Tag: Love

Courage to Consider

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                                           How we should respond when we disagree? 

 

     This morning the little time I had while getting ready for an appointment, I took a few minutes to read an article online.  This article was posted on the Christian site and it was giving information about a group of people in Texas who are opening The church of Lucifer and some members of the body of Christ that were there to protest. There was also a video clip on the site that shows the behavior of both sides.

      As far as protests go, it seemed quite calm and fairly simple though some of the signs were objectionable from my point of you I’m sure those who carried them felt strongly and that they were standing up for other Christians but even more so for God. Something deep inside of me was unsettled even after reading this well-written article. It is a common occurrence to see articles of this nature; almost every article of this type leaves me a bit unsettled, especially when they are aggressive or hateful.  

    As a prepared for the appointment, I prayerfully pondered what I’d read and I came up with a response/comment. More accurately, a few questions. This was the comment I posted in response…

                     I have to say the protest did look calm and peaceful for the most part…

                     BUT I must ask this question to the protesters…Is a protest with large 

                     signs and some that were less than kind the way Jesus Christ would

                     have approached these folks?? Those who are in deception do not 

                     know they are in deception. Jesus choose to walk among the people 

                     humbly, gently peacefully and kindly. He firmly and lovingly taught God’s 

                     ways in a way that compelled lives to change and follow Him and allowed 

                     them the choice to follow or not. He always spoke the truth in love. His

                     harshest words were reserved for the Pharisees and Sadducees who

                     lorded over His people and held them to a higher standard than they 

                     themselves lived up to. Flesh and blood are not our enemies as Christians. 

                     

                       Ephesians 6:2   “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but 

                     against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this 

                     darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly place. 

                     Heavenly places!! That means warring on our knees and loving people into

                     the kingdom and out of darkness.”

 

                    “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

                    faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now      

                    those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions

                    and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.

                   We must not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one

                   another.”

                    Galatians 5:22-26 HCSB

 

     After responding, I placed my thoughts on the back burner and had some worship and prayer time as I drove to the dentist.  Well as you most likely know, most of us have little to do while sitting in the dental chair whether it’s for dental work or for a regular cleaning. There is usually some music playing in the background, or in my case the TV in the room switched to a station of random choosing that held little interest to me. Some of you will not understand, but others will totally get it; I want to those whose brain never stops.  You see, I have an inability to just sit back, relax  and let my mind go blank. It’s always jumping around back-and-forth on some topic or another and now I’ve come full circle back to the feeling this article provoked! And then more questions…

 

                     Is there any precedence in the Word of God that promotes protests?

                     We are commissioned to tell the Good News (Gospel), but does it tell 

                      that it is the Holy Spirit draws the unbeliever and brings understanding?

                      Are we trying to be the Holy Spirit in someone’s life?

                      Does the Creator of the entire universe really need His creation to 

                      defend Him?

                      Is it true that Biblically, Paul called believers in Christ to follow him as he

                      followed Jesus Christ?

                      Did Jesus Christ ever involve Himself in a protest or take it upon Himself

                       to defend God, His Father? Or even defend Himself, for that matter?

                       If allowing individuals to chose Him or reject Him was God’s idea, 

                       is it really our place to step in and try to force others to choose our way or

                       beliefs?

 

       My point is this, if we are loving God with all our heart, soul, and strength; following wholeheartedly after Jesus and His example; and walking in the Spirit (exhibiting His fruit); people will be drawn to the Christlike lives we live. That opens to door to share the Gospel in power because they will see us living it and be drawn to His likeness in us. Will all listen or receive? Probably not, but with God all things are possible. We may share the things we are against in protest thinking we are doing good and helping others but are we really doing good or being decisive? If we do so in a way that has not been sanctioned by God or His Word, can it really be good thing? These are but a few of the questions rolling around in my head today in hopes of growing deeper and stronger in obedience to His Word and His ways.

 

 Grace and Peace to you my friend!

