Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. Isaiah 1:18

I’m amazed at God. He puts up with so much pride, arrogance, flippancy, selfishness, and injustice from us. But, in the middle of all of that He has always had a plan in motion to make it all right for each of us. This (salvation) is not just a “macro” story either, it’s true in the micro sense and you see it play out in every saved person’s life.

We were God’s enemies and took him for granted, even denied He was real. So we lived however we wanted to and said “screw it!” to the future. All along, God has been planning to make every stain and stench of our sin no more and a clean, white crisp cloak of rightness in its place.

Salvation is found when we admit this is not only the story of humanity but our very own story. And then, salvation isn’t earned by our hard work or sorry feelings but by someone else doing for us what we could never do (Jesus – life of obedience, death on the cross, conquering death…)

Salvation is experienced by living a clean and righteous life we couldn’t live before but (because Jesus did it) we can’t help but live that way, too. The rebellion (inside us) ceases and we are ready and willing to serve God. Yep, serve God.

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 1:19, 20

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 ESV

It’s funny how God gives us a dream and we try so hard to figure out how we flourish in that dream. The dream, however, isn’t ours to capitalize on or from which to gain a profit. In truth, when God gives us a dream or reveals to us our calling He’s showing us how He plans to squeeze us out of the picture completely.

Yeah… fulfilling our dream God’s way is to fulfill God’s dream – the deeper we go, the less us there is to it. Right now, I’m so full of excitement at what God wants to do – honored and humbled that the Lord would use me in any way. That said, I’m prone to hang here in a state of imminence if I’m still concerned with my own identity in the work God is doing.

God has called me to serve others. It’s my dream to make disciples of unlikely and unfavorable people (like me). It’s my dream to serve the poor in creative ways and to make ways for people without hope to have nothing but hope.

But… it’s not even my dream… this started long before me… this city, these people were all on the heart of God long before I gave a thought to them. When these dreams are formed in me, it’s Christ being formed in me. He must truly become my whole life. I must decrease, and He must increase.

And all I want is for Christ to appear, I’ll take His glory over mine any day.

If we’ve failed to see Jesus thus far, perhaps we are just not looking. This could explain why the cross makes so much sense to those finally standing on the other side of it. Think of when you’ve purchased a new car or pair of shoes – suddenly you are aware of all nuance of car or shoe and can derive comparison and category with only a glance. When you’ve come to believe in the power of the Cross and Jesus’ work there you can then see the story unfolded all around you. It’s always been there, but now you see it.

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself. If only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24

Is it possible to live this way without facing the same kind of persecution Paul faced or that believers face all over the world today? I’m going to do my best to live this way!

My heart belongs to Jesus and I know my life only counts for how I make Him and His Gospel known in whatever circumstances I will face. I will not evaluate my life based on Twitter followers, or blog hits, or Facebook friends, or invitations to parties, or meetings with important and prominent people, or the conferences I attend, or the hip or chic way I dress, or the way certain people respect my opinion, or the good advice I give, or the way I excel in business, or even in raising well-behaved children and being a breadwinner for my wife…

My value – all of it – comes from using my life to tell of Jesus and the good news of God’s grace!

Lord, may these words sink in! May they reach my heart, change my thinking, and move me to action!

Instead of blaming someone else for preventing you from being who you really are, why not start showing up and see what happens?

You might get fired, or something even better.

Perhaps you might finally let your organization be what it should be – a laboratory for your transformation, not theirs.

Blaine Hogan, UNTITLED – Thoughts on the Creative Process

They get a second chance.

But what about the guy with a long list of mistakes, some seasons of foolishness, and an unlikely comeback story, and, oh yeah… fame? It’s too far-fetched. Right?

Enter Mike Tyson. Yeah, I linked his Wikipedia because everyone knows you are the sum total of everything found about you online. But, what if you’re not. What if there are scenes between edits, paragraphs handwritten in the margins, measures unplayed?

You would want everyone to know there’s more to you than that, wouldn’t you? You’re more than an icon of failure. There was a then, but there is most certainly a now.

My prayer for the now season of Mike’s life is blessing. I pray he is blessed with hope and courage to live toward his destiny – something he, with all of his accomplishments and failures, has yet to fully realize.

I pray, most of all, for his hope to come from Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, there is a between-the-lines hope for all who believe in Him.

Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God’s grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God’s glory. We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. When we were unable to help ourselves, at the moment of our need, Christ died for us, although we were living against God. Romans 5:1-6 NCV

–
Read more posts from the POTSC #NeverBeyond Poster Series.

The problem(s):

• we deny just how badly we need to change
• we don’t know what else we want (or should want) to be

The result: we don’t change.

How do we stop this pattern? We must get the past our wants and find out what God wants. Then… all we have to do is obey.

