Thursday, December 30, 2010
For the last two months, I have been regularly listening to K-Love radio. It’s a great Christian radio station that can be heard nation-wide and online. This song, written and performed by Avalon, is an enjoyable reminder about how we as Christ’s people need to be living. The first verse talks about the things in creation that show God’s glory.
“All the colors of the rainbow
All of voices of the wind
Every dream that reaches out
That reaches out to find where love begins
Every word of every story
Every star in every sky
Every corner of creation lives to testify”
When the Pharisees told Jesus to silence his followers upon his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus said this in reply:
“He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Luke 19:40 [ESV]
Jesus knew that he was worthy of every bit of the praise he received that day. In fact, he is so worthy of our praise that if we refuse to praise him, his silent creations will. Avalon’s song here reminds us of this truth, that even while in their current beauty, and as surely as they exist, God receives the glory He is due as the creator.
In the song, ‘Testify to Love,’ the refrain tells of how the performers will live to testify God’s love for us, with all they have.
“For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love”
This is really what a Christian’s heart should desire. When we play games, we can show God’s love in winning or losing gracefully. When we eat, we pray and give thanks to God for our food. When we buy our groceries, we can do it knowing that without God’s provision we’d have nothing to eat and nothing to buy food with. Everything we do can and should be done in ways that testify of God’s love for us. The apostle Paul would agree with this idea. Here’s a passage from Colossians he wrote:
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 [ESV]
‘Testify to Love” is an upbeat reminder to Christians that we need to live in ways that will allow others to experience God’s love in their lives as well. When we live in ways so that God’s love is evident to others, whether we are mocked or cheered on, we are doing what God wants from us.
As we enter a new year, what can you do to live in a way that shares God’s love? Are you giving God all you have to praise the gift of Christ to our world? Perhaps you have yet to accept God’s love for you as your salvation; would you like to learn more about Christ’s love? This year can be our chance to testify to Christ’s love like never before!
Written by Timothy Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today.
Want to Listen? ‘Testify to Love ‘- Avalon
]]>Monday, December 13th, 2010
It is hard to think of too many contemporary Christmas songs which have more meaning than Mark Lowry’s, “Mary Did You Know.” This song has been sung by many performers in many ways, but the lyrics to this song consider what it must have been like for Mary trying to fathom just who her son was. Below are the lyrics to the evermore popular song:
“Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?This child that you’ve delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man? Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand? Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb!
Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?Did you know that your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?This sleeping child you’re holding is the great I am.”
Lowry’s lyrics portray just some of the things Mary might have considered as she thought about her little boy. After Christ death, one cannot help but wonder what she was thinking as she came to understand that her son really was 100% God. While it can be dangerous to put too much focus on what Mary’s thoughts may have been, Mark Lowry’s song combines our Savior’s humanity and divinity in a new way.
For those of you who are parents, when you hear something like: “when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God,” there is little doubt that your minds relate to how fragile and tender a new born baby is. This portrays Christ’s humanity. However, when we combine this concept of kissing a tiny baby with the idea that Jesus was God in flesh, it doesn’t take long for our minds to be filled with awe and amazement at the humility it took for God to come to this world as an infant child.
These words also bring to light how it had been foretold that Jesus would be a Savior to his people. For a mother to grasp that her son would not just die, but die for every sin of every person, would be a rather incredible thought. Mary was blessed with perhaps the closest relationship to God that any person has or will ever experience this side of eternity, and I feel that Mark Lowry’s song is an amazing way to illustrate this reality.
“The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory – the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father – and he was full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 [NCV]
“Mary Did You Know” is a song that allows us to grasp just what it means to believe in a God who became flesh. Mary held a child who would grow to be a redeeming sacrifice and a triumphant king. She was a comfort to him like our mothers were a comfort to us. What a blessing it is to know God wanted to save us so much that he would live just as we do in order to one day atone for our sins.
Perhaps you still do not completely believe that God would become a man. Just listen to this song and consider how impossible Mary would have thought it to be for God to come to our world in the form of her son, Jesus. Read about the life the Bible says her son lived. I pray that God will remove your doubts, maybe even this very night, and allow you to embrace the salvation God brought to us when He sent Christ to us.