Grace Stoppers

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 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22-23‬ HCSB)

      For the last six weeks, a friend and I have been studying the fruit of the Spirit together. We began with an overview of the Book of Galatians and a few a couple of weeks began to study each of the listed fruit, one per week. This weeks fruit: Patience; oh yes,I heard those groans! If only I had a dollar for everyone who has ever told me “Don’t pray for patience; you’ll get it, but it won’t be fun or pretty in the meantime.”! I would be sitting somewhere warm on a sunny beach enjoying the roar of the ocean and the sun beating down on my face as I write instead of looking out at glistening trees, a cold but gentle wind blowing, and a misty rain gently watering them. Oh how I miss the warm sunshine! 

      Hopefully that provided a little recovery time from the shock of that much dreaded word, patience. We are learning through studying this particular fruit that there are two types of patience mentioned in the New Testament. One is patience through circumstances and the other is patience with people. Patience with people is the type of peace referred to in the fruit of the Spirit. Interestingly, though we are studying this fruit, we first tackled the patience with circumstances and learned that hope is the key to having patience when facing difficult situations; hope coming from the Greek word elpis, meaning hope-the desire of some good with the expectation of getting it. That’s pretty straight forward. As long as we have hope, we tend to be able to press through the less than enjoyable aspects that we sometimes face. Without hope, we find it much more challenging!

     The second patience, patience with people can get much more complex, especially in those closest relationships. Hope may be important in these relationships but perhaps mercy is even more important when we endeavor to grow in patience with the people in our circles of influence and with people in general. Mercy or compassion can be a powerful tool especially when it comes to having patience with people. 

      Just an example from my own life: many years ago, my husband and I were having breakfast in a local restaurant. A customer comes in and is seated across from out table. From the very beginning, nothing went right in her opinion and everyone within a ten table radius was aware. People were getting up and leaving be cause of the scene. We had a birds eye view and could not help but hear as things escalated.  This young waitress did not deserve the treatment she was receiving. As we continued to witness this spectacle, I pointed out to my husband that even if she was performing poorly it was no way to treat her. Maybe she broke up with her boyfriend/spouse, had a sick child, a family member sick or dying. We have no idea what people are dealing with in their lives! We went to the register to pay and Kevin gave me his keys. Then he addressed the manager and explained that we had observed everything and the server had done nothing to deserve what was happening. He then asked me to wait in the car (which I did though it was a hard request to follow).  He said he then said a quick prayer and with the same compassion and mercy I had expressed for the server; he approached this lady sitting with her two adult daughters.  He was very respectful and asked if he could join them for a moment. Then my sweet husband who looked about eighteen with his ‘baby face’, proceeded to ask her with great respect if she’d ever considered that the young server might be struggling with some kind of life trauma or tragedy or had spent the night up with a small child that was sick and sleepless? (We knew this one well as young parents ourselves!)  Kevin said her daughters looked so relived and this lady’s whole countenance changed. They all thanked him and he started out to the car. I met him at the door where the manager thanked him…it had been a while and I must admit I was a little concerned and I decided I needed to check on him.

     In the end, mercy, compassion and patience triumphs! We may not always see results right away and it is possible we may not see results at all. Nevertheless, it is a seed that is well worth sowing! (Lord, please give me the grace and wisdom to remember this life lesson!) Why?  Because even if it does not touch the person benefiting from it, others see. Even if it doesn’t touch the lives of observers, it changes us! It is a sure way to teach us to be more Christ-like by walking in the Spirit and exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit; an intentional though momentary choice to live beyond that moment, beyond our circumstances and beyond our own little world in a place where grace flows freely.

      Grace flows freely where love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control abound.  Why Grace Stoppers then? There are also those things which clog and even stop the flow of grace. Let’s list just a few:

  • Hate, joylessness, discord, impatience, meanness, doubt, harshness, selfishness
  • Anger
  • Unforgiveness
  • Hopelessness 
  • Bitterness
  • Jealousy

Help us, oh Father God, to lay these down! Help us to walk by the Spirit, in the fruit of the Spirit 

and in the Mighty name of Jesus!



 Praying you are blessed with His grace, His peace and Fruit that remains!

