Grace, Works and Freedom

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.  All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.  But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:1-10, NLT)

It is only by God’s grace that we are saved. Nothing we do or say can earn us salvation except for accepting the gift of the shed blood of Jesus Christ when he was crucified for us. Nothing can change the finished work on the cross. So why should we do anything in the church, in our community, in our homes, in our workplaces if we can’t add to or take away from the finished work of salvation through Christ? I was talking to God about this because, although I had understood this issue to a lesser degree in the past, something finally clicked with me and I was able to put it all together in my mind. I hope to be able to share this with you. Let’s start with God’s Word.

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.” You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless? (James 2:14-20, NLT)

At first glance it may appear that one must do good deeds, or works in other translations, in order to receive salvation, but when we try to balance James 2 with Ephesians 2, it appears that they are in conflict. One says you need works with your faith in order to be saved, and the other one says it is by grace alone. So which one is it? Let’s look at a couple more scriptures to see what else God has to say on this issue because we always need balance.

But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. (Galatians 5:5-6, NLT)

Love causes us to want to do good things for others. So if the most important thing in our lives is allowing our love to cause us to do good works, then that is what we should do. This brings us to a place of freedom, which is the circumcised vs. uncircumcised issue mentioned in Galatians 5. Circumcision was a big deal in the Old Testament because it meant that one was a chosen man of God. When a man was uncircumcised, he was a Gentile and could not be associated with by those of circumcision. The circumcised man was clean and free while the uncircumcised man was considered unclean and not free to live for God. The next scripture, when taken with the passage in Galatians 5, will hopefully tie everything together as it did for me.

¹Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ²Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. ⁵Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. ¹²Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. ¹⁵Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! ¹⁶Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. ¹⁷Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. ¹⁹Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. ²⁰When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²²But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6, NLT)

A couple of the verses actually stand out in this passage to balance all of the scriptures that I’ve mentioned. In verse 2 we are reminded that continuing to sin does not show more of God’s grace in our life. Our goal in life should not be to see how much we can put God’s grace to the test. His grace is unending, but we don’t need to test this but to be thankful for it.

In verses 4-8 we are reminded that through baptism after our salvation experience, our sinful nature has been put to death as though we share in the crucifixion Jesus endured for us. This was not just to make us pure and right in God’s eyes, although that was definitely part of the reason for Jesus dying on the cross, but it was a symbol for us to know that our sinful nature is dead and no longer has power over us. Not only did Jesus only have to die once to overcome the power of sin, verses 9-11 remind us that we also are alive with Christ when He rose from the dead.

In verses 14-16, we are reminded that sin is no longer our master because we have risen to live “under the freedom of God’s grace”, and we should not continue to sin because we will be controlled by whatever we choose to obey. Verse 16 goes on to say that choosing to obey God will lead to righteous living. And this is where good works/good deeds come into the picture. When we want to live right, we pursue that and end up becoming holy (v. 19).

I have one more point on this issue of Grace, Works and Freedom! Verse 20 tells us that doing right is an obligation. By continuing in sin, we are released from that obligation. But verse 21 tells us that when we choose that route, we become ashamed of our choices because we know that they lead to eternal doom. We know that we are cut off from God’s grace. So our grace, while a free gift, comes with an obligation to do right, to do those good works, so that we do not allow ourselves to become slaves to our sinful nature. We are free from the sinful nature if we choose to do the things that lead to holiness and eternal life (v. 22).

Ultimately, verse 23 reminds us that this issue of Grace, Works and Freedom boils down to a choice. If we choose to continue in sin, we will receive death; however if we choose to accept His grace daily, because to err is human, we will receive eternal life. What will you choose today?

In His Grace!

Subdue and Master!

When God was speaking to Cain after he offered an unacceptable offering of some of his crops to God, He said,

“You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” Genesis 4:7

Isn’t this just the issue with sin in our lives today? It is not always easy to do the right thing in our lives because we are tempted on all sides, but God even told Cain that sin has to be subdued and we have to master it. This is no easy task because of trials and temptations. So, is God the one who tests us? Let’s read James 1:12-18 to find out.

