Author Archives: justkeithharris

I’m Thankful for the Blessed Hope of My Redeemer — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 18

I’m thankful for the blessed hope of my Redeemer.

I love that phrase that Paul uses to describe the second coming of Christ in Titus 2:13: “blessed hope”. It is unique and very clearly and carefully describes what those who are in Christ have in Him and how they are able to live in this world with the expectation of Him coming again.

First, to see why I am so thankful, we need to know what Paul meant by “hope”. That word in the original language meant being able to desire something good and expect to obtain it. This is different from the way the word “hope” is used in modern English where it operates closer to a wish. My school kiddos might say something like, “I hope I make a good grade on this test”, but if they stay up until the middle of the night on their phone, fall asleep in the middle of the test, and/or zone out while reading passages, their will fail it. They hoped or wished, maybe merely even wanted, to make a good grade, but there was no real expectation or reason to expect doing well.

Biblical hope is different from that, and primarily because it is not left up to us but left up to Jesus. We can desire His coming and expect to experience it because He has already come, meaning we can trust He will again. We can desire His coming and expect to experience it because He is “our great God and Savior” with the strength and wherewithal to make anything happen. In fact, everything that exists has happened because of Him. His track record is proven and proof.

Second, that word “blessed” adds a whole other level to “hope”. The word translated “blessed” here is the same word that we see in the beatitudes at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). People have been tempted to translate that word as happy, but happy in English has the connotation of good luck because hap- refers to circumstances. Think about the difference between happy and joyful. Happiness is fleeting and changes based on, well, circumstances. This word “blessed” is not circumstantial but Christ-produced. It is marked by God’s favor and that fullness/satisfaction that comes His Spirit within us.

Blessed hope, then, is the expectation of Jesus, our Redeemer, coming again that has been produced in our heart by God Himself. Blessed hope is saturated in the favor of God because it is a grace-gift to know that the One who redeemed us, purchased us by paying our sin debt with His blood on the cross, is coming to take possession of us. Blessed hope satisfies even in the not yet of life now because God’s very Spirit is already with us now, giving us more than a hypothetical happenstance because of His sure ever-presence.

I know that is a long and nerdy way of saying this, but “blessed hope” is really something else and only exists through Jesus. This world is constantly changing and getting worse the farther we get from the Fall, and if we’re not careful, we can fall into despondency and despair. We need the Holy Spirit reminder that this world is not all there is. We need to be able to trust in something and know that everything will be good eventually. But looking at the world gives us none of that, and the hypothetical hopes fail and hurt us.

We need something better than this world. We need something out of this world. We need Jesus. He’s coming. Our “blessed hope” is coming. And we are waiting for His appearance.

Lord, thank You for being our blessed hope and giving us reason to hope for the future. Thank You for being the God we can trust and know that Your promises will come to pass. Help us to be the people You are redeeming us to be. Help us to live as Your people. Help us to live in the expectation that Your coming will be soon. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for the Ministry of the Word of God — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 17

I’m thankful for the ministry of the Word of God!

As I sit here and see the way I worded that statement, it makes it sound like I’m thankful for ministry — like preaching ministry. I am, but that is not what I am talking about. What I’m saying here is that I am thankful for the way the Word of God ministers TO us and THROUGH us — for the way the Spirit of God moves through His Word.

Colossians 3:16 is a passage that I think about multiple times a week as I am planning worship services and/or preparing to preach. This verse comes at the end of the section of Colossians where Paul has just taught that we are to take off the old self, putting to death the sins that plague our lives, and putting on the new self “which is being renewed after the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:10).

Colossians 3:16 flows out of that new life in Christ as much as compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love do. Letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly is part of that new life because God uses His Word to teach us how to live and correct sin, to teach us what to believe and correct heresy, to equip us for His work or rebuke our deviations from His plan for us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This shows that the place of the Word is more than a 15 minute devotion in the morning or at night and a couple hours on Sunday mornings. It is meant to be integral to the lives of the individual members of Christ’s church and the substance of the gathering when the members come together as a local church.