 

 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.”(‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22-23‬ MSG)

Wonder of Wonders

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Lord my God, You have done many things—Your wonderful works and Your plans for us; none can compare with You.  If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told. Psalm 40:5

     Oh how wondrous that  God seeks out opportunities to develop in us an intimate relationship with Him. Have you ever taken a trip through the Bible looking at the back stories of all the ‘heroes’ and ‘heroines’?  The one thing they all have in common is that they were totally human; flawed; made mistakes; made dumb decisions; and they had times of doubt! Basically, they were very much like everyone of us. God still sought them out and He loved them greatly. God did not give up on them when they floundered; He remained faithful to them even when they failed! This is proven true from cover to cover both under the old covenant and in the new. His Word, from beginning to end is a great love story. From creation, He has lovingly sought after us, pursued us. We may get lost in all the struggles, battles, history and fail to see the gentle thread of His pursuit of mankind but it is always there weaving it’s love story. Many times we get focused on the story and miss God. Some of us question why God acted as He did; question His motives, His kindness. For example, why did He allow a people group to be destroyed or enslaved? We often fail to be objective or see the whole picture but only see from our human perspective and understanding.

  • For example, when I was a fairly young girl my Mom took me to see Gone with the Wind on the big screen. I may have been about seven or eight. First, to be clear, I am in no way comparing any character in the movie to God but my focus for this purpose is how we can get so focused on the story, whether our own or someone else’s, that we fail to see the whole picture. My take away from Gone with the Wind as a small girl was this: Rhett Buttler is a giant monster! He rejected his wife, pushed her down the stairs, hurting her and loosing their baby, and killed his little girl Bonnie Blue. He was a monster and I hated his character. My opinion was framed by my young mind and small understanding. I did not see the big picture, I only saw the most obvious problems and those weren’t seen from a place of understanding. I felt sorry for Scarlet, not seeing the part she played in how her life was going. I was crushed about Bonnie Blue and if he hadn’t bought her the pony and encouraged her in her riding, she would have lived. I loved Melanie’s character, she was so gentle and sweet.  Then I watched it on T.V.  As a  young woman, my  perspective changed pretty dramatically. I could see Scarlet’s flaws and how a good bit of the things that happened to her were related to her own behavior. I saw Rhett in a slightly different light and realized he was not all bad. Some of his actions were out of hurt and rejection. I saw his love and dotting with Bonnie Blue. I was able to see that sometimes Melanie’s sweetness and kindness was actually indulgence that in time caused her pain and grief. Some would note it as weakness rather than indulgent love for her friends and family. Everything looks different, when you see it from a different perspective and I bet if I rented it today, my perspective would be different from the last time,

Now, back on topic. 

       A good example of God’s pursuit of people is Abram (later Abraham). Abram lived in an area where it was the practice to worship false gods, yet Abram did not worship the gods of his family and God was pleased with this. God called Abram to leave his hometown and to go to a place that God would show him. Abram agreed. He set out with blind faith in God and followed His request. Abraham walked in faith with God and is listed as a hero of faith in the book of Hebrews. He listened to God and was very obedient to God. Abraham is well know for his faith in Christianity, among the Jewish culture (his own people) and even in the Muslim culture. Abraham is a famous Bible character; he was also human. He had fears and doubts, at least where man was concerned. Just one example:  not once but twice, out of fear he said Sari (Sarah) was his sister, not his wife. Because of this, the king he feared and his people experienced punishment because of the Kings interest in Sarah.  My, point? Abraham’s mistakes did not stop God from pursuing him and having a relationship with him. It did not hinder God’s plan or negate God’s promises to Abraham.

  • God still made Abraham a great nation!
  • God still blessed Abraham!
  • God still made Abraham’s name great!
  • God still made Abraham a blessing to others!
  • God still blesses those who bless Abraham’s descendants!
  • God still curses those who curse Abraham’s descendants!
  • Jesus was was brought forth through the seed of Abraham!
  • Today, in Christ, we are considered the seed of Abraham!

     God never failed Abraham or his descendants. God kept every promise! God’s ways are wondrous and so much higher than ours! His love is a pure love that never fails even when we mess up. It is said by some that even our failures and sin cannot disappoint our God because He is all-knowing. Before we were born-before the foundation of the earth, He knew us. All our days were written in His book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139.  Wonder of wonders, He desires us, chooses us. He loves us, He forgives us and makes us His own. He is ever faithful. Even when we cannot see or understand His ways and His purposes, He has a plan and it is a good plan. We may question it’s goodness or His goodness because we just can’t see or understand the bigger picture. Lord, we do believe, please help our unbelief!  Please give us eyes to see and ears to hear the wonder of wonders, Your amazing love for us!

