… that Christ is … (2)
January 17, 2012
“Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life — no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.” Romans 6:6-7 The Message
Jesus was known as someone who touched lepers .. freed a paralyzed man’s body .. gave sight to a blind man .. restored wholeness to a man out of his mind .. told a sinful woman she was forgiven .. offered life to a disreputable woman .. restored his closest betrayer .. and defeated the power of sin on the Cross. He’s not a God who “was”. He is the God who “is”. He’s alive and it is that everyday engaging assurance that we are following Jesus as Lord and Savior. His life doesn’t make your life smaller but the very opposite. Your life finds all the room you need to grow into more of who God created you to be in His love and grace. He is the One who takes all the broken and dislocated pieces of your life and fits all it together in His risen life. Jesus isn’t a solution .. He is the indwelling source of your life .. He is your saving life. Without Him your life is miserable .. because there isn’t anything you can create in your own strength or effort that can put your life back together and hold you together. What makes life so hard is when we try to keep living life with Jesus being someone in our past not living and abiding in the present tense moments of today. It’s in “Christ that you find out who you are what you are living for.” (Eph. 1:11) Christ not only showed you what love is .. He offers you this same life to live today. Whatever is in your life today … Christ is here for you. It only takes a moment …
“We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. … So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe — people and things, animals and atoms — get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.” Colossians 1:15, 18-20 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to the God-Found .. Christ-alive followers and friends of Priority One (ken@prioirityone.org)
Learning to love … (1)
January 16, 2012
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and will all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deut. 6:4-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible
You’ve been called by God to an impossible life: to love. You were designed to be loved by God through his unconditional love. But the only way you have ever received and given love is conditional. You got in the way … Your parents got in the way … Your friends got in the way … and even the world you live in got in the way. Everything about God’s love is to be the first and primary source of your life and how you live. His love is meant to fill your days and be a part of everything and everyone in your life. The Lord doesn’t intend for His love to be a burden but without Jesus it becomes almost unbearable. Why …? Because you’ve got places in your heart that you guard against being hurt .. or hurt further. You’ve got past and present scars that make you cautious and controlling. But … you’ve been called to “learn how to love” and Jesus is the One who moment by moment … day by day … and over a long path ahead teaches you how to love by loving you in the deepest places and even in the most shallow places of your life. As He says: “Walk with Me .. Work with Me … Watch how I do it … Learn the unforced rhythms of grace”. (Mt. 11:29 MSG) So you’ve been called to learn how to love today and Jesus invites you to follow Him into all the places and people around your life. His list isn’t exhaustive because His grace never runs out. It only takes a moment …
“Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut. Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first”, Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.” 1 Cor. 13:4-7
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Lifers enrolled in the classroom taught by Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Losing Control is a gift … pure and gracious!
January 12, 2012
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jews first and also the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 New Living Translation
The Christian life is learning to love the Life that Christ is living in you. The power of God at work is that God is good. His saving work is the Gospel is real. And a righteous life is found because the Grace of God through Jesus Christ is life-changing. The reality of God’s love is that it can become more real to you than anything or anyone you know. Jesus changes your heart from serving and saving yourself. His Gospel .. His Good News .. His Life-Saving Message is truly a gift. You can’t earn it .. work hard enough for it .. make up for all the mistakes .. or overcome all of your shortcomings and flaws. In the midst of all of that God offers you His saving love in the life of His Son. It’s gift that is truly free but it doesn’t free you to live as you want. It frees you to live and love out of the indwelling life of Jesus who is alive in your life. The Good News of Jesus literally, figuratively, and spiritually changes you. You are graciously loved and accepted by putting your faith in Christ .. not in yourself .. not in your old patterns .. not even in others. In exchange .. you are changed from the inside out: new identity .. new understanding of yourself .. a Gospel size view of the world .. and a heart change and love that give you the strength to avoid and escape the false lovers that fill your world. They look like anything that takes your life away from Jesus. As one New York street-called Jesus-follower said: “You are accepted by God by sheer grace through the work of Christ regardless of anything you have done or are doing.” A German pastor said that grace that doesn’t change the way you live is merely “cheap grace”. You can’t stay alone in Christ. His life in you directs your path toward others .. some hurting .. some alone .. some suffering .. some homeless .. some scared .. some wandering .. some just trying desperately to make life work for today or are just holding on. It’s not you that opens your eyes but Jesus opening your eyes to see. Forgiveness is granted .. Friendships formed .. and Families are born …. in Christ. This is the life He offers … pure and gracious. It only takes a moment …
“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”" Romans 1:17 New Living Translation
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to God’s Grace-Filled Works following Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Losing Control to the Lord who offers you Life …
January 11, 2012
“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35 New American Standard
