Author: livinginhisgrace

Everything in my life is an unbelievable gift from the Father above to mold and shape me into the person that He created me to be! Yes, even the difficult and hard things in my life! Having said that, life, as I see it, is all about a loving relationship with God, and loving the people He places in our lives. Perhaps the journey is all about learning to love and offer grace to those around us inspite of our differences. Today’s world fights for it’s rights and has gone beyond just making it’s opinions known to a place where differing opinions are attacked and if possible silenced. Is this the world we want for our children and grandchildren? Oh how I hope not! I would love for my children and 10 grandchildren to experience a world filled with grace, hope, love and a chance to experience joy along their journey.

Days of Grace-Day 26

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Today’s first scripture makes me smile. Though there is no reason it should, it conjures up a picture in my mind of a plate sitting on the counter filled with just out of the oven fresh-baked cookies and a little person looking up longing to sneak one of those delicious smelling cookies and gulp it down before anyone is the wiser.  We are looking first at Romans 6:1: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”  Paul’s response, “May it never be!  He goes on to that when explain we are baptized into Christ, we are also baptized into His death and when we are raised, we are raised to new life. We are given the Holy Spirit to abide in us, to bring us new life and to transform us. Sin will always try to sneak in, the enemy will always use it to tempt us, but once we begin this new life in Christ; He empowers us to make the right choices and to ‘put to death’ the nature of our old self and to begin to walk in greater victory. Chances are that we will stumble and fall at times.  If we truly understand all that He had done to purchase our freedom and all that is available to us in this new life in Christ, we will have a great desire to grow toward a better life rather than use it as an excuse to continue in our same old path. 

      Paul goes on to say, “ For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Romans 6:14-19

     Our Father knows when we have had our hands in a cookie jar when we were not supposed to be in it. He knows we are a product of fallen humanity and we stumble and fall often. He knows that sometimes when we know we shouldn’t, we do things anyway. That is why He sent Jesus. It is why Jesus went through betrayal, torture and suffering and died. It is also why He spent three days in a borrowed tomb and rose on the third day…victorious. That in itself would have been enough. He paid the price for every sin we would ever commit. That would have been enough. Jesus did not stop there! He made further provision through the gift of the Holy Spirit to come and abide within us; leading us, guiding and teaching us all truth, and making it possible for us to lead victorious lives.  This alone should powerful motivation for us to seek Him, to grow deeper in wisdom and understanding of His Word, become victors over our circumstances and share our experiences with those around us.

     Still, we are human. Since the decision of Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, humanity has struggled with control. The serpent made them question what God really said; he made that which was forbidden look irresistible, almost as if God was holding back something from them. We too wrestle with submission. Adam and Eve failed to remember that everything edible in the garden was theirs for the taking. It was there for their nourishment. God’s only stipulation was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Rather than stay focused on all the permissible things at their fingertips, the enemy managed to get their entire focus on the can not.  They lost abundance and full life all for a piece of fruit from the one forbidden tree. It cost them paradise. It made their lives forever difficult compared to life in the garden. That same enemy today would love nothing more than to pervert our thinking and draw us into the mindset that Paul was speaking against.  One look at the example of Jesus set for us and we can see how differently He intends us to live. In John 10: 14-18 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” (NAS) Jesus surrendered His will to the Father’s will so that you and I could receive forgiveness, grace, and full and abundant life through Jesus Christ. Abundant blessing came because of Jesus’ surrender.

Days of Grace-Day 25

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     Sometimes God just takes me by surprise, for instance the weather today. It started off much like yesterday; dark, cloudy and drizzly. We are currently working on a small project getting a house ready to sale and Saturdays are ‘work’ days to finish up the projects that need doing. The wetness of the day really did not matter because there was plenty that could be accomplished inside. There were blinds to hang and an area of the hall ceiling to prep for painting; carpets to be cleaned, so there was not lack of work to be done.  Later, about mid-day, the weather broke, the sun came, the day warmed and it was a beautiful afternoon. Finally, about 6:30, the wind picked up, clouds rolled in and the sky began to darken and prepare to release more rain. Now I bet some of you are thinking just what does that have to do with grace?

