FRIDAY April 17, 2009

This is going to sound like a crazy statement but I have to say this….hard times help us. I know..don’t stop reading….There is a scripture in the bible that says “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:2-4, Message Bible). Basically what this cat James is saying is that don’t trip when you start catching hell. Now if you are like me, this really does not make sense…on any level. But if I re-read the statements, it is saying that when you are getting bombarded with a lot of stuff at once (money is a trip, friends are “sometimey”, school is getting to be too much, child support is due, or he’s not paying it…the list could go on and on…) that is the time that the REAL YOU comes out. That’s when you know what you are made of. Our responsibility (if we say that we are Christians) is to let the pressure push out the best in us. In order to get to the BEST, you have to go through some MESS! Just laugh at your MESS and say “you my have me down right now, but when I get back up, I’m gonna be better than I’ve ever been”. I was reading something one day and the article was talking about Cholesterol. It said that not all Cholesterol is bad. The bad hides in with the good sometimes and that’s when we panic. But if we look at Cholesterol a little differently; we will learn that even if it starts out bad, the challenges develop us into something good. Wow! I encourage you as I encourage myself. Make this Friday a F.R.E.S.H. Friday!

FRIDAY April 10, 2009


Today, Friday April 10, 2009, is the first edition of F.R.E.S.H. Friday Devotions. We pray that the things that you will learn and discuss here will be a blessing to you and your growth in Christ for years to come. Please feel free to comment and even ask questions about each devotion. Again, that’s how we grow…..

Today is the day that we as a Christian Community recognize the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross over 2000 years ago. The sacrifice Jesus made physically by the innumerable beatings and the pain he experienced emotionally by being betrayed by those closest to him was a very high price to pay. As a matter of fact, it was the ONLY price God would accept for the debt of sin. When we sinned against God, (did something that was against his way of doing things) there had to be a payment that would get us back in good standing with God. The death of the sinless Jesus was the only thing that was valuable enough to pay the price that God would accept for the debt of sin.
One thing that I am learning about life is that the pathway to purpose is paved with pain. Since the purpose of Jesus was to die for the sins of the whole world, He had to experience some pain.
About a year ago, I tore a ligament in my knee and had to go through a period of rehabilitation. The doctor explained to me that in order to get back my full range of motion I would experience some pain. The way to my recovery was through the pain of rehab. In order to get to the place of freedom, I had to go through some pain. The same is true with our freedom from the penalty of sin. The bible says “without shedding of blood is no remission [of sin].” (Hebrews 9:22b) There is no blood without pain.
It’s not that we celebrate the pain, but we are thankful for the pain. So over the next week, let’s reflect on the pain that Jesus suffered for us….so that we can be free. We may not be free from pain, but we are free from the penalty. Every time you go through something that you don’t want to deal with or something that hurts, just remember “The sufferings [PAIN] we have now are nothing compared to the great glory [PURPOSE] that will be shown to us.” (Romans 8:18-NCV)
….make it a F.R.E.S.H. Friday!