By Jim Sukup 

Easter has always been a special day to me. I remember dressing up in suit and tie when I was younger, and once, when I was about 10 years old, even wearing a fedora when I went to church with my family. To me, Easter has always felt like New Year’s Day. A day where you reflect on the past and then leave it behind. A day of new beginnings, a day to make new plans and commitments, a day that makes the future look bright. Why? It has nothing to do with party hats, staying up past midnight, or even wearing a fedora to church. It’s all about Jesus, His death and resurrection and how that impacts my life. What Jesus did gives me the ability to be all that he has created me to be. Each Easter I am reminded that I am loved, I am special to Him and He has a wonderful plan for my life. 

But this Easter was particularly special because of the services at Life Church where some people shared their personal testimonies of miracles. Powerful stories of healings, family restoration and a wife who shared how God brought back life to her husband. Watch them for yourself at http://vimeo.com/40038038. It’s one thing to experience Jesus in our own lives, but it can be even more exciting to see it in the lives of those around us.

Is 2012 going to be a good year… oh yeah!

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,” (Job 19:25 NASB).

By Jim Sukup

Growing up,  I watched my dad work on various projects and tried to figure out what he was doing. When he was done it became clear what he was doing, and he would say,  “There’s a method to my madness.”  He meant that others couldn’t always tell what he was doing, but in his mind he knew exactly what he was working to accomplish. 

As I recently began reading through Genesis, I became curious about why God did things the way He did. For example, why did God create certain things on specifics days? On day one He created light, on day two He created sky and oceans, and on day three He created dry land. It was only THEN, on day four, that He created the sun, moon and stars to fill the realm of light He created on day one. On day five He created birds and fish to fill the sky and ocean that He created on day two. Finally, on day six He created animals and people to fill the dry land. Do you think there was a method to His …um…creation? Yep, I think He knew exactly what he was doing!

Chapter three of Genesis tells of the fall of man. In verse fifteen God makes a statement that seems to come out of left field,  ”And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 

To some, Genesis 3:15 is a cryptic verse. However, this verse actually conveys the promise of God’s plan for redemption. Through the offspring of the woman, a spiritual confrontation will take place where Jesus will be “struck” by crucifixion, but He would rise from the dead to “crush” sin and satan. 

In everything God does He has a plan. He knows exactly what He is doing and we are a part of His plan. 

Remember, there’s a method to God’s mad love for us. 

By Jim Sukup

The men’s group I am a part of is reading through the Bible with the goal of finishing it in one year. The interesting thing about the Bible is that no matter how many times you read it there always seem to be new things that jump out like you’ve never read them before. 

Jewish rabbis compared the word of God to an onion, and each time you read it, it was like peeling off another layer. Anyway, when I was reading in Luke about John baptizing people, there was something that jumped out at me and I wondered how I missed it all these years. 

In Luke 3, John tells the people to produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and then warns them in verse nine that every tree that does not produce fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. After hearing this warning there were several people who asked John the very important question, “What should we do then?”

What I had missed all these years while reading this portion of scripture was that John didn’t just give some generic answer like “do good works”! But to each one he gave a very specific answer that I’m sure resonated with those that asked. As I read this I was at first thinking “preach it John, let those sinners have it!” Then I thought, if I asked that question what specific things would God say to me? Would he talk to me about my generosity (or lack of it), or my integrity or maybe the way I treat other people. Many times our lives are on autopilot and we never stop to ask the tough questions and take a look to see how we’re really doing. “What should I do then” is a question that God would love to hear us ask.  

By Jim Sukup

I became a Christian during the Jesus People movement (we were the “original” Jesus Freaks). The fellowship I went to was an interesting mixture of people from all different backgrounds with the oldest person in their early twenties. This group met in a barn that was owned by a woman named Nancy Kuzmic, who treated all of us like her own kids. 

Because we thought Nancy had all the answers, we would go to her whenever we were going through difficult times or had some crisis that we didn’t know how to work out. Nancy would listen patiently as we told her about our problems. We would tell her how our situation was hopeless, there was no way out and it was the end of the world. Her response would always be “but what does God say?” 

We would just ignore her answer and go on explaining our desperate situation. She would again say “but what does God say”? Meaning what did God’s Word say about the situation we were going through.

Whenever she would respond that way I was never satisfied, I wanted a better answer, something more spiritual. I would always say “but you don’t understand!” 

In reality she did understand. She knew that God has given us solutions to those tough times and situations that we all face and that is his Word. Since that time when I was 18 years old, I have worked through numerous personal problems and have come alongside countless others as they struggled with difficulties. I now realize that when someone gets in trouble, usually they are in someway out of step with God. They are doing something contrary to what God’s Word says about their situation.