      On the way home I read today’s grace passage and when I did I just laughed aloud!  Today’s passage is all about the beauty of grace. It also talks about trials and struggles. I laughed thinking about yesterday’s statement regarding the weather and my topic of the day. When I was focused on beauty it was rainy and when focused on grace through difficulty, it was sunny and beautiful. My first thought was of how our God must have a wonderful sense of humor; followed by a sense of awe thinking about His character and diversity. Why? God created man in His own image or likeness, yet He also created us with much diversity. Our likes, dislikes, attitudes, interest, appearance are all different. The most amazing part to me is that even in our diversity, we are all very similar. We all need sustenance; we need love; we are relational; we all seek acceptance; we all face struggles, disappointments, and at times heartache; and lastly we all have times of victories, disappointments, and failures. Honestly, for most of us, we are more alike than different.

      Today, we are in Romans chapter five. This chapter has grace written all over it and I recommend when you get a chance just to spend some time lingering in it and soaking it in. For now, we will just be looking at the second half and it speaks for itself.  My prayer is that this passage will wash over you and give you great joy and comfort in knowing no matter what is going on in our lives God is here and He is for us. He went to great lengths to show the abundance of His love for us and this is one of the many proofs of that love!

                 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.        

              But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.                                          

              The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.             

              For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.                                                                                                

             So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.     

             For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.                                                   

            The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Romans 5:14-21

May grace and blessing abound to you this day!

 

Days of Grace-Day 24

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     The rumble of distant thunder awakened me in the wee hours of the morning. It is one of those dreary winter-like days that sometimes carry over into spring. The kind where you just want to curl back up under the blanket and sleep or read a good book until the clouds decide to dry up and the sun peeks out to warm and brighten the day. I am giggling just thinking of some of our past segments on grace. Several of the days our topic was about struggles, trials and troubles; every one of the posts were written on bright, sunny days with not cloud in the sky and today when my thoughts are centered around the beauty of grace, it is a cloudy, chilly, almost dark day.

     While I was pondering the idea of grace this morning, beauty was the first thing that came to my mind. I pictured in my mind’s eye the grace (effortlessness) of a swan gliding gracefully across a scenic sunny pond surrounded by gorgeous foliage. Next, I envisioned a graceful ballerina (beauty of form) dancing across a stage. In my imagination, I saw a weary family gathered around their table holding hands saying grace; showing gratitude for God’s blessings even after a difficult day. (Excellence or power granted by God) Then, I picture a guy who sees his coworker overwhelmed and behind; he offers a helping hand. (Help or favor given by on who is not obliged to) How about the husband, who after working all day comes home to see his wife exhausted from taking care of their home and children; thoughtfully he runs her a bath and takes over telling her, “go and get some rest.” (Good will; kindness) Then there is the person who responds with gentle answer when another goes off on them for no foreseeable reason. (Pardon) Finally, I see a student who misses curfew but is still allowed to use the family car… this time. (Reprieve) No matter how it appears, when grace shows up it is always beautiful.

But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26 NLT


     Our heavenly Father who uses our mess ups to teach us rather than punish us. (Protection and sanctification) Grace is always a gift given freely; it is never something that we deserve. If we have an attitude of entitlement, we will never fully see the greatness or beauty of the gift of grace when it shows up in our life. For example, we can choose to see the preciousness of a child showing their love by giving us a big smile and bloom from a weed; or we can grumble about now we will be sneezing for days. Their gift is grace; will we recognize it? Will we show grace in return? While those of us with allergies may not fully appreciate the gift, it is important we understand the great love behind the gift. In our passage, God gave the Law of Moses for the good of His people. It was a gift. His heart was to protect them and keep them safe. The prophets were His gift to remind the people of His statutes and show them the error of their ways and their disobedience. The people did not see it as a gift and rejected the prophets; took their lives. Jesus was God’s greatest gift and He was rejected by His own. Why does it see sometimes the greatest gifts are the ones we don’t recognize? In my head, I can hear my Pastor saying, “None of us will go to hell because of sin! If we go to hell, it will be because we rejected Jesus Christ as our Savior!” The truth is He paid the price and took all our sin upon Himself so that no one would ever have to face the punishment they deserved. We all have at some point fell short of God’s requirements, even the kindest and gentlest and the boldest and bravest. No one has met the standard of perfection Jesus met. We all need mercy and grace from God and from each other…Grace is beautiful, don’t you think?

