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."

Grace for your spirit August 31, 2015

Grace for your spirit

If you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Colossians 3:1

Looking up to God is a long standing tradition for believers.  Noah looked up through his window, Israel looked at the cloud of glory over the Holy Place in the wilderness, and the standard with the bronze serpent. When Jesus was crucified He was lifted up, and as He ascended into Heaven, the apostles were looking up watching Him go. They were told to keep looking up for His return, and we are instructed to look at the heavens for His return also.  Let's show our risen lifestyle by looking up.  How are things today?  "They're looking up."

Grace for your spirit August 28, 2015

Grace for your spirit

You shall make a window for the ark and finish it to a cubit from the top;   Genesis 6:16

Noah built his ark exactly as God instructed. Wood, size, decks, door, and window.  The only window was 18 inches from the top.  The only way anyone could look out was looking up.  God didn't want Noah to see the destruction around him.  God only wanted Noah and his family to look to Him.  That focus is good advice for us today as well.  We need to keep our eyes on God.  When we do it will keep us from seeing the evil world around us.  Good advice for all times.  Look up and live.

Grace for your spirit August 27, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me.  You will stretch forth You hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.  The Lord will accomplish what concerns me.  Psalm 138:7-8

Does it seem like trouble is always just around the corner? Do we spend lots of time worrying about what is going to happen next?How much better it would be to remember that God is always in the middle of our trouble with us, and He is concerned about saving us and helping us do His will in our lives.  Let's start walking with confidence and leave the worrying to other people.  We walk with the King.

Grace for your spirit August 26, 2015

Grace for your spirit

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel , saying, "If you return to the Lord with all  your heart, removed the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.  I Samuel  7:3

The two middle letters of the word LIFE are IF.  The heart of life really is based on IF.  If the children of Israel really were sorry, and they really had repented in their heart, there would be a change in their behavior. If they destroyed their idols, God would reward them with victory.  Godly sorrow leads to repentance and that is the proof.  Do we have any proof?