May His grace, peace, love and joy overwhelm you this Christmas and New Year!

The Wonder of His Love

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     Most Americans have heard at one point or another the famous scripture, John 3:16; even if it was only in the context of seeing it on a sign at a ball park. It is probably the most used and most quoted scripture ever. That however, does not diminish its truth or power but it has been known to be so used that many stop listening as soon as they begin to hear it.  Some because they have been judged harshly by the same people who often quote it may tune it out, others because they think, “if He loves me, why would His people treat me harshly?” Other’s may have had a difficult, harsh or painful relationship with their own father and just can not imagine a loving Heavenly Father who is always looking out for their best interest, who wants them to thrive and be blessed in life. Still others suffer such difficult circumstances in life that they find it impossible to see or experience the wonder of God’s love. Finally, there are those who despite their harsh circumstances, whether illness, pain, or even poverty and lack, have found true joy and happiness in the wonder-filled love found in the Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus. Why the difference? What is it that causes people to see the Love of God so differently? Why do some see Him a bossy dictator; a harsh disciplinarian father? Yet others see His as a loving, kind Father who blesses their lives and always looks out for their best even when times are difficult or circumstances harsh?

     Honestly, my musings have been triggered by my return to a Bible study that I first completed about ten years ago. A small group of ladies wanted to do a study; from the list of studies I had, they choose the one on the fruit of the Spirit. Today’s lesson drew my thoughts to Psalm 139.  As usual, God always surprises me! No matter how many time you read a scripture or do a study, He can always draw out new nuggets that you did not see in the previous readings! Believe it or not, His Word is alive and active. There are always hidden treasures to be discovered as the Holy Spirit quickens and teaches us in the Word. That is just one of His marvelous wonders.

       Another is God’s unconditional love and His intimate knowledge of each of us. I know I may use these verses a lot but it is only because of how greatly the words have impacted me, so let’s look at Psalm 139:

O LORD, you examine me and know. You know when I sit down and when I get up; even from far away you understand my motives. You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest; you are aware of everything I do. Certainly my tongue does not frame a word without you, O LORD, being thoroughly aware of it. You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me. Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension; it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it. Where can I go to escape your spirit? Where can I flee to escape your presence? If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there. If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn, and settle down on the other side of the sea, even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me. If I were to say, “Certainly the darkness will cover me, and the light will turn to night all around me,” even the darkness is not too dark for you to see, and the night is as bright as day; darkness and light are the same to you. Certainly you made my mind and heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb. I will give you thanks because your deeds are awesome and amazing. You knew me thoroughly; my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret and sewed together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence. How difficult it is for me to fathom your thoughts about me, O God! How vast is their sum total! If I tried to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. Even if I finished counting them, I would still have to contend with you. (‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭1-18‬ NET)

Please Consider:

  • He knows us intimately, He did not just create and forget us.
  • He knows our every move, and NOT in a creepy way!
  • He knows our motives behind our thoughts and actions. When I behave a certain He knows if it is from a pure heart, a broken heart, a selfish heart, or a mean-spirited heart. Many times we do not even know our motive behind our behaviors!
  • He is aware of our travels and our rest. Not only that but He blesses His children with His Holy Spirit who is always with us. Also, His Word says He never leaves us or forsakes us and that He goes before us and He is our rear guard!

                 A. Goes before:  Isaiah 41:10; John 6:37; Romans 8:38-39; Hebrews 13:5

                               B. Goes with:  Deuteronomy 31:8; Isaiah 45:2

                                             C. Rear guard: Isaiah 52:12; 58:8
  • He knew us before we were born; as we were formed in our mother’s womb; and if that were not enough, before the foundation of the earth He knew us!
  • He says you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made, He made each one with value, worth, and purpose!
  • Each of our days were ordained and written before we breathed our first breath. This is big! He knew everything we would ever do, or not do, yet He chose to give us life and breath.