In those gatherings, the Word informs our faith and practice. That’s good news! Too often folks try to twist and turn the Word to make it work for them, but God has given us everything we need to know about Him and how to live in His Word. For example, in Colossians 3:16 alone, we find the substance of what we are to sing and in what mind and heart-set we should sing it. I’m thankful for that because this means we give God what He wants and do not have to wonder whether what we are doing fits that plan.

Furthermore, “the Word” is the term John uses to describe Jesus in John 1:1-14. It does, of course, refer to the written Word, the Scriptures, and to the words of Christ recorded in the gospels, but to John, the Word was/is God. That’s good news for us, too, because we are not being led by some dusty old religious book but instead by the “living and active” Word of God (Hebrews 4:12) — by God Himself by extension.

I’m thankful for the Word of God because I know that I am hearing from Him when I read or listen to it (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12). I’m thankful because I am not at the mercy of some religious official leading me one way or the other because God Himself is leading me — literally speaking to me — through His Word by His Spirit (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:12-13). I’m thankful because God Himself has promised in His Word that He is our teacher (John 14:26, Psalm 32:8). No other religious words, no other religion, works like that. No other God is so powerful and insightful, yet personal and inviting (Isaiah 40:13-14, Psalm 145:18-19).

Lord, thank You for Your written Word. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through it. Thank You for being the Word and making sure we know how to be saved. Thank You for teaching, correcting, training, and rebuking us. Thank You for ministering to us Yourself and telling us what You want from us and how You want us to interact with You and each other. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for Weakness — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 16

I’m thankful for weakness.

There’s no way I can think of saying this that doesn’t make this sound as if I have some strength or worthiness. I am weak and cannot save myself, nor do I have the strength or fortitude to walk with Christ under my own power.

Paul’s words to the church at Corinth are enough to clarify why I am thankful — and why I am learning to be content with my weaknesses.

Lord, thank You for being strong. Thank You for reminding me that my weakness does not inhibit or hinder You — that You did not choose me because I am worthy, strong, capable, or talented by, rather, You saved me because I was lost and You love me. That’s enough for me. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

Songs for Sunday, November 17, 2024 @ Christ Community Church

Sunday is coming, and I can hardly wait!

Most often, I write the “Songs for Sunday” post on late Friday night or early Saturday mornings because that’s when I get to shift gears in my brain from the weights of the work week to rest and reset on the weekend. That shift helps me get my focus and my priorities back in their proper places. It also serves as a good reminder that Sunday morning worship does not begin on Sunday morning but in the days, and especially the night, before. This week, however, I find myself with surplus time on Friday and a muse to motivate me earlier.

Friday mornings are my favorites of the week because I GET to start with student-led Bible study at school in our FCA/FCS (Fellowship of Christian Athletes/Students). These kids are on fire for Jesus and show it by getting up week after week and sharing testimonies, passages of Scripture, devotions, and sometimes sermons. They challenge me because they are braver than I am. It’s easy to stand up in church and proclaim the Word. It’s a whole other thing to stand up in front of 40-50 peers at school and share your faith. The teachers and staff who show up are superfluous other than getting to silently witness them share their faith. And share their faith they do, compelled to do so by the love of Christ they have experienced and want others to be able to experience, too (2 Corinthians 5:14).

This morning’s devotion stood out to me on two accounts. First, the young lady boldly shared what God had brought her through and the assurance she had in His Word that He would continue to bring her through and would bring others through. Second, she talked about how spending time with God in His Word was a necessity — as vital to maintaining eternal life as oxygen is to life in general. To illustrate that importance she used Colossians 3:16:

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

This is the verse that stays at the forefront of my mind in praying through and planning the Scriptures and songs we will use in our worship gatherings. I have written on it often in these “Songs for Sunday” devotionals. But it hit freshly this morning, and I rejoice in that because I — like we all do — need to be reminded again and again of the grace God gives us.

