Category: Salvation

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The Birth – The Life – The Eternal God

Merry Christmas to you all!

Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the house, the only creatures stirring are Dave & I.

The coffee is brewed, and my cup is full but not nearly as full as my heart which is overflowing with love and appreciation for each of my family and friends who are reading this non-rhyming message.

A world changing event transpired over 2000 years ago when the sky was filled with an angelic chorus. A baby born affected the whole human race by introducing unconditional love in human flesh to reconcile us to a perfect and merciful God the Father.

Our prayer for you and your families this morning is that you know Him personally and that you have allowed Him to change your life. This is the life He modeled and the life He gives to us.

“Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. 11 In this new life it doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or not. It doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or even if you are a Scythian. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in all of you.

12 God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: Show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Don’t be angry with each other, but forgive each other. If you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you. 14 Together with these things, the most important part of your new life is to love each other. Love is what holds everything together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful.” Colossians 3:10-15

I woke up this morning thanking the Lord for coming as a baby, living a perfect sinless life as an example for us, dying in my place for sin and then rising to life again so that I could have new life in Him.

Christ is all that matters, and He lives in us!

“This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ, and that we love each other as he commanded. 24 All who obey God’s commands live in God. And God lives in them. How do we know that God lives in us? We know because of the Spirit he gave us.” I John 3:23-24 ERV

May we all live a life reflecting Him and His great love!

Be merry for Christ is born!

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Filled with Wonder

This past summer it seems that the whole world was sharing a marvelous experience. For nights the sky was filled with the beauty of the aurora borealis.

The pictures of the northern lights saturated social media, local and national news reports and other media outlets. The lights in the summer night sky were gorgeous, awe-inspiring.

Now imagine if when you saw those lights they were accompanied by an angelic choir. Can you place yourself with the shepherds outside of Bethlehem? Sheep resting peacefully on the grassy plain, a warm fire burning and the quiet. Aahhh, the quiet.

“That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9  All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.”

13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said:

14 “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God.”

15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” Luke 2:8-15 CEV

A Savior was born for you!

This story…this miraculous birth is one I have heard and told for many years. Does its familiarity and tradition dull our senses? Do we lose the wonder of that connection between God and man? Have our souls been calloused to the fact that Jesus, Immanuel (God with us) changed the course for all the world?

I hope not.

May our hearts always be stirred, may hope always rise, may faith always increase and may we always be filled with wonder!

Merry Christmas to all.

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No Room

Have you had those moments when a simple conversation has become a profound lesson?

We had moved back to Arizona from Montana, and we lived close to a small artisans’ community called Tubac. It became my favorite place to shop. We were decorating our home, and I found so many unique pieces there.

For years, I have collected angels and nativities. The shops had a myriad of those two items, but I found one thing very strange. In one particular shop there were nativities from around the world but there were no baby Jesus’.

Then I saw a small handwritten sign. “Please ask for the baby Jesus.” So, I did. I asked Max, the shop keeper, where’s the baby Jesus? He told me they had to keep them under the counter and in the back area of the store because people would steal the baby Jesus.

Steal the baby Jesus! Yes. Who would steal the baby Jesus? I couldn’t imagine that.

“ While they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth to her baby. 7 Her first son was born. She put cloth around Him and laid Him in a place where cattle are fed. There was no room for them in the place where people stay for the night.” Luke 2:6-7 NLV

I was taken back by the thought of someone stealing Jesus but I shouldn’t have been. Remember, that first Christmas when Jesus was born? There was no room for them except in a stable.

If the Innkeeper had known that Mary was carrying the Messiah would he have evicted one of the other guests and given her a room? But there was nothing about this young expecting couple that set them apart as holy and God-chosen. They were just weary travelers.

No room.

A stolen baby Jesus.

People have been taking Jesus out of the picture for years. He’s been replaced by Santa, stolen from society by the Grinch and an Elf. Yet, He still comes to each heart looking for a place to stay.

“See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and we will eat together.” Revelation 3:20 NLV

Don’t let Jesus be stolen from your Christmas celebration. May we always have room for Jesus!

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A Son is Given

It’s so hard to have your children or your grandchildren leave when they have been for a visit.

