Grace meets us where we are, but doesn’t leave us where we are found.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” 2 Peter 3:18

We are saved by grace, but that is only the beginning – to grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. It’s not about what we do, but understanding what God does in us! It does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less. He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him should be saved (John 3:16). How much more grace could there possibly be than that? But to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.

“Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence. God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ…”

2 Corinthians 5:17-18

When we are born again, the Holy Spirit begins to work His new creation in us. Our old gloomy outlook disappears, as does our old attitude toward things, and “all things are of God”. How are we going to live out such a life? The only way is by allowing nothing of the old life to remain, and by having only simple, perfect trust in God— such a trust that we no longer want God’s blessings, but only want God Himself. Have we come to the point where God can withdraw His blessings from us without our trust in Him being affected? Once we truly see God at work, we will never be concerned again about the things that happen, because we are actually trusting in our Father in heaven, whom the world cannot see.  ~ Oswald Chambers

Note from a friend:

The most important thing about my life is not that I’ve given most of it to serve God in Christian ministry. It’s the small, every day choices to give something to Him that costs me. They are the big little moments when I worship Him without the music playing. To turn my eyes away, to give a moment of patience to an impatient driver, to give a smile to an unsmiling cashier, these are the moments that lead us to intimacy with God.

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:17

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:7-8, 14

“Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, and how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark.”

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭

“… God uses us to make the knowledge about Christ spread everywhere like a sweet fragrance. For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God, which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are being lost.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14-15‬‭

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:31‬ ‭

Are you going through a “storm” in your life? Dr. Charles Stanley lists 8 reasons that God could allow storms into our lives:

1. To get our attention

2. To bring us to repentance

3. To conform us to Christ’s image

4. To equip us for service – how would we know how to comfort someone if we had never gone through it ourselves?

5. To demonstrate His power

6. To reveal Himself to us (in a more intimate way)

7. To demonstrate His love to us

8. To remind us Who is in control

We don’t understand the storms of life because see from our own limited view, but God has an eternal perspective.

He not only allows the storm, sometimes He sends the storm – for He is The Lord of the Storm!

Are we looking at how powerful the storm is or how powerful The Lord of the Storm is?

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name – whether we feel like it or not – and we will begin to see with His perspective!

“The voice of the LORD is heard on the seas; the glorious God thunders, and his voice echoes over the ocean. The voice of the LORD is heard in all its might and majesty.

The LORD rules over the deep waters; he rules as king for ever. The LORD gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭29:3-4, 10-11‬

From the book “Jesus Calling”:

Trust me and refuse to worry, for I am your Strength and Song. You are feeling wobbly this morning, looking at difficult times looming ahead, measuring them against your own strength. However, they are not today’s tasks – or even tomorrow’s. So leave them in the future and come home to the present, where you will find Me waiting for you. Since I am your Strength, I can empower you to handle each task as it comes. Because I am your Song, I can give you joy as you work alongside me.

Keep bringing your mind back to the present moment. Among all my creations, only humans can anticipate future events. This ability is a blessing, but it becomes a curse whenever it is misused. If you use your magnificent mind to worry about tomorrow, you cloak yourself in dark unbelief. However, when the hope of Heaven fills your thoughts, the Light of My Presence envelopes you. Though heaven is future, it is also present tense. As you walk in the Light with Me, you have one foot on earth and one foot in heaven.

“The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

Exodus 15:2

“… bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”

II Corinthians 10:5

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

Hebrews 10:23

There is a way the world runs. And when others behave in ways we don’t like, we call that a “pet peeve”. Not a colossal divide or a legal violation…just a pet peeve.  

The phrases we use regarding our pet peeves reveal the person who actually suffers.  He “gets under my skin” or “gets on my nerves,” or she is such a “pain in my neck.”  

Whose skin, nerves, and neck?  

Ours!  

Who suffers?  

We do!  

Every pet peeve writes a check on our “joy account”.

Joy is different then happiness. Happiness is surface – it comes and goes, dependent on many factors – chief among them: our feelings! They are up and down with every small stimulus. But joy is a deep-rooted satisfaction based on who know you are, Whose you know you are, how firm your foundation is, and how secure your future destiny is! If you are a Christian, isn’t it great to know we don’t have to depend on ourselves for this? It is freely given by the Great Joy-Giver!

The apostle Paul said, “Be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).  The patient person sees all the peculiarities of the world.  But rather than react, he bears with them.  It’s based on that deep-rooted joy!

On some days, when life is chaotic and frustrating, we just need to simply remind ourselves what gives us joy, and how we can access that at any given moment.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:12‬

~ with an assist from Max Lucado

Sometimes we need a reminder that God is going to come through for us. Many reading this today are facing giants which have never been conquered – mountains which have never been moved. It feels like you are drowning, or that you are being crushed under the heaviness of oppression. Things are happening beyond your control, and there seems no way out.

I have found that when we are confronted with fearful news, we have to respond with something MORE powerful. Ponder the FAITHFULNESS OF GOD! Here are just a few scriptures…

“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

“Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalms 36:5

“Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.” Psalms 37:3

“Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides.” Psalms 119:90

We cannot always trust ourselves, or our emotions in the midst of battle. But we can trust in God’s faithfulness, goodness, and mercy. We can hide in the pavillion of His faithful word, which is unshakeable and unchanging.

Don’t wait around for feelings of faith and hope. We cannot depend on feelings to carry us through. Rather, stir your faith by speaking out the truth of God’s word and His faithfulness. Your faith will catch up, I promise you!

(Memory verses and familiar worship songs and lyrics are great in these instances!)

~ with an assist from Kirk Henderson

Our God is a revealing God. Many times throughout our lives, we are in need of wisdom and direction. This is when God shows Himself strong, revealing the issues of life, revealing His word, and revealing Himself…

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor. 2:9)

We read this verse and interpret it this way: “We just can’t know what God is up to. Our eyes haven’t seen it so only God knows.” It is true that we don’t know every single aspect of that which God is doing. But reading further brings light to God’s intention…

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” (vv 10-12).

The point here is basically that our natural senses…what we see (‘your eyes have not seen), what we hear (nor ears heard), even what we think (that which has entered into the heart)….these things are simply not sufficient to truly hear from God. We depend on the Holy Spirit for truth to be revealed to us. So the writer, the Apostle Paul, is saying, “Our natural senses are not the primary way we connect and hear from God – but it’s by the Spirit that He communes, communicates, and reveals Himself to us. We can know some things that we don’t have access to with our natural limitations!”

His Spirit searches the deep things of God…His character, His thoughts, His nature, His desires, His Truth. And He is willing to reveal much of this to us: our salvation, identity, significance, peace, blessings, favor. We must position ourselves to hear from Him clearly. He’s always speaking and revealing Himself to us!

~ Kirk Henderson

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” 

“Take time to allow God to rejoice over you. Allow him to quiet the stress and cares of this life with his loving presence. Ask him to reveal to you just how near he is. And live today in light of the glorious relationship with your heavenly Father made available to you by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.” Craig Denison

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8