Putting It All On The Line

“Putting It All On The Line”

By Zach Wood

1 John 3:16 NLT

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

This morning on the way to work, I was listening to the local Christian station about the concerns of people who lost their lives in the Las Vegas shooting.  One thing they said today really struck me.  They mentioned not only how horrific it was what had happened, but then they talked about how incredible it was the people in law enforcement that ran to try to help protect others in the line of fire. 

I thought about that and all the people who, day after day, put their life on the line for other people.  It’s their job to protect people every single day.  Police, fire fighters, those serving in the armed forces, etc.  There are people whose careers are dedicated to helping others in times of great despair.  Sometimes these people actually have to decide about putting their life on the line for others.  Sometimes these people make decisions to save those who serve under them and risk their lives to save others.  I can’t imagine being in that position.  I am so appreciative and thankful we have people who protect us like that.

After thinking about all of this, I feel ashamed for how selfish I become so often in life and only thinking of myself and what’s best for me and not what I can do for others.  What if I was in a situation that meant my life might be in the line of fire to save someone else?  Would I do it?  Would I risk losing my life for someone else? 

As I consider this, I cannot help but think of the absolute ultimate sacrifice that was made over two thousand years ago on the Cross.  Jesus Christ put His life on the line for us.  He gave it all and did all He could to save ours.  He held nothing back and gave it all.  Man that makes me feel so ashamed of my selfishness.  I become so focused on myself and I forget what was done to give me life. 

I’m not only thankful for what Christ did for me, but I am also thankful as I think about all the people who are daily putting their life on the line so that I can enjoy my freedom.  It’s really something I should be thankful and grateful to God for each day. 

Jesus Christ showed us ultimate love by putting it all on the line for us.  He also calls us to be willing to lay down our lives for others as well.  Are we willing to?  Are we ready to?  He calls us to always be ready, willing and able.  Are we?

Real Love

“Real Love”

By Zach Wood

1 John 4:10-12 NLT

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

We sure are bombarded every single day with sources claiming to show us “real love”.  From TV, movies, social media, books, magazines, etc. Everywhere we look we see some sort of message conveying what love should look like or how it should be.  Or, more than that, how it should feel.

We get a better picture when we consider the love that comes from family, friends and other loved ones.  People who are close to us often try hard to show us genuine love.  Not always, but they try. 

No matter how hard other people try to show us love, there is no greater display of “real love” than what God did for us on the Cross through Jesus Christ.  There is absolutely nothing greater, nothing.  You can search the world and the universe and find no greater display of affection and love than God Himself.  I’ve never personally known a greater love than Him.

I’ve trusted other sources of love in the past and been burned by many.  I turn one way and I think that will show me love then….burn.  I turn another way thinking I had finally found some sort of display of true love and then again….burn. 

We have all turned to many sources expecting something real with love.  We have all been burned.  Some of us have really been burned very badly.  Sometimes, we get burned so bad that we really don’t believe that true love actually exists anymore. 

Friends, God loved us so much that He showed us a form of love that had never been shown before and never will again.  God’s display of real love goes beyond anything we can ever imagine.  God’s display of love through Jesus Christ is the most real and genuine form of love we can ever possibly experience.

He not only gives His love, but then He also asks us to also show others as He has shown us.  It is a love that is truly hard to show others at times, but He asks us to do it unconditionally because He Himself has shown us that love unconditionally as well.  God’s love is true and genuine and full of life!  It is a love that He has shown to us and then commands us to pour out to others, as hard as that may be at times. 

God is truly real, authentic and genuine love to the core.  

Not A Solo Battle

“Not A Solo Battle”

By Zach Wood

Ephesians 6:10-12 NLT

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

Most of us want to feel confident in doing things by ourselves and on our own.  It’s a great feeling when we can conquer things in life by ourselves.  When we learn to do things on our own and be independent in making decisions without first having to consult someone else before hand, it can make us feel pretty good.  This is where we can gain advances in our jobs and in certain situations where people come to trust us more to make good decisions. 

Now, while it’s great to accomplish things on our own, we bleed this mentality right into our lives in Christ.  We read His Word and build up our faith for a while and then, for some reason, we get the idea that we can do this battle on our own.  We get a little full of ourselves and think, “I got this!”  Only then we usually find ourselves falling flat on our face in various ways because we stopped consulting God before going gung-ho on our plans.

