My Redeemer Lives

My Redeemer lives and I will see His glory as He works all things together for my good.Whatever things occur of this I can be sure, I know my Redeemer lives.

Even though I walk through the valley, I will fear no evil He is with me.And on the battlefield, although the pain is real, my struggles soon will fade as His glory is revealed.

The message of this praise chorus says it all for me. In sickness, in health, when my children have struggled, when I have struggled with finances, my marriage, people, work, places and things; through it all sometimes I have to be reminded that My Redeemer lives. I recently mentioned that I wished that the symbol for Christianity was the empty tomb, instead of the cross. Maybe that would help me to remember that I serve a living Christ. The cross is a symbol of suffering and death, but the empty tomb is the symbol of new life; Eternal life for all of us who believe that God sent Jesus here to earth to die for our sins, each and every one of us. In Romans 10: 9 – 13 the Apostle Paul reminds us “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto Righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

It goes without saying that life in Jesus Christ is not always easy, but as Psalm 23 tells us and the chorus above reminds us; even though I walk through the valley, I will fear no evil for He is with me. And on the battlefield, although the pain is real, my struggles soon will fade as His glory is revealed.

Jesus Christ is our full time resource. Trust in Him, the work that He did on the cross for us and remember to praise Him for the empty tomb.
Grace and Peace

Walking in the Light

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7. The Apostle John, the author of this book, walked with Jesus talked with Jesus and was a student of Jesus. John knew that Jesus always knew what He was doing, and where He was going. Jesus walked in the light… even at night. Those who had fellowship and worked with Him, were also walking in the light, because they were where He was and involved in what He was doing. In verse 5 the apostle John declares, “God is light.” God is never confused about anything. He knows exactly what He's doing and where He's going. And God is working in this world. Light is the absence of darkness. We can’t create darkness, we can only add light. So darkness is the absence of light, cold is the absence of heat and evil is the absence of good. John stated in verse 6, “if we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie.” What John said is really not complicated. I say I work for URS Corporation, but if I never go to work, never turn in a time sheet, no one at the company has ever seen me, and I’m not on their payroll or have drawn a paycheck… it is clear that I’m not telling the truth, I really don"t work for them. If someone says they are walking with God, but they aren't involved in what He's doing, their name is not on His work rolls, there is no fruit in their life then they are not telling the truth, they are not walking with God. To walk with God all you must do is get involved in what He’s doing on His terms on this earth. I had a Pastor friend once give me some very valuable advice he said "Look and see where God is working and go there and get involved with Him…" it’s where the light is...

Peace and Grace