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” James 1:12-18 (NLT)

When we are tempted, God is not tempting us, but rather our own sinful desires that “entice us and drag us away”. It is when we give into those desires that we engage in “sinful actions”, and if we do not “subdue it and be its master” (Gen 4:7), we will be given over to death. We are given a strong warning in 1 Corinthians that we should heed if we are to subdue sin in our lives.

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT)

But notice that God’s Word reminds us that God is faithful to show us a way out of temptation so we can endure it, but when we take this scripture in context and consider God’s serious charge to Cain, we realize that He will only provide a way out when we do the right thing as we subdue and master the sin and temptation in our lives. Cain did not heed God’s warning and charge to subdue the sinful desires in his life, and this led to serious consequences in his life.

One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” Genesis 4:8-12

Cain killed his brother because he didn’t listen to God. Many times we face serious consequences for the sin in our lives when we choose not to obey his charge to subdue sinful desires. Fortunately, we are under the New Covenant, the blood of Christ, that gives us a second chance, and a third chance, and on and on. God loves us and provides us with a way out! Of course we shouldn’t keep on sinning (Romans 6:1-23), but failure does not mean we are not destitute when we actually repent of our sin and begin to subdue those sinful desires (Romans 6:23). Praise the Lord!

Romans 6

6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? ² Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? ³ Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? ⁴ For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. ⁵ Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. ⁶ We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. ⁷ For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. ⁸ And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. ⁹ We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. ¹⁰ When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. ¹¹ So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.¹² Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. ¹³ Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. ¹⁴ Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.¹⁵ Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! ¹⁶ Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. ¹⁷ Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. ¹⁸ Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.¹⁹ Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. ²¹ And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. ²² But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:1-23 (NLT)

 In His Grace!

Let's Glean!

I have found a new passion! I love to glean from God’s word. A great definition of the word glean is “to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit”. I have taken part in Bible studies and have been completely overwhelmed at the Bible knowledge exhibited by the authors of those studies. It amazed me that they had “connected the dots” since I seemed to struggle every time I would sit down to read the Bible. It was hard to understand everything I was reading even though I would try so hard to put it all together.

Whenever I would make the effort, I would become frustrated to the point that it would ultimately lead to me giving up daily Bible reading for a period of time only to try again and find myself caught in a vicious cycle. Recently I have been in one of those periods of not sitting down to read the Bible every day, and yet I am finding solace because I don’t completely avoid the Bible. I am not saying it is a good idea to avoid reading the Word of God. On the contrary, I have girlfriends who send me Scriptures, friends who post Scriptures online, I pick up my Bible to read a few verses when I have a minute or two and sometimes God brings verses to my remembrance (usually upon waking in the morning). Amazingly, it seems that God is speaking to me more, reminding me of how much He loves me and showing me the way to live for Him. I am finding Sunday morning services more fulfilling, and when I come across Scriptures during the day, they are more life-giving to me.

This morning, I picked up my Bible to read for a few minutes. I have been gleaning from Proverbs 10 and 11. There are so many great verses in there that I am not going to reprint them. Here is a link to read them on Bible Gateway. Some of the verses that jumped out at me this morning are Proverbs 10:9, 12, 14, 20, 23-25, 27-28 and Proverbs 11:2, 3, 5, 13, 16-17, 27.

On Mother’s Day, we attended a church that we had been to once before. The pastor preached a wonderful message that reminded me of my role as a mother, but that was not the highlight of that day. I have been completely frustrated by a situation in mothering my three children, especially the two youngest children. I often joke about them butting heads all the time, chalking it up to sibling rivalry, but sometimes it seems to be much worse than that. They grumble, they complain, and they argue to the point that it seems they are doing it just to get a rise out of each other or out of my husband and me. I was fed up with the nonsense and was about at my wits end.

