Please Keep it Personal because it is!

S - Romans 5:8-11 (NLT): "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. 10 For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God."

O - The earthly life, works, events and accomplishments of Jesus occurred in time, space and history because this is how we live and how he came among us. The problem with this mode of existence is that we are always vulnerable to objectifying these realities and thereby separating them (even unintentionally) from the person of Jesus. The cross, the blood, the empty tomb do not save us or make us "right with God" … Jesus does this. It is his blood, his cross, his empty tomb and he is life. Like the Scriptures, these all testify of him and we must come to him for life (vibrant, refreshing, irrepressible, eternal; cf. John 5:39-40).

A - Theology, philosophy, religion, culture all tend to impersonalize this very personal reality. It's not wrong to "plead the blood" or be "thankful for the cross" or "rejoice over the empty tomb" or be forever grateful for what Jesus "has done" … it is wrong to allow these realities to become in our minds, hearts, words and lives events which have become disconnected from the person of Jesus. Jesus is not a concept, principle or promise - he is a person who calls me, and the whole world, to himself to follow. In the rich reality of all the Lord has done, is doing and will do it is my assignment to keep it personal and to stay near the person of Jesus who is life.

P - Lord who is life,
Thank you for today - for all you are and for making all you are completely available to me (little, flawed and failed me) today and every day. Lord, I make myself completely available to you by choice though I already am such by design. I need you and beyond my need which is forever I want you to be my life … to live in and through me as you see fit. I welcome you, your will and your promises on earth like they do in heaven - completely, unhesitatingly and confidently knowing that you are working everything for good. Lord, let your life come into me and flow out of me that I might be a reason for another to believe.

Lord, I believe YOU!
Steve