Written by Timothy Hegerich – Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
Want to listen to this song? Mary, Did You Know as performed by Mark Lowry.
]]>Friday, November 26th, 2010
“Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the king of angels:
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.”
Let’s take a quick walk back in time. Think back to one of the greatest surprises you’ve ever had. Perhaps it was a vacation your parents kept a secret from you? Maybe it was getting something you really wanted for Christmas? For some it might be how unexpectedly you met the person you now call your husband or wife. We all have had moments in life that have been a cherished surprise to us.
“Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” is a song with a mysterious origin, but the words of the first verse read like someone has found something they had always wanted to find. Haven’t you ever called someone asking them to come and see the awesome thing you have just found or have been given? To the suffering Jewish people in the first century AD, one thing they would have certainly been hoping to find would have been the promised Messiah. So the song sings as if the writer is saying, “Come on! Hurry! You won’t believe what just came to Bethlehem! It’s amazing.”
While this song is a song of excitement, it is also a song of praise. Here are the words of the third verse.
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee
Born this happy morning
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given
Word of the Father
Now in flesh appearing
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Oh, come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord.”
This verse speaks of the praise we ought to show God for sending us his Son, the Word of the Father. Throughout the first chapter of the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus is also identified as the Word. This verse is probably best related to John 1:14.
“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14 [HCSB]
This is why we can sing this last verse of praise to God. Jesus, God’s Living Word, came to us and lived as we live. We know the rest of the story. He died for our sins on the cross, and rose from the grave to show us that we who believe in him will have a new life with him one day.
A glorious life, a sacrificial death and a triumphant return to life are just a few reasons why we have the refrain, “oh come let us adore him.” We can adore him because of the love he showed us in how he healed the sick in Matthew 14:34-36 or Luke 14:1-5. We can adore him because of the kindness he showed in feeding the hungry in Mark 8:1-10. We can adore him for how he knows and calls us to repentance like the Samaritan woman of John 4. We can adore him for his power over life and death as displayed by his raising of Lazarus in John 11:38-34.
This familiar Christmas Carol calls us who are the faithful to remember not only how Jesus came to earth, but how he is the God we all long to fellowship with throughout our lives. Do you cherish Jesus and all he has done, or is it still just a nice story to you? Would you answer a call for the faithful to adore him, or are you still unsure that you can place your faith in him?
Regardless of what others will say, Christmas is about celebrating God’s gift to us in sending His son, Jesus. What better time of year to take some time and learn to adore the gift that was born in Jerusalem over 2000 years ago?
Written by Timothy Hegerich – Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
Want to Listen? TobyMac’s “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” (Note: This is a Contemporary Rendition)
]]>Wednesday, October 20th, 2010
“Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
While I am not going to go through every verse of Amazing Grace, this verse has a pretty significant teaching to its hearer. This is the second verse penned by John Newton, and in my eyes it has a great bit to teach regarding the salvation we receive through God’s Grace.
As I mentioned in my first writing about Amazing Grace, Romans 3:23 teaches us that all mankind has sinned. So if we are all sinners, how do we learn to move on from being just another sinner? The answer is once again God’s Grace.
When Christ, a sinless man, died on the cross, God gave us the clearest picture of his wrath he could show us. Here was his sinless son mocked as a sinner, beaten like a wicked man, and ultimately dying the death of the worst of criminals. God had his son go through all of this even though he did nothing wrong in his entire life.
If we take a moment and think about what this means for us, we should tremble. If Jesus took all that punishment and shame to be the atonement for sin, how vast will the punishment be for all of us who have lived our entire lives sinning? This is what I think of when I consider the words, “Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear.” In the event that ultimately allows us to receive Christ’s salvation, we see just how worthy of God’s judgment we are. God did not have to remind us how wicked we are, but he did through the death of his sinless son.
However, we know that through the resurrection of Jesus his death was made more than a display of God’s wrath; it was also the event that granted all who believe in Jesus’ resurrection the gifts of atonement and salvation.
