Eyes on Jesus – Page 12

{Day 2}: Repent

October 2, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Welcome back to 31 Days of Love in Red Letters. Before we jump in, click here to find the first day of this series, as well as a list of all the posts together.

Okay, now we jump!

John the Baptist had been preaching a message to prepare people to meet the coming Messiah. Jesus came on the scene and repeated the command.

It’s not a cuddly message. It’s not a word people are itching to hear. It’s the kind of command that makes some people angry. But no matter how anyone responds, it comes from God’s love for mankind. Not only that, but it’s the first command Jesus gave, so we’d better listen up.

The time has come, he said. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! Mark 1:15, NIV

Notice the first phrase–the time has come. This tells us something new was going down. The time had come for Jesus to preach the good news, to heal the sick and feed the hungry, and to invite the masses into a new way.

Then Jesus said the kingdom of God has come near. God’s reign on earth had begun, through Jesus’ coming, through God coming down to us. What god comes down to their people? Our God. He came to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Luke 17:21 says, The kingdom of God is in your midst. The kingdom of God was present on earth in the person of King Jesus.

That right there? Is reason to repent and believe.

So what does it mean to repent?

To repent is more than saying you’re sorry. It’s more than a change of mind. It’s a complete turn away from the sin you held dear. It’s a turn to–or return to—God. Repentance is the idea that we’re all running away from God, going our own way. When we repent, we make a complete turnaround, and then we’re running to God.

After this, we always run to Him. {Except when we don’t. Because sometimes we won’t.} Hence, the need to repent and return.

In order to receive Jesus Christ, we must believe. And part of believing is agreeing with God that our sin is not okay. It’s seeing that our sin leads us away from God and agreeing we don’t want that. So we forsake whatever sins we struggle with, and follow Christ.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.

The beauty of repentance is GRACE–manifested through God’s faithful forgiveness. Even the message of repentance is His love in red letters.

Have a beautiful day…and hold on, it’s almost Friday!

~Angela

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31 Days of Love in Red Letters

October 1, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Don’t you just love October? The colors, crisp air, warm drinks, fall festivals, PUMPKINS, and the long-awaited reunion with cozy long-sleeves? I love it all. October leaves much to fall for. 🙂

This October, I’m taking the 31 Days challenge on my blog. I will link up with hundreds of bloggers at the Nester’s place–to write for 31 days.

But because I like making my own rules sometimes, I plan to write on weekdays only. That’s actually based on other bloggers’ suggestions. This way, I’ll live my weekend moments more fully, and who wants to spend a second of a perfect fall weekend indoors, at their computer?

This challenge will be a stretch for me, but that’s kind of the point. It’s all about diving deep into a topic of your choice and pushing yourself to write (and publish) every day (or in my case, every weekday).

So let’s jump right on in, shall we? Welcome to 31 Days of Love in Red Letters!

Last year, my husband was reading through the book of Matthew, when he came to the very last verse. “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” He realized he didn’t have a thorough understanding of all Jesus’ commands, so how would he teach them well?

He studied the four gospels, compiling a list of Jesus’ commands, along with who He was talking to and notes about the meaning. Many mornings, he sits at the breakfast table with our kids before work, teaching them the words of Jesus. This inspired me to write my 31 Days series about the words of Jesus, which in many Bibles are set apart in red letters.

In John 14:21, Jesus says, Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. (NIV)

So if we claim to love Jesus Christ, we will keep His commands. Love and obedience go hand in hand. The Bible is clear that we do not love Him if we do not obey Him. That does not mean we never disobey or that we never sin. In our hearts, we often prefer following ourselves more than we prefer following Jesus. It’s a definite struggle.

But we do not continue in sin if we love Jesus. When we see our sin, we confess and forsake it because we love Him.

Before we can obey Jesus, we need to “have” those commands stored up inside. We should know His words, who they were meant for, and what they mean. It takes time to study His Word, but the reward is great.

