Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 30, 2008

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I Corinthians 3:1

Do we ever feel our spiritual life is not progressing? Are we not as strong spiritually as we were when we became Christians? Do the things of the flesh have more power over us than the Spirit of Christ? If our best friends are people of the world, if our favorite activities are doing worldly things, if people don’t know we are Christians, we are feeding on the wrong diet. If our favorite activities are beer and baloney with Bubba, instead of Christ and His Church, we are heading for the church obituary list. Let’s get off the milk of infancy and start feeding on the meat of God’s Word. It is time to grow up, and be spiritual people of God.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Monday, September 29, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 29, 2008

While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad." Acts 26:24

On Paul’s way to Rome he had the opportunity to share his faith a number of times. Felix, Festus, and Aprippa were Roman officials that he met along the way. They were tough audiences with rough backgrounds. Paul himself wrote that he was a fool for Christ, and beside himself for the sake of God. Paul was a brand new creation living in an old world. Many people must have thought he was out of his mind and just didn’t say it. When we are transformed in Christ in such a way that changes our lives, our thinking and our speech, some may think we’ve crazy too. Let’s keep on sharing the love of Jesus. When we are ridiculed, we are in good company.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Friday, September 26, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 26, 2008

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15

When "Little Orphan Annie" was plucked out of the orphanage and adopted by "Daddy Warbucks", her life changed drastically and immediately. From poverty to riches, from sadness to happiness, from abuse to pampering, from loneliness to belonging. The joy in her life was evident and her happiness overflowed onto everyone she met. She couldn’t quit laughing, singing and dancing. When we are born again into the kingdom of God, we leave our slavery and fear behind. Our crying in pain, becomes the cry of joy. Our Father in heaven is the ultimate "Daddy Warbucks" As He meets all our needs in Christ, let the celebrating be seen by all.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 24, 2008

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8

Does out spiritual life resemble the surf of the sea? The tide is out and the waves come crashing in. We’re not getting our prayers answered and we aren’t happy. When we pray, "Lord, give me more purity and holiness in my life, but not today. You see, today is Friday and I’ve got a big weekend planned, but if you get me on track Monday, that would be good." "Lord, help me to be faithful in my attendance at church, starting this fall. You see, I've got a fun summer planned." That double minded faith will leave us tossed. Try this pray instead. "Lord, strengthen my faith. change my life, according to Your will, starting right now."

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 24, 2008

But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; John 16:7-8

Churches and church leaders are trained to discuss, counsel, and lead the worship. Books on psychology, philosophy, marketing, and church growth fill the libraries. If we were asked what was the most important issues facing the church, what would our answer be? Jesus said He was going back to heaven to send the Holy Spirit, and He would remind us and teach us what was really important. These are the three things He mentioned: Sin, Righteousness, and Judgment. These are the real issues of mankind, the real issues they don’t understand, and the solutions to eternal problems. Let’s start with those. That’s where the Holy Spirit started.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 23, 2008

This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. John 3:19-20

Jesus is the light of the world. He came into the world so everyone could walk in the light as He is in the light. If we want to practice truth, we welcome Jesus’ light in our life. If we want to practice evil, we avoid the light. Criminals do their best work in the cover of darkness. Cockroaches can fill a room in the darkness. Turn on the lights and the crooks and roaches run for cover. The way we feel about being in the light is our best indicator of what we are. Christ’s child or cockroach. Let’s come out of the darkness and into His light.