On Sunday mornings, it is not enough to use the bible, to mention it from time to time, and merely have songs based on it. No, we need it to “dwell in [us] richly”, being the substance of our teaching, our admonishing, and our singing. This is not just for Sunday morning, though. We need to have the Word dwell richly in us throughout the week — Sunday worship spurring us on to continue throughout the week.

We want our songs to be filled with the Word. Psalms meaning that we sing directly from Scripture; hymns meaning we sing and expound the great doctrines found in the Word; and spiritual songs that share our mutual testimony as those who were dead in their trespasses but have been made alive together in Christ.

We want all that we read, say, and sing to be centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ — the good news of all He has done (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Colossians 1:13-14), is doing (Romans 8:28-29, Philippians 1:6), and has promised to do (John 14:2-3, Revelation 21:3-4)!

And we want it — no, we need it to be like that every other day, too.

I am thankful to have been reminded of this today. Rather than singing a refrain of George Jones’s “Finally Friday” like I normally do, I find myself singing “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”, thinking about the good news that He has come and looking forward to Him coming again to receive us to Himself.

What about you?

I hope as you have read this you have been encouraged to get into the Word — to have it dwell in you richly and to impact your life and faith. I hope it motivates you to make plans to gather with other believers on Sunday morning as believers have done since the stone was rolled aside from Jesus’s empty tomb.

If you do not have a church home and are in the Grenada, MS area, we would love to have you at Christ Community. John will open the Word to feed us what God has for us. The praise team will lead us in singing and reading from the Word. And the choir, the congregation, will lift praise and worship to an audience of one — the One who died for us and rose again — the One who lives and cares for us even now — the One who has come and is coming again.

Won’t you gather with us?

Here are our Scriptures and songs:

15And I (Paul) said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, 17delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I’m Thankful to God for Being VERY Present Help in Trouble — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 15

I’m thankful to God for being VERY present help in trouble!

Years ago, I learned a valuable lesson about helping people while being ministered to by one of the first pastors I served under, Bro. Travis Gray.

It was April 1, 2005 and one of the hardest days of my life. I had been serving the Lord and ministering at Duck Hill Baptist since the previous November and was at my office on Friday, my only day off from college at that time. Bro. Travis was in his office that morning, too. We happened to be conversing when the phone rang. He answered, and there was a noticeable change in his voice, made more noticeable by the way he kept glancing up at me with a sudden seriousness in his eyes.

While he was hanging up the phone, he told me that had been my mom on the phone and that my cousin had just been in a terrible car accident and was being taken to the emergency room. He relayed Mama’s pleading that I drive carefully and resist the urge to speed in the hazardous road conditions, reminding me that one tragedy was bad but two would be worse. He said all of this in a pastoral calmness that was more felt than heard, and he concluded with: “I know you want to rush up there, but before you do, I’m going to pray for you and your family.”

I can feel the emotions from that conversation even as I sit here and type today even though it’s been nineteen years. As he prayed, I felt lost and confused and afraid and angry and sad — and scared in a way that I had never before.

I, of course, did the opposite of what my mom and Bro. Travis had warned, speeding the whole way to the hospital, as if there was something that could be solved by my haste. I knew as soon as I walked into the ER that Chris had passed. It was written on all of the faces. Mama and Daddy walked over and hugged me as I barely held back my emotions. I remember being allowed back to see my aunt and uncle who were with my cousin. My uncle wanted us to see and understand — still one of my most vivid memories.

Walking out of that room, I was in a daze. Sounds were like distant echoes, ringing out eyes, perceived yet not heard. There were embraces with every family member present. We were all crying, myself no longer able to hold back. As I allowed the tears to begin to flow, all of the feelings, all of the anguish and sadness flooded over me. I remember hitting my knees, devastated, when a hand was on my shoulder.