I can only imagine what the conversation must have been like when our Heavenly Father and Jesus spoke about His coming to earth. Coming in the form of a baby who would grow into a sinless man.

“A child has been born for us. We have been given a son who will be our ruler. His names will be Wonderful Advisor and Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 CEV

No parent likes to see their children leave. Those of us parents who have had children join the military or enter other “dangerous” occupations know the heart ache, the apprehension and even the worry of having our children go off into the unknown, into hostile and harmful circumstances.

But if you’re God…

You’re Son has been with you every moment from eternity past. You have created universes together; you have intervened in the lives of your creation in a powerful way. Never a cross word spoken, never a rebellious thought or action – your Son is your dearest friend, He’s a part of all you do and have ever done.

He’s leaving now – headed to earth. He will be loved by some, treated with ambivalence by most and hated by others and they will plot to kill Him. Although You know all this, You still choose to let Him go and even more than that You choose to let Him die so that He can provide reconciliation for all those who are incapable of providing for themselves.

“17 When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people.” II Corinthians 5:17

And all of this was not because of our great value or importance but because of His great love.

“Christ died for us when we were unable to help ourselves. We were living against God, but at just the right time Christ died for us. 7 Very few people will die to save the life of someone else, even if it is for a good person. Someone might be willing to die for an especially good person.But Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and by this God showed how much he loves us.9 We have been made right with God by the blood sacrifice of Christ. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger.” Romans 5:6-9

“Unto to us a Son is given”!

Would you be willing to give your son? Aren’t you glad He did!!

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Add A Little Twinkle

The hardest part of living in a “tiny home” is being quiet in the mornings when we have the littles here for a sleepover.

Their play/sleeping room is the loft, open to the living room and kitchen below. That’s where I sit each morning to read, pray and write. Not wanting to disturb them I try to sit as quietly as possible. No lights on except a night light that will aid them on their descent down the stairs and the glow of my laptop monitor. The only noise is the sound of the coffeemaker and my fingers on the keyboard.

We had a wonderful day yesterday. Turkey was a little slow cooking, but we had more food than we could possibly eat, the weather was perfect, the family time was wonderful, and the kids decorated the tree while Kaci and I cleaned up the kitchen and put away the leftovers. (Forgot to get the decorating pictures from Stephen but I’ll do that today).

The tree and the nativity on the back deck twinkled all night long. The kids did a great job.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,

Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine.

The holy-days (holidays) are a wonderful opportunity to let the light of Jesus shine through us to the world.

For those who are alone, it can be overwhelming. Movies and television specials show happy families, neighbors taking care of one another, love and generosity. Yet, many feel empty, frustrated and lonely.

That’s where we come in. I encourage you to be mindful of the reason we celebrate, it’s Jesus. Let His light shine through us to the world. His birth was announced as “good news to all people”.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world, 16 and you offer them the teaching that gives life...” Philippians 2:14-16a ERV

Now go shine and add a little twinkle to those in your world.

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Just As You Are

Yesterday Dave and I worked hard the entire day. We had planned to get together with friends in the evening but ended up staying home, feet propped up and watching a movie on tv.

It was a movie that made me cry. No, not a Hallmark movie. The movie title is “A Carpenter’s Prayer”. Very good, I recommend it.

The premise – a drunk, who has carpentry skills, helps a church who is building a new complex. They love him just the way he is. They help him with work, food, friendship and finding Jesus. I won’t tell you how it ends but at one place in the movie the man realizes that Jesus will accept him just the way he is.

I went to bed remembering my own experience and realization that Jesus loves me just the way I am and that I needed a Savior. I’m so thankful that we don’t need to be “good enough” to be saved.

“God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.

8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.” Ephesians 2:7-9 ERV

We come to relationship with Christ just as we are.

We don’t wash our cars before we take them to the car wash. That would be silly. It isn’t our good deeds that get Christ to love us. His love is unconditional; His grace is unmerited; His sacrifice paid the price for everyone.

“When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21 ERV

I grew up hearing “I’m just an old sinner saved by grace” nearly every Sunday evening. But that’s not true. We WERE old sinners but once we are saved we are a new creation. We are now called saints; we have become a child of God.