The grace for the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Monday, September 22, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 22, 2008

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. I Peter 5:8

Any time we make a decision to disobey the Lord, the devil will be glad to help us. When Jonah ran from his mission, the devil made a ship available for him. When Cain was aggravated with Abel, the devil put sin at his door, and it mastered him. When the children of Israel waited for Moses to come down with the commandments of God, the devil got Aaron to build a gold calf. The list of times the devil has paved the way to sin and rebellion is endless. We may be promising to be faithful to God this week, if nothing comes up. The devil will help find something for us. We may think we can turn away from God and we are on our own, but we are mistaken. The devil is ready to step right in and help us. Never give the devil a ride. He will always want to drive.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Friday, September 19, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 19, 2008

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. "Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes," says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:10-11

Throughout the Bible, God promises us bless us in two ways. He will open up the windows of heaven and pour blessing on us, and He will stop the losses that might have come our way. When we make a commitment to obey Him, and give to His work and the needs of others, His promises are sure. The next time we are in a discussion about the rotten economy, mortgage rates, food and fuel prices, and unemployment, think again. May we remind ourselves and others that as Christians we also live in God‘s economy. Find someone to help and watch the Lord help us

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 18, 2008

And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. Philippians 4:3 KJV

The Apostle Paul writes to his fellow workers to seek for peace and harmony. They have been "yokefellows", working together for the gospel of Christ, and he appeals for their unity. Jesus invites us to take His yoke, and then seek to be yoked together with His children. Paul noted that his fellow workers had their names written in the book of life. Can we say the same for our fellow workers? The Bible says we can’t walk with anyone unless we are going to the same place, and an ox can’t work in the same yoke with a mule. May we choose the yoke of the Lord and His children every day, and help those who are in the yoke with us to have peace and harmony.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 17, 2008

Or what harmony has Christ with Belial II Corinthians 6:15

God does not want us to be bound together, or unequally yoked with unbelievers. Like light is separate from darkness, believers separate from non-believers, and the temple of God from idols. A Christian should have no more in common with the worldly than Christ has with the Devil. Can their be any harmony or concord between the two? The word harmony comes from the Greek word that translates to symphony. A blending of notes in harmony. Can you picture Jesus and the Devil singing a duet of praise to God? Well God has the same view of us trying to harmonize with the worldly. We cannot sing in both choirs. Come out and be separate singing with Jesus, not the Devil.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 16, 2008

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Often people view Christian activities as a time to fulfill our church member obligation only. The time we spent in His word is valuable, but there is also value in spending time together with other Christians. Bible classes, worship, fellowship dinners, personal work, physical labors, and even parties, are all good opportunities to grow together. We cannot sharpen ourselves spiritually by spending time in the world. The sharpening process is best served when one Christian touches another. We need to search for maximum sharpening, not minimum. How dull can we get? Stay away too long, and we will soon be on the spiritual trash pile of useless tools.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Monday, September 15, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 15,2008

It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes. Psalm 119:71

Can we picture ourselves thanking God for our afflictions, so we can experience spiritual growth? Paul was thankful for the comfort he received in his affliction, so he could communicate that comfort to others. James considered it joy in trials, for the perseverance and spiritual growth that followed. When affliction converts, when troubles strengthen, we should be thanking God for the good that comes. The next time we find ourselves in an extreme adversity, remember, every trial is another opportunity for God’s good. Thank you Lord.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Friday, September 12, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 12, 2008

Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of hosts, "nor will I accept an offering from you. Malachi 1:10

The kingdom of Judah was sent to Babylonian captivity because of their rebellion against God. Here the prophet Malachi reveals God thoughts less than 100 years after their return to Jerusalem. Have things improved? No, they are worse. The priests of God are despising His name, and bringing defiled sacrifices. God calls for someone to shut the doors and stop the useless sacrifices. His people refuse to do what is right and even give Him backtalk. How sad it is that we tend to repeat history over and over. How God must be sad at the false religions among us. Do you believe He would rather see the church doors closed, than continue to see false teaching? Let’s be the disciples His word calls for every day.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 11, 2008

Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

Solomon wrote a poetic picture of death. Death is something that we dread, but some who are searching for that better life, look forward to it with anticipation. The Bible promises us eternal life with a new body. Fanny Crosby lived from 6 weeks old to age 95 without seeing. While being blind, she wrote hundreds of songs. In one she wrote of the silver cord breaking and being able to see Him face to face. Her blindness helped her see eternal things more clearly, and inspired her poetry. Maybe we see too much and it clouds our view of eternity with Jesus. Let’s look again.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 10, 2008

Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. Psalms 119:133

This is a golden nugget of scripture hidden in the longest Psalm. Psalm 119 has 176 verses and is often passed over because of its length. It is actually 22 segments of 8 verses each. The sections are in alphabetical order in the Hebrew language. It was structured that way to aid in memorization. Does that sound like a lot of work? As it turns out, when we spend a great amount of time in His word, He establishes our footsteps, and sin does not have dominion over us. Aren’t those the things we are searching for in life? Take the time to read a section a day. There is gold in “them there hills.”

