Grace for your spirit October 30, 2015

Grace for your spirit

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.  I Peter 2:9

Robin Hood and his merry men are primarily remembered as those who would "rob from the rich and give to the poor."  In fact, this group of people were loyal to King Richard who was away on the Crusades.  His evil brother Prince John usurped the throne and afflicted the poor. Robin was loyal to his absent King until he returned, helping the poor, and then he bowed before him.  In the Kingdom of God, our King Jesus has went away.  While He is in heaven, Satan has tried to usurp His kingdom.  As God's royal priesthood, we are commissioned to resist the devil and help the poor until He returns.  May we defend the kingdom until He returns when we will bow before Him.  Be merry men

Grace for your spirit October 29, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race this is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus  Hebrews 12:1

It takes a certain single minded devotion to run the race to the finish line. There is always sin and obstacles along the way to trip us up, so we need to be careful.  We need to listen to the right voices and reject the wrong.  In the Land of Oz, Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow found that by following "the yellow brick road",  they would find what they needed.  We need a commitment to stay on the blood sprinkled path of Jesus, keeping our eyes on the prize at all times.

Grace for your spirit October 28, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Your iniquities have made a separation between you and  your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that he does not hear.  Isaiah 59:2

God can reach us and God can hear us, until we build a wall of sin between Him and ourselves.  Christ went to the cross to build a bridge between us and God.  When we meet Him on the bridge, He has a healing for us all, and a great fellowship with all His children.  As the kid's song goes, "You can build a wall, or you can build a bridge.  It all depends on the life you live.  If you build a wall, your world is small, but a bridge of love will conquer all. 

Grace for your spirit October 27, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?  John 14:5

In Alice in Wonderland, Alice asked the Cheshire cat, "Which way should I go from here?"  The cat asked, "Where do you want to get to?" Alice answered, "I don't much care"  The cat said, "Then is doesn't much matter which way."  If we want to spend eternity with Satan, then it doesn't much matter what we do or where we go.  Jesus answered Thomas' question and ours with a simple direction.  "I am the way, truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me"  None of us will wander into heaven without purpose.  Jesus is the way.  And that matters much.

Grace for your spirit October 26, 2015

Grace for your spirit

The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on  you, and give you peace.  Numbers 6:24-26

Do we want the Lord's face to shine on us?  Do we want His blessings, protection, grace and peace?  We need to stay in the place where we can see His face and He can see ours.  In unity with His Son Jesus is the place to be, because God's face always shines on Him. In Christ and walking after His Spirit, we will always feel the warmth and glow of God's face.

Grace for your spirit October 23, 2015

Grace for your spirit

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.           I John 5:13

I'm not sure where we went wrong.  It seems most people have been taught they we earn our salvation and favor with God by the good things that we do. Therefore we can only hope we have eternal life because most of the time we just aren't doing that well. God doesn't want us to just HOPE. He wants us to KNOW we have eternal life.  The real plan from heaven is for us to be made righteous by Jesus.  Our salvation is based on His life.  That gives us the confidence of knowing we have eternal life all the time.  It is time to act like it.

Grace for your spirit October 22, 2015

Grace for your spirit

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.  I John 5:3'

God has never intended His commands to be a burden to us.  He wants to make it easy for us to follow them and be benefited by them.  This is because God loves us so much.  When we love Him as He loves us, it makes it easy.  When we feel burdened or grieved by His direction, it is time to go back to the basics.  The love of God controlling us.

Grace for your spirit Octoer 21, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.     II Corinthians 9:7

Purposing in our heart is not a matter of arithmetic, penny pinching, and budgeting.  There is no joy and cheerfulness in squeezing the nickel until the buffalo roars.  Purposing in our heart  is the commitment related to being a good steward.  It is coming to the conclusion that what we have already belongs to God, and we are cheerfully committed to using it as He sees fit.  It is always a joy using someone else's resources.  It can easily be done hilariously.  Let's have another great day.

Grace for your spirit October 20, 2015

Grace for your spirit

And to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.  I Thessalonians  4:11-12

There are many ways to spread the good news about the things God has done for us.  One way is our behavior before others. When we display a lifestyle that honors God, such as a  quiet life, an ambitious busy life, our behavior will honor Him. Let's resolve not to be a burden on anyone. When people notice our godly lifestyle, may we never take credit for it ourselves. Let's make sure God gets the glory. 

Grace for your spirit October 19, 2015

Grace for your spirit

And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1:4

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus called for us to be perfect, as our Father is perfect.  Here James called us to let endurance have its perfect result that we might be perfect and complete.  Can we be perfect?  Of course we can. The question is, how.  We can never be perfect by our own efforts, but the righteousness that comes from God in Christ, can make us perfect, complete, and mature.  Have a little fun this week.  Tell people you are perfect.  After they quit laughing, tell them about Jesus and how He can make us all perfect.

Grace for your spirit October 16, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and sign which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.  Acts 2:22

Peter preached on Pentecost to people who knew some things about Jesus.  They knew He had been there with miracles, and that He had been nailed to the cross.  So what?  They would soon be convicted by the things they did not know.  Peter revealed that this was a predetermined plan of God, that they were involved in His death, and that God raised Him from the dead.  This message touched their hearts and brought them to God.  If what we know now isn't moving us toward God, let's find out what we don't know.  It may make all the difference.

