Grace for your spirit January 29, 2016

Grace for your spirit 

Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Matthew  5:48

Do you want to have a little fun?  Start telling people you are perfect. After the laughter and criticisms die down, we can have a chance to explain.  God wants us to be complete, mature, and righteous.  All these are synonyms of perfection.    None of us can live the perfect life alone, but God promises to make us perfect by the blood of Jesus. Jesus became our perfect sacrifice through the things He suffered. God promises the same for us.  After we have suffered, God Himself, will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us.  Enjoy His perfection living in us.

Grace for your spirit January 28, 2016

Grace for your spirit

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive, Genesis 50:20

Joseph is speaking to his brothers from Canaan.  Years before, as a teenager, his brothers betrayed him.  They sold him into slavery and convinced his father that he was dead.  Now, many years later, they were bowing before him begging for food.  They would receive his mercy, because Joseph figured that God was working through him for good.  God's grace allowed him to prosper, and God's grace would allow them to eat.  When we let God's grace work in us and through us, much good will come.  

Grace for your spirit January 27, 2016

Grace for your spirit

The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.  Job 42:10

Job lost everything almost immediately.  He was only left with a discouraging wife, and three so-called friends who came to make him feel bad.  Through it all he was faithful, patient and endured every test. Wasn't that enough?  Not yet.  One last thing would make him complete.  He was instructed to pray for his enemies and accept them. He would be the bridge to bring them back into God's favor.  Could we pass that last test?  It may be our roadblock between us and our restoration.  Let's check and see.  Our enemies need the help too.

Grace for your spirit January 26, 2016

Grace for your spirit

For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah Matthew 24:37

Have you ever noticed the similar application of Noah and Jesus?  God provided an ark of safety.  It took Noah 100 years to build it, preaching all the time.  No one listened to his warnings until the flood came and it was too late.  God has once again provided an "ark" of safety for us.  It is the body of Christ, His church.  We tell of His coming, but few are heeding the warning.  When He returns, then people will want to get it, but it will be too late.  It won't be water, it will be fire next time. Today the door is still open.  Get in now.

Grace for your spirit January 25, 2016

Grace for your spirit

He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  Colossians 1:18

The "He" in this passage is Jesus Christ.  He is head, beginning, firstborn, and first in everything.  We can lose lots of body parts and still live, but not our head.  When we lose our head, all the body parts cease to function and dies.  The church is a living body as well.  Jesus is the head of that body.  In order for the body to live and work, it must be connected and cooperating with the head.  Without Jesus, we don't really have a body at all.  Stick with Him.

Grace for your spirit January 22, 2016

Grace for your spirit

Give, and it will be given to  you.  They will pour into your lap a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.  Luke 6:38

When you open a new can of coffee, the container is not full.   If you shake it down, and pressed together, it may be only half full.  When we bring our gifts to God, He will always return more than we brought, not only full, but pressed down, and running over.  When we see how much we get it return, it makes us wish we had brought a bigger container, and trusted Him sooner

Grace for your spirit January 21, 2016

Grace for your spirit

When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.  Genesis 9:16

The rainbow still appears in the sky after a rain and the sun shines again.  Roy G Biv first appeared to Noah right after the flood, as a promise never to flood the world again.  Roy G Biv are the colors of the rainbow.  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.  The rainbow never changes colors and neither to the promises of God change.  Seeing it reminds of what God did, will do, and will not do.  It is great to be able to have the kind of trust.