Ryan's Ramblings

New . . .
A new car, new house, new pickup, new job, new furniture, new RV, new bike, new jewelry, new TV, . . . new . . . new . . . new.
You fill in the blank.
“New” is advertised everywhere, but often only realized in the lives of the rich, successful and lucky.
“New” is uncommon, . . . except in Jesus. Take a look:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT)

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5, NLT)

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NLT)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5, ESV)

In Jesus, “new” is the norm.

John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29, NLT)

Look! It’s Jesus!
Look! You are rescued!
Look! There is hope!
Look! You’re forgiven!
Look! There’s joy.
Look! You are loved.
Look!

(Psalm 105:4, 1 Chronicles 16:11, Revelation 5)

Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! (John 5:39, NLT)

Words, knowledge, talk, information . . . eternal life? Nope.

The good news of eternal life is not found in words, but in the living Word. It is not based on principles, but established in a Person. It is not attained through religion, but realized in relationship. It is not proved by history, but provided for in His Story. It is not earned by good works, but given by God’s grace.

The Scriptures point to Jesus, the only Way to eternal life.

(John 1:14, John 15:4-11, Isaiah 44:21–23, John 14:6, John 3:16-17)

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. … Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God. (Psalm 50:14, 23 NLT)

When it comes to Christmas, Father’s Day and my birthday I am a blessed man. My wife and kids are great, they always give me thoughtful and wonderful gifts and I so appreciate their generosity and care for me. But every time a gift giving celebration rolls around I always tell my family that I don’t want or need a gift—"they" are the gift. This frustrates them, but honestly, my joy comes from our relationship together—our conversations, shared experiences, laughter, trust and love that spans time and distance. Those are the things that capture my heart.

In Psalm 50 I see that I might be frustrating God too.

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and all of creation to boot, and I come to Him with my “gifts” of effort, striving, trying and doing and all He wants is for me to be thankful and obedient. In every season, celebration, and in all the moments of my life, God wants one thing—my heart.

(read Psalm 50:1-23)

John the Baptist said, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.” (Jn. 3:27, NLT)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. (James 1:17, NIV)

Today I pray:

Dear Father,
Thank you for loving me and giving me the gift of another day.
Help me to remember that it isn’t about me, it’s about Jesus in me.
God gives, I steward. May it be so in my life.
Jesus, give me your holiness. Use me for your glory.
Amen.

Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) …
Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“The Lord! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.” (Exodus 34:5-6, NIV)

This passage from Exodus about God’s “glory” makes me think of the scene in the Disney movie, “Aladdin” (1992) where the big blue genie describes himself as having “phenomenal cosmic powers.” (I heard you say that in a deep, booming voice.)

The genie’s self-description aptly depicts the way that “glory” is communicated throughout history, and even in our present-day sports, entertainment, financial, business and political contexts.

However, the almighty God—the creator of the universe, the beginning and the end, the perfect, transcendent, all-powerful one—expresses and “shows” Moses (and you and me) His glory in a very different and surprising way.

God’s glory is that He is: compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love, ever-faithful, and forgiving to a thousand generations.

If you think that sounds a lot like Jesus, the one who was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world, it’s because it is. God’s glory is Jesus, and Jesus loves you and me!

“Wow.” (I heard you say that in a hushed, grateful, amazed voice.)

(Hebrews 1:3, John 3:16, John 14:9, Matthew 11:29)

God’s there, listening for all who pray,
for all who pray and mean it.
He does what’s best for those who fear him—
hears them call out, and saves them. (Psalm 145:18-19, MSG)

Do you need help? … A life preserver amidst the wreckage? Wisdom for the moment? Peace in the storm? Strength for the next step? A light in the darkness? Forgiveness for failure? Love?
Ask. Seek. Knock. … Pray.

(Matthew 7:7-12, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16)

When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! (Luke 5:4-6, NLT) …
He was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. (Luke 5:9, NLT)

Simon was a fisherman. He had been out fishing all night. He was exhausted and he knew his trade—there were no fish. Jesus was a carpenter and he told Simon to try it again, a little differently though.
He said, “Go out where it is deeper.“ So they did, and what happened next left Simon, and everyone with him, awestruck.

Are you stuck in your “been there done that,” “same old same old,” “nothing’s going to change” mentality? Is this New Year already starting to look a lot like the old year? Jesus is calling you to a deeper and more abundant place in Him. We need to listen to what He says and obey . . . “if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”
Read the Word of God, call out to Jesus in prayer and then do what He says. Go from being stuck to awestruck.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track. (Proverbs 3:6, MSG)

Before I “do” and “go” I pray:

Jesus, I need you today. I don’t want to do and go it alone. May I be “quick to listen” for your voice, remember that you are with me “always,” and “follow” your way in my thoughts, words and actions. Amen.

(James 1:19, Matthew 28:20, Matthew 16:24)