Author: Chuck Musselwhite

The Power of the Cross

The cross, in Jesus’ day, was the worst form of death. The Romans had perfected the execution. It was so heinous that Roman citizens were allowed to be crucified, and it was a strong deterrent to everyone else. Only criminals like traitors or insurrectionists were hung on a cross. Jesus shows you the power of the cross by willingly laying down his life and being the perfect substitute sacrifice for your sins.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:18

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

In Paul’s day, people struggle with the message and meaning of the cross. “Why would someone purposely die for another’s sin?” “The cross is too graphic. I don’t want to consider it.” Today, the cross is foolish because everyone thinks they are good and don’t need Jesus to die for their sins. They look at Christians as fools for following such beliefs. Paul tells us that those who are perishing because of their unbelief will often think this way.

Show Me a Sign

Almost everyone has prayed, “God, show me a sign.” Why they prayed that prayer could vary, but all of us want to know that God is near and He notices what we are going through. Even after Jesus died on the cross, the Jews demanded signs from God. When Paul preached the Gospel, they replied with, “Show me a sign.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:22-23, 25

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

So many people want to believe in the idea of a god but not express any faith. Faith believes in something you cannot see. The Jews wanted a sign, and the Greeks wanted wisdom in Paul’s day. In essence, they were telling Paul, “Show me so I can believe.” That is why Christ was a stumbling block because Paul showed them a sign and the wisdom behind it, and they couldn’t comprehend why God would die in a human’s place. The world hasn’t changed much today.

You Are an Overcomer

There were fifteen seconds left in the gold medal match in the wrestling super heavyweight division. The wrestler from Georgia was up by three points against the wrestler from the United States. It looked like the match was over, but the wrestler from the United States pulled off two quick moves in the final seconds and ended up winning the match by one point. He overcame a big deficit to defeat his opponent in a short amount of time. Did you know that you are an overcomer?

‭‭1 John‬ ‭5:4‬

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

John tells us that we who are born of God are overcomers. If you have put your faith in Jesus and been born-again, dying to the old self and becoming a new creation, you have everything in you to overcome the world. Most believers don’t know this. They are fighting against the spiritual forces in the dark world with their own resources when Jesus has put inside of them everything necessary for victory. What is that resource? Your faith.

Let Everything that has Breath Praise the Lord

One of the things that COVID has halted is travel. In 2020, I planned to go back to Malawi, Africa, and see our friends at Kondanani Village. I am not sure when I will be able to make it back, which breaks my heart. It’s is a beautiful land with wonderful people who love to worship the Lord. When I read Psalm 150, I think of them. They embody, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭150:1, 6

“Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

The Book of Psalms finishes as it rightly should, declaring praises to God. The Psalmist encourages everyone that has breath praise the Lord everywhere they go and with everything they have. Your life as a believer is to be filled with praising God. Some say it is practice for what we will be doing in heaven, and while that may be true, it is not the main reason we praise the Lord. You let up your voices to praise Him because of who He is and what He has done for you. Like spring water that gushes out of the ground, so should your praise flow out of your mouth.

The Lord Takes Pleasure in You

Did you know that the Lord takes pleasure in you? You are wonderfully made in His image, and He loves watching you as you grow in your faith. He’s not sitting on some high mountain looking down upon you, waiting till you do something wrong. That is the image of some gods, like Greek mythology, but your Heavenly Father is very fond of you. Go about your day with the assurance that He finds pleasure in you.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭149:4

“For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.”

The Psalmist knew how to construct his words in a way that reaches his reader’s hearts. For a nation like Israel, which had a history of disappointing and angering God, they needed to hear that the Almighty God takes pleasure in His people. God is steadfast in His love and won’t be swayed by a misstep or a season of rebellion. His love for you remains even when you forsake Him. Do you feel like you have disappointed Him with how your life has turned out? Take heart. If you are one of His children, He still loves you.

Anointed for the Work of the Ministry

One of the most solemn events in the church is when a pastor is ordained for the work of the ministry. There is a notable presence of the Holy Spirit when one who God calls steps forward and is anointed for the work of the ministry. Many come to celebrate and affirm what God is doing. That is the case with the first ministers called Aaron and his sons.

‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭8:23

“And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.”

At the ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons to become priests, Moses killed a ram. Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the ram to symbolize the transfer of their sins onto the sacrificial animal. Then after killing the ram, Moses took blood and put it on the ear lobe, right thumb, and big toe of the right foot. All of these places are symbolic. The ear lobe represents hearing from the Lord, the right thumb symbolizes the work the priests will do, and the toe was everywhere they would set their foot. God wanted every area to be covered by the blood, so they remember the anointing on them to do the work that God had set them apart to do.

Practice What is Right

On the first day of football practice of every season Vince Lombardi, legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, would take a football and look at his players and say, Gentlemen, this is a football.” It seems silly to say to professional football players, but he was making a point. Practice was critical, and he wanted them to take it seriously. As Christian, we are to practice what is right.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:7

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as He is righteous.”

John kept following Jesus very simple. Say you love Jesus, but you don’t love your brother? You don’t love Jesus. Did you blow it and stumble into sin? Confess your sins and be forgiven. People were making discipleship more difficult than it should’ve been way back in John’s day. Now he tells the church not to be deceived. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous. If you have been made righteous by your faith in Jesus, then your life will manifest righteous deeds.

Owe Nothing But Love

Has anybody ever lent you something like a book and told you it would change your life? What usually happens is that it goes to the bottom of my pile of books I am reading or in a pile, I will never read. The problem is that the person will constantly ask me what I think of the book. Then they ask for it back, and I usually can’t find it. It is better to owe nothing but love to people. ‭‭

Romans‬ ‭13:8‬

“Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.”

Things get weird when we borrow from others, especially those who are close to us. There is a cloud hanging over your relationship even if the lender is totally fine with you. Paul encourages us to owe nothing but love. Everything else will bring grief and could cause serious damage. Obviously, there are times where you are in a bind, and someone is willing to help out, but for the most part, you should avoid borrowing anything except your father in laws tools because that is expected and approved by God.

The Light We Need

You can never have enough light in my book—overhead lights, table lamps, and even lights that illuminate the background. I like to see what I am doing. My wife doesn’t agree with me. I will often turn the lights in, and then she will come in and turn half of them off. Not sure we…

Call Upon Jesus

Are you someone who is afraid of the dark? When you have to venture into a place where you cannot see do you call out to those with you? The Psalmist addresses the issues of being lost. He assures us that the Lord is near. All we have to do is to call upon Jesus.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:18-19

“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.”

The Lord never leaves your side. You may not sense His presence or feel like He is there, but He is. You don’t realize He is close because you are focused on other things and calling out to other people. God will not interrupt us unless it is essential but patiently waits. The Psalmist tells us that all we need to do is call upon Him, and He will answer. There is one catch. You have to call to Him in truth. That means you sincerely want Him to act in your situation and not just bail you out. God knows your intent.