While it is absolutely wonderful that we can accomplish some things on our own, we must also remember that God gives us the abilities to do these things and He brings us into situations where He waits to see if we will still consult Him or take on the challenges all alone.  From personal experience, and I’m sure from yours as well, we come to find out often the hard way that we should have consulted God instead of plugging away all by ourselves. 

It’s like we’re telling God, “I got this, Lord.  I mean, I know You are God and my Savior and all, but really I can do this on my own.”  Why in the world do we think we can handle life’s challenges all alone sometimes?  We are in a spiritual battle every day and we simply cannot fight the battles alone.  We will suffer and we will eventually lose.  We think we can do it on our own, but we simply cannot.  

When we get full of ourselves and think we don’t need God, the enemy has a sly and nasty way of coming at us full force and landing us right on our face or back.  He beats us down and laughs at us. If we would have just put the armor of God on and let Him fight for us and with us, things would have turned out differently.

In what ways in my life am I battling alone?  In what ways in your life are you battling all by yourself?  Consider this during the week and days that follow.  This is a battle you definitely want and need God with you through.  

Spotlight On Him

“Spotlight On Him”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 115:1 NIV

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.

For so many of us, we have enjoyed time after time the instances where the spotlight went to us for various reasons.  Perhaps you won first place in a sporting event in school and you got to stand on the #1 podium.  Maybe you won the grand prize for a drawing you entered.  Whatever the case may be, there was most likely a time and place where you won first and the spotlight was on you for period of time.  Who doesn’t like those times, really?  I think we would all admit we sometimes like the attention put on us for one reason or another.  We want to feel important for whatever reason. 

As I think through all of the years the various times I’ve had the spotlight turned on me, I can remember the hype and excitement that ran through me.  It didn’t last too terribly long, but I know that I have told about those times at gatherings and parties.  I’m sure you have as well.  There’s nothing wrong with enjoying these moments for a time, but sometimes we sure can get carried away and continue to bring the spotlight back on ourselves too much.  After a while, people get really tired of others who always want the spotlight.

This passage rings true in my life and I’m sure it does for you as well.  Too often we want the credit and the spotlight in our lives and we fail to give credit to the One who really gave us the ability to even do what we did to get in the spotlight.  I have admired, through the years, the people on TV who get interviewed and then turn the spotlight completely upon Jesus Christ.  They have no problem giving Him all the credit for their abilities.  Wow!  What a great testimony!

I am ashamed to think of all the times that I have taken credit and the spotlight when I should have solely given God all the glory.  It’s so tempting at times to consider the great things we have done and forget Who gave us the ability to do those things. 

Not to us, but to God alone.  We don’t deserve the glory, but He does.  His love and faithfulness should shine through all we do.  In the times when we are put in the spotlight for whatever reason(s), He is waiting to see if we will turn the attention all to Him and not take the credit ourselves.  It’s in these times that people will really see Who we are living for.  It is ourselves and our own efforts or will we direct others to the amazing God who gave us life? 

“Lord, I’m sorry for so often taking the credit and spotlight when You should be the One who ALWAYS gets all the glory.  Forgive me, Lord.  May You always get the praise and glory, not me.”  

Not Just Any Other Name

“Not Just Any Other Name”

By Zach Wood

Acts 4:12 NIV

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

This morning to end our church service we sang “What A Beautiful Name” by Hillsong.  As we were singing about how beautiful, wonderful and powerful the name of Jesus is, I couldn’t help but think of all that we consider beautiful, wonderful and powerful in this world. 

We sometimes are able to meet people in person that are a celebrity or popular in some other way.  When we meet them, we’ll tell everyone we know about the experience and post a picture on social media sites.  When some event comes up that is really cool and blows our minds, we do the same.  We will tell everyone about it and rave about the experience online.  We tend to think many things in life are beautiful, wonderful and powerful.  Granted, there are some pretty cool things that go on around us and in our lives.