Jesus says that if you come to Him you will not hunger. He knows that you hunger for meaning .. purpose .. and security in your life. Jesus could have offered you a formula or a method for attaining all that you hunger for … but instead He offers you His life. It is not surprising that there are so many alternatives to following Christ .. believing in Him .. and actually trusting Him to lead you when the path in front of you seems dark and uncertain. The temptation is always there to trust yourself first or as a backup in case the Lord doesn’t come through. He says He is the bread of Life and that can only mean “HE IS THE BREAD OF LIFE!. If He is anything less .. then He isn’t the Lord. And if He isn’t the Lord you will starve in this life because all of the “food” that’s offered to you cannot give you Life. What Jesus offers you is Life … not just bread to stay alive but Life .. to live unafraid in the Light of His indwelling life. What Jesus offers you is so much more than you can imagine. He offers you a Life that you can give to others because you begin to see people all around you starving and stumbling. And all you can do is offer them freely everything that has been freely offered to you. What are you hungering for? Does it lead to the One who offers you His life or is it leading you down a path that you have to control. Is the way in front you unclear? Jesus says so simply that if you are following Him … you will not walk in darkness. With Jesus … it only takes a moment …
“I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 New American Standard
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Christ-Followers and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Losing Control to the Lord who became like you …
January 10, 2012
“When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death — and the worst kind of death at that — a crucifixion.” Philippians 2:7-8 The Message
Deep down inside of you is a quiet, rarely seen part of you that thinks that you are pretty good .. fairly decent .. mostly kind and fair .. even loving toward others. And then there is another side of you .. maybe just as quiet, maybe rarely seen that is not so good .. rather selfish .. selectively kind .. showing love but really not living out of love toward others. In fact, there are so many seen and unseen parts of you that the only way God was ever going to get close to you was become you. So He did … He stepped into every detail of your life. He faced all the choices you’ve faced or will ever face. He was offered unimaginable positions and possessions if He would only lean away from Heaven. There isn’t anything hidden from His life. Jesus has opened His life to you to offer you an unimaginable life. He knows your scars because they have become His. He went through all of this for you so you would trust Him to be sufficient for this day .. for your whole life. That means He’s sufficient for your problems and pressures .. dreams and disappointments .. and every layer upon layer of days .. months .. and years you carry around inside. Jesus emptied himself of everything that would keep you from thinking that He couldn’t identify with your life. Funny … He never lost control because He only trusted in the One who really has the grace-filled and truth-filled control to manage your life into something unimaginably whole. He trusted His Father .. your true Father who has never stopped loving you for one moment .. never given up on you for one moment .. and never will. You can walk right up to Him … it only takes a moment …
“It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. …He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all — all but the sin. So, let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” Hebrews 2:16-17/4:15-16 The Message
Ken Chester:Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to You who follow Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Losing Control to the Lord who pursues …
January 9, 2012
“When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh Lord, please leave me — I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” Luke 5:8 New Living Translation
When you encounter Jesus you see all of your shame-filled .. guilt-filled .. and fear-filled “self”. You see your stored thoughts .. past actions and inactions .. hidden flaws and failings in your heart. They are all there in that moment. Our first impulse is to hide .. flee .. or push Him away. But He doesn’t move. Your sin doesn’t push him away. In fact, Jesus is much more in tune with all that consumes your life. He sees the strife .. the stress .. and the struggles you face everyday. And instead of leave you alone .. He invites you to join Him .. to follow Him .. and learn all about the faith He is working into your life. Your faith isn’t about you but about Jesus. Why? Because He is the One who purifying the deepest places of your life. And that takes time .. the same kind of time and power that raised Him from the dead. It’s not always pleasant. There are rough areas in every man and woman. No amount of fish .. success or other great gains can prove your faith to be genuine. That takes the Lordship of Jesus and His ownership of your life. No one likes losing control in front of others much less in front of Jesus. Losing control isn’t His requirement. It’s just seems to happen to everyone who encounters Jesus along the path of their life .. and yours is no different. He’s not asking for your cooperation but for your full and complete surrender. It hasn’t changed for two thousand years. No one follows a lord who demands. The Lord Jesus Christ pursued you and is pursuing you at this moment. And He has promised that the work of His life in you will be greater than gold. He has promised to make your life genuine in a “faith that makes your life worth living.” It only takes a moment .. and another moment … and another moment … and yet He remains the same …
“These trials show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold — though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1 Peter 1:7 New Living Translation
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Christ Followers and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
The Nothing that lasts forever …
January 6, 2012
“… nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 New Living Translation
Your life is worth .. “nothing”. And the secret behind that “nothing” is Christ lives in you. That means that “nothing” can separate you from God’s love in Christ. No matter what circumstances you are facing today .. No matter what decisions you are facing .. No matter what choices you are making today .. No matter what is in front of your life … “nothing” can separate you from God’s love. It is one of the greatest freedoms of living your life in Christ. It is also one of the hardest truths that you have to learn over and over because there are seemingly endless obstacles trying to defeat you from living with such assurance. Everything about your life is found in three words: Christ in you. His life covers everything in your life and leaves “nothing” in return. It is that “nothing” that enables you to learn to love the life that Jesus Christ is living in you. God knows us inside and out. He knows that we try to manage and measure how much He loves us by how well we are “doing” and by how much “effort” we are putting forth. And yet the Lord tells us on the front end of our lives that when Christ lives in you .. there is “nothing” that can separate you from the love of God. Our feelings may betray us. Our motives may betray us. But God has not determined how much He loves you by how much you are doing for Him or how well you are managing your life. The great secret: Jesus Christ loves you very much and you have the rest of your life to learn it by heart. It’s not a child’s saying or a simple formula. It is the undeniable .. unconquerable .. unbreakable truth about God’s love in your life. Whatever you are facing today or facing in the days ahead … “nothing” can separate you from the love of Christ. It only takes a moment …
