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Sin Cannot Win

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He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. (Isaiah 53:12)

Sooner or later we all feel the painful effects of sin. Sometimes it’s the weight of our own sin and the shame and embarrassment of having failed miserably. At other times, it’s the load of someone else’s sin that weighs us down-someone who betrayed, deceived, abandoned, ridiculed, cheated, or made a fool of us.

Think about a time when the weight of that guilt or pain was so heavy that you couldn’t pull yourself out of bed. Now try to imagine the heaviness of the combined grief that everyone’s sin has caused your family, your church, your neighborhood. Add to that all the suffering sin has caused everyone in your city, province, nation, and the world. Now try to imagine the accumulated grief that sin has caused throughout the centuries since creation. Is it any wonder that the weight of all this sin began squeezing the life out of Jesus on the night He was called to bear it? (Matthew 26:36-44). The next day, even His beloved Father would forsake Him. No other suffering can compare.  

Sin put Jesus to the ultimate test. But His love endured it, His strength bore it, and His power overcame it. Thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection, we know beyond a doubt that sin will not and cannot win.

Christ’s empty tomb guarantees our victory over sin and death.Click To Tweet

The empty tomb of Jesus shows us that sin is no longer our master and that we are no longer slaves to its fear and shame. Paul says in Romans 6:14:

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

In Romans 6 Paul connects the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus as the foundation for the reality of the spiritual transformation that have taken place in our lives after our decision of believing and confessing that Jesus is our Lord, being our experience of baptism the proof and testimony of that. In Romans 6:4 he writes:

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

All this shows us that the salvation that Jesus brings is complete. Sin cannot win and our faith in Jesus’ victory cannot fail.

Listening Prayer: “Lord Jesus, what are the lies that I’ve been believing about myself that won’t allow me to enjoy your victory? Please help me to identify them and stop believing them. I’m victorious in You, Jesus.”

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Christ’s Identity and Mine

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From time to time, we read of people who are offended at not being treated with what they consider due respect and deference. “Do you know who I am?” they shout indignantly. And we are reminded of the statement, “If you have to tell people who you are, you probably really aren’t who you think you are.” The polar opposite of this arrogance and self-importance is seen in Jesus, even as His life on earth was nearing its end.

Jesus entered Jerusalem to shouts of praise from the people (Matthew 21:7-9). When others throughput the city asked, “Who is this?” the crowds answered, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee” (vv. 10-11). He didn’t come claiming special privileges, but in humility, He came to give His life in obedience to His Father’s will.

The words Jesus said and the things He did commanded respect. Unlike insecure rulers, He never demanded that others respect Him. His greatest hours of suffering appeared to be His lowest point of weakness and failure. Yet, the strength of His identity and mission carried Jesus through the darkest hours as He died for our sins so that we might live in His love. He is worthy of our lives and our devotion today. Do we recognize who He is? 1

'When once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same' (Oswald Chambers)Click To Tweet

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, you are the most significant person in my life. Your affirmation of me is so much more important than what anyone else says or thinks. When I come to you and genuinely want to know what you think I should do, you will certainly enlighten my mind and strengthen my will in regard to the situation. Help me always do you Father’s will.”

Listening Prayer: “Jesus, what do you think about ________________ ?” 2

Notes:

  1. Extracted from A New Life by David McCasland ↩
  2. Extracted from Lenten Grace ↩
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The Key to grow in any type of Relationship

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In Ontological Coaching we believe that: “Relationships are created with commitment. They are maintained with trust. And, they grow with communication.” 1 For a long time, we have believed that communicating was simply talking, discarding the fundamental role of the quality of listening in any communication process. We were taught that communication was simply the flow of information from a sender to a receiver who, instead of actively participating in the conversation, only listens and receives information or instructions. This model of classic communication is already obsolete and needs to be replaced by a dynamic communication model where the relationship and the scope of the results that are set as goals in the relationship are the most important objective and not the common “I am right. You are wrong.” Always wanting to be right is the game of our egos and it is the number one enemy of healthy communication.

Always wanting to be right is the game of our egos and it is the number one enemy of healthy communication.Click To Tweet

The Scriptures speak a lot about communication, not only vertical communication (our relationship with God) but also about horizontal communication (our relationship with one another). If we want different results in our marriage, in the upbringing of our children or in the workplace we must commit ourselves to a process of deep transformation that will carry forward the Holy Spirit in our spirit, in our mind, in our emotions, in our language, and in our actions. Romans 12:2 urges us to renew the way we think (literally, discard the old way of thinking completely corrupted by the ego and begin to think differently guided by the Spirit of God and his Word). In the field of communication, James 1:19 teaches us the importance of the quality of listening (“quick to listen, slow to speak”) and the correct management of our emotions through the government of the Holy Spirit in our lives (“slow to get angry”). Because of our flesh, human beings always tend to impose our opinions and ideas on others, regardless of how often they hurt not only the emotions of the other person but also the fabric of the relationship I have with that person. Many of the marital and family problems that plague our society occur at the level of communications.

We need to realize the need for transformation in our lives, our marriages, and families. We need to be renewed and transformed by the Holy Spirit in order to strengthen the relationships that are important in our lives. If we do so we will live happier lives and we will show the world the blessing of lives and families surrendered to the government of God.

Notes:

  1. Comunicación Productiva en la Era de las Relaciones by Alejandro Marchesán © GAE, 2006 ↩
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The Solution to Loneliness

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This Wednesday was Valentine’s Day. For many people, this day means chocolates, roses, a romantic dinner or a movie date. But for others this day is like any other, one more day feeling the weight of loneliness. While some celebrate love, many people are feeling right now the atrocious effects of loneliness.

In a recent study published by Global News here in Canada, the psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad found that social isolation contributes as strongly to mortality as does smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Yes, you heard that right, loneliness is associated with various health effects such as cardiovascular problems, cellular aging, among others. In said article, Dr. Holt-Lunstad ends up saying: “Our relationships help provide a sense of meaning and purpose in life. And that can translate to better self-care as well as less risk-taking.” 1

Now, in the book of Genesis, we read about how God created the universe. On the six successive days of creation, God spoke and what He said happened. Even more, after every day of creative work God himself confirmed that everything He created was good indeed. Until He noticed that something was not right. Man was alone.Not even the majesty of Eden and the company of all the animal kingdom could fill man’s need for social relationships. God then, in his infinite wisdom, formed from one of Adam’s ribs his wife Eve, his suitable helper and the object of his love. At that precise moment God gave Adam, and by extrapolation to all mankind, the solution to loneliness, this is, love: to receive and give love.

The Father sent his Son into the world so that we can once again experience real love and from there give it to others through the work of the Spirit in our lives.Click To Tweet

Although in the following chapters we see that sin began to sicken the social fibers of humanity, the love cord of God never broke. As the New Testament shows us, the Father sent his Son into the world so that we can once again experience real love and from there give it to others through the work of the Spirit in our lives (not for nothing the first fruit of the Holy Spirit is love). I invite you to let yourself be used by God this week and show your love to those who feel alone. Do not let loneliness take place in your life and in the lives of those around you. You have the solution: God’s love.

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Notes:

  1. Loneliness even unhealthier than obesity, should be a public health priority: psychologist by Leslie Young © Global News, 2018 ↩

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