No matter how much we rave about how great someone is or about how wonderful an event was, there is absolutely nothing more beautiful, wonderful or more powerful than Jesus Christ alone.  And sadly, often we don’t speak with as great intensity what He has done for us and how truly awesome He is.  I am so guilty of this.  I often find myself getting so excited about what other people have done or other things going on and I find myself less ecstatic about God.  I don’t do it purposely, but somehow I find things of this earth often so much more exciting.  That shouldn’t be.

Just like the song says, what a beautiful name it is, what a wonderful name it is, and what a powerful name it is.  Is that true in your life?  Is that true in my life?  Is the name of Jesus truly more beautiful, wonderful and powerful than anything else?  Greater than any other name. 

In this passage, Peter proclaims a powerful statement!  There is no other name anywhere by which we must be saved.  Salvation is found in no one else and there is no greater name, period. 

Nothing in the entire world can compare to this!

Let Us Consider & Encourage

“Let Us Consider & Encourage”

By Zach Wood

Hebrews 10:24 NIV

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

A few weeks ago at church, this verse was read and it really got me thinking.  Sadly, I couldn’t help but to think about how terrible we’ve become today with encouraging one another.  We live in a culture and society where the focus is always on me, me, me.  Everything focuses on how we need to improve ourselves and better who we are.  We’ve sadly become trained to think of ourselves more than we think of others so often.  I’m super guilty with this and I often cringe when I think of how focused on myself I’ve become.

Throughout Scripture, we find so many references to how God wants us to reach out and help encourage others.  We know we should, but we get so wrapped up and busy with our own lives that we often just neglect the calling God has given us each and every day to invest in other’s lives.  And really, it doesn’t always have to be in really big ways.  Big ways are good to help out for sure!   However, God also wants us to help others in small ways.  Simple compliments.  Noticing things about others that most people don’t.  Words of encouragement in so many little ways can make a huge difference.

“Let us consider”.  Think about those words.  How often do we really stop and consider how we can encourage other people?  Do we really consider how we can help others become closer to God?  Are we focused on being the light of Christ to others all through our day?  Are we making it a point to spread the Good News?

“Let us consider”.  Think about these words in a different light now.  How about we consider all the opportunities we are passing up by being absorbed in our own lives.  Ouch!  That makes me cringe.  How often are we so wrapped up in our destinations and all that we have to do that we completely neglect opportunities right in front of us?  All too often!

We should even take this a step further.   How about we not only consider, but we actually……DO!  So often we say we’ll thinking about that or think about this with very little intention of actually doing it.  Let us consider how we may encourage others around us.

Let us make it a point and put forth more effort to consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds as God has commanded us to.

What About You?

“What About You?”

By Zach Wood

Matthew 16:13-16 NIV

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Recently our pastor at church brought this passage up in his sermon and it just got me thinking a lot.  It got me thinking about how I view God.  What are my feelings about Him?  What do I think of Him?  Who is He to me?  What value is He in my life?  Who do I say He is?

When we are young, we learn from our parent’s faith a lot and kind of live faith through them.  We rely on them for a lot of things and trust that they will help us make good decisions.  However, there comes a time when we have to start thinking for ourselves and make decisions that we feel are best for our walk with Christ.  There comes a time when we have to decide how we are going to look at God and figure some things out on our own.  It’s not easy to do, but God wants us to do this.

Jesus asked this question first about what others thought about Him.  Then He turns the question to them about who they think He is.  He doesn’t want them to think only about what others say He is, but He wants them to think for themselves.

It is important that each of us considers who Jesus is.  Don’t go along with the crowd.  Don’t just go with someone’s answer because it sounds cool.  Think about who God is to you.  Who is He personally to you?  What does He mean to you?  Don’t spend your live living your faith through other people.  You must have your own faith and belief in who He says He is.  Have your own quiet time with Him.  Pray to Him.  Seek Him.  Ask Him to reveal Himself more and more to you.

“What About You?”  That’s a very important question.  Think about it every day. Who is Jesus to you?  Who do you say He is?  Do you believe He is who He says He is?  Talk to Him.  Be honest with Him.  And, when you’re presented with a situation where someone asks you about the faith you have, you can answer confidently that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. 

I remember making this confession of faith before a crowd of people when I gave my life to Christ and was baptized.  I confessed before a crowd that I wanted to make Him Lord of my life.  Every day, I need to continue to ask myself what He means to me.  Who do I say He is today?  Who do you say He is today?