When Newton talks of this grace appearing when he first believed, he is referring to the way he cried for mercy, God’s Grace, when he faced his own personal toils and snares referenced in verse three.
“Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.Twas grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
It was personal, physical saving that Newton is referring to, but it can certainly be understood that, in a similar fashion, it is God’s grace that leads us home through our atonement with Christ. Through the sins we battle, the mistakes we make, God’s amazing grace through Christ grants us eternal salvation and safety in our future home in heaven. When we believe in what Christ did for us, we come to the point that we see God’s grace for what it was, and we understand just how unworthy we are.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 [NIV]
It is nothing we did that saves us. It’s not something we can do on our own.
Regardless of physical scares or spiritual pits we fall into, we have every reason to fear. Without Christ’s death and resurrection we would have never seen just what we really deserve, and we would have no means to experience his amazing grace and his son’s salvation, the gift that allows us to one day find our home with Christ in Our Father’s glory. Romans 10:9 makes it clear that for a man or woman to be saved, they must believe in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The moment they do, God will show them his grace. From my own experiences, knowing his grace has made life easier because it really does remove fears. Are you tired of living in fear and uncertainty? God is ready to show you just what his grace is about; are you ready to believe in Christ as your Savior?
Written by Timothy Hegerich – Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
]]>Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now, I am found, Was blind, but now I see.”
This is a song so well known, that regardless of your religious convictions, you may enjoy the tune anyway. When I was in high school I remember one student who was quite convinced that atheism was the way to go, but they still loved this song. In my opinion, if there is any song my readers are sure to have heard, it is Amazing Grace. So why not make it the first song in this new series?
As any Pastor or student of God’s word can tell you, this song is packed with spiritual relevance. So much so that I’m going to take a few devotionals to relate just a small portion of the wonderful teachings this song conveys.
So what is it about Grace that makes it so amazing? What is it about Grace that makes it so sweet to just hear the word? Well, simply put, Grace is the only reason this sinner, and any other sinner before or after my time in this world, has any hope of spending an eternity in heaven.
The Bible teaches us in Romans 3:23 that we are all sinners. In Romans 6:23 we can read that sin is what earns a man or woman death. However, that passage also teaches us that God has given us a means to receive eternal life through the death and resurrection of Christ. The passage tells us that this is a gift given by God.
To briefly establish what a gift is, here is one definition provided by Merriam-Webster.com: “Something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation.”
So what Romans 6:26 is really getting at is that eternal life is a gift given to us because Jesus gave us his righteousness, even when we have nothing that will repay to Jesus the righteousness he gives to us. What does this have to do with Grace and what makes it amazing?
Merriam-Webster.com has a few simple definitions of grace, one suggesting it is approval and the other noting that grace is giving pardon. Well Jesus’ gift to us is how he showed us his grace, pardoning our sins by sharing his righteousness even though we could not repay him.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 [NIV]
What is so amazing about grace? It saves our lives from death!!!
When a Christian stops and thinks about what God’s Grace, shown to us in Christ’s death and resurrection, really means, how can we not be amazed that we have received such a gift? When we hear someone reminding us of what God’s grace has done, how can it not bring a smile to our face?
God’s grace is amazing because it allows a sinner like me and you to take part of Jesus’ righteousness and eternal life, even though we cannot repay Jesus in any way!
This may be just the first verse of this classic hymn, but it should help us to understand who we are and who God is. Are you still looking to experience this amazing grace in your life? It’s a gift, so what is stopping you from letting God’s grace change your life?
Written by Timothy Hegerich – Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
]]>Friday, October 29th, 2010
In Matthew chapter five, Jesus leads into many of his teachings in that Chapter with the phrase, “You have heard it said,” or a variation of this phrase depending on English translation. When I was much younger this concept came to my mind for a youth study series. Our generation can often tell you the lyrics of a song sooner than they can tell you what the song is talking about. Our generation is also more likely to know the words to a song than passages from the Bible.
