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salvation

No Other Name

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“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved”
Acts 4:12 NIV 

What is in a name? In Exodus, Moses asked God what His name is, and God replied “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14 NIV). These words, translated from ehyeh aser ehyeh are boundless. In other words, God was here before, He is now, and He will be. God is self-existent.

When Jesus was born, his name was not uncommon among Jewish babies born in Israel. In fact, historians mention many other people living at that time with the name Jesus, and even the New Testament lists others with the same name. The actual word of course was not Jesus then, but Yeshua or Joshua. Yeshua is the literal Hebrew word for salvation, so it makes sense that people would name their babies after the awaited promise.

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said to her “you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:31-32a NIV). All of the boys named Jesus up until then were salvation in name only, but this Jesus would grow up to embody the word himself. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 NIV). And this Jesus was not only Salvation, but God himself. We see this in the book of John, when the Pharisees were taunting Jesus and asked him how he could have seen Abraham. “‘Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I AM!’” (John 8:58 NIV). Can you guess what word “I am” was translated from? Ehyeh. The same word God used for His own name.

It is difficult to think of a name as anything more than an identifier, but the Bible teaches us a deeper meaning. In John 14:14 NIV, Jesus said “you may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” and Phil. 2:10-11 NIV states that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

We often hear someone end a prayer with “we ask these things in Jesus name.” Maybe we hear it so often we don’t ponder the kind of power we are calling down. Next time you use these words, believe the promise that as children of God who have been redeemed, whatever we ask in the name of Jesus will be answered.

Your sister in Christ,

Erin Tabor

Day of Redemption

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“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.”
 1 Peter 1:18-19, NIV

I approached the counter and handed the clerk my purchase along with a 20% off coupon.

“I’m sorry, ma‛am,” she said. “You won’t be able to use this. Its expiration date was yesterday.”

Later, I went to a bookstore I haven’t frequented in a while. At the register, I piled my books on the counter, dug into my pocketbook for my annual membership card which awards a 10% discount, and handed it to the young man at the register.

“I’m sorry ma‛am. This card has expired. It expired—yesterday.”

Good grief. What is it with me and coupons? I have friends who save megabucks with them. Me? Not so much. Whenever I remember I have one, it’s either lying on my desk at home, I’m a day too early for the sale, it doesn’t work on the items I want to purchase, or it’s expired—just expired. Like…YESTERDAY.

On the rare occasion that I do pull out a coupon that’s redeemable, I squelch my overwhelming desire to grab the store intercom and shout, “The lady in aisle three just received $1.00 off of her in-store purchase.”

I’ve learned the hard way. Coupons work best when I deliberately set out to use them. Maybe even purchase items in advance, so that when I need them, I have them.

Over two-thousand years ago, God made all of humanity an incredible offer—one which has superseded every offer since. With the blood of his only Son, Jesus, he purchased our redemption in advance. He offered us forgiveness and the opportunity to live for eternity with him in Paradise. Good news, huh?

But all special offers have redemption dates. The opportunity to receive God’s gift of salvation ceases the day we expire. On that day our reward will either become a reality or a missed opportunity. We can’t afford to live on the assumption that when we get to Heaven’s pearly gates, Saint Peter will overlook the fine print. If we haven’t made the deliberate choice to accept God’s remarkable offer in advance, our day of arrival will be too late.

Have you received God’s gift of salvation? “Your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28), but it’s not too late. Choose to live deliberately and ACT. Acknowledge your need for a Savior, Confess your sin, and Turn to Jesus. When you do, you’ll gain the peace of knowing that when redemption day comes, you won’t hear “Expired,” you’ll hear—“REDEEMED!”

Blessings,

Starr

He is Risen! No Fooling!

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“…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

1 Corinthians 15:2-3 NASB
This is the first time I can ever recall Easter falling on April 1st – April Fool’s Day. That’s because the last time it happened was 1956 and I wasn’t even a year old. Oh, the great April Fool’s Day jokes we play to see if anyone will be crazy enough to fall for them!

As you celebrate Easter this year, please take time to read the moving accounts of Jesus’s cruel, yet sacrificial death, His humble burial, and His lifegiving resurrection in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  But for today’s dose, I want to point us to the gospel message proclaimed by the apostle Paul found in his first letter to the Corinthians. Many considered his message of the cross to be utter foolishness.  Let’s look at these verses found in 1 Corinthians 1 (NASB, emphasis mine):

Vs. 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.

Vs. 21 – For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Vs. 23 – but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.

Vs. 25 – Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men.

Vs. 27 – But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.

The Gospel – the Good News of Jesus Christ – looks like foolishness to the world. It appears as Nonsense. Useless. Unnecessary. Stupidity. That’s because the Easter message is about the greatest display of Love that can only be found and experienced in Jesus. He loved us enough – regardless of what we’ve done – to give His life so that we could live forever with Him. We deserve death, but He freely gives us LIFE. It is our choice to accept or refuse His gift.

Proverbs 19:3 states that “the foolishness of man ruins his way, and his heart rages against the Lord.” As Easter approaches, my prayer is that if you do not know the true message of Jesus Christ, you will find and receive it today! God asks that you humbly admit and turn from your wrongdoings, realize you can’t live without Him, and yield your heart and will to Him. Do not let what appears to be foolish keep you from experiencing the greatest gift ever – the gift of eternal life. It will be the wisest and best decision you ever make. No fooling!

[Digging deeper – Isaiah 53; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 15:1-20; Ephesians 2: 4-10; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18. Please feel free to email me if you have questions about the Good News of Jesus.]

Blessed Resurrection Day,

Beverly<><

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Photo by Beverly Lussi