      How difficult to fathom His thought about me! How about you? This my friend, only begins to scratch the surface of the wonders of His love! He loves you with an everlasting love and has drawn you with loving-kindness!! Jeremiah 33: 3  Also, Zephaniah 3 tells us: “Don’t be afraid…Your GOD is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, He’ll calm you with His love and delight you with His songs. (‭Zephaniah‬ ‭3‬:‭16-17‬ MSG)

Be blessed! Grace & peace to you!

 

Your Kingdom Come

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     Today, while reading Revelation 5, the following scripture was the focus of my study:  “They were singing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation. You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (‭Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭9-10‬ NET)      Because I have been researching on our identity in Christ a lot lately, these two verses stood out among all the others. Why? In these two small verses we learn that Jesus’ obedience to His Father cost Him His life, which He willing laid down; His blood has purchased people from every nation, language and tribe; Jesus has appointed those people (His followers) as kings and priests to serve God; and lastly that His people will reign on earth.  We have been commissioned to represent Jesus on the earth by making disciples. (Matthew 28:19) What did this look like? When John the Baptist drew the people, he would call out repent and be baptized for the Kingdom of God is at hand. When Jesus began His ministry, that Kingdom, though not what the world has expected had come. (Matthew 12:28 and Luke 11:20 tell us this.)       Acts 10 tells us this about Jesus: “…37you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39“We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross”      Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and went around doing good. Full of the Holy Spirit, He walked in and by the Spirit. This tells us according to Galatians 5 that His life looked like this: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Then goes on to tell us:  “Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, being jealous of one another. (‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22-26‬ NET)      Isaiah 53 tells us this about Jesus… “He sprouted up like a twig before God, like a root out of parched soil; He had no stately form or majesty that might catch our attention, no special appearance that we should want to follow Him. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭53‬:‭2‬ NET) I mention this to point out that it was not Christ’s looks that drew them to follow Him according to scripture. Based on Galatians; it was His personality as He submitted His life to the Holy Spirit and walked in the fruit of the Spirit. Jesus went about doing good; teaching; making disciples; healing; bringing deliverance; exemplifying the character of God by walking in the Spirit exuding love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control! He showed mercy, grace and compassion when interacting with people. Consider the woman at the well. She was a Samaritan and a woman. She came to the well in the heat of the day to avoid towns people because of their treatment. Jesus shows her kindness and compassion and strikes up a conversation; a Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan! A woman! How could this be? By the time the disciples were returning, He had confirmed her truthfulness of her lack of a husband and had lovingly pointed out her past. Why do I think it was done in love and compassion? She went back to her town, to people who disapproved of her, and she told them about Jesus and her encounter. They all came to see Jesus. Why would she do this unless it was the fruit of the Spirit is His life and in His conversation with her?  He responded a little differently with the religious leaders who knew God’s Word and taught it, yet did not observe it themselves He was less gentle and more to the point because they knew the Scriptures.      Jesus set the example of what the Kingdom of God looks like and entreated us to walk as He walked.  He set an example of being loving and compassionate with people gently teaching them and speaking the truth in love. This is why they followed Him!  Based on this, I am positive beyond a doubt His success was because He exemplified the fruit of the Spirit! There is absolutely no indication that Jesus used guilt, fear or shame, those are tactics of the enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy. (John 10:10) Jesus came to give life to us! Kingdom life. He came to purchase us for God, bring us into the Kingdom, empower us with the Holy Spirit and infuse us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.      Can you just imagine what would happen if all His people choose to walk this way? It seems a little to hard to believe that we could but if we had a revelation of our true identity in Christ, who God says we truly are and walked in that, I believe we would live in a noticeably different world than the one we often see around us. Grace and peace to you! Blessings

Scandalous Grace

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Today we celebrate that there was No victory in the death of Jesus Christ though the religious leaders and Satan thought there was. Death’s sting was extinguished forever! Why? Because He was victorious over death once and for all! He is risen and alive forever!

In an incomprehensible act of love, mercy and grace, God’s beloved Son left all that was His to become like us. He not only experienced all the trials and sorrows we do, but He walked through them…never bogged down in them! His was the victory as He faced each one, stood firm, strong and sinless; always trusting His Father and His God! He faced the most painful death counting it joy because He understood what it was purchasing for all,of us if we only have the faith to believe!