Grace for your spirit October 15, 2015

Grace for your spirit

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.  Psalm 32:4

What happened to the mighty King David?  This one who beat Goliath and ruled with a powerful hand over Israel.  His secret sins and guilt wore him down, and the heavy hand of God drained away his vitality. His secret cover up of his sins ruined his life.  His choices are the same as our choices.  We can be ruined with guilt, or we can confess, and let God take our sins away.  Good days are ahead when we turn to God.

Grace for your spirit October 15, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son,, and the Holy Spirit.  Matthew 28:19

If a plane flies, it might crash.  If a ship goes to sea, it might sink.  If a car is on the highway, it might wreck.  Experience has proved that planes, ships, and cars actually last longer when they are in service. Besides, they weren't built to sit and rust out.  Christians have been given directions to Go, disciple, and baptize.  Do we resist because we are afraid we might fail?  God tells us we will do better for ourselves when we are active in His service.  Plus, we weren't saved to sit, but rather be are equipped to go.  Let's not meet the Lord rusted out.

Grace for your spirit October 13, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Like a city that is broken into and without walls, is a man who has no control over his spirit.  Proverbs 25:28

In Bible times, a city without walls was vulnerable to every enemy that passed by.  A person that does not have control of their spirit is vulnerable to every emotion, and every challenge that passes by too. The morning news is full of names with those who have no control over their spirit, and the "church obituary list" grows with souls who have no control over their spirits and fall away.  God offers us the gift of His Spirit to strengthen ours.  When we join with His Spirit, He will help our spirit to overcome and have victory.

Grace for your spirit October 12, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Woe to those  who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure in the mountain of Samaria  Amos 6:1

Prosperity is often not our spiritual friend.  Persecution and loss will draw us closer to God than prosperity.  The prosperous ones of Samaria ignored the warning from God because times were so good. They refused to be convicted of their sinful ways because they believed their prosperity proved they were blessed.  Let's not be deceived.  May we never be at ease and feel secure when we are not following God, or it will be Woe for us too.

Grace for your spirit October 9, 2015

Grace for your spirit

The  conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. Ecclesiastes 12:13

How often have you been in a complicated discussion with someone, and they asked, "What is the bottom line?"  There are many complicated issues in the Bible that are hard to understand.  As we learn what God wants, what will we do?  Honor God, respect God, and do what He says.  That is the bottom line, and it applies to all of us.  Let's press on toward the mark.

Grace for your spirit October 8, 2015

Grace for your spirit

It is I who says of Cyrus, He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.  And he declares of Jerusalem, She will be built. And of the temple, Your foundation will be laid.  Isaiah 44:28

Two hundred years before the fact, God revealed His plan to restore Jerusalem.  Before their captivity, before the temple was destroyed. before the Persian Empire was thought of, God had the plan already laid out.  Hard to understand?  Of course.  When we walk by sight, it makes everything hard.  Things are going to happen to us that we cannot yet see or understand.  It is comforting to know, that God already has a plan for our victory.  Let's walk by faith and trust in Him.

Grace for your spirit October 7, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.  Romans 13:1

Rome was the fourth kingdom spoken of in the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel prophecied that the kingdom of God would crush that kingdom.  What was God thinking?  Rome rose up to crucify Jesus, and persecute the church beyond measure, but the power of God overcame it.  We are the benefactors of those terrible days, and that's what God was thinking. We should think before we criticize God's selections. God knows what He is doing, and most of the time we don't.

Grace for your spirit October 6, 2015

Grace for your spirit

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  Proverbs 9:10

Wisdom is a gift from God to judge right from wrong, and implement the right.  James 3:17 gives us eight qualities of wisdom in our lives. Wisdom is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy.  When we fear and respect the Lord, we have taken our first step towards wisdom.  We could use a lot of those qualities in our world today.  Let's ask God for them.

Grace for your spirit October 5, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  Mark 16:15

The world gospel is used many times in the New Testament.  It literally means "good news", and that is what the New Testament brings us. We have explained the gospel as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but it is really much more than that.  The good news includes, Christ's miraculous birth, His sinless life, His crucifixion for our sins, His burial, and His resurrection for our justification.  Then He ascended to the right hand of God to intercede for us, with a promise that He would return to reward our faithfulness with eternal life.  Those eight things bring about our opportunity to return to Heaven with Jesus for eternal life.  That is really good news.  Let's celebrate.

Grace for your spirit October 2, 2015

Grace for your spirit

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  John 8:44

When we read in Revelation that there will smoke, torment and no rest for those who worship the devil, we don't usually think any of us would fall into that category.  The Pharisees before Jesus felt the same way. They claimed Abraham, Moses, and God were their fathers, but Jesus disagreed.  When we live a lie and do the works of the devil, we become his followers.  Let's not stomp our foot and claim God is our Father, let's prove it by the life we live.

Grace for your spirit October 1, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?  If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?  And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at your door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."  Genesis 4:6-7

Since the beginning, the devil has been waiting just outside the door, waiting for people to slip.  If we turn against God, let our emotions get the best of us, and leave room for the devil, he is ready to pounce. Cain did all those things, and his emotions led him away from God and it ruined his life.  Let's not let the devil hang around outside our door with an open sign for him.  Let's overcome and find victory in Jesus.