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 9, 2008

Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything Ecclesiastes 10:19

Recently a church member said to me, "Hey, I never heard you preach on this topic. All I hear is wine and money are evil." Not all scripture is direction on how we should live. Some direct us on how we should not live. In the passage Solomon is contrasting wisdom and foolishness. Solomon found out far too late that riches, wine, women, and songs were not the key to happiness. His writings direct a man not to let those things be the answer in our lives. When we love the things of this world more than we love God, all these things really do become the root of all sorts of evil. Unfortunately, just a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. Don’t rip a verse out of contest. Let’s cling to wisdom and honor.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Monday, September 8, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 8, 2008

The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. I Timothy 5:17

The leaders of our churches need all the encouragement they can get. Too often there is a tremendous lack of respect for teachers and those in leadership authority. The devil has enough angels to destroy our leadership without getting help from us. When Elisha stepped into Elijah’s shoes, he had a credibility problem. He needed the authority and respect to ministry to Israel. One day in II Kings 2, forty two kids mocked him, calling him "baldhead". Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and tore them up. God performed many miracles to give Elisha the respect he had to have. Leaders still need our help. Got some evil criticism for your leaders? Watch out for those she-bears!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Friday, September 5, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 5, 2008

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15

The devil wants us to believe that everyone is going to heaven. He wants us to believe that there is no standard of obedience, and we can live anyway we want. He wants us to believe that God is love and would never condemn anyone. Jesus sent His Son to die for our sins. When we are in Christ Jesus, our sins are washed away and our names are written in the book of life. No name, no entrance into heaven. In Luke 10:20 the apostles rejoiced about the power they had. Jesus told them they should really be rejoicing because their names were written down. When the books are opened, will our name be in there?

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 4, 2008

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? Psalms 42:1-2

David was spending his days crying. He was being ridiculed for being deserted by his God. He was in despair and had lost his praise. He remembered when he used to lead the worship in the house of God. He asked why his soul was so deeply disturbed. Then he remembered he needed to hope in God and praise Him again. Many times we say we are thirsting for the living God, but are we really truthful? What is keeping us from being in worship and Bible study? What are we experiencing that God couldn’t handle if we gave it all to Him? How can we stop our despair and the ridicule we are receiving for our unfaithfulness? Let's hope in God and praise Him again. Then we will feel the refreshment of His presence.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 3, 2008

Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:6

Have you ever watched a potter working the clay at his wheel? He makes whatever he chooses, first one thing then another. We are clay in the hands of the Master potter, that is God. If we yield to His hand, He will make us an honorable vessel. If we resist, He can toss our lump aside. Does the pot yell back at the potter for the way he is made? Sometimes we do, but that is useless yelling. If we want to made into someone worthy of glory, let’s just start yielding our clay to the Master’s hand. As the song goes, "Have thine own way Lord. Have thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after thy will. While I am waiting, yielded and still."

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
Philippians 4:23

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Grace for your spirit September 2, 2008

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? Acts 5:3

Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold some land and brought the money to the apostles. They lied about how much they had received for the land, and how much they gave. We already know why the devil filled their hearts to lie to the Holy Sprit. The devil wants us to do the wrong thing. My questions are, why did they let him fill their hearts, and when did he do it. The devil is always going to be around to fill our hearts with deceit. We will often let him do it when the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life has become our god. If we aren’t on guard, he will fill our hearts too. It cost them their lives. Don’t let the same thing cost us our eternal life.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirity
Philippians 4:23