“And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing in his glory.” Colossians 1:27 New Living Translation
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Openly Secret Followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
God’s Building Program …
January 5, 2012
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 New American Standard
It doesn’t matter how you got “here” … in Christ. But everyone who got “here” arrived the same way: through the incarnational .. sinless life .. atoning sacrifice .. death-burial-and resurrection of the One who is the Same for everyone who gets “here”. Without Him you are just wandering exiles trying to convince yourself and everyone around you that you really are in or have some sort of control over your life. This Jesus is the same over the “yesterdays” of your life. You’re part of God’s building program. Your name is Christian .. a Christ one .. a man or woman whose life is “in Christ’! That means your whole life is in Christ .. even the unfinished parts you think are unfinished. He doesn’t look at it that way but He knows you do. God’s building a home and you are much needed and deeply wanted for what he is building. What’s known today is uncertain except to the One who is the Same today. Jesus is going to love you exactly the same as He loved you yesterday. There are all kinds of diversions .. distractions .. and distortions that try to steal this anchoring truth from your heart. Sometimes those assaults seem to never let up or they ambush you when your guard is down. You can try to blame yourself but it isn’t going to change who Jesus Christ is in your life. He is the Same .. Yesterday – Today – and Forever. He’s not going to change that Cross-exchanged deal you’ve made with Him. And whatever happens today: He is the One who is holding all the parts together. It’s not up to you to hold it all together. Your part? To trust Him .. believe Him .. and let go of anything you’re holding onto besides Him. Jesus is Who he says He is. You have a true home in Christ. You belong here … and it only takes a moment …
“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all — irrespective of how we got here — in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.” Ephesians 2:19-21 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F Once-Wandering Exiles following the Same One named Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Living a basic life … and loving it!
January 4, 2012
“Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end. This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God’s nature. He holds everything together by what he says — powerful words!” Hebrews 1:1-3 The Message
All that God wants from you is everything. He could demand it and you would give it begrudgingly but not whole-heartedly. He could force you and you would give it reluctantly. He could just take it from you and you would surrender broken-heartedly. But instead .. God asks you if you want a new life through His Son. He doesn’t make you believe Jesus. He doesn’t force you to accept His Son. He doesn’t take away anything you refuse to let go of or release your grip. And amazingly .. God doesn’t walk away when you’ve given up .. run aground .. or lost your way. He shows up at the most common places of your life. He speaks into your heart when you think “you’ve” been forgotten .. or failed beyond help. All He wants is everything and Everything is All that He has to give you. God’s greatest best for your life is basic: Christ .. no more.. no less. You are living in this moment of God’s time called the last days. How long? Only God knows. But He has spoken His final words in Jesus. It’s in His life that you grow into your real life. He’s never overwhelmed by the complexities of your life .. your situation .. or your circumstances. The smallest detail isn’t lost with Jesus. If you don’t know how .. He does. if you don’t know where .. He does. If you don’t know what is next .. He does. In fact .. He already knows where you don’t know what you don’t know. Jesus is God’s final Word and His First Help for everything in your life. Whatever you are facing today … it only takes a moment …
“To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. … Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.” Colossians 1:28 / Romans 8:26 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Just Basic Followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Your life out in the open …
January 3, 2012
“This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.” 1 Timothy 1:15 Holman Christian Standard
The last thing Jesus wants you to see in the mirror is a broken image of yourself. He wants you to see the new life you have in Him. And when you really see “that” you don’t see the former things .. the worst things .. or the lingering flaws. You see His mercy .. His endless love for you .. and His endless love in you … and you just shake your head and quietly laugh at God’s extraordinary patience. God’s aim isn’t for you to wear your “worst things” as a constant reminder or as a badge of humility. Your life is His example of what new life in Christ looks like out in the open .. on display .. as a work under construction .. a grace-work in progress. You’re all of those things and more. And knowing this means you can look around the world you live in and believe that Christ came into “your” world to save sinners .. just like you. There isn’t a best of or a worst of list with God. He sees His kindness and mercy at work through His Son .. in you. He sees His full acceptance through His Son .. in you. He sees your believing-life in His Son. Maybe you first saw it in another life when you thought there was no way God could ever accept you .. forgive you .. or set you free. And now God wants your life to be that same grace-alive gift to someone around you. It is a battle worth fighting. It is a faith worth living. You may look at yourself and say “I am the worst of …” … but greater than that is the mercy you’ve received through Christ. This is the working truth of the gospel. It’s about your life and it only takes a moment …
“But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate His extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:16 Holman Christian Standard
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Head-Shaking-Wonders-of-God’s Patience following Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