 

 

Days of Grace-Day 23

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     Just a few days ago, we hinted at some division in a small portion of the early church. It seems that there were some from the Pharisees among them that were convinced  that the new Gentile believers were to be both circumcised and follow the 613 laws of Moses.  The apostles and elders came together at the Council of Jerusalem to address the matter.  Peter went before them reminding them of his call to take the gospel to the Gentile people and how God, who knew the hearts of these folks, had given them the Holy Spirit and had made no distinction between the Jewish believer and the Gentile believer. God cleansed them all by faith.  Then Peter asked the question, “why put God to the test by placing on them a burden that neither our fathers or we could bear?” Peter continued, “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”  All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were  relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” Acts 15:11-12 (NAS)

     James, head of the Council, agreed with Peter citing the words of the Prophets as proof. How could they place a heavy burden on these believers? God had already given them the Holy Spirit upon their believing without condition. Next, James sent Paul and Barnabas along with Judas and Silas to the Gentile followers with a letter with the following message:

“The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.  “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,  men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  “Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth.  “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essential:  that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”   Acts 15:23-29 (NAS)

     The body of believers at Antioch was gathered together when the men arrived and the message was read. The fellowship rejoiced and were greatly encouraged.  Paul and Barnabas stayed at Antioch for a while preaching and teaching, then Paul began his second missionary journey.  Paul and Silas left together to return and revisit all the cities that he had previously taken the gospel message. Verse 40-41 tells us “Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia.”

     There is so much to be said for wisdom! When questions and differences of opinion arose it appears to have been handled swiftly and with wisdom. They took into consideration the testimony of the witnesses, the prophets teaching in Word of God and they prayed. The result was a response based on both the Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  The bottom line for both groups of believers was that it was through the grace of the Lord they were all saved, because of His favor, goodwill, mercy and love.

       Two of our other grace verses are also found in Acts. Both were spoken by Paul on his missionary trip to Ephesus; the first is Paul speaking about his life and his mission. He says in Acts 20:24,“But  do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. Paul is totally committed to complete the work that was begun in him and the purpose that God had set before him as a minister of the gospel. The second was to those to whom he was ministering. Paul told them to be on guard for their flock; wolves will come in speaking falsely to draw them away from the faith; Be Alert! Then he said, “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

     All through the book of Acts there are examples of grace upon grace. Grace is a powerful motivator. The more we receive or realize that we have received grace, the more we want to give it to others. My prayer for us all is that our eyes be opened to the great grace that God has extended to us through Jesus. That in itself would have been enough, but may we also be acutely aware of the many examples of His grace in our day-to-day lives and in our circumstances. May your days be filled with the awareness of amazing grace all around you!

Days of Grace-Day 22

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     We have traced grace all the way through the Old Testament and through the life of Jesus. This new movement of His followers has spread outside of Jerusalem and throughout many cities. The body of Christ is spreading, growing like wild-fire and planting new fellowships in many areas. They are being blessed in great ways  but life is not without many trials also. Many people, both Jew and Gentile alike, are hearing the good news and are seeing the wonders and miracles. People are being healed, delivered and set free from the things that bind them; hold them back. Still there is division and strife from some of those who choose not to believe.  Acts 14 tells us “After they had reached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,  staying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.  They passed through Pisidia and came into Pamphylia.  When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.  From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished.  When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.  And they spent  long time with the disciples.“ Acts 14:21-28

     Sometimes when one comes to believe and follow Jesus, the impression is given, though it is not true, that it will make life smooth sailing and we will never have any major problems or struggles.  Then when the trials of life do come along and buffet us on every side we get discouraged, desperate or worse. We wonder where God is or what we are doing wrong that these things have come upon us.  Sometimes we blame God. As in the above passage, God tells us here and in other places in the Word, “Through many tribulations (troubles, trials) we must enter the kingdom of God”.  He also proves it to be true by showing us in the lives of the people in history.  Jesus never promised us an easy life but He did promise us a full or abundant life in John 10:10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.“ (NET)

