Dear Friends,
I invite you to read another blog: http://leapyearluncheon.wordpress.com/
You’ll find stories about what it looks like to witness for Christ as you go about the ordinary things of life. 
As you read, it’s my hope you will be infected with the same virus to do the same.
And if you do try this, keep a journal of the stories. Even the ones that don’t turn out so well.
And then share them with the rest of us!
If you’re like me, when I get sick I pray. When there’s an accident in the family, I pray. When someone is discouraged, I pray.
But when I sin badly, I don’t pray.
Why do I do that? I think it’s because my conscience tells me God is angry with me and I better not go near him. Just like Adam and Eve did in the garden when they sinned and then ran into the bushes.
As an aside, if you stop and think about it, that’s pretty funny because God is near to you and me all the time. He sees everything, hears every thought, knows every feeling.
And he doesn’t disengage and retreat! Just like he didn’t flee from Adam and Eve. In fact, the text tells us, he went looking for them. See Genesis 3:8-9.
So why don’t I run to God when I sin badly? Because at that moment I don’t believe the gospel. Instead I believe in the law, and the law tells me I’ve blown it, God is going to punish me, and I better get out of town.
But what does Paul say about the law? It’s meant to drive us to Christ! It takes us by the hand and turns us in the direction of our Savior, who bled and died precisely for those sins I committed. See Romans 7:4.
God hasn’t moved.
Are you ready to come back?
Have you read some online resumes lately?
The candidates sound like they walk on water.
By the time they’re 25, they have a Master’s degree and a PhD, with work experience since kindergarten. 
And let’s not overlook the myriad of tech certificates that make them eligible for the most exciting jobs out there.
Have you ever read a resume that included a person’s failures? Of course not. That would be suicide.
Everybody wants to be perfect.
Some people want it so badly they’re willing to lie and cheat to appear that way.
In today’s competitive job market, unless you dazzle and out-perform your competitors, you could end up on the street before you even get a chance to start.
In case you’re thinking this is only true for recent college graduates seeking employment, the truth is all of us are crafting our resumes internally so we look our best.
The fact is we’re addicted to perfection.
You and I know we can’t be perfect, but we try anyway. We labor for a verdict of approval from all who matter in life.
Except there’s a huge problem with that.
Our mothers might give us high marks because they love us no matter what, but if we look to God, who is the ultimate approval giver, his verdict is not so good.
In fact the verdict stinks.
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” – Romans 3:10-12 ESV
We’re in deep weeds and no amount of charitable deeds is going to convince God otherwise.
The truth is we were made to live with God’s acceptance.
“Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God…” – Psalm 146:5 NKJV
Who you are in Jesus defines you.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” – Ephesians 1:3 NKJV
By accepting God’s provision for sin in Jesus,
God smiles on you.
God welcomes you.
And Jesus’ perfect record becomes yours.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a winning deal to me.
When I look inside myself, all I find is corruption, pride, selfishness, and sin.
I could list a whole host of other horrible sins, and fill you with stories, but then I’d be focusing on myself, and that’s not the point.
My conscience skewers me when I look inside. If I were to stand in God’s courtroom, I’d have no defense and He would be perfectly right to consign me to hell.
However, knowing this, I still sleep well at night. 
How can that be true?
The only reason I can sleep well at night is that even though my heart is depraved, and I’m not doing my best to please my Lord, I have in heaven at the Father’s right hand my beloved Jesus, who not only has done His best for the Father, and for Himself, but has fulfilled all righteousness for me in my place.
So no matter how much I fail, or how much I succeed (both are shot through with sin), I stand in the perfect record of my Lord Jesus.
Now that is something to shout for joy about!
Are you someone who has grown up in church where performance defined who you were?
Where most days you were a miserable failure?
And love and acceptance were foreign concepts?
I have good news for you.
You didn’t grow up with the gospel.
You grew up with moralism (law).
The law is harsh. It beats you up. It tells you what you must do in order to please God (and others), but has no power to help you get there.
So you looked at your life and said, “I can’t do this,” and got depressed.
Or you admitted your failure, got furious, and walked away.
Here’s what happened to you.
You came into the church by faith in Jesus. He loved you so much he died for you. And you accepted his gift of salvation with gladness.
Then week after week you listened to preaching about moral behavior and living, and in a flash you plunged into despair because you didn’t measure up.
Your joy in Jesus went up in a puff of smoke. You even went so far to say that this Christian thing doesn’t work.
If you can relate to this, then here’s a question to ask yourself:
Is the cross and blood of Jesus sufficient to save you even while you are still sinful? Even while you continue to fail at living the Christian life?
You know what?
Heaven is filled with Christian failures! There aren’t any other kind of people there!
Jesus’ death on the cross and his shed blood for you is all you need.
Jesus himself will welcome and embrace you!
How’s that possible? It’s because God has given you the gift of the righteousness of Jesus. You had it the moment you came to faith.
It’s the only performance that counts!
Grab a hold of it and never let it go!
Suffering is a fact of life.
Some people suffer more than others, but nobody is exempt from suffering. The bible says so, and universal experience confirms it:
“Man that is born of woman is few of days and full of trouble.” – Job 14:1
Suffering in a world made by a loving God is not easy to explain or understand.
Some have tried, however. The Stoics grit their teeth. The Optimists whistle in the dark. The Mind-Over-Matter types dismiss it. Until they break a leg.
