Titus 3:4-7
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Psalm 87
On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God.
Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush – “This one was born there,” they say.
And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”; for the Most High himself will establish her.
The Lord records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.”
Singers and dancers alike say,
“All my springs are in you.”
The following comes from Ray Ortlund’s Blog, Christ is Deeper Still:
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“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Galatians 3:13
What is the curse of the law? It is the or-else-ness of the law: “Do this, or else.” Christ took the or-else-ness of the law onto himself at the cross, so that there is no more or-else for anyone in Christ, as God looks upon us now. Or-else is gone forever from your relationship with God.
“We, being delivered from these everlasting terrors and anguish through Christ, shall enjoy an everlasting and inestimable peace and happiness.”
Martin Luther, commentary on Galatians 3:13.
The following was an email sent to me (and to our Young Life area) from Brady Wright, a Wheaton College student and volunteer Young Life leader. It is a wonderful reminder and was such a timely word for me personally. Hope its the same for you.
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I was reading 2 Samuel 22 (which is also Psalm 18) and I came across this part, which I think all of us can truly say about ourselves: “(17)He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. (18) He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. (19) They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. (20)He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” That last part is really the part I wanted to focus on. I don’t think we recognize enough that God delights in us. I would guess a lot of us say God is disappointed in us frequently, but few of us daily recognize the delight and pleasure that God finds in us, since we are in his Son. Hear the Good News – God views us as He views his Son! And no doubt the Father delights in his Son. Therefore (a little algebra equation) God delights in us. That’s good news. Anyway, hope this serves as a good reminder. I know I need to be reminded everyday. Keep on keepin’ on! Love you guys.
There are many factors that determine if a gift is a ‘good gift.’ Here are 3:
1. What did it cost the person who gave it to you?
2. How much did you want this particular gift?
3. Who is the person that gave it to you?
Reflecting on gifts that I’ve received over the years, one that stands out is when my dad brought home a Nintendo for me when I was 6 years old, stuck at home with chicken pox. He couldn’t be near me for the week because he had never had chicken pox as a kid and had other health problems that could have been aggravated if he had contracted the pox, but I’ll never forget when he walked in and gave me the big wrapped box that began an instant friendship with two guys named Mario and Luigi. Evaluating the gift in light of the criteria mentioned above, the Nintendo did quite well. It cost my dad a lot, I wanted it real bad and it was my dad that gave it to me.
Yet, that very good gift isn’t very good anymore. The cord broke off the back and its been sitting in my basement for the past 15 years, not to mention that even when it was only a couple years old, I had to blow inside all the video games and inside the console in order for games to work 
Most of us will probably be getting some good gifts in a couple weeks, but they are all sure to disappoint eventually. December 26th happens every year and its inevitable that we’ll all be bummed at least a little bit. (same principle applies the day following the birthday). If you don’t experience the let down, let me know.
Genesis 24:36 says, “And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old, and to him he has given all that he has.” Abraham gave his son, Isaac, all that he had. Upon reading this the other day, it struck me that God the Father has also given me everything that he had, his son Jesus. Let me say it again, God has given us everything that he has! In light of the 3 criteria, let’s see how the gift of his son stacks up:
1. It cost the Father his one and only boy; his buddy; his son that he dearly loved
2. We actually don’t want this gift naturally, but it is the gift that we need above all other needs and therefore we should want it with every morsel of our beings.
3. The person that has given us this gift is far superior to our earthly dads; this is our true daddy who’s love makes us.
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This gift, Jesus, is the only gift that doesn’t disappoint. Instead of deteriorating, this gift keeps on getting better and it will take all of eternity to express our praise, adoration, worship and awe.
HT: Ray Ortlund
“Who are his people? We are eager to know who they are, and we are glad to find that his people need to be saved, and will be saved, for it is written, ‘He will save his people.’ It is not said, ‘He will reward his people for their righteousness,’ nor is it promised that he will ’save them from becoming sinners,’ but ‘He will save his people from their sins.’ . . .
If you are righteous in yourself, you are not one of his people. If you were never sick in soul, you are none of the folk that the Great Physician has come to heal. If you were never guilty of sin, you are none of those whom he has come to deliver from sin. Jesus comes on no needless errand and undertakes no unnecessary work. If you feel yourselves to need saving, then cast yourselves upon him, for such as you are he came to save.”
