When Jesus Touches You

When Jesus Touches You

 

Dear Champions,

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is Matthew 8:2-3 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  I am willing, he said.  Be clean!  Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

 

I do not get salvation by being strong and accomplished but by admitting that I am not.  I do not get salvation by negotiating with God but by surrendering.  The way the world looks at power and recognition and status and achievement and accomplishment and beauty and privilege do not matter to the person who has had the salvation of Jesus Christ transform them.  Jesus Christ comes and touches the leper and says the most astounding thing.  I am cleanliness.  No matter how defiled, stained, tainted or no matter who you are or what you have done or what your record is, the minute I touch you, you are fit for the presence of God.  The minute I touch you, my cleanness becomes your cleanness. 

 

Jesus says, I am not one more religious leader telling you how to make yourself fit for the presence of God.  I am the fitness for the presence of God; and the moment you come into contact with me, you are instantly in.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

Perfect Love

Perfect Love

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt this is by Tim Keller, and the Scripture is John 11:33-35 When Jesus saw Mary weeping (because of the death of Lazarus), he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Where have you laid him? he asked. Come and see, Lord, they replied.  Jesus wept.

Mary asks Jesus, Lord, why were you not here because you could have stopped this? Jesus cannot even speak, but He just weeps.  Now this has startled me about this passage for years.  When Jesus moves into a situation like this He knows why it happened, the purpose of it, and He knows how He is going to turn it into a glorious manifestation of the glory of God.  He knows that in just 10 minutes or so that everyone there will be rejoicing when He raises Lazarus from the dead. 

 

If we went in this knowing that we were about to turn everybody s weeping into joy in about 10 minutes, then why would we weep?  Does it make psychological sense that if you knew that you were about to turn everything around in 10 minutes that you would be weeping and that you would enter into the grief and the pain and the trauma of their hearts?  Why would He do that?  Because that is perfect love.  Jesus will not close His heart even for 10 minutes, and He will not refuse to enter in the pain. 

 

There is nothing wrong with weeping at a time like this and kind of falling apart.  Jesus Christ was the most mature person that ever lived, and He is fallen into grief.  Therefore, the best people will be the biggest weepers.  Frankly, the people that are more like Jesus are going to be the people who cannot and do not avoid grief and who find themselves just pulled into the grief of other people that are hurting.  There is nothing wrong with that, and there is actually something very right about it.

 

Matthew 11:28-30  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

The Gap Behind and In Front

The Gap Behind and In Front

 

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller and the Scripture is Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

 

Many people often say that nobody can know about God and be sure that they are right.  How can they be sure about that since it itself is a belief about God?  How can you be so sure that you are right about not being able to know about God?

           

The answer is faith. You cannot prove it, so it is a statement of faith and you are basing your eternal destiny on that belief. You take what you cannot prove and live your life based on it, and that is faith.  The author of A Severe Mercy tells of a conversion experience: 

 

I began to see a gap between the possible and the proved, and it would take a leap of faith to cross it. I did not want to do that. If I was going to stake my life on the risen Christ, I did not want there to be any gap. I wanted proof, and I wanted letters across the sky. Then I realized there was a gap behind me as well. I could not prove Jesus is God, but I could not disprove Him either.  I realized that I could not reject Jesus without a great step of faith, and then I realized I could not go ahead without a great step of faith. Once I saw that the gap behind me was as great as the gap before me, I went across the gap before me and came to Jesus.

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining