“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:12-14

Oswald Chambers wrote, “The only basis on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the Cross of Christ. To base our forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy. The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. We should never take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our sanctification in simple faith, and then forget the enormous cost to God that made all of this ours.”

With all that we have to be thankful for, at the top of our list should be the finished work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary.  Just as the Apostle Paul wrote in our Scripture, we should be “Giving thanks unto the Father.” I am afraid that we grow cold and stale as time marches by when it comes to our gratitude for what has been done for us in the saving of our soul.  How soon we forget and as we forget we take for granted the sacrifice, the agony, the humiliation and the violence that played out upon that hill so many years ago.

 I am thankful for God’s kindness and love. The saving of my soul never grows old. The measure of our gratefulness should be in the fact that we were so far from God and that our sin was the cause of the distance, yet God commended His love toward us while we were yet sinners.

Let’s allow the depth of our gratitude to be fueled by the measure of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ endured.  We should be thankful indeed for such a wonderful Salvation.

Thank God for the Saviour!  Thank God for Salvation!  Thank God for reconciliation! Thank God for redemption!

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherewith he hath made us acceptable in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” Ephesians 1:6-7

The devil likes nothing better than when the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is watered down to an unrecognizable rubble of human views and philosophies.  Religion and traditions has been a sharp tool in the hands of the devil which has led many down the road to hell all through the ages.  Many are preaching and teaching that the blood of Jesus is too barbaric, to unsettling, to controversial for the pulpits and the pews and so:
I. The value of the Cross is not confirmed.
II. The violence of the Cross is not considered.
III. The victory on the Cross is not conveyed.

Many have been and continue today, to be the pawns of Satan all the while leading many astray. In his book, Faith Undone, author Roger Oakland writes, “Some emerging church leaders do say they love the Cross, but an underlying theme is gaining momentum among them.   It says Jesus’ going to the Cross was an example of sacrifice and servant hood that we should follow; but the idea that God would send His Son to a violent death for the sins of mankind-well that is not who God is.  A loving God would never do that!   Such a violent act would make Christianity a “slaughterhouse religion.”  Such thinking should make us pray with a fervency for the lost that has not been matched in any time found in history.

This is not a cry or a complaint-This is a call, this is a challenge to stand your ground and hold the line when it comes to God’s Word.   In an ever changing world where truth seems to be scarce, hold the line; where wisdom (godly wisdom) has been thrown out the window, stand your ground.  The stand you take today will be firm footing for someone tomorrow.  The truth and the wisdom of the Bible have been set aside.  This is nothing new.   In the third chapter of Genesis, Satan, the deceiver, planted the seeds of doubt in the mind of Eve.  God’s instructions were clear and with consequences.  They were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The consequence was death. The serpent deceived Eve and sin and death were introduced into the world. Deception has its roots in the Garden and the devil was the author, he is still authoring deception today.
                                                
It is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary that the debt of sin has been paid. To down play, dumb down or delete the Blood of Christ, is to completely take away from the truth of God’s Word, the very sacrifice that is needed for the cleansing of the sins of lost man. Without the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no hope.   The Bible gives many wonderful truths concerning the blood of Christ.  I would like to share four of them.

1. The Redeeming Blood- “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherewith he hath made us acceptable in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”(Ephesians 1:6-7) The word redeemed means, “to release a prisoner by the payment of a ransom.”  The ransom was paid by Jesus on Calvary and through His finished work on the Cross the lost sinner can be set free as they come to Christ through faith. Thank God for the redeeming Blood of Jesus.
2. The Cleansing Blood- “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5.)  The importance of the Blood is so great that the devil will go to great links to discredit it.  Share the truth and never leave out the cleansing Blood of The Lord Jesus Christ.
3. The Sustaining Blood- “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin” (I John 1:7.) As believers, the Bible teaches us that we have an advocate, His name is Jesus.  When one goes to court, they take an advocate (lawyer) with them and he or she pleads their case.  The Lord Jesus is our advocate before the throne of God.   Hebrews 4:15-16 is a powerful section of scripture that each believer should take the time to walk in, to study upon and plant in their hearts, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."  Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe writes, "When we confess our sins to God, because of Christ's advocacy God forgives us."  It is not a matter of if we will sin but when we will sin but the Bible says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9.)  That is the sustaining Blood of Christ.
4. The Shared Blood- John 3:16
The devil wants nothing more than the cleansing, redeeming, sustaining and shared Blood of the Lord Jesus to be absent from the pulpits and thus missing from the pews.   That is why it is of most vital importance that it is preached, proclaimed and shared because , “Without shedding of blood is no remission” (forgiveness.) 

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:1-3

My friend these words have such depth to them- David is not playing games. These words are not simply from the heart they have made their way up from deep down within. My prayer for myself and whoever else may read this is that we would find ourselves at such a place right now! No gimmicks, no games and no playing religion. Oh, to be a living sacrifice for the Lord to do with as He would and to give ourselves over to His will willingly. To come to such a place of desire for God should be the burning ambition of us all. Take a moment and read the verses slowly and deliberately again and again. Allow each word to have its moment. Make the verses your own prayer.