     James tells us to consider it joy, all joy, or great joy when we face various trials… lets look. “My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.” James 1:2-5  Why? was my first thought when I first saw this scripture many years ago. Am I supposed to be joyful, happy that something terrible happened? How can you be joyful when a loved one dies or tragedy happens? So I reread it many times and did as it said. I prayed for wisdom. I was finally able to understand the true meaning of the message. I believe what James is actually saying here is: in the midst of trials, He will see us through and in the process we will grow in faith, in endurance and in wisdom. When we don’t understand what we are going through we need to ask for wisdom, understanding and grace to move through the situation.

     In my experience with walking with God, there have been many  scary times, hard times, struggles and losses of very dear loved ones.  One of the earliest and most frightening times I can remember was when I was about five years old. All I knew of God at the time was the normal children’s Bible stories parents read to their children. A situation arose and I was scared to death. I literally feared that might be my last night.  I feared what the future would be if it wasn’t and this continued. In the back seat of a car in the dark, I cried out to God. I prayed hard! He answered that little girl’s prayer and the chaos began to subside. It was not completely resolved for several years but the circumstance was drastically changed within the next hour or two. That answered prayer was favor; it was grace. He met me where I was and granted me grace to hold on not just initially but time after time until the issue was completely resolved several years later.  That was the night I gave my heart to Him. In every trial and trouble throughout my life, this has been the case. Did all of them turn out the way I like? Absolutely not. Did I always understand the whys? No. Did I feel at time He wasn’t there? Yes. Did He ever leave me or forsake me? NO!  Today, I can say with boldness:

  • God is good and has goodwill toward us.
  • His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, He sees the big picture.     Isaiah 55:8-10
  • God knows what we are suffering is hard.                                               Hebrews 4:14-16
  • He sees every last tear and He knows our pain.                  (NKJV)        Psalm 56: 7-8
  • God knows the outcome, even though we don’t.                                      Psalm 139: 1-18
  • He will provide for all our needs.                                                             Philippians 4:19
  • God will see us through.                                                                          1 Peter 5:6-10
  • He will redeem our troubles.                                                                    Romans 8:28
  • God likes to bring restoration, restoring what was lost.

     Many would challenge my thoughts here. What if things would have turned out differently? There were times they did, times my prayers seemed unanswered or were answered very differently than I would have liked. God was always there even when it did not feel like it.  God has proved Himself faithful to me and proved each of the above things in my life over and over again. His love, grace and mercy has been the sustaining force  in my life and He can do the same in any life.  Our job is to  turn to Him rather that blame Him when the struggles, trials, and troubles come desiring to overtake us.  It is to believe He is who He says. Hold on to the promises in His word.  Trust in His grace to get us through both difficult days and good days.   He is able!

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLqTZ07ja7g

 

 

Days of Grace- Day 21

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     Incredible! We have been looking at one word for three weeks! Grace-We have seen firsthand that one simple word encompasses much more than one would think at first glance. Grace we have witnessed is often very costly. We have journeyed down a road beginning with God’s favor  to Noah. The world had become very wicked but Noah found favor in God’s eyes. A flood would destroy the inhabitants of the earth but Noah was commissioned to build a huge boat and prepare his family and pairs of all the animals in order that the world could start fresh after the waters receded. Just reading the dimensions of the boat and the thought of gathering all the animals is a difficult task but think of those long days on end with all those animals! Next we spoke of Moses. Moses had been raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter and lived forty years in palatial comfort until he fled to the desert and spent another forty years; then he was commissioned to lead God’s people to freedom. He had great mountaintop experiences with God, and he was the recipient of much grace and favor but leading approximately two million people in the desert was hard work and it cost him plenty. Hannah was heartbroken and childless, tormented by her husband’s other wife. She petitioned God and found grace and went on to have six children but it cost her first-born. Naomi and Ruth suffered the loss of their husbands, traveled the distance from Moab to  Bethlehem to return home and found God’s grace in a man named Boaz. It was a tough road for them but they persevered and found grace and favor.  Grace is costly!