Bro. Travis had come on to the hospital right behind me and was there to comfort me. He didn’t say anything. He was just there. He didn’t try to find words because there were none. He just showed up and was present, reminding me of the God we serve and His Word, reminding me that there was help and grace and love when I was ready for it. He was present and strong when I was at my lowest and weakest.

That pastoral moment impressed upon me the beauty of God’s presence in our trouble. The difference is God’s presence is continual. The tears in the night — and the tears on this couch right now as I write this — were faced alone from human perspective, but I was not and am not left alone by my God because He is Emmanuel — God with us, God with me, God residing in me and closer than anyone else (Matthew 1:23, John 14:16-17).

More than that, God is not just with us, He is our refuge — a fortress we can come to and hide within (Psalm 91:1-2). He is a hiding place that can protect from everything natural and supernatural (Psalm 32:7).

God is also our strength. It does not matter that we are weak because our strength is inferior any way (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). He provides the strength the same as He does His presence and refuge (Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:13). He lifts us up when we are weak, weary, and without hope in the world (Isaiah 40:29-31, Ephesians 2:12-13).

All those years ago, a pastoral hand on my shoulder taught me this and made it real — helped me recognize that there is a more mighty hand in the midst of trouble (1 Peter 5:6-7). Nothing I have ever faced has been alone, God has been present — VERY present (Deuteronomy 31:8). Nothing I will ever face will be alone because my God will always be VERY present (Joshua 1:9). From the womb to the tomb and when I enter into God’s presence, I will have always been in His presence (Psalm 139:7-10, Revelation 21:3).

That’s good news, and a needed reminder.

Lord, thank You for always being there. I know that too often I take this for granted and act like I can do this on my own. You know I can’t and take care of me despite my foolishness. You are there in my trouble even when I am the cause of it.

Lord, thank You for Bro. Travis and the other pastors I have served with and serve with now. Thank You for being present with us and for us when we get to be present with the flocks You have allowed us to shepherd. Thank You for the strength of Your greater and more mighty hand while we lay our weak hands on hurting people we get to love.

Lord, thank You for being VERY present and allowing us to hide and be held by You.

Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for the FREE GIFT of Eternal Life — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 14

I’m thankful for the FREE GIFT of Eternal Life!

If you are reading this, I have good news for you: Jesus Saves! I hope that you’ll read on and see what it means to receive the FREE GIFT He offers us in salvation. If you’ve already received the gift, keep on reading anyway and be reminded of what you’ve been given.

Let’s look at what it means to be saved, why we need to be saved, and how you can be saved.

What It Means to Be Saved

Imagine someone swimming who has gone out over their head and is drowning. They cry out for a lifeguard to help. Thankfully, the lifeguard hears them and is able to rush to their rescue, pulling them to safety on the shore. That person has been saved from drowning.

This could also apply to someone who has been stuck in a burning building and fallen unconscious from inhaling all the smoke. Firefighters are called to the building and discover them. The firefighter picks up this totally helpless individual, carries them out of the building, and gets them to the paramedics. The firefighter and paramedics have saved this person from certain death.

In the same way, God provided Jesus to save or rescue every sinner who puts their trust in Him. No matter what we have done or who we are, Jesus can save us. Through Jesus, we find salvation by and eternal life by putting our faith and trust in Him.

The Bible describes this in John 3:16 –

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Why We NEED to Be Saved

You might be thinking: well, it makes sense for someone drowning or trapped in a burning building to need to be saved, but what about me?

The Bible teaches us that all of us have sinned. Sin is an archery term that describes missing the bullseye. The bullseye is perfection and goodness. We might try to do right and good, but we fail at that. God is right and good, and our missing the mark or failing in this way separates us from Him.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the “wages of sin is death”. This means that our sin has earned us death and that there is nothing we can do to earn our way out of it. Thankfully, that is not the end of Romans 6:23; check out the full verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God has made a way for us! Just as John 3:16 tells us above, Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. He died in our place and offers us life instead. That’s good news!

