Why Jesus’ Humanity Matters

October 14, 2014 by Lindsey 5 Comments

Jesus was fully human.

He wasn’t fully God and partially human or fully human and partially God. No, Jesus was 100% human and 100% God.

In the past few weeks, Jesus’ humanity has taken on new meaning in my life (but I’ll explain more on that in a moment). First, let’s look at what the Bible tells us about Jesus’ humanity:

What The Bible Says About Jesus’ Humanity:

Jesus was born from a woman, just as you and I were (Luke 2:7).

Jesus grew tired and weak, just as we do (John 4:6).

Jesus became hungry when he wasn’t able to eat (Matthew 4:2).

Jesus grew and became stronger (Luke 2:40).

Jesus learned and grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52).

Jesus cried, just as we do (John 11:35).

Jesus prayed and cried out to His Father in heaven (Hebrews 5:7).

Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus died a real, physical death (Luke 23:46).

In all of these ways, Jesus was like us, and this reality is life-changing. Here’s why: when we’re feeling alone….wondering if anyone understands what we are going through, we can know-WITH CERTAINTY-that Jesus gets it.

He has been there.

Because Jesus was fully human, he understands fully what it’s like to be human.

Because Jesus was fully human, he understands fully what it’s like to be human. @LindseyMBell and @DoNotDepart

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He understands our struggles when we’re short on sleep. He understands our fears when facing death or pain. He understands our feelings of abandonment when God seems distant.

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine buried her five month old baby girl. Very unexpectedly, this baby became sick and passed away.

In tragic times like these, it’s easy to feel forgotten…to think no one could possibly understand what you’re going through. That is why Jesus’ humanity matters.

Jesus’ humanity reminds us He understands. Because he was fully human, he gets it. He gets you.

1 Timothy 2:5 say, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” When you don’t know what to pray…when you can’t come up with words to say to Him…you can trust Jesus is there, standing before God, as one Human representing another.

What aspect of Jesus’ humanity is an encouragement to you today?

Why Jesus’ Humanity Matters via @LindseyMBell and @DoNotDepart

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*photo courtesy: unsplash

Jesus – The One True Sacrifice

October 9, 2014 by Ali Shaw 5 Comments

Yesterday, I spoke with a very dear friend who’s going through a period of many difficult health issues. Even though her body is weak, her spirit is strong. My conversation with her confirmed to me that though life can be so messy and so complicated, Jesus never fails.

Yes, Jesus never fails us. Our amazing Savior was sent to us by the Loving Father as the one true Sacrifice for all mankind. And it’s only through Jesus that we are offered payment for our sins, eternal salvation, forgiveness, the ability to approach God confidently, and the strengthening, guiding power of His precious Holy Spirit.

We all do things that God doesn’t like. None of us are sinless. And we all know that sin separates us from God.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom 3:23

“but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isa 59:2

The One True Sacrifice

In the Old Testament, the way to forgiveness and right standing with the Almighty was in bringing sacrifices to Him. Sinful mankind could not approach a Holy God for forgiveness without the shedding of blood. In God’s eyes, the shed blood covered sins.

“Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Heb 9:22 , “almost”– see Lev 5:11-13 for exceptions.)

So, an individual must atone for every sin. Future sin would require future sacrifice because there was no sacrifice so perfect that it could cleanse anyone completely, purely, forever.

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshippers, having once been cleansed would no longer have any consciousness of sins? …For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Heb 10:1-2, 4)

So, yes, the blood of bulls and goats could purify or cover sin, but it could never take the stain completely and permanently away! The Old Testament law was just a shadow or preview of something even better that was coming, someone better—who could wash away sin and give us holiness. And His name is Jesus!

God sent us Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice offered for all mankind… for you and for me! Jesus shed His blood to wash away all our sins. No additional sacrifices would ever need to be offered.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. …But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb 10:10, 12)

What Does This Mean?

Oh, there is such rich meaning in the fact that Jesus is the only true sacrifice!