      Grace can be frightening. Esther was selected by God’s plan and His grace to be the replacement queen to King Ahasuerus after he banished Vashti for her disobedience. It never mattered that the King’s request was inappropriate and demanded when he was in a drunken state Vashti was gone and Ester was now queen. Her people were going to be annihilated and she was in a position to help but it could cost her her life, she helped anyway and said “if I perish, I perish.” God’s grace was all over the future King David but David prior to kingship found himself in a volatile relationship with the current King, Saul. Saul would draw David in close and then David would be running to hide from him. This went on for years.  The Israelites received much prosperity and great times of God’s favor, yet there were time of captivity and bondage to foreign nations when they chose idols above God. They  would return to God and return to grace.  Sometimes it can seem that the cost is too great and too frightening. Consider Jesus. Bringing grace, mercy and forgiveness to the world cost Him everything. It was a priceless gift. He left heaven and His home with Father God and all that encompassed. He came to earth and lived a fully human experience. He was exposed to all the temptations and situations that we endure. Not once did He react sinfully to any of the trials and sufferings; not even when falsely accused, beaten until He was unrecognizable, nor when they hung Him on the cross. That dark day after endless suffering, He took upon Himself all the weight of our sin, bondage and sickness. He could have chosen not to but He carried out His Fathers plan. Because of His love and sacrifice we are the benefactor of great grace and mercy. Grace is brave and extravagant!

      Today’s grace verse is found in Acts 13:43. Let’s glance at it:  “As the meeting broke up, a good many Jews and converts to Judaism went along with Paul and Barnabas, who urged them in long conversations to stick with what they’d started, this living in and by God’s grace.” (MSG) (for context read chapter 13) Context is very important in scripture and I encourage you to always consider checking out the context and weigh scripture against scripture. Today, I am going to let this verse stand alone. Paul is encouraging all the believers, all those following the life and example Christ set for us to deliberately choose to live in and by the grace of God. What does that mean to us? For us? I believe it means we need to learn what we can about grace and be a student of that grace; asking for wisdom and understanding of what its full meaning is; seeking glimpses of grace in our lives and asking God to help us be aware of them both in the great times but also in the difficult times and in ordinary situations as well. Whether we are the receiver of grace or the giver, it is my belief that true grace flows from great love. because God loved extravagantly.  He provides great grace and out of grace flows great mercy; because we receive great mercy or compassion we are moved to great love for Him; out of great love for Him we are moved or should be moved to a great love for others. That great love will move us to show grace to them, and to have mercy and compassion toward them; even when they have not shown it to us. Why? Grace is costly. Grace is brave. Grace is extravagant. 

Days of Grace-Day 20

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      Grace, defined as unmerited favor by some; a gift of something we did not earn or deserve others will say. A little surfing the net, here are a few of the definitions I found:

  •       Beauty of Form
  •       Good Will
  •       Favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence
  •       To give beauty, excellence or charm to
  •       Divine love, protection; freely given
  •       Excellence or power granted by God
  •       Effortless movement
  •       A condition of protection or sanctification by the favor of God
  •       Reprieve, pardon
  •       Mercy

      It has been twenty days since I felt challenged in my spirit to study this word grace.  Many people of faith observe Lent each year. Lent is a forty day period leading up to Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb.  According to About.com Christianity, it is a time of “fasting, repentance,  moderation, and spiritual discipline” that is observed by some but not all Christians. I was not very familiar with Lent though I had heard numerous friends over the years talk about giving something up for Lent or fasting.  Being curious, as it approached and I was around their conversations, I studied the concept. As I said earlier, I felt a still small challenge to focus each day on Grace. As it happened, when I looked at the calendar it was Ash Wednesday, which is the traditional starting day. I counted the days and determined it would be forty-five days and then Easter. So here we are on Day 20.  So far it has been an interesting journey for me and hopefully for those who have been walking it with me via this blog.