You have heard it sung will be my effort to bridge the gap. We know the words to songs like Amazing Grace or Victory in Jesus because we grew up singing them once a month in church. What we do not know is what these songs mean and why they are relevant to us as Christians.
It amazes me when I listen to a song like Sonicflood’s, ‘God is here’, and I’m reminded of Isaiah 26:3. The first words of the second verse of this song are, “In your presence, this is perfect peace.” Here is what Isaiah 26:3 says,
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 [NIV]
Sometime critics of contemporary music will argue that modern Christian songs will ignore scripture and stick with happy thoughts of simplistic Christian living. However, perhaps we need to make an effort to see more than the appealing guitar intros. We can see more to a song when we combine Christian living with passages from God’s word.
Isaiah 26:3 may not have been on the mind of the writer of “God is here,” but a Christian looking to teach a teenager who listens to Sonicflood something more than the theology of the song title can definitely make the correlation, relating the song lyrics to God’s word. This will be the effort of my devotional writings from this point forward.
Music is a powerful way of capturing the energy and excitement that comes from Christian living and knowing our loving, personal savior, Jesus Christ. Combine this music with passages and principles learned from God’s word, and I believe we create an effective means of teaching and discipleship.
It is my hope that these short writings encourage your heart and generate new enthusiasm and for understanding God’s word and the songs his word inspires.
Written by Timothy Hegerich – Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
]]>Just because I sin and mess up doesn’t make God’s truth any less true.
Lesson #2
Just because it hurts to hear the truth, do not assume that the truth is an unfair judgment of your own or anyone else’s lifestyle.
Lesson #3
Get used to the idea that when your life is held up to the Standard the Bible presents, you WILL fall short of the mark. Therefore the truth(judgment) you do not like from lesson #2 is always fair because lesson #1 IS STILL not changed even if you think truth=judgment.
Lesson #4
The only way we can truly expect freedom from judgment is by living our lives identical to the life Christ led.
Lesson #5
NOT ONE of us CAN or will live our lives identical of Christ, so we are still found lacking under what we learn in lesson #2 because lesson #1 is STILL True.
Lesson #6
Because I cannot meet the expectations of lesson #4, and because lesson #1 is STILL true, There is nothing I can do to escape the truth of Lesson #2.
Lesson #7
In light of lesson #6, if I do not want to face judgment, I must find something with-in God’s truth to free me of the judgement.
Lesson #8
Since Lesson #1 is STILL true, even if I am a sinner, if God’s word shows us a way to escape judgement it must work because Lesson #1 is STILL true.
Lesson #9
God’s word claims that Jesus took my sins and shame. Since Lesson #1 was STILL true when Jesus took my sin and shame, he became able to take my judgment for me leaving me(us) in his place, which is judgment free.
Lesson #10
Praise God for Lesson #9, because if it isn’t true, I would still be trying to figure a way out of Lesson #6.
Written by Timothy Hegerich
]]>Saturday, February 27, 2010
“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” Luke 9:23 (NIV).
This passage comes from an often preached passage in Luke, when Peter confesses His faith in Christ as the Messiah. Jesus warns the disciples not to tell anyone what Peter has confessed, and then He tells them how His life will end. After this foretelling of His death, Jesus then gives an address to His disciples that begins with this verse.
Jesus teaches here that anyone who wants to live as Christ lived must start by taking these two steps. First, a person must deny themselves. This means that we must put what we desire behind us. When many new Christians meet Christ, it isn’t too hard to give up our sinful desires for a day or two, but as we continue to live for Christ we often forget to surrender these wants each day. This isn’t just a struggle for new Christians. If it is tough for those who have just met Christ and have felt embraced by His love, those who have continued in a habit of only seeking God when they need Him, or who just haven’t felt as near to the Lord as they once did, will find themselves struggling to take up their cross at all.
It may sound simple, but the best way to feel close to Christ again is to do the second thing Christ instucted His disciples to do, and take up your cross today. If you can decide for one day that you will come to God with every decision you make, you might find that God is right there with you all over again. You may have had a huge stumble just yesterday, or you see things lining up to knock you down tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you have to surrender today to sin and doubt. Sometimes, to make progress we can’t think about where progress will take us. When we start looking too far into the future we miss the road blocks that are still in front of us today.
