Grace for your spirit September 30, 2015

Grace for your spirit

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. You have acted foolishly in this.  Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.  II Chronicles 16:9

The King of Judah seemingly forgot that the Lord was his best source for help in times of strife.  When war threatened, he begin to make alliances to build his strength.  God's prophet reminded the king that he had made a foolish mistake and his wars would continue.  Have we made that foolish mistake?  When we ask God for help last after all our other resources, we have it backwards.  With it, our strife will also continue. God is looking and waiting the our call.

Grace for your spirit September 29, 2015

Grace for your spirit

God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and  yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  I John 1:5-6

Did you see the eclipse of the super moon Sunday night?  The super moon is very close to the earth, and when the earth passed directly between the sun and the moon, the moon was darkened.  There is a great spiritual lesson there as well.  People are like the moon.  We have no natural light of our own.  We only reflect the light of the SON.   If we get too close to the world as we orbit, when the world gets between us and the SON, our light will appear to go out as well.  Let's not let the world get between us and the light of God's Son.

Grace for your spirit September 28, 2015

Grace for your spirit

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened.  Matthew 13:33

The power of God is like yeast in a loaf of dough.  Once yeast is mixed into the dough, it continues to multiply until it has completely changed the composition of lump of dough.  The kingdom of God is good leaven that will transform us completely for His good.  There is also bad leaven, the leaven of the world that can change us for bad.  Let's select our ingredients carefully, so the leaven of God will give us victory.

Grace for your spirit September 25, 2015

Grace for your spirit

This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained from by the world.   James 1:27

How many rules do we need to keep to please God?  Many so called religious people stack their laws to the ceiling and are never satisfied, and neither is God.  Isaiah reached out to such a people in Isaiah 1:16-17.  He said, "Remove evil, learn to do good, seek justice, reprove the ruthless, help the widows and the orphans.  What was good in the time of Isaiah, and the time of James, is still good for us today too.

Grace for your spirit September 23, 2015

Grace for your spirit

And He said to them, "Cast your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.  John21:6

After the resurrection of Jesus, the apostle went fishing.  They were reverting back to their lives as fishermen before Jesus called them to be fishers of men. They fished all night, but caught nothing.  This is a strong message for them if they would just get it.  When Jesus got back into their fishing trip, they were once again blessed.  Get it?  You need to be fishing for men with Jesus.  If you go back into the fishing business without Jesus, that won't work either.  Stay with Jesus. Good direction for us too.

Grace for your spirit September 22, 2015

Grace for your spirit

My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.   James 5:19-20

It is evident that people do stray from the truth, and often need help to turn to the right way.  God has gifted us with the knowledge and wisdom to rescue the perishing and change their lives.  As we sharpen our gifts with study and prayer, we help our lives as well.  When we rescue others, we rescue ourselves too.   When we walk in the path of God with others, we truly do cover a multitudes of sins.  Theirs and ours.

Grace for your spirit September 21, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned as it were, with salt, so that you may know how to should respond to each person. Colossians 4:6

Effective speech is not only what you say, but how you say it.  We may know the truth from start to finish and be able to tell anyone.  Will our words hit like a hammer, or sooth like a feather?  Shooting Bible bullets are seldom effective.  When our door of opportunity opens, let's think before we speak next time

Grace for your spirit September 17, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.   Psalm 143:10

From time to time we may have trouble doing God's will.  We may need to be reminded of His word, or need a little boost of His Spirit.  The Word will get us back on the right track, and the Spirit will help us overcome inertia and get us going.  That's a prayer we can all use today, and everyday.

Grace for your spirit September 16, 2015

Grace for your spirit

I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.  John 10:10

Jesus is pictured as a good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.  He is the door for the sheep to be saved, and they can find pasture to be fed.  He also protects them from their enemies.  This is a picture of what Jesus does for us too.  He died so we can be saved. He feeds us with our daily needs, and protects us from harm.  He walks with us today and  tomorrow.  That is the true abundant life.