David has spread himself out before the One True God. He seems to be completely and utterly emptied of self. David has not come lightly- He is all in. He is not looking around he is looking up. He doesn’t appear to desire anything or anyone more than his Lord, his King and his God and they are all one in the same.

Come up close to the Lord, and anticipate Him meeting with you.

After filling Jerusalem with the good doctrine Peter and the apostles were asked, “Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name?” Peter and the apostle’s response? “we ought to obey God rather than men” (see Acts 5.) This should be our battle cry. This should burn in us incessantly and lived out continually before those who are coming up behind us.

My friend, our time here is short; we live one day at a time as we move forward by faith. Be a spark! Be a fire! Be a godly example! Live a Holy Spirit filled life!  Be a man of God, Be a woman of God.  Dear believer, give your all to the One who gave His all on Calvary’s victorious Hill for you. Oh the price that Jesus paid for the redemption of our souls. That wonderful and powerful truth should light a fire in us that the devil and all his angels can't snuff out. It should ignite and give birth to a desire to live our lives in Christ Jesus to the edifying and the encouragement to those who the Lord brings into our lives. A life that one day, when it is remembered, will bring glory to God and God alone.

Let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy eyes. O Lord, my strength and redeemer.  Psalm 19:14

I wonder what our lives would be like if we started each day with such a prayer?  What if we desired to live in a way that would bring glory to God from the inside out. I am certainly not speaking of an outward showing. I am not inviting you to live a life of dry and lifeless religion. I believe we would walk in victory while being a difference maker in the lives of those around us if we took time to consider our short verse each and every day. The words that flow from our mouths simply reveal that which is the meditation of our hearts. In the country they say, "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket." The psalmist has a want to live life in such a manner that will please the Lord.

Before you step out of the door or before the starting gun is fired that signifies that your race for today has begun take time to ponder who it is you are desiring to please the most. We only have one chance at living today, so let's choose wisely that which is found in our mouth and that which is in our heart. The choices that we make will either reveal to all of those we encounter throughout our day that Jesus Christ is indeed the Lord of our lives or that we are at the helm.

Take the time meditate on our powerful verse. I believe it can be life changing when it comes to your walk with the Lord.

Imagine yourself in the middle of the desert with the scorching sun relentlessly beating down upon you. With each step that you take the wind is whipping the sand against your face like little arrows that are hitting their target. The thirst that you have is like nothing you have ever endured in your life. Your legs grow heavier with each step that you take. With each passing moment you are retreating deeper and deeper into a soul breaking thirst.  Hopeless and helpless you are on the verge of giving up. Now- imagine if at the beginning of your journey someone had stopped you and took the time to show a map that gave you specific directions that if you followed them would show you every water hole along your journey.  Cold flowing water could be yours. The man not only gives you good directions, but when he is done he places the map in your back pack. All you would have had to do was take your map out and follow the plainly written instructions.

What I have just described is far too often the life of the born again. They have God's Word, but just as the explorer who left the directions in their back pack they to never get it out- open it up and draw from its deep well of truth. Isaiah 58:11 says. "And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not."  Did you catch that? It does not say you will be taken out of the drought, but that your soul will be satisfied in the drought. My friend that has hallelujah written all over it!

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Hebrews 13:8

No shifting sand! No faulty foundation! No wringing of hands! A powerful promise that minsters to the heart and thus the lives of the regenerated, redeemed and the reconciled. Our Saviour is not fickle or frail! He is not wishy-washy! Our hope is certain bound to the anchor of truth that God reveals about Himself throughout His precious Word. Our hope is not diluted by circumstance or situations. We are truly strengthened by such a promise.

O my what a Lord and Saviour. What a friend we have in our Lord. Be encouraged today! Be strengthened today! Don't allow your circumstance or all that is happening around you to dampen the wick of your joy! Take comfort from the powerful truth of our scripture.

When thou sadist, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face Lord, will I seek. Psalm 27:8
A.W. Tozer asked the question, “Why do some persons “find” God in a way others do not? Why does God manifest His presence to some and let multitudes of others struggle along in half-light of imperfect Christian experience? Of course, the will of God is the same for all. He has no favorites within His household. All He has ever done for any of His children, He will do for all of His children. The difference lies not with God but with us.”
I am thoroughly convinced that a deep, abiding and fervent relationship with the Lord can be measured by the degree which we hunger and thirst and seek after Him. My prayer and desire for you is that you will you will have a closer relationship with the Lord in 2019. After I was saved for just a short time, I had a real hunger for God; to know and to walk with Him. I did not desire a surface relationship; I wanted to live in the deep end. I found to my surprise that many felt I had fallen off into the deep end. I am speaking of the born again! They dabbled in religion and post card Christianity. What is that you ask? It is where one drops a line to the Lord Jesus every now and again; from a distance.
When I read Psalm 42:1, my heart nearly skips a beat and my soul is set aflame, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Dear believer never let the luke -warmness of another Christian to be water on your heart that is set ablaze for the Lord. Never let the coldness of another in any way, shape or form dictate the intensity or desire that you have for Almighty God. Don’t just send a post card, but seek His face and live in the depths of a real relationship with the One true God in 2019.

Thanks for visiting and thanks for praying!
Bro. Tracy