Luke 12:21 (NLT) says, A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.

Our reward through this study will be knowing Jesus better. Having a rich relationship with Him. At this point in my life, I can think of nothing better. I want to know Jesus, and know Him more. You too?

Join me as we visit a selection of Jesus’ words over the month of October. This will only be a start, but I hope it will inspire further study.

I treasure your comments on these scriptures and study notes, so please feel welcome to add your thoughts at the end of each post. If you want to receive these posts in your email inbox, enter your email address in the box to the right.

Now go out and ENJOY this beautiful October day!

~Angela

For your convenience, here are all my #31Days of Love in Red Letters posts:

{Day 8}: Take the Stairs

{Day 9}: Beauty of Blessedness

{Days 10-12}: Waves of Grace

{Day 13}: Before Wheat Bellies & Grain Brains

{Day 14}: Of Light

{Day 15}: Love Your Enemies

{Day 16}: The Door

{Day 17}: World Poverty Day

{Day 20}: The Lord is My Shepherd

{Day 21}: Walking Dead

{Day 22}: When Everything Is Awful

{Day 23}: True Vine & Real Good Fruit

{Day 24}: When Opportunity Knocks

{Day 27}: What We Really Need When We’re Weary

{Day 28}: On Dwelling In Christ & Fast and Swirly Surprises

{Day 30}: It’s All In Who You Ask

{Day 31}: 7 Jesus Quotes: It’s a Wrap!

Fill My Cup, Lord

September 12, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

I used to hide away in books.

Some were really smart books, I promise. But others were the romance, adventure, and sunny skies of Sweet Valley High.

Right alongside The Babysitter’s Club, this series stole my heart. What’s a 12-year-old girl not to love about California, twin sisterhood, high school, and “true” love??? A 12-year-old living frozen far north, nonetheless.

I wanted to get lost in those books. I wanted to be a Wakefield sister, living the kind of sunshiny perfection that existed in Sweet Valley, California. In my dreams.

But I was never meant to be a California girl–with a twin sister and a cute red convertible. I wouldn’t find happiness there, for more reasons than Sweet-Valley-Cali doesn’t exist outside of tween novels.

The thing is, you may never have dreamed of something as silly as life in Sweet Valley. But you dreamed of something. Or more likely, you still do. You dream of reaching some level, attaining some goal, arriving at some place, or becoming someone that finally does it for you–leaves you satisfied.

You’re thirsty for more. Or you can remember a time in your life when you were thirsty for so much more.

But look around. When people do this thing we call arrive, they’re never satisfied for long. Listen to interviews of athletes who accomplish great things. They’re focused on the next thing. They’re striving for a bigger goal. They won’t be satisfied until they get there.

Listen to celebrities. Being known, having the world at their fingertips–these haven’t filled them up enough. Listen to the rich. They’ve made it, supposedly. But it’s never enough. Or it’s too much to handle.

This morning, my kids and I read John 4, where Jesus sits with an outcast at a well and asks her for a drink of water. She objects, because Jesus was a Jew, and Jews weren’t even supposed to associate with people like her. But that didn’t deter Him.

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 (NIV)

So I was sitting on Laguna Beach a few weeks back, long after the death of my California tween-dream. I hadn’t heard this song for at least a decade, but at the sight of palm trees and turquoise and perfect Pacific sands, I couldn’t stop singing it all the sudden.

“Like the woman at the well, I was seeking for things that could not satisfy.

And then I heard my Savior speaking, ‘Draw from my well that never shall run dry.’

Fill my cup, Lord. I lift it up, Lord. Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.

Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole. (lyricsmode.com)

May it be what He’s done in you and me, and what He’s doing still. May we thirst for no other water ~ and look only to Him to be filled.

Hidden Idolatry

April 23, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Even with truth living in and around me, somehow the lie came along too.