 

 

Jesus forever changed the way we are able to interact with our Father God, Creator of the Universe!

So I will stand! Arms high and heart abandoned…in Awe of Jesus and gratitude to God!

 

 

I don’t know about you but I owe it all to Him! So grateful for God’s inexhaustible mercy, love and grace!  He is risen indeed!

 

 

Happy Easter! May His love, grace and peace be abundantly yours this day and every day!

 

 

Days of Grace-Day 32

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Our stop along the grace walk today will give some glimpses into God’s love and His kindness toward us following up on our look at Psalm 139. In Ephesians 2:10, we are told “For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.”(Ephesians 2:10 NET)  This goes right along with the psalm. We each have been specially designed by the Creator of the universe on purpose and for a purpose. It is no coincidence when, where, how and why we come into the world, yet because we have freedom of choice, we may or may not fulfill our originally intended destiny.  The Message puts it this way…

It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose His temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, He embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on His own, with no help from us! Then He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah. Now God has us where He wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all His idea, and all His work. All we do is trust Him enough to let Him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing. (Ephesians 2:1-10 MSG)

What a great message. In Ephesians 1 we were told in verse three that we were blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. We have seen that we have been designed masterfully for a purpose and that God has gone to great lengths to do all that is necessary for us to have right standing with Him. Our job is to trust Him. One of the best gift’s we can give ourselves is to get to know this God we believe in. How? Studying His character throughout the Word, looking at how He interacts with His people. Looking at His character by how He interacts with the patriarchs, Israelites and people in the New Testament can be very eye-opening! Throughout history, God has used ordinary, normal, common, and flawed people to accomplish extraordinary feats. Timid Gideon becomes a mighty warrior. Young David becomes a giant killer, then a mighty warrior and King. Orphan Hadassah becomes the courageous Queen Esther and sabotages evil Haman’s plot. Rejected, Joseph enters as a slave into Egypt and in time becomes second in command and is able to take in the brothers who rejected him during the famine in their homeland. Moses who fled to the desert, goes back to Egypt 40 years later to lead around two million of his people to freedom. The list could go on. When we take a deeper look at the stories, we see they were all flawed people who messed up at times just as we do. Many of them questioned God, asked for signs; some lied. God knows better than anyone that we’re human and we fail. In fact that is why He made provision through Jesus. If we look carefully, we will see God is not just a just God waiting to dole out punishment; but we will see He is holy, extraordinarily patient, kind, merciful, forgiving, impartial, generous, compassionate and so much more. Psalm 113:13-15 says:

“Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.”

God knows our weaknesses, strengths, and our humanity. Nothing about us is a surprise and not only that; no circumstance we ever find ourselves a part of takes Him by surprise. He has an answer for every question and a solution for every problem. Because He loves us immensely, He wants us to trust Him, seek Him, surrender our lives in exchange for the best life we could imagine. He has done all the work for us; now, He asks for our trust. Our problem is we shy away from trusting someone we do know.  We have to choose to get to know Him through His Word and then for some of us, one baby step at a time. For others, one giant leap of faith. Either way, it is worth more than we can ever imagine!

 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]– To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it). (Ephesians 3:20, 21 AMP)

Days of Grace-Day 31

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     Greetings, we have made it to day thirty-one. When I first heard that “Still small voice” say focus on grace for the next forty-five days until Resurrection Sunday, my first response was okay. My next thought was forty-five days focused on such a small word, can this be done? The word seems small at first glance, but the topic is huge. It flows like an enormous river from cover to cover throughout the Bible. I am beginning to view this word grace like a diamond. I am finding it expensive, rare, priceless, multifaceted and quite exquisitely beautiful.  I am finding that true grace, like a diamond is formed in us when we are under pressure, subjected to high temperatures, and finally are shaped and faceted by the precision and work of the Master.