Each moment of our daily lives, we can have hope and courage because we have a loving Savior who gave himself to rob our sin. We no longer need to live under guilt and condemnation (from others or ourselves)! We’re set free from the punishment of sin! And we’re able to approach the throne of grace confidently (Heb 4:16) any and every time we draw near to God.

We don’t need to try to find mysterious ways to God, purify ourselves, nor struggle to pay for things we’ve done wrong! And as we accept Jesus as our Savior, He sends us His Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide us.

Just like my friend brought to mind, Jesus absolutely never fails. No matter if I give into sin tomorrow, or old sin roars at me from my past, I can claim forgiveness in the humbling sacrifice and powerful blood of Jesus. I can walk through life in light of His love and strength. It is only by God’s grace that He has given us Jesus—the one true sacrifice.

How does knowing that Jesus is the one true sacrifice touch your heart today?

Jesus is the One True Sacrifice! We are forgiven and freed! @DoNotDepart

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Who Is Jesus?

October 7, 2014 by Kathy Howard 6 Comments

Recently, I came across a book my grandmother gave me in 1966 about Jesus and His disciples. It includes a one-page description and an artist rendering of Jesus and each of the twelve. The full-color drawings are beautiful. They just aren’t necessarily accurate. For instance, “Jesus” is portrayed with light brown hair and blue eyes.

In giving Jesus these specific physical characteristics, the artist separated Jesus from His Jewish heritage. Maybe that’s how the artist pictured Him. Perhaps the artist was swayed by his audience’s expectations. But a Jew with blue eyes and light hair would have been very unusual in ancient Palestine. A blue-eyed, light-haired Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible.

After seeing that drawing, I started to wonder about other ways we might have “altered” Jesus into a Savior of our own making. Is our understanding of Jesus accurate? Or has it been morphed by our own worldviews and preconceptions?

Join us this month at Do Not Depart as we explore the Jesus of the Bible. Our goal is to delve into the truth of God’s Word to better understand Jesus. My prayer for us is that God will correct any misconceptions. That He would expand and explode our view of the Savior. That we would be humbled and fall on our faces in worship.

Have you ever believed something about Jesus that God later corrected? What was it? How did He show you the truth?

Encouragement in the Word {recap}

October 2, 2014 by Patti Brown Leave a Comment

Isn’t it refreshing to read encouraging words from Scripture? On a soul-weary day, God’s Word brings peace and hope. His truth shines like a beacon, breaking through the fog of our emotions.

In our Encouragement in the Word series, your Do Not Depart team has explored encouraging verses on various topics, and shared them along with printable resources that you can use in your daily walk.

We all need God’s GRACE, His undeserved favor. Slip a bookmark with grace scriptures into your bible, a special gift to you from Ali. Pass one on to a friend too!
Kathy offered twelve verses that assure us of God’s COMFORT AND STRENGTH in trying times. He will never forsake you!
“We learn about love in the scriptures so we can experience love in real life,” Lisa wrote. She created delightful scripture LOVE notes for you to print and give away.
Julie offered verses that will help you pray for HEALING for those you love. No healing happens apart from Jehovah Rapha, our God Who heals.
REST is so important that God made it a part of our week from the beginning. Caroline listed eight scriptures on rest, and made a shareable scripture image that you can use on your computer.
In her post with verses on HOPE, Lindsey reminded us that there is a difference between hoping for something and hoping in Someone.
I shared scriptures on TRUTH. He is truth, His Word is truth, and that truth will set you free! Thank you Lord!

Stay in the Word, friends. Set aside a time each day to fill your heart and mind with Scripture. You will grow in your knowledge of Him, and be greatly encouraged.

And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Acts 20:32

A recap of #EncouragingWord posts from @donotdepart.

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Encouragement in the Word: TRUTH

September 30, 2014 by Patti Brown 3 Comments

I was working in the other room when I heard them shouting.

“Stay away from me!” “I don’t want to play with you any more!” “You’re mean!”

I hurried out to the living room to find my little boy and his two friends about to start punching each other. “Whoa, whoa! Hold on guys! What is going on?”

