Grace for your spirit 7-31-18

Grace for your spirit

I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;  Psalm 101:3

This is a really great commitment for us all.  When we feast our eyes on worthless things, the will always draw us away from the things that are worthy.   Now we need to make sound judgments on the things that are worthless.  God invites us into His Word, encourages us to walk with Jesus, and commune with the Holy Spirit.    These actions will train our mind to know what is worthless.  Now let's keep ourselves from them.  No, don't even look that way.  Do we hear an alarm going off?

Grace for your spirit 7-30-18

Grace for your spirit

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, Behold you have become well, do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you."   John 5:14

Jesus had just healed a man who was crippled and had been ill for thirty eight years.  What could be worse than being crippled for 38 years?  Jesus warned him not to sin so that nothing worse would happen to him.  Many times we are blessed with healing from God, and show no appreciation, abusing our freedom by living a life of sin.  A state that is far worse than the former.  Sickness is temporary, sinfulness is eternal.  Let's show appreciation with faithfulness.

Grace for your spirit 7-27-18

Grace for your spirit

The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord.  He turns it wherever He wishes.  Proverbs 21:20

Have we ever put our hands in a stream?  By turning our hand one way and then another, we can change the course of the waters flow.  God can do that with the hearts of men, even kings.  Nehemiah worked for a tyrant king in a foreign land.  He needed the kings help, but he also knew that was an impossible task.  Nehemiah prayed for four months for God to show him a way.  Finally, God changed the heart of that king and granted Nehemiah all he needed.  Do we have an stubborn, immovable person in our lives?  God can change the heart of that person, and cause the help us.  May we pray and plan for better days ahead.

Grace for your spirit 7-26-18

Grace for your spirit

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Matthew 6:12

Are we willing to forgive in the same amount and measure as God forgives us?  When Saul of Tarsus was on his rampage he saw himself as being blameless. He needed no grace and he had no grace to give After his conversion, Paul counted himself as the chief of sinners. Desperately needing God grace and forgiveness, he became generous in his grace to others.  How about us? If we feel we are blameless having no need for grace and forgiveness, we will very little to give to others.  That is a flaw and fatal mistake because it limits God grace that we need.

Grace for your spirit 7-25-18

Grace for your spirit

Set up for yourself roadmarks. Place for yourself guideposts; Direct your mind to the highway, the highway by which you went.  Return, O virgin of Israel, return to your cities.  Jeremiah 31:21

Israel was about to be led away from their home to the bondage of Babylon.  These were God's exhortations to remember the way home.  When I am lost far from home, I try to make special note of landmarks so I can find my way back.  The same is true for our spiritual walk.  When we are wandering far from God, let's make note of the way back, so we can find our way back home too.

Grace for your spirit 7-24-18

Grace for your spirit

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.  James 1:17

There are so many misconceptions about God.  Many think He is only watching to punish us for wrong.  When we get to know God, we learn that he loves us, cares for us, and that all good things in our life come from Him.  How thankful we can be that He is good all the time and never changes.  In Him we live, and move, and have our being.  Let's never blame God for anything, but rather appeal to Him for the blessing we need.

Grace for your spirit 7-23-18

Grace for your spirit

Then some of the children were brought to Him so that he might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.  Jesus said "Let the children alone and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.  Matthew 19:13-14

Apparently the disciples saw no need for children.  They had no value to them and only got in the way of their pursuits.  Could it have been that the disciples felt this way about all kinds of people?  The children were a object lesson for them.  Never pass over people who you don't think bring value to the kingdom and the church.  All souls have value and the gospel is for all.