“ All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. 24 But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” Romans 3:23-24 CEV

God doesn’t want us looking back to who we once were, that part of our life is dead. He wants us looking forward to who He created us to be.

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Talking About Jesus

Really my favorite thing to do is talk about Jesus.

My day was hectic, but the bright spot was spending a few minutes talking about Jesus and His goodness. Well, you can’t talk about His goodness without talking about the sacrifice He made for all of us.

“2 Christ is the sacrifice that takes away our sins and the sins of all the world’s people.” I John 2:2 CEV

His sacrifice took away my sins, your sins and yes, the sins of the whole world. No one was left out; no one needs to experience the punishment for sin because Jesus took it for us.

“But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God’s right side, 13 and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power. 14 By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.” Hebrews 10:12-14 CEV

Christ willingly offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. That was His life’s mission while He was here on earth. It was His eternal destiny from the beginning of the age. He was born to die.

“The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.” II Peter 3:9 CEV

As my friend and I were talking we both said how amazing it is that God not only forgives our sins, but He chooses to forget them, as well. He doesn’t remind us of our sin, in fact, He wants us to be free of a guilty conscience.

“Then he says, ‘I will forget their sins and never again remember the evil they have done.’ 18 And after everything is forgiven, there is no more need for a sacrifice to pay for sins.” Hebrews 10:17-18 ERV

“ Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.” Hebrews 10:22 ERV

As I child, I often sang a hymn without really understanding the meaning. “Calvary Covers It All” seemed to be a theme of our church. Now, that song has such great depth of meaning to me.

“Far dearer than all that the world can impart

Was the message came to my heart;

How that Jesus alone for my sin did atone,

And Calvary covers it all.

Chorus

Calvary covers it all,

My past with its sin and shame;

My guilt and despair

Jesus took on him there

And Calvary covers it all.”

No fear, no condemnation, no guilty conscience. Only forgiveness, confidence and peace. Yes, let’s talk about Jesus and how grateful I am for His everlasting love!

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Followers, Friends, Family

I wish you could sit with me in the mornings and hear the words that the Lord drops into my heart. Although they can’t be heard audibly, they thunder in my soul.

“‘Wash yourselves clean! I hate your filthy deeds. Stop doing wrong 17 and learn to live right.
See that justice is done. Defend widows and orphans and help the oppressed.’

An Invitation from the Lord

18 I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are scarlet red, but they will be whiter than snow or wool. 19 If you willingly obey me, the best crops in the land will be yours.” Isaiah 1:16-19 CEV

When the Israelites were delivered from Egypt they had God’s promise, “I will be your God and you will be my people”. (Exodus 6:7, Leviticus 26:12)

But they forgot to serve God and went their own way and served other gods and also their own selfish ambitions. However, God did not forget them. He invited them to come, sit with Him, talk things over and He would forgive their sins and make them clean again. They were followers.

Jesus also had a group of people who were faithful followers and before He died Jesus elevated their relationship to one of friendship.

“14 And you are my friends, if you obey me. 15 Servants don’t know what their master is doing, and so I don’t speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything my Father has told me.

16 You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. 17 So I command you to love each other.” John 15:14-17 CEV

For three years they had followed Jesus. They had their up’s and down’s; Jesus taught them how to honor the Father. They had seen many miracles. Their time on earth together was coming to an end. Jesus reminded them that they had been chosen, we too have been chosen. He also reminded them that the Father would be attentive to their prayers.

Followers become friends. Friends become family.

“Only those people who are led by God’s Spirit are his children. 15  God’s Spirit doesn’t make us slaves who are afraid of him. Instead, we become his children and call him our Father. 16 God’s Spirit makes us sure that we are his children. 17 His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ we will be given what God has promised. We will also share in the glory of Christ, because we have suffered with him.” Romans 8:14-17 CEV

Family.

We have been invited to become family. Our heavenly Father is just, kind, and good. He is faithful, all-knowing, all-powerful, unconditionally loving. Nothing can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35)

Christ suffered persecution and rejection. His words were misunderstood, and He was ridiculed for saying that God was His Father. We will experience some of the same because we are His family.

Since we will share some of the same challenges and hardships, we have His promise of help.

“ Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved grace, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:15-16 CEV

We are family and God, our Father, is always there for us.

Followers, friends, family. I was a follower who became a friend but then I was adopted and now I’m family. Family is the best!

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Cleansed

The definition I found of this word is simple and succinct.

“make (something, especially the skin) thoroughly clean”

Thoroughly clean. What an amazing thought!

“So now anyone who is in Christ Jesus is not judged guilty. 2 That is because in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit that brings life made you free. It made you free from the law that brings sin and death. 3 The law was without power because it was made weak by our sinful selves. But God did what the law could not do: He sent his own Son to earth with the same human life that everyone else uses for sin. God sent him to be an offering to pay for sin. So God used a human life to destroy sin. 4 He did this so that we could be right just as the law said we must be. Now we don’t live following our sinful selves. We live following the Spirit.

5 People who live following their sinful selves think only about what they want. But those who live following the Spirit are thinking about what the Spirit wants them to do. 6 If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.” Romans 8:1-6 ERV

When we were in Greece last year, we spent a lot of time walking on the beach. The waves would roll in and when they receded our footprints had been completely removed. The seashore was once again cleansed of our trespass.

That’s what God’s love and provision of salvation does for our lives. It cleanses us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

“ But if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can trust God to do this. He always does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrong things we have done.” I John 1:9 ERV

“ He died to make the church holy. He used the telling of the Good News to make the church clean by washing it with water. 27 Christ died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be holy and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other thing wrong in it.” Ephesians 5:26-27 ERV

When we come to the Father, confessing our sin, He cleanses us. Washes us clean. His word says that He not only forgives our sin but He forgets it as well. God will never remind us of our past transgression. He removes it from us.

“I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.” Isaiah 1:18 ERV

God forgives and forgets however; we often dwell on the things we’ve done wrong. We need to have our guilty conscience cleansed so that we can live in the freedom Christ died to bring us.

“Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time...22 Sprinkled with the blood of Christ, our hearts have been made free from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. So come near to God with a sincere heart, full of confidence because of our faith in Christ.” Hebrews 10:10 & 22 ERV

Because of Christ we can have a clear conscience and confidence in our relationship with God.

“And when our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God, because God is greater than our hearts. He knows everything.” I John 3:20 ERV

My dear friend this is the good news of the gospel – we are not condemned. We are cleansed – made thoroughly clean!

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Crazy Stuff

This morning when I opened my computer, I had a notice from “Meta”. I think it was spam and reported it but just in case it isn’t, I would like to ask if you enjoy reading this blog every morning and are blessed by it that you go directly to the website www.arizonakristi.com and go to the blog page and subscribe for the daily emails.

I will continue posting on Facebook for as long as I can but I will not change the message of God’s goodness, grace, forgiveness and unconditional love. He forgives, He loves and He saves! This is the good news the world needs to hear.

“Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20 CEV

This is my world. You are my world. God has called me to teach and this is the platform I have. I will use it as long as I am able and without apology.

“ How can people have faith in the Lord and ask him to save them, if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear, unless someone tells them? 15  And how can anyone tell them without being sent by the Lord? The Scriptures say it is a beautiful sight to see even the feet of someone coming to preach the good news. 16  Yet not everyone has believed the message. For example, the prophet Isaiah asked, “Lord, has anyone believed what we said?”

17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.” Romans 10:14-17 CEV

My goal each day is to build faith in the life of every reader.

God’s goodness cannot be stopped and it cannot be contained. He offers it freely to all, to everyone who will believe.

“ God doesn’t take back the gifts he has given or disown the people he has chosen.” Romans 11:29 CEV

“They replied, ‘Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!’ This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.” Acts 16:31 CEV

“ no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13  All who call out to the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12-13 CEV

One of the most famous verses in the Bible is John 3:16

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

Our heavenly Father is an all inclusive God. He always has been, and always will be. Whoever, anyone, who comes to Him and believes in Him and what He provides for us will be saved.

“ I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering. 12 You will turn back to me and ask for help, and I will answer your prayers. 13  You will worship me with all your heart, and I will be with you” Jeremiah 29:11-13 CEV

In this crazy world the love of God must continue to be preached. I will “go to the world” and you are the world I have been sent to.

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