They all started shouting at once, anger and conflicting stories mixing together until I shook my head and said “Stop! We need to sit and talk so we can all really hear each other.”

I sat them each down (well apart!) and began a very moderated discussion. Each child was allowed to speak until he had said all he needed to say, with only two rules: No unkind words, and no one else was permitted to speak until he was finished.

My goal? To learn the truth.

How Do We Know What is True?

Figuring out the truth can be a challenge in relationships. When two people have conflicting stories about a certain situation, it is not necessarily because one is intentionally lying (though it can be.) It can simply be because perspectives differ. How we perceive the world is based on our world view, and if our world view is not based on truth, the result is profoundly warped.

We see this all the time in media. The way a news story is reported reflects the point of view of the reporter. More and more news outlets have cropped up that reflect very specific ideologies.

Today not only in philosophy but in politics, government, and individual morality, our generation sees solutions in terms of synthesis and not absolutes. When this happens, truth, as people have always thought of truth, has died. – Francis Schaeffer

In the middle of all this truth-from-my-perspective, how do we discern what is really true?

His Word is Truth

The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. – Psalm 119:160

Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 17:17

The Word of God is our reliable source of truth. We can look to it for guidance in our daily lives and to lay down a godly worldview.

This is one of the reasons it is important to spend time reading and meditating on God’s Word. The more you know scripture, the easier it is to recognize divergences from it.

He is Truth

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Jesus Himself is truth. He is full of truth, and He is truth. While the winds of this world will try to blow us off course, we can count on Jesus. We turn to His words and example in scripture, we turn to Him in prayer.

There is Freedom in Truth

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

There is profound freedom in knowing the truth. Until the truth is made known, we are faced with roadblocks at every turn. Decisions are difficult to make, and healthy relationships are impossible.

So what happened with the children? Each boy had a completely different perspective on what had happened. Each had sinned in some way, yet was focusing more on the others’ sin. When they finally heard the truth, they had compassion for one another and were able to ask for and receive forgiveness. They were freed from their bitterness.

Free Printable of Truth Scriptures

Below you will find a printable of truth scriptures. I encourage you to spend some time pondering these verses about truth, and what it means to say that Jesus Himself is truth. Print out this list of truth scriptures and hang them where you can see them regularly. Walk in truth!

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

Click here to download the truth scriptures page

How do we know what is true? #EncouragingWord

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FREE printable of truth scriptures. #EncouragingWord

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There is profound freedom in knowing the truth. #EncouragingWord

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Tell others – John 15:27 {Memory verse}

September 29, 2014 by Lisa Burgess Leave a Comment

This is our last week of memorizing John 15! Thanks to all who have read along with us, whether you were memorizing or not. It’s easier to do this together than alone.

How blessed we are that we, too, can bear witness about Jesus. Even if we haven’t been with Him from the beginning, He’s been with us. Let’s tell others that good news this week!

And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
John 15:27

We too can bear witness about Jesus. John 15:27 #MemoryVerse #HideHisWord

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Bible Verses for When You Need Hope

September 25, 2014 by Lindsey 2 Comments

Too often, we hope for something.

We hope God will keep our families safe and healthy, heal a disease that threatens to take the life of someone we love, or prevent a tragedy from striking close to home.

None of these things, of course, are wrong to hope for.

But what happens when what we hope for doesn’t come to pass? When our child gets sick, when the disease takes a life, or when a tragedy hits your home?

In recent years, as my husband and I have dealt with secondary infertility and numerous miscarriages, the Lord has been teaching me the difference between hoping for something and hoping in Someone.

If you place your hope in something happening, you will often be disappointed. This life is hard, and God doesn’t always prevent bad things from happening to his children.

BUT, if you place your hope in Someone, you will never be disappointed. Because, as Romans 8:38-39 tells us, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Absolutely nothing!