I believed in Jesus so young. No major questions, just a big Yes, I believe. I don’t ever remember saying yes to the lie, but it followed me anyway.

It’s the oldest lie on the books, the same lie that poisoned Eden. It wears the mask of something more, something better. But it spoils. After it weasels in to take root in our hearts.

God doesn’t truly love you, not enough. You need more. That’s the lie.

Did you know we can hold the truth in one hand, and reach for something better with the other?

We live in such a broken-down place, but we still build our towers to the skies. We fill ourselves up, or we try.

Even when we hold the truth, we can be living under the influence of the lies.

We need to remember, on thousands of days–God loves us. Oh, how He loves and made a way to rescue us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He who came not to condemn the world, but to save it.

And we need to be reminded, Jesus is enough. He didn’t only die for us. He was raised to life for us. Because He IS life, and He wants to create new life in us.

Why do we still look for life in other places? We wouldn’t usually call it that. Okay, we’d never call it that.

But the root of all our sin is—we desire created things more than we desire the Creator. We are idolaters, of the hidden kind.

We need to remember who God is, and we need to remember who we are. And then, the only way for us, is to repent.

We need revival, the life of Jesus poured into us.

It starts here. Not at a spectacular event. Not under a big tent on a summer evening with a preacher’s voice booming and a call to come forward.

But here, in my heart, in the middle of April at my kitchen desk. With the Word open and my heart open. In this moment, I desire nothing more than Him. And when I stray from here, I need this revival again. {So I will need it by tomorrow. But actually much sooner.}

My life, in Christ, depends on it.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives IN HIM, rooted and built up in Him… Colossians 2:6-7

Before January Gets Away

January 23, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

I remember saying I would never peg my pants. Or wear capris. Or straighten my hair. Or marry someone who hunts. Or have 4 kids. Or homeschool. Oh, and I would never jump on the word-this-year bandwagon.

It turns out, I should stop saying I would never. Because all of the above proved I would.

Last January, I asked God for a word. It came instantly, and I wanted to trade it in for another. Because Victory? It didn’t mean a whole lot to me then. But I assumed God was fixing to make me a winner, which is a great way to think any day in January. 🙂

Let me back up a minute. In 2012, this verse kept crossing my path:

You give me your shield of victory and your right hand sustains me. You stoop down to make me great. Psalm 18:35

I wrote it on a card and stuck it in a drawer. It had my attention, because it kept showing up. But it didn’t seem entirely relevant to my life.

But then God went ahead and redefined victory for me. He used this verse to show me victory was GIVEN to me—not something I could achieve. Victory comes from His right hand, not mine.

Victory is simply Christ living in me. Simply, but mysteriously. It’s for me to live IS Christ.

Victory doesn’t come into our lives by TRYING, but TRUSTING.

I know all about the trying. Trying’s all on me. But trusting? Puts it all on Him. If I trust Him completely, then I can rest in Christ and receive His grace. I can let go of the notion this life will be all I make it.

It’s hard though. We are all about our effort here. Life’s about what we do and the results we make happen, even within the Kingdom of God. But Victory in Christ is like eternal life—it’s not something we can gain by trying harder. Jesus gives it freely, to any who will let go (literally, give up) and take it.

What I learned most this year? I need to get out of the way. It’s not my effort that will produce my best life now. It’s only my willingness to trust in, rest in, remain in the Lord. My willingness to die to myself and find my life hidden in Him.

My goal this year is to let go of I’ve got this and all the other mantras. To get out of the way and let Him be my strength. To trust His dreams for me are better than mine. Even if His idea of better doesn’t match my idea.

I ended the year with a couple accomplishments, but nothing more important than Christ in me, the hope of glory.

May this be the banner I raise, in 2014 and beyond…

Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20

God has chosen to make known the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

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{Day 2}: Repent

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31 Days of Love in Red Letters

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Fill My Cup, Lord

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Hidden Idolatry

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Before January Gets Away

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Compassion International

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