That morning at church, they had baby dedications, and they did something unique that I absolutely loved. Each couple chose a verse that really spoke to their goal in raising their child(ren). One couple chose the verse found in Philippians 2:14-16. Of course, as is usual with me, I had to read a little further in that passage, and I felt God prompting me to make the decision that we, meaning our family, will commit this verse to memory this summer. The New Living Translation puts it this way:

¹⁴ Do everything without complaining and arguing, ¹⁵ so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. ¹⁶ Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. ¹⁷ But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. ¹⁸ Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

This passage is speaking to all believers, including me, but I found it applicable to my children because it is a great reminder to not argue and complain and grumble. This morning as I was reading in Proverbs, I also noticed a verse that is applicable to training my children that goes along with the Philippians passage. Proverbs 12:1 says “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.” The use of the word stupid in this verse is such a strong word! In our home, we do not use the word stupid because it is such a strong word, and yet God is telling us that when we hate correction to the point that we are not trainable, it is stupid. I want my children to enjoy life to the fullest, but more importantly I want them to develop good character, the kind that others want, even long, to have. As I watch my children misbehave, talk ugly to one another, argue over unimportant things and the like, I am utterly appalled, even embarrassed. I want to change that behavior, but I realize that I cannot change their behavior because they have to want to change. I can, however, influence and encourage them to want to change their own behavior. It is my prayer that this verse will speak life to my children so that every time they start to misbehave they will remember this verse and desire to develop good character by heeding correction.

Not only do my children have a responsibility in developing their character, I recognize that I have a responsibility as well, as indicated in Philippians 2:16b-18 (above). I want to be able to rejoice in their good character when they are grown, but I cannot do so unless I handle my responsibility with grace and purpose, truly offering my mothering to God. I want my actions to please my Father so I can rejoice together with my children in the joy that comes from all of us honoring Him. My prayer today is that I will be the kind of mother that pours life into my children daily, encouraging them with the Word of God. If you still have children at home, it is my prayer that you will do the same. If you no longer have children at home, it is my prayer that you will be an influence on those within your circle, whether grown children, grandchildren, friends, family. We all have the opportunity to live our lives to honor God while encouraging others to do the same. May you purpose in your heart, as I have, to do so today as well.

In His grace!

Get Your Shoes On!

Last Thursday morning was challenging, to say the least. I figured out what was wrong, what we needed to do differently and devised a plan. My youngest daughter took her time getting out of bed, took her time getting dressed, took her time brushing her hair, took her time brushing her teeth, and then played. Notice I didn’t mention anything about shoes. She waited until it was time to leave to put on her shoes, and that is no small task for her. She has to have just the right pair of shoes for just the right outfit with just the right hairstyle. She’s only seven.

The way I figured Thursday morning had turned sour was that Little Bit decided that since her brother was no longer on Safety Patrol for the last nine weeks, she didn’t have to hurry to get ready in the morning. The kids like to eat breakfast at school, so I want to get them there in time to be able to eat before school starts, but they barely had time Thursday once they got there. So I made sure on Friday morning to get Little Bit to put on her shoes after she got dressed and I had curled her hair. She was to receive a Terrific Kid Award that morning, and everything was running smoothly up to that point. I was so proud of her and just knew she would look so cute receiving her award.

So, she still had about twenty minutes to finish getting her shoes on, brush her teeth and for me to finish her hair, which should have been plenty of time. Twenty-five minutes later, she was whining and crying about not being able to find the exact pair of shoes that she wanted to wear. I had already urged her to just pick out another pair because her brother and sister had both already helped her search for that white pair of shoes she wanted to wear. When we finally had about twelve minutes left to get them to school and for them to eat breakfast before class started, I told her we had to go and yelled for her to get her shoes on, now! She balked, I lost my temper, and I said a few things I now regret.

Finally, dropping her off, I told her she deserved a Terrible Kid Award and that I was going to take her Terrific Kid Award and attach a statement about what had happened that morning so she would not forget that being a Terrible Kid at home negated the Terrific Kid Award at school. She cried more all the way to school, her face was red and splotchy and I was ticked off.