     Psalm 139 tells us that God knit us together in our mother’s womb.  It continues by saying that He made all of the delicate and inner workings of our body. In all of our complexity, He masterfully designed each of us.  He was witness to the uniting and dividing of each cell as our lives came together in that secluded place.  This same Psalm tells us He knew us before we were born and that each and every day of our life was recorded before we breathed a single one.  Precious are Your thoughts toward me it says; more than the grains of sand! (Psalms 139:13-18) I find that incredible!! The Creator of the Universe and everything in it knows me that personally…He knew everything I would ever do, think or say before I lived the first day. He saw my humanity, knew that I would mess-up, make mistakes; sometimes big ones. Still in His love, mercy, grace and sovereignty; He gave me life. God did this for everyone of us from the greatest to the least. He did this for you! God has a plan and purpose for every human and yet He loved us enough allow us to have free-will to choose. How He longs for us to choose Him.

Ephesians 1:2-8 says:  ” May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give yougrace and peace. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”  (New Living Translation)

     When we chose a life with Jesus, God has already made provision by His grace for us. This passage tells us that we already have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. We are no longer just God’s creation, we have become His children and heirs. As if that were not enough, it tells us that it gave Him great pleasure to do this! 

     It is very  interesting to me that over the years, I have heard many teachers, preachers, and pastors talk about ancient adoption. One thing they all pointed out has been that in ancient times when a child was adopted it was permanent. It was not something that could be undone, taken back or reversed. A parent could ‘disown’ their blood related child but could never do that with a child they choose to adopt. I have done a little research on it also that seems to confirm its validity. What an amazing gift is ours when we choose to follow God’s plan. We are not only forgiven, redeemed, and placed in right standing. We become sons and daughters. We are heirs. We are showered with kindness, wisdom and understanding. Yet many times we are not even aware of who we have become in Christ.  It is almost like we gain this huge inheritance yet we are completely unaware of what is now ours and continue to settle for living in all our old ways rather that believing that we are who He says we are.  I am certainly not suggesting that we should think more highly of ourselves because of this grace He has given us, rather I am suggesting that we understand how our Father sees us, the value He places on us and with that proper perspective we can live more victorious and fruitful lives serving Him and others.

Days of Grace-Day 16

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Grace and peace to you! I hope you are blessed with sunshine on this first day of spring.  It is beautiful here but still pretty chilly. Today we will be exploring the first chapter of John as we continue our grace journey. It is my prayer that you are enjoying observing all the different ways grace manifests in people, their lives and in their different circumstances as we have walked through the scriptures. Because of grace, God did not completely wipe out the earth; we saw a family taken out before a city was destroyed; God continued with the Israelites because one man, Moses, found God’s favor; we saw Gideon hiding out become the mighty warrior that God knew he could be; we have seen the redemption and restoration in Ruth and Naomi’s life; and we have seen a barren woman’s greatest desire realized just in our first six days together. What a difference a little grace can make in our lives! Today, we will look in the book of John.

John starts from verse one with the powerful declaration: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” John 1:1-5 NASB. Before telling Jesus life purpose and story, John wants to make His deity and who He was clear making sure his readers know that Jesus was at God’s side when the world was created; when the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters in Genesis 1:2, Jesus was there! It says He was the Word (logos- spoken word uttered by a living voice), the Word was with God, and He was God.

Let’s peek at today’s passage. John 1:14-18 tells us:  “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 1:14-18 NASB)

Four times in today’s passage we see the word grace (Charis) and in two times it is pared with the word truth. For anyone joining us for the first time, here is a link defining this Greek word Charis:

http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/charis.html.

First, Jesus is described as being full of grace and truth. Jesus came full of grace and truth and of His fullness, the fullness of who He was(grace and truth); we have all received  grace upon grace. Moses gave the law, but grace and truth are realized through Jesus. Alrighty, so what exactly does that mean to us, or for us? I really can not say, but I can explain what it means in my heart and to me personally. Jesus came to earth carrying that which brought joy, delight, good will, loving-kindness, favor, and merciful kindness of God to us and truth. His purpose was to restore all that was lost or stolen in the Garden of Eden at the fall of man. Enmity came between mankind and God when Adam and Eve disobeyed. There was a division, a separation, sin entered because of man’s disobedience and mankind could no longer coexist with God’s Holiness. Did God stop loving mankind? No! It was His desire to be in relationship with man. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, we still struggled keeping them all. Israel was given additional laws, not to punish or hinder their fun, but for their protection. Things that were for their best interest for having a blessed and satisfying life. Yet, man struggled with obedience.

