“Christ's Redemption Everyday Delivers Inspirational Truth! (C.R.E.D.I.T)”  

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

Saturday, March 28, 2009

SCRIPTURE:
“Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.” (Mark 7:24-25, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself what Jesus did?

Interpretation:
I asked myself why Jesus did not want anyone to know it?
When Jesus entered a house, I believe Jesus entered that house to have some privacy after rebuking the Pharisees and teachers of the law and explaining a parable to His disciples. More than that, I believe Jesus was not there to promote Himself. This was not His intention ever, for multiple times throughout the Gospel of Mark, Jesus does not want others to reveal the healing He had done in their lives. If it was about Jesus getting the credit, He could have proclaimed His credentials but His purpose was to proclaim the Kingdom of God and for people to believe in God through the One God sent. At one point when Jesus told a leper who was healed not to proclaim what happened, the leper who was healed proclaimed it anyway. Because of that Jesus left that region.

It has never been about Jesus getting the credit. Even though He did not want credit, credit was given to Him because he could not keep his presence a secret.

I asked myself why Jesus could not keep his presence a secret?
After everything Jesus had already done, His Name would have become a household name everywhere even as far as Tyre and Sidon. There have been times when people traveled from all regions to see Jesus. Jesus could not keep His presence a secret because there was magnetism to Jesus’ personality and actions. When Jesus spoke or acted, it attracted others even if He did not want it to attract others at certain times.

I asked myself why it is significant?
It is significant because Jesus’ words and actions attracted people and they gave Jesus the credit for the teachings and miracles. They knew how much Jesus could help them and they wanted to see Jesus. Even though Jesus did not want certain things to be spread which would have given Him the credit He deserved, He received it anyway. People knew they could turn to Jesus for help! That is exciting to know!

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. When I do something for others or speak to others about any issue, I should not do it to expect credit from others. I should not do anything to receive the praises of men.

"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." (Proverbs 27:2, NIV)

To receive credit for myself should not be my goal ever. Whatever I do, I should do it for the glory and honor of the Lord so that He can be glorified and souls can come into the Kingdom of God. When I read through the whole Bible, one verse stood out:

I share this with you because when we follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He will let us know what we should do. We should do that without expecting credit from anyone. When Jesus came to earth, He came to do the will of the Father and to save souls. Through it He received credit even though He did not go for it. I realize that when we do things for the honor and glory of the Lord, it is possible to get credit for it but that should not be our motive as it was not Jesus’.

When I spend time in the devotionals, it is as a means to ministry (reaching others with the love of Christ). When I go to work, it is as a means to ministry (reaching others with the love of Christ). When I prepare sample exams, it is as a means to ministry (reaching others with the love of Christ). When I use facebook or publish http://www.pittsburghstandard.com, it is a means to ministry (reaching others with the love of Christ), etc and not for personal credit.

I ask you now dear friend, what side of the credit coin are you part of?
Dear friend, from a human point of view it can be exciting to wait for our credit. Yet, we learn from Jesus that His purpose for doing things was not to get self-credit but for the credit to go to Father God. So, when we do things for others, we should do it so our Heavenly Father gets the credit, so that He is honored and glorified. That should be our motto for doing things. It should be, so all the credit goes to the Lord.

Friend, does it mean there won’t be any recognition for you?
Not necessarily, for it is possible that your words and deeds can attract people to you but then you need to make sure they do not stay there but are attracted to Jesus who should get the credit.

John the Baptist came to proclaim and prepare the way for Jesus Christ to start His ministry. When people were flocking to John the Baptist, John the Baptist’s response was Someone who is greater than I is coming, someone whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop and untie.  John the Baptist was pointing people to Jesus Christ so Jesus can get the credit. At one point, John the Baptist told the crowds, Look the Lamb of God comes who takes the sin of the world.

After John was put in prison, Jesus began His ministry and Jesus gave credit to John the Baptist and told the crowds how important he was. John the Baptist did not take credit for himself but received it from Jesus Christ.

Friend, this can be the hardest thing to do not to look for credit to ourselves but when we are followers of Jesus Christ, we tell Jesus that we give up our own credits and want to do things that will bring the Lord credit. Wherever the Lord places us, we can use that as an opportunity to bring honor and glory to the Lord whether it is in a career He places us to be in, academia He places us to be in, a relationship He places us to be in, etc. The focus should be Christ my friend. In the process if we get credit so be it but if it comes it is because of the Lord wanting to recognize us.

But there is one credit we should be proud of talking about and proclaiming to the rooftops and that is the credit of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ when we give our lives over to Him.

"Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6, NIV)

"What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." (Romans 4:3-8, NIV)

Friend, this is exciting to know that we can have a CREDIT assigned to us instead of a DEBIT. But it starts with knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior and realizing He alone can credit righteousness to you.