After I dropped her off, I drove my oldest to middle school, dropped her off and decided to search for Little Bit’s shoes one last time because I felt horrible about the way everything had turned out. I looked and looked, to no avail, and even today I have no idea what happened to those shoes. She worked on cleaning her room all weekend, a chore that should have taken maybe three hours tops, and she still hasn’t found the shoes. It’s as if they grew legs and walked away. Anyway, I went over to the school for the award ceremony. I wanted to be there for Little Bit because I was so angry and disappointed in myself. I am supposed to be the mature one, and instead, I basically threw a tantrum because my perfect morning had been ruined.

Long story short: I attended her awards ceremony, saw her get her award for being a Terrific Kid, took some pictures and texted them to family members. I told my Mom and my hubby that she deserved a Terrible Kid award instead of the Terrific Kid award and I deserved the Terrible Mom award. My Mom texted me back: “Momma said there’d be days like this”. All I could do was smile. I felt like I could never write another devotional or do anything for God ever again. I felt like there was no excuse for my behavior and I didn’t deserve God’s grace.

But God spoke to me and reminded me that His Grace is free because of His love for me, I cannot earn His Grace because Grace is not dependent on anything that I do or say. That reminder helped me to change my perspective on Friday. At church yesterday, Pastor Rich continued a series on Disappointment that he began on Easter Sunday. He reminded us that one of his points from his Easter sermon was: “Repeated disappointment creates Negative Expectancy.” He said that the enemy of our souls knows that he cannot pluck us out of God’s hand so he endeavors to use disappointment in our lives to bring us to a point of stagnation in our walk with Lord. I recalled Pastor Rich sharing that information on Easter Sunday and it suddenly took hold in my spirit.

As a result of that reminder of Easter Sunday’s sermon, I have been reminded of one scripture passage that has been a great encouragement to me throughout my life whenever I find myself disappointed, usually at my own behavior.

1 Peter 5:6-10 (NLT)

⁶So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ⁷Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. ⁸Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. ⁹Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. ¹⁰In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. ¹¹All power to him forever! Amen.

Pastor Rich went on to a new sermon that greatly encouraged me to not allow disappointment to rule and reign in my life. I will share that message with you the next time! Until then, get on your grace shoes and walk in that Grace you cannot earn but has been freely given to you.

In His Grace!

Some Thoughts

I attended a youth meeting with my daughter last night. So as not to embarrass her, I stuck to the background and let her do her own thing. As such, I basically ignored her and really listened to everything going on: the message encased in worship, the message of the skit performed by dozens of youth and the message shared by the youth pastor. It was a great service for the youth because it really gave them insight into being lost without a Savior. Many of these kids have been in church all of their lives, and many of them have accepted the wonderful gift of salvation God offers us freely; but there were some who were visiting and may not have heard the gospel of Grace, and although only God can judge the heart, there may have been some kids there who grew up in church but had never really accepted the free gift of salvation.

Two verses of Scripture were shared during the message: Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 53:5. These are both wonderful verses that remind us that God planned long before Jesus came to send His son to take on the sins of the world and to never leave us! While listening to the message, my ever-active mind started to get curious about the context of those verses. Although I have read the Bible all the way through, I tend to be like the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt: they forgot! They forgot how horrible slavery was in exchange for erroneous memories of the stability they had. They forgot the beatings they endured for the meals provided for them. They forgot how sparse the meals were for the memory of knowing where their next meal would come from. I too forget the context of some of the most quoted verses in the Bible, of which Hebrews 13:5 and Isaiah 53:5 are a part.

So I began to read Hebrews 12. This chapter in a nutshell reminds us that God is a loving Father who disciplines us because He loves us. He would not discipline us if He didn’t love us. Sometimes we may find ourselves in the midst of very blatant sins, but more often than not, it’s the subtly-laid sins that capture us, the ones that infect our thoughts!

Romans 7:21-25 (NLT)

I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

As I reflected on this, I realized that God gave me the answer to this prominent issue in humanity!

Hebrews 12:11-13 (NLT)

No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

God also gave me more motivation for fighting this battle that wages war in our minds. I read further in Hebrews 12 to discover that He gives us a clear warning. It is His deepest desire that we worship Him with a pure heart, one that is solely devoted to Him. He wants our heart because when we give Him our hearts, He will not leave us alone but will walk with us through the things we struggle with, especially in our minds.