Jesus came to earth to bridge the gap between God and mankind. It had been God’s plan from the beginning. He came and fulfilled every single bit of the law, something we could not accomplish.  He came because of the loving-kindness, mercy, favor and compassion of His Father, to bridge the gap; to do what we humans could not, to restore that which had been lost at the fall of man and due to the sin of man throughout the ages. He set the example of living a sinless life full of grace and goodwill. Jesus also set an example of love and speaking the truth in love. He was gentle yet firm with people as He taught them the way to walk. Because He loved, He corrected and taught. He did so in a loving way, always direct but only getting harsh with those who were religious leaders; who knew the law and the prophets; expected the people to follow but thought themselves above it. Jesus lived in a manner that completely pleased the Father, knowing at the end of His time here on earth that He would be betrayed, beaten and killed for our sin, sickness, shame, and deliverance.  This gracious man came from His gracious Father to walk a perfect path to the cross. He took for us all our iniquity and traded His life for ours; His right standing for our failures. It cost Him everything and us nothing! That is grace! Then He arose defeating the last of our enemies, death and the grave. Grace accomplished the work, it is done.  Grace is available to us and freely given. We are free to choose Grace or reject it. Jesus is Grace and when we choose Him, our lives are transformed, never the same!

 

Days of Grace-Day 15

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     Today’s scripture portion comes after Jesus earthly ministry was in full swing. At first glance, I was very curious where we were going to find Charis in this one because it is one of the most challenging teachings of Jesus for most people. In most of our scriptures it has been pretty obvious and easy to find.  For context, we will start a few verses before our main verse.  Let’s take a look.

      “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:27-36 HCSB)

      Ok, be honest, do you bristle just a little at this one? I love that Jesus takes a time out right in the middle of the thought He is expressing to explain His thinking. He tells us to love our enemies, by the way the Greek word for love here is agapao. If loving your enemy seems hard, imagine when in it’s fullness it means: to welcome; to entertain; to be fond of; to love dearly. Many describe it as the God kind of love; others use the term unconditional as it’s definition. Agapao is a love that costs us something.  It is a love that gives, one that sacrifices. It is the same word used for love in the great commandment that Jesus gives us: 

     “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matt. 22:36-40 (NET)

     Jesus challenges us to love everyone, even our enemies. He asks us to love them; pray for them. The word enemies in this passage means exactly what it does to us in our English language, just to clarify, it means:  hateful; odious; hating; hostile; opposing another or in our example one who treats us in these ways. Not only are we told to love our enemy, we are supposed to go the extra mile. “If they ask for our coat, do not hold back our shirt”… If they smack us on one side of our face, turn the other… Jesus said in our scripture for today, “if you love those who love you, what credit (Charis) is that?” Likewise, He asked if we lend to those who we know will pay back, “what credit (Charis) is that? His point is what? Anyone can be nice to those who are nice to them; love those who love them; and be generous to those who treat them generously but it takes a special person to be used; abused; or taken advantage of and continue to show love. It takes great strength and character to continue to love someone and be respectful towards them when they have said or done unkind things, have taken advantage or perhaps betrayed you. To respond lovingly, in spitein spite of being mistreated is very counter culture especially in America in 2014! In our humanness we may ask, “why should we continue to care after they ________?” (You fill in the blank)  

      It takes extraordinary grace, strong character and an even stronger will to put the incident behind you and continue to show love. Jesus modeled exactly that kind of love, character and grace for us on His journey to the cross. He loved when we/they mocked Him, He loved despite the beatings, betrayal, and abuse. He pleaded, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do!”  The obvious question, “what credit is that?”.  It was credited to Him as righteousness. It accomplished His mission. It made a way for us to have right relationship with our Heavenly Father through the righteousness of Jesus Christ if we will only believe and follow Him.  It made it possible to be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to live a life of love, mercy, compassion and grace that is like a magnet making others wonder why and how we are so different than most.  The challenge is: will we? 

Preaching to myself! Grace to you my friends!