How You Can Be Saved

The only way for us to be saved is to turn from our sins (and the punishment we deserve because of them) to Jesus and put our faith and trust in Him. We turn from our sin because we realize that we are in trouble and deserve death because of them. We turn to Jesus because we realize that, just like the person who was drowning or trapped in the burning building, we cannot save ourselves. 

To put our faith and trust in Him means that we believe that Jesus fully paid the penalty for our sins and offers us forgiveness. The Bible teaches us that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree (the cross)” (1 Peter 2:24). Here is how the Bible tells us we can be saved:

“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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

This is what it means when we say put our faith and trust in Jesus; we confess Him as Lord and give our lives over to Him, trusting that He knows best and acknowledge He is God, asking Him to take charge of our lives. We tell Him that we believe He is who the Bible says He is: the Savior who died for our sins and rose again. If we do this, not just saying some magic words but genuinely believing and seeking Him, the Bible tells us that we are saved!

Lord, thank you for offering salvation that is free to all who believe but cost so much at the cost of Your Son. Thank You for raising again and offering that life to all who believe and confess You as Lord. Thank You.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for the Kingdom of God — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 13

I’m thankful for the Kingdom of God!

If this world and its squabbling kingdoms were all that there is, how pitiful an outlook we would have. These kingdoms rise and fall. History is littered with powerful kingdoms, empires even, that were cast aside by greater or at least different ones. Museums are filled with relics of their once great splendor and glory, but I think one of my church kiddos from many years ago summed their glory up well when we were looking at some pictures of the ruins of the once great city of Ephesus: they’re ruined (they pronounced it rurnt, ha)!

The writer of Hebrews rightly tells us that we should be “grateful”, and we should. That word translated “grateful” in the ESV is better translated in the KJV as “have grace” because it is a pair of words that are related to the practice of saying grace before a meal, praying to say thanks and give credit to God for providing the food that is about to be eaten.

We are to say grace, praying and giving thanks to God for giving us part in His Kingdom and for His power in saving us and making us right before Him (Colossians 1:12-14, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

We are to say grace, coming before God’s throne in reverence and awe as King of kings and Lord of lords, presiding over His Kingdom eternally and toppling those that are shaken, sifted, and cast away like chaff from wheat (Psalm 2:10-11, Matthew 3:12).

We are to say grace, thankful to God for His strength and might — His consuming fire burning through everything, eventually leaving only His Kingdom (Deuteronomy 4:24, Daniel 7:13-14).

We are to say grace because this great God and king humbled Himself to leave His throne and become flesh for us that we might be saved and enter into His Kingdom (John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-8, 1 Timothy 1:15).

Lord, thank you for being a consuming fire and for that fire purifying those you save rather than burning us up as our sin warrants. Thank you for shaking the lesser kingdoms of this world and reminding us You are God and we are not. Thank you for letting us worship and praise You. I want to say “thank You” like we do over the food, our bodies for Your Kingdom. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for God’s Forgiveness — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 12

These verses are a beautiful picture of God’s forgiveness and are good reminders for those who are saved to see what the “free gift of eternal life” is in light of the “wages of [our] sin” (Romans 6:23). We are going to briefly unpack these verses, and Lord willing, you will be moved to be thankful as well.

“He does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our iniquities.” This is a beautiful example of the otherness of God. I know that term sounds weird, but when we talk about God, it is important to remember that He is not like us. This otherness is really linked to His holiness, meaning that He is entirely set apart and above us in His worth, splender, and perfection. God is God, and we are not. 

Human beings deal with each other according to their sin and iniquity. If someone has wronged us or someone close to us, it is likely that we will forever treat them differently because of it. Even if we forgive, we are quick to let folks know we won’t forget. If we catch someone in a lie, they will forever be defined as a liar (even though we have been guilty of the same). The sin is a defining point for us because we don’t want to fall victim of it again. Yet God does not deal with US that way. 