Grace for your spirit September 15, 2015

Grace for your spirit

But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   Luke 9:62

Discipleship consists of fixing our eyes on Jesus, and running the race set before us.  If we are looking back we can't see Jesus or stay on track.  It is tempting to try to do both, but it will not be successful.  If we plow a straight row, we must fix our eyes on a point and head for it. Looking back just doesn't work.   Let's learn what must be in our line of sight and what must be left out.  Follow Jesus.

Grace for your spirit September 14, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and your seat will be empty.  I Samuel 20:18

Saul was King of Israel, and David was the anointed King.  Saul's son and David were friends, but Saul hated David.  The strife between them would force David away from the king's table.  He would be missing.  In most of our church gatherings, we seem to have "our seat."   When we miss the gathering our seat is empty.  Whatever the reason for our absence, our seat in empty and we are missed.  It is even worse when strife drives us away.  Let's all beware of the empty seats around us next time, and make an extra effort to let them know they are missed.

Grace for your spirit September 11, 2015

Grace for your spirit

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your teachers eating with tax-gatherers and sinners?  Jesus said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick."  Matthew 9:11-12

Jeremiah the prophet cried out for healing among his people.  "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?" He saw his people wasting away, and prayed for a doctor and some medicine to save them. We live in a world that is sick and dying spiritually as well.  Will we search for, and welcome that healing for the sin sick souls?  Jesus has been called "The Great Physician" and so He is.  Let's help the sick reach Him in time.

Grace for your spirit September 10, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved.   Jeremiah 8:18

Even the animal and plant world knows that when summer is over, and harvest is past, you better get ready for winter or perish.  Jeremiah saw the winter of their lives on the horizon and they had done nothing to prepare. He cried out for them, but they did not listen.  As our lives rolls along, the winter of our lives is inevitable.  Shall we face the end of it all unprepared to meet our God?  Salvation is in Christ Jesus.  Let's not wait too long to seek that shelter.  

Grace for your spirit September 9, 2015

Grace for  your spirit

But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8

Hidden deep in the third verse of "Beneath The Cross of Jesus",  are words that need to be in our heart.  "And from my smitten heart with tears, two wonders I confess:  The wonders of His glorious love, and my own worthlessness."  When we can truly see how worthless we are as sinners, and acknowledge His love and sacrifice, it should pierce our heart.   We can only get the view beneath the cross of Jesus.  Let's get there.

Grace for your spirit September 8, 2015

Grace for your spirit

 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.  John 3:17

The mission of Jesus was clearly stated in His own words.  He came to seek and save the lost.  When anyone rejects Jesus and turns from the light of God, judgment has already come.  Jesus' mission was to release those captives, set free the downtrodden, and proclaim salvation to all.  May our ministry be in the path of Jesus.  Not to condemn, but rather to seek and save the lost. 

Grace for your spirit September 3, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be babes, but in your thinking be mature.  I Corinthians 14:20

We all must live with a split personality.  We walk after the Spirit, but we still live with a sinful nature.  It is important that we know what to accentuate, and what to eliminate.  In our decision making it is important that we seek maturity.  Yet when dealing with evil it is far better to have a spirit of children.  This combination will help us to walk after the Spirit and avoid the sinfulness that will detract us.  How great it would be if we could be mature and still know how to blush at evil.

Grace for your spirit September 2, 2015

Grace for your spirit

I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.  Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.  For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?  I Corinthians 3:2-3

Doctors can usually determine why some children never grow up.  It may be improper nourishment, or some disease in their body that stops proper growth.  The same kind of thing can happen to spiritual babes as well.  When babes never grow, never get off the milk and on to the meat, growth in stunted.  Additionally, when the sinful nature is fed by jealousy and strife, trouble follows.  Let's feed our soul with the word of God, and seek spiritual surgery to remove the diseases that kill us.  When we do, our walk in the Spirit can be filled with joy.

Grace for your spirit September 1, 2015

Grace for your spirit

And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.  Matthew 27:32

How does anyone do that?  You step out of the crowd and carry the cross of Jesus to Golgatha.  It takes preparation for a moment like this, it takes maturity not to shirk the call, and it takes adrenaline to stand up to the task.  Preparation, maturity, and adrenaline.  Let's fill up with all three and get ready to go, go, go. As the song goes, "Must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free? No, there's a cross for everyone, and there's a cross for me."