      Today’s grace verse comes from Acts 11: 23. On day 18 and 19 we looked at Stephen. After his trial and sentence, he was killed and persecution broke out among the followers of Christ’s teachings. Despite persecution, the church grew in strength and number. There also arose some confusion about the differences between the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers that were coming into their fellowship. Peter had a vision in chapter 10. Actually, he had it three different times.  Peter was perplexed and just after the last vision, some men came looking for him. They had been sent to Peter by a man named Cornelius so that they could request that he come to Cornelius’ home. Cornelius was a God-fearing centurion and a gentile (those who were not of the Jewish nation).  Peter accepted his invitation and went to him; there Peter told Cornelius and all his household and people about Jesus.  The Holy Spirit moved in power and they all believed and received the Holy Spirit. Next they were all baptized and this was the beginning of the gospel going out to the gentile nations.  Their cultural difference is what began the confusion previously mentioned. Questions over whether or not they were free to just follow Jesus or would have to conform to the Jewish traditions as well were the topic. Peter returns to Jerusalem and hears about the questions and concerns. Peter tells them all about his visions and all that had happened while he was with Cornelius. He told them how the Holy Spirit had moved in power and how they had received the Holy Spirit and then requested to be baptized right away. Peter said to the Jewish believers, “Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”  When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” Acts 11:17-18  This ended the confusion and questions from within  for now but the persecution from outside continued. The believers were now scattering because of the persecution of the church. Some scattered to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.  Others went to Cyprus and Cyrene speaking to the gentiles (Greeks) preaching the gospel of Jesus.

Acts 11:21-23  (NAS) “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.  Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord.”

      Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, the obedience of Jesus,  and  gracious hand of His  Father; salvation, freedom, healing and deliverance was not just for the Jewish people but for all people. Secondly, due to the persecution many went out from Jerusalem into different areas spreading the word, remaining faithful to God and bringing many people to the realization of what was available by living a life for Christ. Once again we see the Grace of God abounding in His people lives even in the middle of trials and struggles. Stephen paid a high price but he graduated into God’s presence. Persecution came and caused chaos and havoc, yet if we look closely… We have seen examples of good will, Peter going to Cornelius. Possibly, that would even be considered indulgence; favor rendered by one who need not do so…but God. We see divine love and protection as people leave their home and are scattered. We also see excellence, power granted by God in the movement of the Holy Spirit. There is good will, mercy and reprieve handed to Cornelius’ household and to all the gentile people. We see God’s grace extended, His kingdom expanded and His glory revealed to all people and it is marvelous in our sight!

Grace and peace to you!

Days of Grace- Day 19

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The Rest of the Story

     Yesterday we looked into the life of Stephen. When we paused the story, he was going before the Sanhedrin on trial for false accusations  and trumped-up charges despite the fact that Stephen was a man with a good reputation, wisdom and full of the Holy Spirit.  In Acts 6:8 we saw these words about Stephen: “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.”(NAS)  There were those who could not stomach the things Stephen spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and plotted against him. Now he has been imprisoned and the trial has begun.

     When asked if the charges against him were true, Stephen answered in a very unusual way. He told the history of the Hebrew people beginning with Abraham and how God called him to leave his home country and go to a land God would show him, a land his descendants would one day have as an inheritance but first they would be in bondage in a foreign land. Stephen then retold a little about the patriarchs and how Jacob’s sons would sell their brother Joseph into slavery and how God would rescue him, deliver him from his afflictions and give him favor with the Pharaoh. Joseph grew to be second in command.  When famine hit his hometown, he eventually was reunited with his family as they sought food from Egypt.  He continued by telling how the Hebrews were growing in number and then were held in bondage to a foreign king.  He explained about Moses and his fleeing to the desert and God’s call for him to return to Egypt and bring the Hebrew people out of bondage. Stephen then spoke of their gaining freedom and wandering in the desert, the building of the wilderness tabernacle.  Finally, he ended with:  “David found favor in God’s sight, and asked that he might find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for Him.  However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:  ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet; What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what place is there for My repose?  ‘Was it not My hand which made all these things?’ ” Acts 7:45-50 (NAS)

      Imagine what the Sanhedrin are thinking! Perhaps they wondered where this was going or what this had to do with the charges against him. Our fellow has not once answered the question of the validity of the charges and I am pretty sure they never expected where Stephen would go next. Take a look:  “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.  Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” Acts 7:51-53 (NKJV) These were Stephen’s next and last words to these leaders.  The leaders were outraged and sentenced him to be put to death.

