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Tag Archives Ephesians
0 No Fishing Allowed
I was recently reading this passage in Micah 7, and was struck by the imagery of God hurling our sins into the deepest, dark depths of the sea.
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. —Micah 7:18-19
Have you ever seen the creatures that live at the extreme, dark depths of the ocean? Most of them are blind and fairly frightening to behold; definitely not something you would want to find at the end of your fishing line if you were to pull one up. I like this dual meaning to having our sins cast into the deep. Once there, they are not meant to be retrieved or pulled back up. Indeed it should be impossible to find them again down in the dark, where no light reaches, but if we were to somehow snag and retrieve them they would be ugly to behold—that is if they weren’t completely crushed to nothingness first by the extreme pressure and weight of the water at those depths!
With this in mind, I find it interesting that when we forgive others who have wronged us we often try to get away with only tossing the memory into the shallows at the very edge of shore. It’s like we want to be able to have them close at hand and easily accessible to fish them out whenever we want to revisit the hurt and feed the bitterness. But we are called to forgive just as God has forgiven us, to forget and remember their sins no more!
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. —Ephesians 4:31-32
I love this quote from Corrie ten Boom, who of all people had cause and perhaps according to the world’s standards the right to hold onto a grudge and harbor bitterness for her captors and tormentors.
When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever … Then God places a sign out there that says No Fishing Allowed! —Corrie ten Boom
This is the model we are to follow. We are to forgive and forget, cast the bitterness and anger into the deepest ocean and then obey the posted “No Fishing” signs!
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. —Colossians 3:12-13
I was inspired to start working on some song lyrics that speak of this “No Fishing Allowed” concept. Here are my initial thoughts that will perhaps change as the song is more fully formed.
If our forgiveness is no more
Than minnows in the shallows
Then we’ll be too quick to reel it in
When bitterness snaps its jaws closed
We’ll just reel it in
Instead of seven inches down,
Let seventy times seven fathoms drown
Our hurt, our anger, our sense of deep betrayal
Let the depths of the deep drag them down, down, downNo, there’s no fishing allowed
When we forgive those who’ve wronged us
Just like our Father forgives
We’re to leave it behind
Just forget about it
As far as East is from the West
That’s how far he has cast them away
All our iniquities sink into the depths of the deepest sea
The sign says, “No Fishing, Please!”I find I take bitterness’ bait
Swallow hook line and sinker
When those ugly bottom feeders rise
I think to myself, “Look what’s for dinner”
But he has called us to release
Not to catch, release, then re-catch
Instead of angling for anger
Let’s let love for our neighbor be the day’s catchLet’s let our bitterness sink
Into the depths of the deepest sea
Where the sign says, “No Fishing, Please!”
I for one am so thankful that God does not hold our sins in remembrance or pull them out and dust them off to remind us of our shame and guilt. No, instead he blots them out as if they never happened and remembers them no more!
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. —Isaiah 43:25
He does not hold on to his anger or nurse a grudge, nor does he repay us according to what we deserve. Instead he sent his only Son to die in our place and pay the penalty for our sins, so that he could look at us and truly see us as spotless and blameless in his sight—for he sees the perfect white Lamb of his Son when he looks at those of us who are buried and hidden in Christ!
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. —Psalm 103:2-5, 8-12
It’s not just a good idea to forgive others in this manner, but it is something that we are called to do.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. —Matthew 6:14-15
And yet, even in light of these verses, we so often like Peter try to hem and haw or bargain with the Lord. What if I forgive them seven whole times? That is surely a great amount and I should be crowned a saint for my long-suffering and patience, right? I’ve already forgiven them so many times, and yet they still continue to hurt and wrong me. When is enough enough? Jesus reply is that we are to forgive again, even when it seems an innumerable number of wrongs have been stacked against us!
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. —Matthew 18:21-22
May this be a gentle reminder to all of us the next time bitterness comes knocking and we are tempted to cast our line into the shallows to reel it back out again. First we need to throw it out into deeper waters, and then we need to obey the posted limit—zero, No Fishing Allowed!
Scriptures to look up:
0 Precious Is The Blood
I wrote this song on April 24, 2005.
This song is slated to be on a few upcoming projects as it fits for both my Hymns project and Easter project. I’ve been inspired lately after hearing several recently “revived hymns” by artists like Owl City and Jadon Lavik. So I decided to put my hand to reworking some of the rich lyrical heritage found in so many hymns, and hopefully breathe some revival into these songs that, for many congregations, have been gathering dust. This is one that I had written awhile ago and fits along with some of the others like “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” that I have done.
Instead of being a complete revisiting of an existing hymn, this song is more of a tip of the hat to the classic hymn by Robert Lowry, “Nothing But The Blood”, which is included briefly in the bridge. The rest of the song was inspired mostly from this passage in 1 Peter 1 that reminds us that we were redeemed and bought by the “precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. —1 Peter 1:18-21
The song begins by painting the beautiful picture of Jesus being the sinless, perfect Lamb of God, who stepped down to become a man and pay the penalty for our sins.