Hebrews 12:25-29 (NLT)

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain. Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

Do you see that the only thing that is unshakable is God Himself? Look to Him today to give you strength to overcome the battle that wages in your mind. I believe there is a scripture that reminds us of this.

1 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NLT)

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NLT)

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.

The way to fulfill 1 Peter 2:11 (keep away from worldly desires that wage war against our souls) is to capture those rebellious thoughts, teaching them to obey Christ. Of course, it is only in His Grace that we can do that. So look with me today to the One who will never leave us and will help us capture those thoughts and strongholds in our lives.

In His Grace!

Connecting: It's Good For The Soul

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about humanity and our need to be and feel connected. We develop friendships on many levels from acquaintances to close, intimate friendships and everywhere in between. All of these people are a part of our circle of friendship. It is my desire to live my life in such a way that those people in my circle of influence know that I genuinely care about them. I have been wondering how to do this in a practical way, short of wearing myself thin trying to reach out to everyone I know, and my prayer has been that this quest to show Christ’s love to people around me will not become a burden in my life but a blessing to them and me.

Over the past few days, God has been answering my prayer as I have realized first-hand what a true blessing friendship is to me. Last week, an old friend of mine contacted me to tell me that a mutual friend had asked about me. I sent a thank you message to the other friend and received such a genuine reply that really touched my heart. You see, neither of them were close friends that I had developed an intimate friendship with, but they were simply friends in my circle at one time in my life; and yet, knowing I had weathered some storms in my life and not hearing from me in a while, they cared enough to check in on me. I also received a call from another friend on Sunday. We talked for about twenty or thirty minutes about everything and nothing. This friend wasn’t in a crisis or have an agenda but simply called to share a few moments with me. That phone call spoke love to my soul because even though it was limited in time, it still said, “I am making time for you because I love you!” These are the type of blessings I want to be to everyone in my circle.

As I thought about these experiences, God reminded me that He created man in His image to walk with him in the garden, but even then He still said it was not good for man to be alone so he created woman from man’s rib.

Genesis 2:18-23 (NLT)

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man’.”

Man needed a companion, a friend, someone to share experiences with, to laugh with and cry with. Only when God brought another person to man was he satisfied! We all need other people in our lives to enrich us, to encourage us, to share life with.

I thought about this issue further after my son shared an experience with me when I picked him up from school yesterday. He and his sister mentioned that it had been picture day. They had taken individual spring pictures as well as pictures of their classes. My son informed me that he was the last person to be photographed for the day, and the photographer gave him a compliment. When I inquired he said that the photographer told him he had a perfect smile and that his was the best photo of the day! My son was elated at the compliment because he said that he didn’t know that he had such a good smile.

Proverbs 25:11, ESV, says “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” I like pretty things, soothing things, and when I think about apples of pure gold in a setting of silver, I think of something that is genuinely pleasing to my soul. This was the case when I received the message back from my friend because I never expected it. That message was “fitly spoken”. This was the case when my friend had a few minutes and called to share that time with me. That time was a “word fitly spoken”. This was also the case when my son received the compliment on his smile. It touched him in his soul. That was a “word fitly spoken”. Everyone needs to know that someone cares!

Even the disciples who spent all of their time with Jesus struggled with knowing that they were important to Jesus. This was evident when they argued about it while Jesus shared the last Passover meal with them (Luke 22:24). We are no different than the disciples in our need to know our worth. While we should derive our sense of worth from who we are in Christ, sometimes it’s nice to hear that word fitly spoken that soothes our soul. So as my prayer is answered, God gave me the last piece of the puzzle that had bewildered me in regards to my quest to be a blessing to those in my life.

Colossians 3:12-17 (NLT)

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

God reminded me this morning through these verses that the key to showing His love to others in my circle is to live my life in a genuine way. Living the Christian life doesn’t mean we are perfect; it means we love Him and love others with a genuine love that looks beyond our faults. It means we live in His Grace daily, and we extend that Grace to others. It means we truly grasp the full meaning of His Grace in our lives so that we can extend it to others. So let’s get out there and show those in our circle that we love them.