     God’s grace is an amazing thing. It enabled Stephen to see to  the heart of the matter and instead of answering the bogus charges he was able to see the true problem. Their problem was not with him but with God. He understood God’s Word, His grace and God’s call on his own life. He stayed true to his beliefs and remained strong. I believe Stephen knew beyond a doubt his God was bigger than anything that the opposition could do and if he had any doubt I am sure it disappeared the instant he looked to the heavens and saw first hand the glory of God and Jesus seated at His right hand. Stephen journey appears to be is ending with this declaration: ” and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (verse 56) because they took him out of the city and stoned him. In reality, it was just the beginning for as Paul says to live is Christ, but to die is gain. God has a plan and purpose for every one of us and want us to live life and live it to the full. John 10:10 His desire is for us to live grace filled lives and lives that extend that grace He gives us to all those around us. It was the Grace of God flowing through this amazing man, Stephen, and the example of Jesus Himself that made it possible for Stephen’s last words to be “Lord, receive my spirit,” and “Lord do not hold this against them.” What an example of one who had great peace, wisdom and grace through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. In his greatest trial grace abounded, Lord, may it also abound in our lives whether in good times or in trials!

Days of Grace- Day 18

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     As the early church grew, so did the needs among the people as they would in any growing population. This group of like-minded believers were made up of both Hebraic Jews and Hellenistic Jews, the difference being their language and their culture. The Hebraic from Hebrew and the Hellenistic from Greek language and culture.  The Hellenistic people were concerned that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution and brought it to the attention of the Twelve.  They summoned all the disciples and held a discussion as to what to do in order to more effectively serve the needs of the widows and those who had needs.  Clearly this was very important, but so was the continuance of ministering through prayer and the Word. One should not be neglected for the other, so they gathered together to choose seven men full of the Holy Spirit, with a good reputation, and full of wisdom.  They would be put in charge of food distribution, serving and making sure those in need were no longer neglected.

     The disciples selected Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas. Now they were set apart for this purpose by going before the Apostles for prayer and the laying on of hands. With this concern now addressed, the Word of God continued to be taught and the number of followers continued to grow in Jerusalem.

    Today’s grace verse focuses on one of these men, Stephen. We know that Stephen was one of the men chosen to oversee serving by the disciples which indicated that he was of good reputation, wise and full of the Holy Spirit. The first we hear of Stephen is in Acts 6:5 and we are told Acts 6:8: “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.” One would look at this and believe that Stephen was a good man, living his life, serving God and the people around him, and he was. There was just one problem, some men from the Synagogue of Freedom could not bear the wisdom and Spirit of what he was speaking. They not only stirred up an argument against Stephen, they incited some people against him, drug him before the Sanhedrin and encouraged false witnesses to testify against him. Press pause on Stephen’s story…

     “Where is the grace in what happened?” I am tempted to ask. Maybe you have been tempted to ask that same question. We all have times in life when we are living the best life we know how; juggling maybe, but keeping it balanced and steady, then out of the blue a “suddenly” moment happens. One minute all seemed perfect…ok maybe that should be all seems normal and then suddenly it’s not. If we live long enough, we all have these “suddenly” moments. Some are small; others much bigger. The question is what do we do with those moments? How do we survive false accusations? How do we get past a betrayal? What do we do with a big loss; when we feel as if the world is against us; when hopelessness threatens us?  The questions are endless when a “suddenly” moment happens and the answers in that moment are few. Often we either go on blind instinct or shut down for a while until we begin to be able to process what has happened.