Too simple? Think about it. Where did we (humans) get this idea that we’re supposed to figure out our life’s destiny and devote ourselves to achieving it? We were made to be the loved and obedient creation of God. We find our destiny and calling when we obey the commands and calling of God. But you have to get started. Here’s how (it’s simple and not simple!)…

Do what God’s teaching says; when you only listen and do nothing, you are fooling yourselves. Those who hear God’s teaching and do nothing are like people who look at themselves in a mirror. They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like. But the truly happy people are those who carefully study God’s perfect law that makes people free, and they continue to study it. They do not forget what they heard, but they obey what God’s teaching says. Those who do this will be made happy. James 1:22-25

Do what God’s teaching says. I thought about making this say “Find out what God’s teaching says” but really, that would be superfluous. The Word of God must be so ingrained into our life (our daily life) that the gap between finding out and actually doing what it says should disappear. Let’s find out on the way to doing God’s will. The Bible is the authority for life – this is a good thing – study it, enjoy it, let it shape your patterns and character for life.

When you know what the Word says, get going with obeying immediately. The longer you hear it and do nothing, the more out of whack your spiritual life becomes.

Be honest about disobedience. This week, the Holy Spirit graciously and clearly convicted my heart and mind about a sin I have been asking forgiveness for but have yet for which to have made restitution. I am thankful and making it right now.

We must look into the mirror and be honest about what we see – then, don’t forget it! Always remember the Gospel of Jesus: You are a sinner and unable to make things right between you, God, and others. God loves you and knowing the truth about you (including all your sins and secrets) sent His Son Jesus to live among people like you and die a gruesome death you deserved to die. Jesus didn’t stay dead, he doesn’t want you to either. He wants you to live in what he died to give you – a relationship of trust and love with him!

Every time we see a pattern of sin in our life, we must remember the truth! Then, we can rely on the strength of what Jesus did and change!

Yeah, they were great.

Okay… they were nerdy.

But I didn’t care because for my first five years I thought I could see perfectly.
But now… now, I could really see!

What does this have to do with forgiveness – with second chances?

Look into those eyes. Yeah, those eyes on the poster. You may have guessed who this is depicting already. Perhaps her image evokes an emotional response – anger or sorrow.

Keep looking into those eyes. Maybe you don’t feel anything – you don’t even care, you’d rather she not take up one more thought in your mind.

Both responses reveal unforgiveness – a lack of grace. How? Because whenever you look at a human being, the most elegant creation of God, one for whom Jesus suffered, died, and saw the Father’s face turn away from him for and have hatred or it’s close relative indifference – you are unforgiving and the grace of God is coming up short in your heart.

Why does this matter? Why does she matter? Why do they matter? Because Jesus is glorified and lifted up to where the lost and broken can see him when his people live mercy like him.

Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that the blind would see and so that those who see will become blind.”
Some of the Pharisees who were nearby heard Jesus say this and asked, “Are you saying we are blind, too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you keep saying you see, your guilt remains.” John 9:39-41 NCV

When we hold onto hate or ridicule the one in need of grace, we are like the pharisees claiming to be righteous in and of themselves – as though we have 20/20 vision in our hearts – truthfully, we’re blind.

But if we’ll look into those eyes and see a person – maybe even see ourselves – then we can see our own need for mercy and realize how much of it we’ve already received.

• Can you look into those eyes? (click here to zoom in…)
• Whose eyes would you never look into?
• Have you ever had a “now I can see!” experience?
• Who do you need to forgive right now?

Why is it so easy to live without God and impossible at the same time? His mercy on my life is evident with every breath I take. Every mistake or decision where I’ve not leaned into him for guidance is not dealt with swiftly and justly – that’s mercy, too! His mercy is new every morning.

“From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” Galatians 6:17

I was going to tweet this scripture and say after it, “So… whatever doesn’t kill you makes you more like Jesus, right?” Wow! I am amazed at how quickly and without thought I can validate myself next to scripture – as though I bear on my body the marks of Jesus in full and can boast of it. How stupid of me! For the sake of a cute tweet, I would ridicule those who are truly suffering and bearing the marks of Jesus today?

Instead, I tweeted, “Praying for those who bear the same marks right now in our world…” I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit – he is grieved by arrogance and self-promotion in his presence – instead of allowing me to use this verse as a personal “bumper-sticker” he led me to pray for those who suffer under persecution today.

And so, this is what I’m praying for people suffering persecution today because of their faith in Jesus – whether it be because of their profession of faith or because they’ve committed crimes against their oppressors in order to serve Christ above all other gods.

• for them to have courage that comes from their faith in Jesus
• for them to praise Him in the middle of their situation (Acts 16:25)
• for their healing physically
• for their preservation emotionally and mentally
• that they love their captors – not in a “Stockholm Syndrome” kind of way but as Jesus loved those who persecuted him when he said, “Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
• for freedom for those in persecution in the timing God has in mind.
• and (again) for their hope to be in Christ completely.

Galatians 6:9 is for them…

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”