October

Matthew 16:13-16
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
 
Colossians 1:15-18
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Who is Christ?
     How do you answer that question? Who is Christ? Is He God or the son of the God? Is He love or the giver of love? Is He a Savior or Destroyer of sin? Who is Christ? I am reading through Colossians and discovered a great insert that the Thomas Nelson publishing company added in the introduction. After reading this, I just marveled at His names and the power behind them. I want to share a portion of it with you and hope you are encouraged and challenged.
     “He is the only Mediator between God and man; He is the Sun that enlightens; the Physician that heals; the Wall of Fire that defends; the Friend that comforts; the Pearl that enriches; the Ark that supports; and the Rock to sustain under the heaviest of pressures; He is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high (Heb.1:3;8:1); He is better than the angels (Heb.1:4-14); better than Moses; better than Aaron; better than Joshua; better than Melchizedek; better than all the prophets; greater than Satan (Lk.4:1-12); and stronger than death (1Co 15:55)…He is the Lord of Hosts, the Redeemer-the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth (Is. 54:5); He is the Man of Sorrows (Is.53:3); He is the Light; He is the Son of Man (Mt.20:28); He is the Vine; He is the Bread of Life; He is the Door; He is the Lord (Php. 2:10-13); He is Prophet, Priest and King (Heb. 1:1-3); He is our Sabbath rest (Heb.4:9); He is our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6); He is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6); He is the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet 5:4); He is Lord God of hosts; He is Lord of the nations; He is the Lion of Judah; the Living Word; the Rock of Salvation; the Eternal Spirit; He is the Ancient of Days; Creator and Comforter; Messiah; and He is the great I AM (Jn. 8:58).”1
     How amazing is our God that He can be all things and the One thing you and I need. Jesus asked an important question in the book of Matthew. Who do people say I am? Many thought He was someone else like Elijah or John the Baptist. Then He makes the question more personal. Who do you say I am? He is asking us that as well. Who is Christ? Better yet, does your answer align with your actions? Can you prove what Christ is to you by how you act and what you do? If He is your Comforter, then do you seek Him when you are in pain? If He is your Healer, do you rely on Him for being restored? Does your faith, your actions prove He is what He is? When you are scared, He is your Shield. When you are happy, He is your joy. When you are confused, He is your Wisdom. When you are hurt, He is your Healer. He is your Champion, your Warrior, the Lover of your soul. Peter answered correctly when he said ‘you are Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ He is Christ, but is He your Christ, your Living God? Have you chosen Him as your Christ?


1 MacArthur, John. (2006). The Macarthur Study Bible. La Habra, CA: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

September

1 Samuel 15:22
But Samuel replied: "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams."

Micah 6: 6-7
With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

Just you, just Christ
     If you were standing before God right now and He asked you why He should let you into heaven, into eternal life with Him, what would be your answer? If heaven means being in the presence of God and in the absence of suffering, do you want it? Some of you have a relationship with Christ and are devoted to Him. Others of you have not made that decision yet. Romans 10:9-10 says,”That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”.
     I’m full of questions today; be ready. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord and that there is only one Lord? And that if you put your life, your faith and trust in Jesus, that you are saved? “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Your words confess Him, your actions portray Him. How often do we place Christ alongside everything else we hold so dear and so sacred? Don’t you know that nothing compares to Christ? There is no other Savior, no other God, and no other Friend than Christ Jesus. Everything else good is but a mere shadow of Him. He wants our works, our talent, our money, not for salvation, but for His purposes. His salvation is a free gift; you accept it or you don’t. It can’t be bought or bartered for and certainly can’t be worked for. However, there is fine print with His gift; can you believe it? God has fine print written at the bottom of His free gift! His one requirement? You. In exchange for your life, you get Christ and Christ gets you! He gets all of you and you get all of Him. You get His love, His forgiveness, His compassion, His blessings, His healing, His joy, His patience, and I could go on and on.
     He doesn’t require your sacrifices, but will there be some, yes! Some of us have sacrificed more than others to follow Christ. Some have sacrificed relationships because they chose to have a relationship with Christ. We make these sacrifices not for salvation, but because of our salvation. And guess what? We continue to sacrifice for the sake of Christ all throughout our walk with God. As followers of Christ, we are branded by our sacrifice. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1) We worship God by sacrificing ourselves for God’s purposes. Christ was the ultimate example of a life being sacrificed, right? “And live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:2) God sacrificed Christ on your behalf because of your sins. Whether you choose to believe and trust in that or not, it’s real and it’s true. He desires the same from you. He wants you to sacrifice your life to Him, but instead of death as Christ experienced, He grants you life.
     I hope that if you have made the decision to trust in Christ as your Savior and Lord and that you continue faithfully in your life of sacrifice for Him. If you have not made that decision, can I encourage you to please think, pray, seek, and consider Christ for your life?

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven
that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12