     Personally, I have experienced a number of “suddenly” moments, some were unexpected losses. I would love to be able to say I have handled them well  but it wouldn’t be true. What is true, however, is there was always grace because whether or not I realized it at the time God was always there with me! His Word says He will never leave us or forsake us, and His Word is truth. I might not “feel” Him there or that His grace is with me but that doesn’t change the reality. Looking back on those times, the ones best navigated were the ones that I neither shut down, nor acted on instinct, but those that I hit my knees and immediately turned to God in prayer.  There grace met me. It was the times that I immediately turned to Him being totally helpless in the situation that I found the strength to take the next breath; the next step.  Being told that my Mom had died suddenly when she was in good health and still young; seven years later to the month, my Dad gone suddenly-no major known illness-just gone in a moment; still I will say… He has never left or forsaken me.  Where He is there is grace and His grace is always sufficient!

     Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.  Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Days of Grace-Day 17

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Yesterday, we found ourselves in John looking at John’s declaration, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”  We observed that because of His fullness, we have received grace upon grace, and He has revealed grace and truth. As we follow the grace trail, we pick up next in Acts.  Jesus has fulfilled the Father’s plan.  He came back victoriously from the grave after three days, appeared to Mary, His disciples, and according to 1 Corinthians 15:6, He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus ascended before the disciples eyes into Heaven.  Just before He left, He had instructed them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit, which is where we find them as we approach Acts 2.

Jesus disciples, the women, His mother Mary and His brothers were all together in one place. They were gathered in Jerusalem in an upper room praying. All together there were about one hundred and twenty.  When the day of Pentecost came, so did the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came in power, rested on each one in the room and they were filled with the Spirit of God. Peter stood up with the other eleven disciples and he preached a powerful sermon that was heard and understood by each in their own language.  As if that were not amazing enough, apparently a very large crowd gathered because about 3,000 people accepted Peter’s message and were baptized that day. All of these devoted themselves to the apostles teaching,  spending much time together, sharing meals and praying together. Our first example of grace in the book of Acts describes the early church this way:

“They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NET)

The NET translation, along with a couple of others, uses the words good will when translating Charis to English; others tend to use favor. The impression we are given from the verses is that those who believed were of one heart and one mind; they had all things in common. They faithfully taught as Jesus had taught them and told of His resurrection. There was no one among them who was lacking.  According to scripture, not only was this early church growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and in His teachings, they were genuinely caring for each other, getting along well and making a big impression on all the people around them. Acts goes on to tell us in chapter three about the healing of the lame man at the gate beautiful and a sermon at Solomon’s portico. Chapter four opens with the arrest of Peter and John. The priest and leaders of the temple thought they had solved all their problems by getting Jesus out of the picture. Now not only were his followers the twelve or the one hundred twenty; they had grown to over three thousand and continued to grow. This made the religious leaders very upset and here we find Peter and John in custody.

Peter and John went before the Sanhedrin and spoke. The Sanhedrin saw that the men, despite the lack of education and training were bold and smart and were amazed. They knew instinctively these men were with Jesus. They came to the verdict, no one could speak the name of Jesus again. These bold followers refused to back down, asking the leaders “is it right to obey God or man; you judge, but we must speak out these things we have witnessed.” They were threatened again and released.  Peter and John reported back to the people all that had happened and they began to pray for boldness! No holding back in fear of the religious leaders here; they petitioned to the highest authority for boldness to continue His will and His work. They could have prayed for protection, but they prayed for boldness and an increase in healing and wonders. They didn’t shrink back.

In chapter four we are told: Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. (Acts 4:32-35 NKJV)

What can we learn about grace from their example? What united these people to not only live in harmony but to build this incredible early church?  Could it be regular fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer? Is it having everything in common and helping those in need? Maybe it was time together in the temple? Did the resistance coming against them from religious leaders cause them to bond and become closer? I am sure all of these were contributing factors to their harmony and powerful growth. Perhaps the most powerful reason is found in their finding the one thing that can unite them, Jesus. I believe their uniting factor was their extreme dedication to Jesus, the empowering of the Holy Spirit and their willingness to both give grace to each other and ability to receive it back from one another.

May His grace abound so that we can give grace abundantly!