That “us” is very important here because it is a distinction from how others are dealt with. This is not the us v. them where we make ourselves to be righteous (Romans 3:10-12). No, this is referencing the difference between those who have believed and put their faith in God and have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9) and those who have not (John 3:18). He does not deal with “us” according to our sin because Jesus has paid for our sin (1 Peter 2:24). Our sin does not define us because He defines us based on our relationship with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Romans 8:1). 

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him….” Here we see the otherness of God again. This is literally the 6,000 mile view, one that God sees easily from His vantage point that we might struggle with from ours. 6,214 miles above our vantage point is when the earth stops being the earth; that’s literally how high the heavens are above the earth. God’s steadfast love – His never-stopping, never-failing, never-giving-up, everlasting love – is astronomically greater than our human hearts can fathom or feature (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

This qualifies the “us” from the last section because the “us” is made up of those who fear the Lord – those who follow and worship Him, those who have been saved by Him (Psalm 25:12-14). It also builds on the last section specifically because it shows that God not only has decided not to “deal with us according to our sins or repay us according to our iniquities” because He has paid the penalty for them (2 Corinthians 5:21) but did this because He loves us (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:4-5). This love is foreign to us because in our sinfulness we want to repay evil with evil, sin with sin (Matthew 5:44-45, 1 Peter 3:9). God is different. He loved us and saved us from our sin when we were still in it – when we still deserved death and hell; that “demonstrates” how much higher His love is than ours (Romans 5:8).

“…[A]s far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” I love the contrast of imagery between the atmospheric levels of love in the last section and the global stretch of His forgiveness in this one. It is really cool to see how God specifically created the earth in such a way that it illustrates this, too. If His love requires a 6,000 foot view, His forgiveness requires understanding of what infinity is. You see, if you set out westward here on earth, you will go infinitely west. West will never start being east, and vice versa. God infinitely removes our sin from us. It is gone. Period. Finito. Over with. It is finished.

When Jesus forgives, He can allow Himself to forget because when He saves us He will not lose us. The eternal life He gives is, well, eternal. The change He produces in people’s lives is continual because it stems from His love and faithfulness, not ours. So, He doesn’t have to deal with us “according to our sins” because they have been infinitely removed. They have been paid for and we cannot repossess them. He has the receipt and is not taking returns. 

This is good news. It is nearly incomprehensible for us because we know the weight and evil nature of our sin (Psalm 51:3-5, Jeremiah 17:9). Yet He loved us and became the propitiation (wrath bearing sacrifice that trades the punishment due our sin for the favor due His Son) for our sin (Romans 3:23-25; 1 John 2:1-2, 4:10). 

What about you? Have you experienced the forgiveness of God? Will you stand before Him and have Him see Jesus’s blood and righteousness or stand before Him in your sin? 

Thank You, Lord, for offering forgiveness and salvation through Your Son Jesus.

Thank You, Lord, for Your astronomical love and the way you help us to see what You have done for us.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for My Friends — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 11

Friendship is something that I hope I never take for granted. It is something that I cherish more than I can express with words because, for many years, I did not have friends – at least not many or any at all who match the quality of today’s passage.

The imagery in this verse makes me picture entering a room and smelling something that reminds me of someone. You know how that works. God created our senses so that they work together specially for different purposes. The sense of smell is linked to emotion and memory – hearing, too, to a lesser degree – in a special way that one whiff can bring on waves of nostalgia, jog a memory, take you to a certain place, or remind you of a specific person. 

The “oil and perfume” here produces an emotional response or memory that makes “the heart glad”, and immediately takes that emotional reverie and ties it to the “sweetness” of a specific aspect of friendship. That aspect is the “counsel” of a friend.