In the image of a Lamb
Holy God stepped down
To become a man
But remain a spotless
Sacrifice
It is hard for us to truly understand or imagine what it must have been like for God to step down and leave heaven to come and dwell among us, and yet He did so for wretched sinners like us!
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! —Philippians 2:6-8
The chorus then reinforces the main theme from the passage in 1 Peter 1 that we were redeemed and bought by the “precious blood of Christ”.
How precious is the blood
That washes me, that crimson flood
Now I’m as white as freshly fallen snow
I am clean and forgiven
This I know
It combines this with the beautiful imagery from Isaiah that compares how clean we become, after being washed by Jesus’ blood, to pure white snow.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. —Isaiah 1:18
The song goes on in the second verse to offer thanks for Jesus’ amazing sacrifice on the Cross. In light of this amazing gift we recognize that, though once we were lost and separated from God by our sin, now we are found and His! That is such fantastic good news that we should shout for joy and celebrate!
For the gift of the cross
I humbly bow and give you thanks
For without You I was lost
Now I am found, I am Yours
I’ll celebrate
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15) Truly how precious is the blood of our Savior that washes us clean!
The bridge neatly ties into the timeless lyrics of the traditional hymn, “Nothing But The Blood”, by Robert Lowry. It may have been penned in 1876, but is still just as relevant and true today! “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!”
So tell me what can wash away my sins?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus
And what can make me whole again?
Oh, I say, nothing but the blood of Jesus
I hope you are encouraged and blessed by this song!
Truly, how precious is the blood!
You can listen to the audio for the single and find out more on the discography page or listen to the player below: View Discography
We also recently added a lyric video for the song that you can watch here: Watch Video Now
Scriptures referenced by this song:
0 Friendship With God
It is not my intention to “thrust” my religion upon anyone, as such blame is often placed at the feet of Christians. First of all, religion is nothing more than man’s (when I say man’s I am of course referring to “mankind” and thus both men and women) attempt to place in a box, label, and come to some touchable, understanding with the infinite. Notice the keyword here, Man. Of course we are fallible, and anything that man tries to do under his own power is bound to have some problems.
Hence why so many people have had experiences with churches or people professing to be Christians that have left a sour taste in their mouth. I myself, being a Christian, have had run-ins with “religious folk” who were so busy nit-picking on some point of doctrine or law that they missed the point entirely: LOVE!
No, I don’t mean, “oooh, free love, let’s party dude” (60s voice-over included). I mean love for each other that does not have a hidden motive or selfish agenda tucked away behind a beguiling face. After all if religion, which has failed time and again, is about man trying to reach God, then salvation is about God succeeding in reaching man.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. —John 3:16
This is the meaning of true love:
For greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. —John 15:13
And that is what it all comes down to — a friendship. It may seem too simple, which is probably why religious traditions have arisen in the past; to keep a shroud of mysticism surrounding our contact with God. But that is exactly why God sent his Son, Jesus, to earth; to clear up the mystery, tear down the walls, rend the veil of self-righteous religiosity that man had imposed as a barrier between himself and God. It is not about our works, or how good we are as people. Just look at society today. Do you truly believe mankind is benevolent by nature when you see the headlines on the news? It is about God wanting to have a relationship and be friends with us, and if we choose to believe and accept what He has done for us, then that’s all it takes.
You might point the finger at the examples that society tends to pull out of the closet when it needs a scapegoat, such as televangelists who have been caught with their hands in the offering plates; however, this is actually a good thing. If you had to be a perfect and upstanding individual in order to make it into heaven, none of us could ever hope of doing so.
All that society does by using these examples is point out the fact that yes, we all do wrong, none of us is perfect, and we have need of a gracious, merciful, and forgiving God. This does not excuse such behaviour, and all actions do have consequences, but Christians do not change over night. It is also important to keep in mind that just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn’t mean that they really are. If there is not evidence of their character reflecting that of God’s nature, then chances are they are using the title of Christian for their own gain as Paul relates in Philippians, and Jesus warns against in Matthew:
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ —Matthew 7:21-23
So trying to use the example of such “false Christians” as an excuse for not turning to God, is just that—an excuse. God does not expect you to clean up your act and be a “good person” (whatever that means) before coming to him. He just wants you to come to him out of a true desire for friendship.
It’s like any friendship. Usually a person does something that attracts your attention, that makes you interested in them initially via some action on their part that appeals to you. Maybe you meet them at work, maybe you meet them on a subway, maybe they have a great smile, or an infectious laugh. Whatever it may be, you like it, and want to get to know them better. So you start to hang out together, talk, laugh, grab a bite to eat together, go to a football game or a concert, whatever your common interests may be. Eventually over time you begin to pick up some mannerisms, expressions, and habits of your friend and others are able to notice your connection to your friend through these things.
