September 11th – A Time to Remember.. and Act

Do you remember that moment in time when you first heard the news of what was taking place in New York City on September 11, 2001? You likely remember it with great clarity, as do we.

We remember the fear, the concern, the deep sadness, anguish, and pain. And we remember the strong sense of unity that swiftly swept the nation as the terror continued to unfold before our eyes. September 11^th is a day none of us will ever forget.

Our God will never forget, either. He is with us now, just as surely as he was with us then. Throughout history, God continuously affirms his presence and his compassion.

And when God remembers… He acts.

Consider Noah: But God remembered Noah and all the wild and tame animals with him in the boat. He made a wind blow over the earth, and the water went down. – Genesis 8:1

Consider Rachel: Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. – Genesis 30:20

Consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. – Exodus 2:24

And now consider this: He remembered us in our low estate; His love endures forever. – Psalm 136:23

When God remembers, He acts. As we remember the day that terror struck here in America, let us also act. Let us reach out in love and compassion to our fellow Americans with even a small act of kindness. Take a moment to consider what God has done in your life...and then decide how you will turn that remembrance into action.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. – John 13:35

Saints with a High Calling

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. - Isaiah 61:3 (NLT)

Oaks of righteousness. A planting of the Lord. The display of His splendor.

Do you believe it? Only the Almighty could cover the multitude of sin we commit and then have the boldness to call us - to name us - oaks of righteousness because of our faith in His righteous Son.

Only a loving Father would continue taking the time to plant His purpose in us and continue to gently plow the soil of our broken and bruised hearts until we can truly see that He loves us.

And only a miracle-working, grace-indulging God with a very good sense of humor would then make us a display of His splendor.

It's completely miraculous. It's completely true. And it's completely available to every single person that yields their heart to the great Healer, the beautiful Redeemer, the One True God.

You, dear saint, have a high calling. You are called and equipped to be a reflection of God’s very nature to a lost and dying world. You are called to radiate His glory – to be a display of His splendor. 

An Invitation to Become a Saint

No matter how long you have known Jesus - don’t you still find Him absolutely amazing? And yet as much as He amazes us now, the reality is that we will be utterly blown away when we are able to behold His glory forever and ever! As we look forward to that day, let’s continue to seek Him here on earth.

Seek His forgiveness, for you are still so very flawed.

Trust in His mercy, for you can be very good at condemning yourself for those flaws, can’t you?

Sing His praises, for you have been forever changed by His redeeming love.

Tell of His goodness, for He has set you free and given you a new life in Him.

As saints who are called by Jesus Christ, let’s share the good news of His forgiveness; let’s speak of the hope that His mercy is new every single day; let’s sing praises that our lives have been transformed by His redeeming love; and let’s proclaim His goodness – HE SETS CAPTIVES FREE and GIVES NEW LIFE.

Each day brings another opportunity to share the life-changing truth of the Gospel with someone who has yet to meet the Savior. Today could be the day another saint joins the family by placing his or her faith in Jesus Christ – if only you will extend the invitation. 

Called as Saints

..to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Called as saints.

How many times each day do you think of yourself as a saint? Probably not very many! And yet, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that is exactly who you are: a saint.

Here at TCM we feel enormously blessed to be surrounded by saints from all walks of life, from various parts of the world, with each one exercising his or her spiritual gifts in order to spread the Gospel and bring glory to the Father.

If you have served with TCM in any capacity through the years – we acknowledge the sacrifices you’ve made in order to help others; we appreciate the desire you’ve shown to share Christ’s love and truth with others, and we encourage you to always remember that you are a saint, beloved of God.

We would love to hear from you… please leave a comment to share how serving with TCM, or how being served by TCM, has impacted your life. Your words could be the encouragement another saint needs to hear today.

Set Free...to live in Christ

January 1, 1863.

Does this date mean something to you? If you are an American history buff, then you immediately recognize this as the date President Abraham Lincoln issued his famous “Emancipation Proclamation” freeing many slaves. However, it wasn’t until December 18, 1865 that the Constitution made Lincoln’s convictions official. And though he was dead by then, Lincoln’s dream became reality.

Word of this spread like wildfire, with newspaper headlines in virtually every state declaring the message: Slavery Legally Abolished.

But something unexpected happened – something no one could have predicted. The vast majority of slaves – though legally free – continued to live as slaves, going on with their lives as if nothing had changed. Shelby Foote confirms this phenomenon in his three-volume work on The Civil War, stating:

…every slave could repeat with equal validity, what Alabama slave had said in 1864 when asked what he thought of the Great Emancipator whose proclamation went into effect that year. “I don’t know nothing bout Abraham Lincoln,” he replied, “cep they say he sot us free. And I don’t know nothing bout that neither.”

How tragic. A long and bloody battle had been fought, a president had been assassinated, and an amendment to the Constitution had been signed into law. But slaves went on living as slaves.

An even greater tragedy than this exists: Christians – set free by the Great Emancipator, Jesus Christ – continuing to live as slaves to sin. You can bet that our slave master, Satan, is very pleased by this phenomenon.

If you find yourself in need of a reminder that you are free, let Romans 6 seep into your soul and consider it your Emancipation Proclamation from God Himself.

..now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:22-23