Grace for your spirit 5-31-17

Grace for your spirit

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17

Obedience and submission are the foundations of Christians living.They help us to see our blind spots, and bind us together in fellowship. It applies to every relationship in life.  With God, between spouses, with children and parents, friends and neighbors, Christians brethren, and those who wish to guide us into all truth.  When we refuse to submit and obey, we will find ourselves on the short list to fail.  May we have the spirit to welcome  those who want to help us be faithful.

Grace for your spirit 5-30-17

Grace for your spirit

The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.  He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;  He will also hear their cry and will save them.  Psalm 145:18--19

Do you remember when you were young and were trying something new and a little bit frightening?  Wasn't it comforting to look over and see mom and dad nearby, ready to help just in case?  Yes it was !  The Lord is like that all the time.  When we invite Him into our lives, He will always be near enough to hear our cry rush to our rescue.  Yes He is there, and yes it really helps.

Grace for your spirit 5-25-17

Grace for your spirit

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."  Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  II Corinthians 12:9

The daily struggles and roadblocks for the apostle Paul, made him painfully aware of his weaknesses.  He repeatedly asked God to remove them from him, but God had a better plan for him.  God gave him grace so his weaknesses would be turned into power.  From that point on, Paul met his challenges with grace.  With those victories he could boast about his weaknesses, because he knew the victory would always be his with God.  God can and will do the same for us.

Grace for your spirit 5-24-17

Grace for your spirit

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.  John 6:35

Throughout the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God's people were supplied with manna: the bread of heaven.  By faith their lives were sustained.  They drank water flowing out of rocks supplied by the power of God.  In our spiritual journey to our promised land, God has supplied us with the bread of heaven; Jesus Christ himself.  Through the bread of life and His living water, we can be sustained to complete the journey safely.  By faith, our lives can be sustained as well.

Grace for your spirit 5-23-17

Grace for your spirit

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  James 1:2-3

The Bible tells us that Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, and despised the shame.  The same pattern of faith works for us as well.  When we can see beyond our present trials to the joy and endurance they bring with Him, we can smile through the tribulations to ultimate victory.

Grace for your spirit 5-22-17

Grace for your spirit

In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?  Psalm 56:4

Sometimes there is a  credibility gap in our Christian testimony.   We gather to praise the Lord, but don't trust Him for the really important things in life.  Then we spend our time afraid of how everything is going to work out.  When our trust matches our words of praise, we won't have to spend useless effort worrying about things.  That will give us more time for praise.

Grace for your spirit 5-19-17

Grace for your spirit

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.  I Corinthians 15:58

Sometimes we may feel that we are "between a rock and a hard place," in our Christian walk.  The church at Corinth suffered from division, immorality, liberty, worship perversion, and a basket load of other things.  After the apostle Paul addressed them all he gave a final encouragement.  Don't let these things stop you.  Hang in there.  Keep on keepin' on, your work is not in vain.  We need to take those words for ourselves.