It’s the same with God. He paid the ultimate price, dying a painful death on a cross, so that we could be free of the guilt and shame of things we have done, could live with him forever. Perhaps you do not believe, but I’m sure you can agree that this was quite an amazing thing to do for someone who didn’t even know you at the time. You see, God didn’t wait until we came to him, cleaned up our act, and became someone that might be worthy of attention and an offer of friendship.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. —Romans 5:6-8
So now that he has shown us such incredible love by dying for us before we ever knew him, perhaps we might be interested in at least being friends with him. And once our friendship begins, and we spend time with him by reading the letters he wrote to us (the Bible), talking with him about things in our life (prayer), we begin to want to do things to please him. Just as you might buy a pal some tickets to a basketball game, or surprise them with a bouquet of flowers. It’s not that we HAVE to do these things, it’s that we CHOOSE to do them, because of the friendship we have.
But it’s important to make a clarification and distinction here about “doing good works”. There are many religions and even Christian churches that will try to focus on abstaining from certain actions or over emphasizing the need to perform good deeds in order to somehow earn more favor with God. However, the good news of the Gospel message couldn’t be farther from this sort of behaviour. The whole point of the “good news” is that it isn’t anything that we have to do it’s all about what he has already done by dying on the cross for our sins! The truth is we aren’t good enough and can never be on our own. But when God sees us through the perfect and unblemished shed blood of his son, Jesus, he no longer sees our sins, only the holiness and perfection of Jesus!
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. —Ephesians 2:1-5
Yes, it is important to show fruit that reflects the change in our lives, but those “good deeds” that we do have no effect on our salvation and in fact can never make us any more holy. Only the blood of Jesus and the work of his Holy Spirit living within us can change our wicked and deceitful hearts. That’s not to say we should go on sinning since we’ve been saved by his amazing grace, but it does give us the wondefully lighter freedom of knowing that it has already all been done for us! We don’t have the burden of having to try and “be good enough” or struggling to make it into heaven on the merits of our works, because they will never stack up against the wages of our sin; which is death! It is by grace we are saved! How freeing!
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. —Ephesians 2:6-10
It all comes back around to LOVE. Eventually that is what people will see in you if you truly have a friendship with Jesus, since that is what he is all about. And since love is:
patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. —1 Corinthians 13:5-8
…I would never presume to thrust something upon you unwanted. After all, a friendship formed at the end of some gun, whether the gun’s barrel be made of steel or religious blackmail—”you must accept now or you will go to hell”—will not last once the gun is removed. Although it is true that anyone who does not accept the free gift of salvation will be separated from God for eternity, this does not mean that this should be used as a weapon to bludgeon people into making a choice of their own “free” will that isn’t really free.
I would encourage you to think over what I’ve said and see if you feel the tug of His love on your heart. In our current day and age everything is about shifting blame and pointing the finger somewhere else, rather than self-introspection and taking responsibility for our actions. If you are honest with yourself and can recognize your shortcomings, recognize that you have need of the saving grace that God offers freely through His Son, Jesus, and truly desire to have a friendship with God, then you can do so right now! There is no magic formula, or secret incantation required, just an honest heart wanting to make a fresh start.
If you would like you can simply repeat a prayer similar to the following, just speaking to God sincerely from your heart, and as it says in Romans 10:9-12:
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
Feel free to change this into your own words, as it is not the words but the intent of the heart that God is interested in:
God, I recognize that I have fallen short of your holy plan and that I have commited sins that have separated me from you.
I realize that I cannot remain holy and pure as you would have me by my own power, and that I have need of a savior to wash me clean from my sins.
I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son and fully God, and that by his love for me he became flesh and died on the cross, the death that should have been mine.
But that on the third day you raised him from the dead and seated him at your right hand, that by the blood he shed on the cross I might be washed clean and made a new creation.
Jesus, I ask you now to come into my heart and be the ruler of my life. Guide me in the ways of righteousness. Change my heart to seek after those things which are pleasing in your sight.
Thank you for your love, your sacrifice, your grace and mercy that you have given to me freely. I now accept that gift and proclaim you as Lord of my life. Now, please help me to walk with you all the days of my life.
In Jesus name,
AMEN!
If you prayed that prayer with me and truly meant it in your heart then according to God’s promise you are now signed, sealed, and delivered into the family of God. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and you will live forever with all of the children of God in heaven. WELCOME! You probably have a lot of questions, and the best way to have them answered is to get plugged into a local church. I happen to attend Athey Creek Christian Fellowship, but there are thousands of churches to choose from. Lookup your local Calvary Chapel, Baptist or Assembly of God or other Christian denomination in the phonebook and attend a Sunday service. Go up and talk to someone afterwards and let them know that you recently accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation, and they should be happy to get you a Bible and answer any of your questions. Please do feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions regarding any of this, and I will be happy to respond.