Here are some of my favorite Bible verses on hope. (You can download a free printable of these verses by clicking on this: Bible Verses for When You Need Hope-Printable-Do Not Depart)

Bible Verses for When You Need Hope (from the ESV version)

Psalm 71:5 – “For you, O Lord, are my hope.”

Psalm 146:5 – “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,  whose hope is in the Lord his God.”

Isaiah 40:31 – “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;  they shall mount up with wings like eagles;  they shall run and not be weary;  they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you;  be not dismayed, for I am your God;  I will strengthen you, I will help you,  I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Micah 7:8 – “When I fall, I shall rise;  when I sit in darkness,  the Lord will be a light to me.”

John 14:1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.”

Romans 5:2-4 – “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

Romans 8:24-25 – “Hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Romans 15:4 – “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

What Bible verses on hope are your favorites? Please share in the comments.

Free #printable from @DoNotDepart and @LindseyMBell Bible Verses on Hope #EncouragingWord http://wp.me/p1Su7F-35P

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Bible Verses for When You Need Hope http://wp.me/p1Su7F-35P #printable #EncouragingWord @DoNotDepart

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Click on this link for the printable: Bible Verses for When You Need Hope-Printable-Do Not Depart

*Photo courtesy: freedigitalphotos.net/David Castillo Dominici

Seeds Family Worship and Scripture Memory for Families {Let The Children Come}

September 24, 2014 by Caroline 2 Comments

How does your family memorize Scripture together? Do you use song to help memorize?

So many of us – kids and adults, both – respond well to using music to memorize anything, from the alphabet to days of the week to Scripture.

We’ve talked about Seeds Family Worship multiple times on this site (click here to see all the posts that mention this wonderful group), and we’re happy to share that they have a new album out now!

The Word of God – a new album from Seeds Family Worship

Last week, Seeds Family released [amazon_link id=”B00NMIATTY” target=”_blank” ]The Word of God[/amazon_link]. This album has 12 songs, all focusing on characteristics of the Word of God and how we can and should react and use the Word of God in our lives as believers.

Read more details about this album at Caroline’s review.

Patti will also be reviewing Seeds Family Worship and this new album on her site.

What are you favorite songs to memorize Scripture as a family?

Seeds Family Worship (@seedsworship) has a new album out! #HideHisWord Check out a couple of reviews:

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Help is on the way – John 15:25-26 {Memory verse}

September 22, 2014 by Lisa Burgess Leave a Comment

Help is always on the way. And He is full of truth about Jesus.

25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: “They hated me without a cause.”
26 But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.
John 15:25-26

We’re memorizing these verses this week of September 22 – September 28. Will you join us?

Help is on the way, full of truth about Jesus. John 15:25-26 #HideHisWord

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8 Verses on Rest

September 18, 2014 by Caroline 2 Comments

I’m the type that always has a to-do list. My brother teases me that my dad and I are so similar – we’re never bored because there’s always something to do. Several benefits come from staying motivated to get things done, but a few stumbling blocks occur, too. One big downfall: it can be very hard to make myself rest.

Physical rest is actually easier than mental/emotional rest. But all rest is essential at times.

I forget that to rest means to restore.

We need to rest in order to rejuvenate and build back those pieces that have worn down, broken, become thin.

Rest is so important, God made it a part of our week from the beginning.

“So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” – Genesis 2:3

As usual, my busy brain forgets, and I need reminders. God knows that, and hundreds of reminders exist in His Word.

8 Bible Verses on Rest

Some of these verses speak on God’s gift of rest, and some remind us of the importance of taking rest.

Exodus 33:4 – “And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'”

Psalm 23:1-13 – “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you…”

Psalm 116:5-7 – “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.”

Isaiah 30:15 – “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.'”

Matthew 11:28-29 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Hebrews 4:10-11 – “…for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Psalm 62:5 – “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” (NIV)

(To save this downloadable image, right click on the photo, then click “Save As…” This image is not to be edited, sold, or hosted elsewhere. Thank you!)

How do you remind yourself to rest?

8 #EncouragingWord verses on why we need rest:

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Rest is so important, God made it a part of our week from the beginning.

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