In His Grace!

His Work Here

Isaiah 58:1-14

     “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’

     “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD?

     “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

     “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer.

     ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

     “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

     “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. Then the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Today I got online only to discover something I didn’t agree with. I commented on it and received a reply back that really upset me because only a very small portion of what I had said was acknowledged. My natural human reaction was to reply back trying to get this person to see things from my point of view, but something in my spirit held me back. I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me from inside asking me if trying to get this person to see things from my perspective would honor God. I recoiled immediately and even encouraged someone else to also not get into an argument online with this person.

I then pulled out my Bible, opened it up and read the passage of scripture at the top of this blog entry. I was immediately humbled at realizing that He was telling me all along that I need to put my efforts into serving others, not disagreeing or arguing with them because serving others will honor Him. It will meet the needs of others pointing them to the One who provides for us. It will satisfy my soul because I have listened to Him, doing what he has called me to do, and that will draw me closer to Him.

I love the Lord, my God, and I truly want to honor Him with my life today. I would also like to encourage you to do the same. Maybe He wants you to call a lonely friend today. Maybe He wants you to take a meal to someone who is struggling physically. Maybe He wants you to smile at the person in the grocery store with the biggest scowl on his or her face becoming the only bright spot in that person’s day. Maybe He wants you to spend time in prayer for someone you know is going through something difficult, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, financial or any combination of things. You never know what your actions may do for someone else. I urge you to remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:37-46

     “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

     ”And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

     “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

     “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

     “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

     “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Should we only do these things as a penance to God to bring about His approval for a day? Absolutely not! It is my belief that this is the way He wants us to live daily as we walk in His grace. When we are His hands and feet wherever we may go, then is He glorified on this earth. Sure, we all struggle because we are human with a sin nature, but in His grace we can overcome these struggles we face and offer that same grace to those around us. Join me today!

In His Grace!

Restoration Begins Here!

James 5:19-20 (NLT)

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

Galatians 6:1-10 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct. Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them. Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Today I’d like to share an experience in my life that has impacted me in a great way. I have been on both sides of these verses in my own life. I remember a time when a friend of mine was going through a very difficult time in her life. Over a short period of time, she had become more and more distant from me. This was shocking considering we had previously been great friends and prayer partners. We regularly watched each other’s kids and helped each other clean our own homes as well as working together to help clean others’ homes. She had moved, so I attributed this distance to the physical distance, but after a while of rarely hearing from her, I had a gut feeling something was not right, and I felt that God was telling me that I needed to intervene for my friend. I fasted and prayed for her for an entire day praying for the truth to be revealed. At that point, I called her and she broke down to tell me what had been going on in her life. She had fallen away from God and was living for herself. As a result, she felt empty and used up!

I went to her house and spent most of the day praying with her and sharing the love of Christ with her. She remembered where she had fallen from and recommitted her life to the Lord right then. It took her months to be restored, but as I watched her faith soar, it was a joy to know that I had helped restore her, saving her from death! I had heeded Galatians 6 that admonishes us to be careful that we do not fall into the same temptation. Sadly, I must’ve stopped short on the verse that reminds us not to get tired of doing good as I began to become weary at some point in my walk with the Lord.

We moved to a new community, and I had not connected with many people. It seemed very hard to make those connections no matter how hard I tried, and I felt all alone. Instead of doing something about it by looking for someone to encourage or taking a meal to an elderly neighbor who was caring for her husband who was in the final phases of Alzheimer’s, I chose to get more and more down. Add to that the challenges of having a new baby who quickly became a toddler all while trying to homeschool our older two children and dealing with added marital stress, I began to give up. My faith was faltering, and I was giving up. I decided to get a job to try to make connections thinking I could revive my faith by putting my faith in action, but I was not strong enough in my faith to stand strong in that environment. My marriage got worse and we almost ended up divorced.