Most of the time, when we think of what makes friendship sweet, “counsel” probably isn’t it. It is often the camaraderie of friendship or company. That is the counterargument that came to my mind. But God in His wisdom tells us that there is something better. This let’s us know that there is more to friendship than meets the eye – something sweeter than just what we want. God’s wisdom points us to friends who are willing to give us earnest counsel.

Now, some folks just shove their opinions in any old way. This ain’t that. Earnest counsel is advice or counsel that comes from a sincere place of intense conviction. This is not run-of-the-mill stuff but rather a rare willingness to be with people in tough times as well as good and offer help that they may not want but definitely need. This is not friendship that runs from disagreement but thrives despite it. This is friendship that loves in a way that will risk their own feelings to help the other. It is sacrificial and special. 

But keep in mind that counsel is not all this sort of friendship has to offer because friendships are more than its parts. As I write this, I am still overwhelmed by a show of friendship I experienced earlier in the week. Some of my friends whom I love and cherish dearly came to surprise me at a revival service I was preaching. They all have a lot going on in their lives right now. They are all tired. They are all stretched. Yet they decided to show they care and support me – despite their tiredness and busyness. They are friends that will offer counsel when I need it because they love me. There is a sweetness there that I am not conveying in my words because it is so intangible and unexplainable. You just know it when you’ve got it. In the same way that smells or sounds jog emotions is so vivid yet often unexplainable, this sort of friendship is something you know if you’ve got it. 

I’m thankful I do and hope I am half the friend they are to me.

Lord, thank you for my friends. Thank you for seeing fit to put us together and to build a bond deep enough to give needed counsel and broad enough to cover the range of emotions that our lives contain. Bless them and keep them, and help me to be such a friend to them. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!

I’m Thankful for My Pastors — Gratitude & Hope Challenge | November 10

I’m thankful for my pastors!

At Christ Community Church, we are blessed to have John Goldwater, LG Schmitz, and Burt Schmitz as three of our pastors. These men love Jesus and work hard to serve Him and point us to Him. A lot they do never gets noticed, but whether we see it or not, Jesus does.

I’m thankful for John’s handling of the Word. He preaches tirelessly, every opportunity he gets. He preaches the gospel weekly at Christ Community, The Foundry, Jesus Saves Bro, Kirk Chevy, and Burger King. Throughout each month, you can find him preaching at the Carroll County Jail, the Emmaus camp, and anywhere else that will listen to him preach Jesus! In addition to all that preaching, he ministers to people in ways that are too numerous to mention.

I’m thankful for LG’s heart for Jesus and passion to let people know that Jesus has a plan for their life. A lot of times, folks in their 80s slow down and lose some of what can be called youthful vigor, but LG still preaches when called on and serves to encourage and disciple folks as often as he can. He serves Christ Community on our Finance Team and gives more encouragement behind the scenes than I could begin to describe or enumerate.

I’m thankful for Burt’s many hats. Burt keeps our media and sound going (which is difficult because tech and equipment glitches are a way of life in church life). He also teaches our kiddos the Word on Sunday mornings and Wednesdays. I love hearing Xander come home talking about what Mr. Burt taught him from the Bible. Furthermore, nothing tops his Wednesday boot camps in the eyes or our kiddos where he weaves fun games and Bible study together seamlessly. He even manages to find time to text our Bible verses and encouragement to many people every day.

If you are reading this and have a pastor, reach out to them and thank them for their service to the Lord and shepherding of you and yours. Be specific in your encouragement!

Lord, thank you for the pastors you have give us at Christ Community and the Foundry. Bless them and keep them. Help us to appreciate them and follow their example and teaching. Amen.

All through the month of November, our Christ Community Church family is focusing on what we are thankful for and expressing our thanks to our “great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us” (Titus 2:13-14).

This, like the #DailyWisdomChallenge we went through in October, is a challenge from our pastor John Goldwater — the #GRATITUDEandHOPEchallenge — where we have the opportunity to post Bible passages that move us to thanksgiving or in which we find hope. May this lead you to be grateful and find your hope in Jesus!