When presented with God’s solution it’s surprising how many people will choose to continue to do things their way and then ask why something is happening. It’s really not rocket science. Jesus said “if you abide in my word….you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” (John 8:31-32). There is a right way and a wrong way of dealing with problems. So when you are dealing with trouble ask yourself “but what does God say” and then follow confidently knowing that “HIS” way leads to freedom.

By Jim Sukup

Last night I watched a History Channel series about the American Revolution. It was quite extraordinary, the cost, sacrifice and loss of life that was paid for freedom from taxes, regulations and control of the British government. Then I thought of the freedom we have in Christ, the most important freedom we can enjoy. 

Free from those things that enslaved us and controlled our lives. 

Jesus said to them, “I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin…If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free,” (John 8:34, 36).

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death,” (Romans 8:2).

Free to be who we truly are. No more pretending, no more facades, because God accepts us as we are. 

“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, … He made us accepted in the Beloved,” (Ephesians 1:4-6).

And Free to become who he’s created us to be.

“Now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is,” (1 John 3:2). “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery,” (Galatians 5:1).

So put on your three cornered hat, and repeat that well know phrase, “I am free…. free indeed.” “So if the Son sets you FREE you are FREE INDEED,” (John 8:36, emphasis added).

Have a wonderful Fourth of July.

By Jim Sukup

One of my favorite Bible stories is found in Luke chapter 24:13-31.  It was the day of the resurrection and two disciples were on the road to Emmaus.  Jesus joined them and walked with them for a period of time but they did not recognize him.

Why were they unable to recognize Jesus?  In Bible commentaries theologians speculate on why, but it’s obvious they are not sure.  Because of my fascination with this portion of scripture, I have run this story through my mind numerous times, adding myself to the story as one of the two disciples. Each time I always come to the same conclusion: I AM SURE I would have CERTAINLY recognized Jesus. Or would I?

The other day I went out for lunch and while walking back to my car a person waved to me. Being the friendly sort that I am, I waved back even though I didn’t really recognize them. Some time later I was talking to someone and realized that the person I was talking to was in fact the person who waved to me in the parking lot.

I actually know this person pretty well, so why didn’t I recognize them when they waved? I’m sure it was because I am used to seeing this person in a certain setting and when this person was out of that setting I did not recognize them.

As I was reading this story during this Easter season I thought of that parking lot incident, and now I’m not so sure that I would have recognized Jesus. In scripture the Lord says he will never leave us or forsake us. He is walking with us every moment of our lives, but many times we expect to see him only in certain settings. How many times has the Lord been with us through difficult times, through happy times, through life on a daily basis and we did not recognize him? As you go through your daily life, stop periodically and see who’s walking with you. 

By Jim Sukup

I love the sermon series “Plain James.”  James has always been my favorite book in the Bible, because it’s named after me. (You believe that don’t you?) James starts off talking about something we all know about, “trials”.  The bad news is that trials are a fact of life, they affect everyone, and we will encounter them as long as we walk this earth.  The good news is that scripture gives us plenty of real life examples of others who navigated through the same kind of trials we experience, and it also gives us insight into the workings and outcomes of trials.

First James tells us we should consider it “pure joy” whenever we face trials. Have you ever tried telling somebody that they should be joyful when they were going through a serious trial?  It doesn’t go over very well, believe me! 

Yet James tells his Jewish and Christian brethren this after they have been scattered into other nations, persecuted, and impoverished. Doesn’t sound like a good time to me. James can say this because the joy is not in the trial but in what is being accomplished through the trial. 

The Bible says trials build a foundation for us to become mature and complete. If we understand that something is being developed in our lives we can have the right attitude about trials. Joy doesn’t make the trial go away but it makes carrying on much easier.

In addition to James, the book of Job also addresses the issue of trials. The only words that can describe Job’s trial are words like horrible, tragic, terrible, and devastating. Even these words cannot begin to describe what he went through.

I can confidently say that I have never, ever, heard of anyone even coming close to going through a trial like Job’s! If you think you are going through a trial that is setting new standards, please read the book of Job. The good news is not only did Job survive the trial but it also clearly tells us that God was aware of what was going on and gave back to Job double what he had lost.  Romans 8:28 tells us that God takes the worst situations that we experience and turns them around for our good.

The last thing I will leave you with is that no trial goes on forever.  I looked throughout the Bible but couldn’t find anybody that suffered an endless trial. All too often Christians going through trials complain, try to get out of the situation or wallow in self-pity. The only thing these responses accomplish is to prolong the trial.  Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell… keep going!” 

When you go through a trial don’t stop to take pictures… keep moving forward with purpose and the knowledge that God will see you through.