It seems I had forgotten the verses that say, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”

I had given up and decided to live for myself. I was certainly only living to satisfy my sinful nature, and when all was said and done, I was just like my friend had been. I felt used up and worthless. There were many brothers and sisters in Christ who came alongside me and restored me. My husband has come back from the brink of the destruction the enemy intended for his life as well. God has given us both a special grace that had not been there before, and it is amazing to see him walking in that grace. For me, it’s been a long road back, much longer than the months it took for my friend, and I still struggle with God’s grace, but I am learning to walk in that grace daily and sometimes moment by moment.

May you be encouraged to walk in His grace even when you feel unworthy. He loves you more than you can ever understand.

In His Grace!

Overcoming Sickness

Over the past two weeks, I have been sick with some kind of unknown virus. My hubby and I have both been struggling to get over this virus with strange symptoms. It seems that the symptoms change not only day-to-day but almost hour-by-hour. Now it has not quite been every hour, but I have certainly noticed different symptoms affecting me at several different points throughout the day. The symptoms ranging from being overly tired to just not feeling right to feeling congested seem to come and go randomly as they see fit.

This morning my energy level is finally almost back to normal (I actually felt like getting out of bed this morning and feel like doing something today), but I still have a little bit of congestion. I cannot seem to cough it all out of my chest. This weekend was a fairly “normal” weekend for us with all of the activity of parents with three children who are renovating a home so I really didn’t have much to write about this morning. I was praying and asking God what to write about today and He pointed me to some scriptures about sickness.

As I read these scriptures, God spoke to me so clearly about His intentions toward His people, even when we sin. He loves us so dearly. Matthew 8:16-17 tells us Jesus healed our sickness to fulfill Isaiah 53:4. Let’s also read a little further in Isaiah 53 to hear what Jesus has accomplished for us because of His great love for us!

Matthew 8:16-17
That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said [in Isaiah 53:4], “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”

Isaiah 53:4-6
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!
But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.

He took our sickness in His body so we can be well. I don’t believe this is just speaking to our physical sicknesses but also to emotional and spiritual sickness as well. Sin is anything we do that separates us from God. When we sin, we become spiritually sick. But that is not the end of the story. James 5:13-18 tells us a little about this issue.

James 5:13-18 [emphasis mine]
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

You see, James tells us that we will be healed when we are sick if our sins are forgiven. How are our sins forgiven? Confession! What exactly is confession? It is owning up to our own failings, asking God to forgive us, and then walking in God’s grace. It does not require groveling and weeping and pouring over our sin. It is my belief that the world does not want the Jesus we have to offer because of the way we present Jesus to them. It seems that there is a disconnect in this message of confession. No one wants to join a group of people who are judgmental when they see someone sin and then that person doesn’t immediately put on sackcloth and ashes while sitting around groaning “Woe is me! I am not worthy. Please forgive me. I have failed you. Help me live right.”

When we present the message that forgiveness is offered freely when we admit our failings and then walk in that forgiveness, the faith is a much more easily attainable faith to walk in. This is the gospel message and I want you to know today that this is the true message God is sending us. While searching the scriptures and praying this morning, I felt Him speak gently into my soul that He wants people to know that His desire is to heal people, not just physically the way I need healing today, but also spiritually. You see, I know that I need a spiritual healing every day because I was born with the sin nature. I have to come to Him daily. And He heals me spiritually and sets my feet on solid ground to walk with Him freely.

Isaiah 57:18a
I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them.

You see, God knows our sin. But His desire is to heal us and lead us anyway! That word spoke such love to me this morning. He reminded me that no matter what I do, He loves me. And He loves you no matter what, too!

Psalm 73:26
My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

You see that even David, the king who had an affair with Bathsheba and then had her husband put on the front lines to be killed, came back to God and declared that God is the strength of His heart. I echo that this morning in my physical sickness because I know that I am weak, and yet, God is strong in me! But as I echoed this about my physical sickness, I began to echo this regarding my spiritual weakness. I am weak without God’s strength in my life. Let God be your strength today!

I would like to conclude with an encouragement to you from God’s word.

John 16:33 [Jesus speaking]
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:37-39
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In His Grace!