Monday, November 30, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 30, 2015

Grace for your Spirit
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good;  His lovingkindness is everlasting.  And His faithfulness to all generations.  Psalm 100:4-5

Thomas Ken's words of the Doxology. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him all creatures here below; Praise Him above ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."
May we be able to sing these familiar words with great enthusiasm, as we enter His gates with thanksgiving.  May our overflow of thankfulness fill our lives with joyful praise, and flow into the lives of others.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 24, 2015

Grace for your spirit
In everything give thanks; For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.    I Thessalonians 5:18

We need to learn to give thanks in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.  This is God's will for us and we need to do it.  We may not be thankful for everything, but even in negative times, if we seek God will, we will find a way to give thanks in everything.  Ask God for help and Christ will meet us there.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving

Monday, November 23, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 23, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.  Psalm 107:1-2

For all You have done I will thank You.  For all that you are going to do. For all that you've promised and all that You are, is all that has carried me through.  Jesus I thank you.  Thank you for loving and setting me free, and giving your life for me.  Song by Dennis Jernigan.  
Redeemed? So say and have a very Happy Thanksgiving

Friday, November 20, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 20, 2015

Grace for your spirit
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.  Galatians 5:17

The best antidote against the deeds of our sinful nature is to walk after the Spirit.  The best defense really is a good offense.  When we make a commitment to walk worthy of our calling, our focus will help us avoid much of the pitfalls of the flesh.  Our focus will determine our walk and our walk will determine our destination.  The walk after the Spirit will lead us to Jesus.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 19, 2015

Grace for your spirit
So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard;  I will remove its hedge and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall and it will become trampled ground.  Isaiah 5:5

God gives us two parables about His vineyard.  The other is in Matthew 21.  It both cases the Lord provides the very best, and is returned worthless produce.  His appeals and help is ignored and finally He has enough.  The vineyard is taken away and destroyed.  We are supposed to serving in the vineyard of the Lord.  How are we doing? When the day of reckoning comes, will we be rewarded or embarrassed? Let's get to work. 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 18, 2015

Grace for your spirit
For My people have committed two evils;  They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns,  that can hold no water.  Jeremiah 2:13

Living in a dry land with no water supply and no reserve can be a disaster.    If we reject the living water of God, and have no backup, we can die spiritually too. Judea had rejected God and was spiritually dying of thirst without realizing it.   Living in the desert of sorrow and sin takes careful discernment to survive.  Let's open our lives to the living water of God, save it up, and enjoy the benefits.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 17, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.  Psalm 139:23-24

Marvin Gaye had a song called "I ain't got time."  He sang that when he was thinking about "his baby", he didn't have time for nothin' else.  Not money, why flowers grow, where rivers flow, weather or nothin' else. Do we ever that kind of focus on God?  Do our thoughts about the urgent things in our lives crowd out the important ones?  God already knows what we are thinking about and why.  Let's be bold enough to ask Him to get any thoughts out of our lives that could hurt us.  May we ask Him to help us focus only on Him, and the eternal things of life. May we have time for nothing else.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 16, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.  I Peter 4:8

The love of God can change us and control us.  His love can move us away from potential sins and lead us in the right way.  When we channel God's love towards one another through ourselves, we can help accomplish the same things.  Fervent love helps us and those we meet walk after the Spirit.  With God, we can avoid and cover a multitude of sins.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 13, 2015

Grace for your spirit
But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel.  Revelation 2:14

Balaam was the prophet with the talking donkey.  With his interactions with Balak, he put a stumbling block before the children of Israel.  He caused them to compromise their views about idols and immorality and ultimately brought destruction to them.  We should make a commitment to be steppingstones, not stumblingblocks.  May we never stop people from following the Lord's will. Let's help people take their walk to faithfulness.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 12, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  Philippians 2:12-13

Our salvation is a gift from God through Jesus Christ.  We can never earn our salvation by working for it.  The work is what we do after we have received it.  We are created in Christ for good works to work out, pour out and shine out what has been worked in us.  As the Lord sees our salvation everyone else will see it too.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 11, 2015

Grace for your spirit
So that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Romans 15:6

All of Scripture directs us to be of the same mind, love, spirit, and purpose centered in Christ Jesus.  How can we know when we have achieved it?  We will glorify our God and Savior with one voice.  Let's pray that we can get on tract toward those goals.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 10, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.              I Peter 5:7

Do we have enough faith, hope, and love for God to keep fear worry and anger our of our lives?  When we cast our cares far away, God can always give us relief.  If you feed chickens, don't drop the feed around your feet, they will pick you to death.  Throw the feed far away. The same is true with our troubles.  Keep them close and they will pick us to death.  Let's throw them to Jesus.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 9, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.  Colossians 3:2

When we have been raised with Christ, let's not lose focus.  Let's keep looking up.  Don't compare yourself with others, or your blessings by the things around you.  Jesus in the only comparison we need.  Noah had one window in the ark.  He could only look up.  Jesus told us to look up and live.  What's the best advice you can get and give?  Look up and live.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 6, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Blessed is that slave whom his master find so doing when he comes.  Luke 12:43

Jesus has promised that He will return to reward us for our faithfulness and labors. No one knows when that day will come, so our best efforts must be continual without interruption.  Many try to predict His return, so they know when to get busy.  This is damaging and ultimately fatal.  We give glory to God when we are always busy in the work of the Lord, so He is guaranteed to catch us on the job anytime

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 5, 2015

Grace for your spirit
And this,  not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.  II Corinthians 8:5

The Christians  in Macedonia were poor. When Paul was collecting to help the needy in Judea, he didn't expect much from them.  How did they become such good stewards of what they had?  They first became stewards of God's grace and faith, and the rest was easy.  Having trouble giving to the Lord's work?  When we first commit our lives to Him, committing what we have gets easier.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 4, 2015

Grace for your spirit
The manager said to himself, "What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me?  I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.   Luke 16:3

This parable is about a steward who has been cheating in dealing with his master's goods.  He is about to lose his good living.  His warning causes him to make changes.  We are stewards and managers of God's provisions.  Are we honest with God about how we use His blessings?  Will we need the warnings to be good stewards, or will we wait until we lose everything God has blessed us with to use?  Today is the day to make the changes before it is too late for us.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 3, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:17

Did you know the word "willy-nilly" is really in the dictionary?  It means disorganized, unplanned, sloppy, and shilly-shally.  As we serve the Lord in worship, serving, and giving, there is little room for the "willy-nilly" disciple. Properly serving the Lord in word and deed must be by the authority of Jesus Christ, and God the Father, being thankfulness to Him for the directions.  May our Christian walk have passion and direction.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Grace for your spirit November 2, 2015

Grace for your spirit
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits. 
 Psalm 103:2

Some people see God as a distant and uninvolved creator who spun the world into motion and then leaves us alone.
Many people see God as a critical judge who waits for us to make mistakes and then sends the punishment. 
The Bible pictures God as a benevolent provider hoping we will respond to His love. His benefits are many: He pardons, heals, redeems, loves, has compassion, and satisfies us with many things.  Which would we enjoy serving?  Obviously, the God who loves us.  The God of the Bible. Enjoy His many benefits for us all.