him. Yes, eternal life is wonderful. Heaven has streets of gold, jewels in the walls and beautiful places for us to live, but best of all, it is an eternal covenant relationship with Jesus. If we have fallen in love with Jesus, that relationship all begins at an altar, with a vow, “Jesus is Lord.” A ring, “following Him in baptism” and a kiss, “remembering His death in communion. Jesus is a wonderful, loving, and eternal Lord. Have you said, “I do” to Him?

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He is Strong!

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Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 NKJV

What in the world can the writer of today’s verse mean when he says he takes pleasure in sickness, insults and poverty? Then he sums all these issues up with the final word distresses. Who in their right mind, likes any of these things? The word distresses, that Paul says that he takes pleasure in, means being put into a tight place; like being backed into a corner. Have you felt that the circumstances, the people or even just your own past decisions have backed you into a blind alley? Today’s wonderful news that Paul shares with us is that even at those seemingly hopeless moments when we are surrounded on every side by problems, God is always and entirely in control. He gives us something even greater than deliverance from them: He gives us grace in them, and even in the middle of our distresses, He offers us His strength!

A Month of Sundays

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 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Genesis 2:3 ESV

Keeping up with our grandmother’s brisk pace was indeed a daunting task and “At this rate we won’t get there in a month of Sundays” was something that she loved to say, whenever was one of us was dawdling along, behind. Yet keeping up with Grandmother, was nothing in comparison with keeping up with the Almighty. Imagine for a moment, the speed of the six days of creation. They were like God going out for a walk around the universe at a break-neck rate. God created, light and darkness, planets and constellations, oceans, and continents, and that was just the first two days!

As God continued, projects, seemed to fly off His workbench, each one greater than the one before. Then on day six, God paused, stooped down to scoop up some clay, and He formed man with His own hands and in His own image. Finally, God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and He named Him Adam. But as God watched Adam, for the first time God noticed something that was not good. Adam was alone. So, God caused Adam to sleep, and it was while he was resting, that God took a rib to create Eve as his companion. Then on the seventh day, God Himself rested. After six fast and furious days, I believe that God slowed His pace, so that His children could catch up to Him. Walking at a speed that would take a month of Sundays to go around the garden of Eden was not a problem for God. In fact, God loved that seventh day so much that the Bible tells us that He gave it a special blessing and called it Holy! If it delighted God to slow His pace to walk with us, why are we always in such a hurry? Maybe a month of Sundays in our life might be just what pleases Him most!