If you want to live for Christ today, take up your cross today. Christ will forgive anything you did yesterday. God does not promise anyone a tomorrow. The only day we can live each day, is today. This is how we can take up our cross daily. If we live for today and let God be our guide for how we live the day, then we begin to do just what Christ taught us to do. After several days of living just one day at a time, you might be able to look back and see that Jesus never stopped being with you.
Give Him today, and then see what differences He will make in your life.
Written by Timothy Hegerich and Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
]]>Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Today, I was excited about what God was doing in our worship service. I was excited because I could sing in the choir and not feel like I had lost my gift for singing when I had my tonsils removed six months ago. I was excited because God was bringing to my mind ways to seek him out for my desire to preach his word around the area my wife and I live in. I left the church excited, because I knew that tonight I was going to be writing again, looking to share with you who will read this something God could use to help you in your walk.
As we left the church this morning, we went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch with a group of friends. We had ordered our lunches about 20-30 minutes ago and while everyone else around the table was eating their lunches, I was still waiting for mine. I had been patient for so long, and the waiter knew that he had forgotten my order and had gone to make sure it was being made. However, when my order finally came out I made a comment to my wife that could only be seen as less than Christ-like about the service.
In the course of just one hour I had gone from excited and ready to be used by God, to having an attitude too sour for the Gospel in my life to be seen. Sometimes we fall into sin out of nowhere, and when we least expect to.
Before you think this isn’t the case for everyone, think back to what we learn about Peter in Matthew 26. In verses 31-35 Jesus predicted that the disciples would fall away. Peter had promised Jesus that he would not, but Jesus told him that before the rooster crows Peter would deny Christ three times. Peter replied that even if it meant his death, he would not deny Jesus. In verses 69-75 of Matthew 26, Jesus’ words are proven true as Peter does exactly what it was he said he would die before doing.
It doesn’t take much time at all for us to fall into sin. We are human, and it is our nature to fall short of what God has for us. In fact, we cannot truly know God without Christ (Matthew 11:27). The good news is that no matter how quickly or how often we fall into sin, God is able to forgive us of all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
We all sin, and sometimes when we least expect to. While this may be true for every one of us, this does not mean we should make it easy for our hearts and minds to be caught off guard. We can hide God’s word in our hearts and press onward towards our upward calling (Psalms 119:11, Philippians 3:13-14).
We all might benefit from keeping this thought in mind; We are all vulnerable to sin, but that is all the more reason to learn more of the Christ who forgives it
Written by Timothy Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!
]]>
Serving God is what the Christian life is about, right? How have you been serving Him lately?
I know from my own life that I have had times where I have struggled to find where God wants me serving him, and I have settled for something I could do well and in my strength. However, if I am serving him only in what I can do, I limit the work God can do because I’m not asking him to work through me.
The Bible has a few examples of those who wanted to serve in their strength and it was not God’s will for them. David wanted to build the temple but the Lord told him that it would be his son, Solomon, who would build the Lord’s temple (2 Samuel 7). In the book of Acts we see Paul wanting to go into portions of Asia, but the Spirit prevents him and then calls Paul and Timothy to Macedonia (Acts 16). In both of these occasions these men wanted to serve God, but he had other plans for them.
So how then can we know what God wants for us to do?
“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8 (NASB)
No matter where we are or what we are capable of doing, there is a way for us to live for the Lord that he has already planned to bless. We know from the book of Jeremiah that he has plans for all of us. All we can do is seek Him and find out what He has in store for us.
What about you? Are you looking for where God wants you to serve Him? James teaches us that our faith without works is dead. Do you want to be living with a dead faith, or showing the lost how to live with a faith that is not only alive, but causes others to live? Live your faith and seek His will for your life!
Written by Timothy Hegerich and Edited by Caroline Hegerich
There is truth in our world, and it lies within the word of the One who created the world. It is my prayer that my thoughts and writings echo this truth and inspire you to seek it for your life today!