None of these positions really help. But before we look at how the gospel changes suffering, let’s be clear about 3 things the gospel does NOT do:
1. It does not prevent suffering – Christians suffer like non-Christians do
2. It does not minimize suffering – the gospel is not an anesthetic – it does not numb your heart, your body, or your mind
3. It does not remove all pain – the gospel does not promise relief in this life
Then how does the gospel change suffering?
1. By taking it seriously – by pointing you to Christ on the cross who felt intense agony in his body (physical pain), who reeled from the abandonment of his Father while he was left dying (emotional pain), who writhed in fear and shed drops of blood in the garden (spiritual pain), who lived his life in sorrow and grief and rejection from the very people who were his kin (social pain).
2. By not telling you lies that your suffering will soon be over, that it’s just for a little while – how do you know?
3 questions to avoid that add to your suffering:
1.”Why me?”
2. “What did I do wrong?”
3. “What am I supposed to learn from this?”
All three add to your misery. They make you turn inward instead of trusting God.
Instead, this is the question to ask when you’re suffering:
Q: “Where is God in my suffering?”
A: Right there with you.
How do you know God is there when you are in so much pain?
Because of the cross. It was there that Christ suffered all your pain.
Keep the big picture focus:
One day there will be an end to all your suffering. It’s the day of Christ’s return when he ushers in the new heavens and the new earth. And you’ll be there in a resurrected body that will never feel any pain ever again.
And that’s a promise.
Have you ever wondered why God sometimes doesn’t answer your prayers?
Well, you’re not alone.
Not all of Jesus’ prayers were answered either.
C.S. Lewis has some stunning thoughts on the subject:
It would be even worse to think of those who get what they pray for as a sort of court favorites, people who have influence with the throne. The refused prayer of Christ in Gethsemane is answer enough for that.
You’re in good company if you have prayers that have gone unanswered.
It’s also the experience of every Christian. Paul didn’t have his prayer answered for the thorn in his flesh. Instead, he learned that God’s grace was sufficient for him, especially in his weakness, so God’s strength could show through.
If you’re struggling with this, here are 4 things to comfort you about unanswered prayer:
1. God hears every prayer
2. Every prayer will be answered in its fullness when Christ returns
3. Even if your prayer is answered here and now, it still is not fully realized until the Kingdom comes
4. The Holy Spirit, which God has given you as His guarantee of the coming Kingdom, is God’s promise of all your hopes and dreams for yourself, your family, your ministry, the masses of people who don’t know Christ that you have been praying for — all will be fulfilled in Christ.
God invites you to trust him because he’s up to something far more grand!
There is a lot of advice out there for singles who are lonely and wish they had a spouse.
Some of it goes like this:
1. stop wanting to be married and then God will give it to you
2. devote yourself to God and you’ll be so exhausted doing kingdom work you won’t have time to think about it
3. lower your expectations of a perfect spouse
Have you noticed what’s missing?
The gospel.
How does the gospel apply to singleness?
In every way.
1. Jesus was single. He understands.
2. You are not alone. Jesus is closer to you than a husband.
3. You’re really not single. Romans 7:4 says you are married to Christ.
One day, in the resurrection, there will be the marriage supper of the Lamb. Now that’s a destination wedding if there ever was one!
And you are the bride!
So if you think you’re missing out, you’re not.
You will have a wedding. And a party that far exceeds your wildest imagination!
I read C. H. Spurgeon’s devotional entry this morning in Morning and Evening. (If you don’t have a copy, buy one. It will make your soul smile.)
It was so stunning I am paraphrasing it here:
For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. – 2 Corinthians 5:21
Why are you depressed?
Are you flogging yourself over your sins and failures?
Look to Jesus and remember you are complete in him. You are in God’s sight as perfect as if you had never sinned; actually more than that, the Lord your Righteousness has wrapped you in his perfection, which is none other that the perfection of God himself.
You have learned to hate sin, but you have also learned than your sin is not yours anymore – it was placed upon Christ at the cross.
Your acceptance is not in yourself but in Christ. God completely accepts you today as he will when you stand before his throne in the last day. There you will be free of all corruption, as you are now. Grab a hold of this truth – you are perfect in Christ.
How often do we let things agitate and disturb our peace?
For me, the answer is everyday. A headache, lack of sleep, a nasty remark, pressure, anxiety…the list is endless.
In John 13, Jesus had just told his disciples that he was getting ready to die and leave them. Chapter 14 opens with their state of mind upon hearing those words.
“Let not your hearts be troubled.” Clearly they were agitated and distressed by the news of his leaving them.
How did Jesus comfort them then?
He didn’t say work harder, believe more, or pray more fervently. What he said was, “Believe in God; believe also in me.”
In other words, “Trust me.”
Then he reminded them he was going away in order to get the house ready for when he came to take them home, so they could all be together with him.
Sounds like a party to me.
But then Thomas (he of a literal mind) asked the question I would have asked: “Where are you going and how do I get there?”
The answer: Jesus was Thomas’ ticket home. Nobody gets through the door without him.
Another way of saying this is:
Jesus is the head of the family and you need him to get in.
And the way in is by remembering that Jesus is your life. Don’t look for it in work, relationships, hobbies, ministry, or your devotions.
This is true for this life and the next.
So if Jesus has given you everything you need, you can rest in his care. He already fixed your greatest need – your sin.
He’s not going to drop the ball now.
Messy Christians 