C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of the New Testament, I:4-5, on Matthew 1:21.
The following was written by my wife, Meghan, in our December prayer letter to our Young Life supporters. I read it and was encouraged and thought you would be too. I believe that she speaks to the explosiveness of the gospel, reminding us that Christ alone is our righteousness, hope, joy, sanctification, glory!!!!!!
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Yesterday I was sitting in church and found myself vacillating between grief and rejoicing. This verse stood out: Galatians 6:14 “But far be it from me to boast in anything except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” This is the beautiful truth of Christianity. My boast is in the finished work of Christ. My boast is not or should not be in my flesh or in anything that I do or don’t do. My grieving is in the reality of how often I move into the world looking for acceptance and praise from man; even though I have been crucified to the world, I keep going back to the darkness looking for purpose. My rejoicing is in the eternal truth, the freedom, and the promise that I have been adopted by God, and that he is deeply satisfied with me; my purpose, worth, and identity are all richly granted in Him.
The following comes from Tim Keller’s book, The Prodigal God. I have copied some of the quotes or sections that I found particularly helpful (coming from Ch. 5). I highly recommend this book as well as his recently published book, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex and Power and The Only Hope That Matters.
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(In reference to the elder son in Luke 15) His spiritual problem is the radical insecurity that comes from basing his self-image on achievements and performance, so he must endlessly prop up his sense of righteousness by putting others down and finding fault. As one of my teachers in seminary put it, the main barrier between Pharisees and God is “not their sins, but their damnable good works.” … To truly become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right… We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness-the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord. We must admit that we’ve put our ultimate hope and trust in things other than God, and that in both our wrongdoing and right doing we have been seeking to get around God or get control of God in order to get hold of those things… When you realize that the antidote to being bad is not just being good, you are on the brink (of getting the gospel). If you follow through, it will change everything: how you relate to God, self, others, the world, your work, your sins, your virtue. It’s called the new birth because it’s so radical.
Keller points out that this recognition is necessary, but it is equally imperative that we understand the love of the Father in Christ… How can the inner workings of the heart be changed from a dynamic of fear and anger to that of love, joy, and gratitude? You need to be moved by the sight of what it cost to bring you home. The key difference between a Pharisee and a believer in Jesus is inner-heart motivation. Pharisees are being good but out of a fear-fueled need to control God. They don’t really trust him or love him. To them God is an exacting boss, not a loving father. Christians have seen something that has transformed their hearts toward God so they can finally love and rest in the Father.
Jesus Christ, who had all the power in the world, saw us enslaved by the very things we thought would free us. So he emptied himself of his glory and became a servant (Philippians 2). He laid aside the infinities and immensities of his being and, at the cost of his life, paid the debt for our sins, purchasing us the only place our hearts can rest, in his Father’s house. Jesus was stripped naked of his robe and dignity so that we could be clothed with a dignity and standing we don’t deserve. On the cross Jesus was treated as an outcast so that we could be brought into God’s family freely by grace. There Jesus drank the cup of eternal justice so that we might have the cup of the Father’s joy. There was no other way for the heavenly Father to bring us in, except at the expense of our true elder brother.
The selfless love (of Christ) destroys the mistrust in our hearts toward God that makes us either younger brothers or elder brothers.
The following comes from Ray Ortlund (I love his blog):
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A voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
“There are many other voices speaking — loudly: “Prove you’re worth something.” “Prove you have any contribution to make.” “Do something relevant.” . . . These are the voices Jesus heard right after he heard, “You are my beloved.” Another voice said, “Prove you are the beloved. Do something. Change these stones into bread. Be sure you’re famous. Jump from the temple, and you will be known. Grab some power so you have real influence.” . . . Jesus said, “No, I don’t have to prove anything. I am already the beloved.”
Henri Nouwen, Leadership Magazine, Spring 1995.
There is more than one way to be strong. We can be strong with the dark energy of anxiety, because we need approval, or we can be strong with the bright energy of assurance, because we are already approved.
We have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. 1 Thessalonians 2:4
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1
Romans 5:1-5
1Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
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We have peace with God. This is our hope. Enough said.
