Grace for your spirit March 11, 2013

Grace for your spirit

The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone, and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,    I Peter 2:7-8

God gave us a precious stone in Zion.  His name is Jesus Christ.  He came to earth to be the cornerstone of the kingdom of God, but was rejected by the builders.  This rejected stone became that chief  cornerstone and a guide for all who would love God.  If we accept Him, are spiritual house will be built on Him. If we choose to reject Him, that same stone will be something we stumble over.  We must stand on Him, or stumble over Him.  If we reject Him in our building, He will reject us when we stand before Him at the judgment.  Let's choose carefully, and choose Jesus.

Grace for your spirit March 8, 2013

Grace for your spirit

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.  James 4:3

Too much of our prayers lives consist of "gimme, gimme, gimme"  Like..., "The Lord is my shepherd, now here's what I want".  How can we change our prayers to be in His will, while still communicating our needs to Him ?  May I suggest we begin by praising His name.  When we build Him up, we will humble ourselves before Him.  Let's confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.  Now let's thank Him for what He has blessed us with up to now, giving Him the glory.  Now when our priorities are right with Him, let's ask for things that are in accordance with His will.  When our pleasure is also His pleasure, we've hit the jackpot.

Grace for your spirit March 7, 2013

Grace for your spirit

For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago, have secretly slipped in among you.  They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.  Jude 4

In the story of Rip Van Winkle, he went to sleep for twenty years.  When he woke up, he was living in a different world.  Things had changed drastically for him.  Sometimes it seems like the church has dozed off for a long time too.  While the church sleeps, ungodly people slip in perverting the grace of God.  They encourage us to look at Jesus and immorality in a new way.  They rob our values and change right and wrong.  It is important for us to wake up and stay alert against the changes the world brings to us.  Sometimes it is so subtle that we miss it, until we get fully awake.   Let's wake each other up right now.

Grace for your spirit March 5, 2013

Grace for your spirit

And Aaron said to them, "Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me".  And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into molten calf;  and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.  Exodus 32:2-4

While Moses was up on Mt. Sinai getting the Ten Commandments, the people became restless and unhappy.  Aaron, Moses' brother was in charge while Moses was gone.  He made a decision to keep the people happy instead of making God happy.  Therefore their spiritual leader helped lead them into idolatry and away from God.  There will always someone nearby to help us build our idols when we are unhappy with God.  Often it may be the preacher.  In a futile effort to keep the church happy, often the will of God is ignored, in order to keep the church growing.  Let's keep our eyes on the Word, and not allow ourselves to be led astray on good and bad days.  We won't be happy everyday, but we are still called to holiness.

Grace for your spirit March 6, 2013

Grace for your spirit

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and after three days rise again.  Mark 8:31

The apostle Peter had an immediate response to this message from Jesus.  Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him for this pronouncement.  Why?  Jesus told him he was setting his mind on his own interests instead of God's.  True. Peter was primarily interested in their rise to power and prestige.  He wanted victory over the enemy and couldn't see this path Jesus described.  Are we in for the will of God or our own victory?  Let's get on the same page with Him.

Grace for your spirit March 4, 2013

Grace for your spirit

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.

Grace for your spirit March 1, 2013

Grace for your spirit

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God ?  I Corinthians 6:9

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but  you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus. and in the Spirit of our God.  I Corinthians 6:11

Behold the judgment and the mercy of God.  From the Garden of Eden to the judgment day, God's mercy and judgment are ever present.  With every blessing there are conditions to receiving those blessings.  Jesus died on the cross so we might all inherit the kingdom of God, but not all will.  The good news is that although we may reject Him, we have the opportunity to be washed, sanctified, and justified.  Washed in the blood of the Lamb, made holy by His Spirit, and made right by His blood.   Thanks to God for His everlasting mercy and grace.