Friend, your family or friends cannot credit righteousness to you. Just because they may have CREDIT of righteousness from God does not mean you will automatically have CREDIT of righteousness when it involves entrance into Heaven unless you receive the credit the Lord Jesus offers as a gift of grace.

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God." (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)

It is very important to receive the credit, our Lord Jesus offers us to be saved. When we have credit, we will actually have an account with God in the Universal Bank of Heaven. It will forever be secure and the credit will never be depleted because it is not something we have earned but given to us as a free gift of grace to receive because of what Jesus did for us and now sits at the right hand of God managing the Universal Bank of Heaven. There is only credit in this bank and it is exciting to know that our names will be written there forever when we turn to Jesus. This bank will be a joyous place to work at and praise our manager of Heaven who deserves all our praise.

To receive this credit, we need to first acknowledge that we are in debt and our life has created a debit of sin. Everywhere we go and whatever we do, all our works all like filthy rags to God. This means we cannot ever earn the credit to come to Heaven and open an account on our own. We are in so much debt because of sin that it cannot be wiped away on our own without intervention from the Manager of the Bank of Heaven.

The Manager of the Bank of Heaven did intervene for you and me. God sent His only begotten Son to die for your sins because that was the only way to pay your debit. Christ's cleansing blood wiped away the debt of your sin. That is great and everything but you have to take the initiative to receive what Jesus did for you already, to have access to Heaven.

Jesus paid the price for you and settled your debt of sin by covering it with His precious cleansing blood when He died on the altar of the cross, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day crediting people's lives with righteousness to those that turned to Him.

You and I can have that assurance of Salvation so our names will be in the Bank of Heaven. There our names will have been written in the ledger called 'The Book of the Lamb of God'. The book is kept in a safe lock room so no one can steal your identity and take away the credit of insurance you have for your life when you leave this earth because you are saved by the Lamb of God.

You do not ever have to pay back this credit because if you had to pay it back then it becomes a debit charge. Praise the Lord that Jesus already paid the debt for you so that you can have eternal credit. But you have to receive what the Manger of the Universal Bank of Heaven offers you. Receive it my friend.

The alternative is the Universal Bank of Hell. Yes, friend there is a Bank of Hell and the manger of that bank is Satan. If you are not credited as righteousness then you do not have a free credit report without blemishes where the Lord has wiped away all your debt. Instead you will still be in tremendous debt of sin. The collection agency will not collect that debt with money but it will be collected with your soul as it is burned in a unquenchable fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Once you enter the bank of Hell there will not be an opportunity to receive the credit of righteousness, you could have received while here on earth so don't lose the opportunity.

Come to Jesus as you are right now and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins as you confess and repent of them. Know that Jesus loves you so much that Jesus died for your sin by taking it all upon Himself to set you free. Now acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life believing in your heart that He was raised from the dead and sits at the right Hand of God to give the credit of righteousness to those that turn to Him.

Every time we mess up, we mess up because we follow after the lust of the flesh and do not walk in the Holy Spirit. But, Jesus will help you as you fix your eyes on Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. This is exciting to know!

"Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh!"

May you love the Lord Jesus so much that your goal in life is to get credit from the Lord Jesus for being a good and faithful servant! You can only be a good and faithful servant with His help!

Jesus said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing!"

 May Christ’s love and presence permeate your heart, mind, soul, and strength giving you the sustenance to live the Truth and proclaim the Truth for Christ’s redemption everyday delivers inspirational truth! Amen!

“Christ’s Redemption Everyday Delivers Inspirational Truth!” (C.R.E.D.I.T)/”What side of the C.R.E.D.I.T coin are you part of?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us so much. Thank you for the works you have done in our lives. We trust in your unfailing love; for you alone are God Eternal throughout Heaven and earth above. So, we come to you now Lord and lift your Name on High. Thank you so much Jesus for dying for our sin and coming back to life to save us. Thank you for shedding your cleansing blood on the cross for us. We are sorry for our sin and take the forgiveness you offer us as we confess our sin and repent of them. Forgive us when we do things to get self-credit. We are sorry Lord. Please help us to be focused on you and do things for your honor and glory. Let our lives be a reflection of you working in us and through us. Lord, we thank you for your forgiveness and the blessings you have for us. Thank you for the credit of righteousness you have given us. Help us to know what to do to receive the blessings you have for us. Fill us with the Holy Spirit Oh Lord. Thank you so much for access to the Universal Bank of Heaven you have provided. Thank you so much Jesus. I pray for the one right now who is hurting and needs your healing touch in their lives. Touch them Oh Lord by your power and grace. Bring your healing to them in a mighty powerful way. Thank you so much Jesus. We entrust this time to you and ask you to reign in us. Thank you for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you that you have heard us and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!!!

May you be uplifted knowing Deliverer openly understands bringing total Salvation! Amen!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new identity in Christ Jesus.

Make this your prayer. Don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly. Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!

Prayer:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!