Grace for your spirit December 31, 2008

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test? II Corinthians 13:5

Grades have always been a priority for students. What will it take to get A? What do I have to do to pass? Do they grade on the curve? Is there anything I can do for extra credit? Many people ask the same questions about their grade from God. How do we get an A from God? Are we passing this week? Will be satisfied with a C? Did I pass the test? Will that be enough to graduate? When it comes to our grade with God, there are only two grades in His class. When we are in union with Christ, His righteousness makes us righteous, and we get an A. When we choose to reject the saving grace in Christ, we get an F. Any amount of effort toward a B,C, or D is useless. Come into Christ and come to the front of the class.

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

Grace for your spirit December 30, 2008

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. I Jn 4:1

We think of a false prophets as someone teaching a doctrine that takes us away from God and His truth. Not all false prophets lead us to a gold calf, some lead us to a green calf. The calf of riches, excess and greed. These can lead us from God just as quickly as a false Christ. When you walk by a gaming machine or a lottery machine, you may hear a voice calling you. The voice entices us to play for riches. As we focus on that pleasure, the truth of devotion to God may slip away. As Proverbs 9:17-18 reminds us, "Stolen water is sweet; and bread eaten in secret in pleasant; but we do not know the dead are there". Let’s not be a casualty of the spirit of the green calf. Test the spirits to see if they are from God.

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

Grace for your spirit December 29, 2008

Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You " He said to him, "Tend My lambs." Jn 21:15

Here by the seaside Jesus was calling on the apostle Peter to love like Jesus loved him. This "agape" love was what Peter needed to go that extra mile. Somebody defined "agape" love as, "Giving people what they need the most, when they deserve it the least, at great personal cost". Jesus had already displayed this "agape" for Peter, bringing him from his denials and grief back to his ministry. Peter had been on a rocky road up to this point, but Jesus had something better for him in the future. Tending the lambs of Jesus would be a fulltime, lifelong, job for Peter. When he finally got the Holy Spirit, his "agape" mission was completed. How about us? Do we love Jesus and others more than ourselves and our things? We prove it when we fulfill our mission.

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

Grace for your spirit December 24, 2008

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

People have labeled this verse "The Golden Rule" It was the spirit in every law of God, and all His teachers, up to and including Jesus. This is not the way of the world, and we have to beware as we "swim upstream". Recently a car company ran a full page ad in a magazine with the title, "Demoralize your neighbor. Buy this car". Demoralize your neighbor, enjoy his pain as he covets your new car. Every ad appeals to our selfish hateful nature. Don’t just keep up with the Joneses. Crush the Joneses. We must balance those appeals with what God wants us to be. Try the "Golden Rule" and loving our neighbor as ourselves. If our neighbor must covet something, let it be our love for them. Have a merry every day.

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

Grace for your spirit December 23, 2008

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42

Have you ever seen a dangerous stunt performed on television that was accompanied by this warning? "Don’t try this at home". Too many Christians are performing a dangerous stunt each week. They are trying to grow and prosper as Christians at home alone. It is difficult to continually devote ourselves to anything without encouragement. Fellowship and breaking bread together is impossible. The apostles felt these things were urgent for Christians in the beginning, and it is still important today. Spiritual health is in extreme jeopardy when we are isolated. May we all join in with the apostles, the early church, and Christians today. Let’s be together for worship this week. Don’t try it at home alone.

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

Grace for your spirit December 22, 2008

Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" Gen 3:9-11

Did the God of Infinite Power, Presence, and Knowledge really need this information from Adam and Eve? Didn’t He already know where they were, how they knew they were naked, and that they had eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Yes, Yes, and Yes. Why did He ask? God wanted them to answer the questions themselves. Did they know they had sinned? Did they know why they were hiding? Did they know they were in trouble? Do we? When God asks us a question, He wants us to look inside ourselves and get better. They didn’t. Will we?

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

Grace for your spirit December 19, 2008

This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

This time of year lots of people say, Have a Merry Christmas!. Meanwhile, they have a lot of miserable days between now and then. They are hoping somehow that lots of loot will make their day merry. Usually they find out that their Christmas is everything but merry. As Christians, should be all for a Merry Christmas, however we should strive for a Merry Everyday. That has been my salutation this year and it really gets people’s attention. When I say, "why wait for Christmas, have a merry everyday", it is just weird enough for them to like it. Everyday should be a day of rejoicing that Jesus came for us, and everyday can be a day of giving and rejoicing. Don’t wait. Have a merry everyday today.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit

Philippians 4:23