GRACE: God's Unmerited Favor

Psalm 84:11 - For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Grace is defined as the undeserved, unmerited favor of God. That means there is nothing we can do to deserve it, there is nothing we can do to earn it. It is not what we do but what Jesus did at the cross that allows grace into our lives. Glory is defined as the condition of highest achievement, splendor, prosperity, worshipful adoration, etc. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. Oh what an awesome God this must be! First He saves us through faith in His son, then He fills us with all the splendor, prosperity, radiant beauty and honor we will allow Him to. Yes, He gives us His beauty for our ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).

There is nothing in your life today that can’t be touched by the hand of God and changed from glory to glory and from grace to grace. No good thing will He withhold from them that are trusting in His grace and mercy, believing that through faith in His Son, Jesus, all good things are not only possible but probable. Yes, blessed is the man that is trusting in Jesus for the name of Jesus is above every name whether it be sickness, poverty, depression, whatever you might be facing this day, everything must bow to that name. It is God which works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2: 9-13). And it is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.

And if we know that we are saved by this marvelous grace, and He longs to bless us and fill us with His love and passion for life, let us not tarry in negative circumstances. Let us rise up and be healed and blessed that we might in turn be a blessing to others. There are so many people in the world who are hurting, lonely, lost and broken in some way. Take hold the hand of Jesus and step out of your negative situation. Take up your sick bed and walk, walk right out into a world just waiting for a good word, a positive message, a real and lasting hope, and a heartfelt compassion for our fellow human beings in whatever state they may be in. Yes, Jesus is all we need to be the best we can be. And a prayer in His name can bring about positive change to our own lives and to those around us.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is really a simple message but it has the power to transform lives and circumstances far above anything we could have hoped or imagined. Say a prayer and take these thoughts with you today that through Jesus you can do all things because He will strengthen you, and through Jesus life can be not just a spiritual journey but an adventure to last not just in this life but in the life to come. It is my prayer that these words of encouragement and words of inspiration have done just that. Encouraged you in the true love and tender care of our Lord, and inspired you to trust Him above all else in life or life’s circumstances for no good thing will He withhold from us.

Trials & Tribulations . . .

Psalms 77:13-14 – Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God. 14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou has declared thy strength among the people.

With God’s help today,  I invite you to think outside the box, just for a moment, and ponder the thought that your emotional pain and frustration may actually be your friend.  The overwhelming pain you have been relentlessly suffering due to circumstances seemingly beyond your control probably have deep and loving messages attached. God often uses the trials and tribulations we endure in our spiritual journey to draw us closer to Him. He wants us to trust Him more, love Him more intimately, and fellowship with Him without reservation. 1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7 Casting all your care  upon him; for he careth for you.  So often we are so burdened and so weary, so distracted by the cares of this world, but that is exactly where God is waiting to meet us. He’s right there with you in the fire awaiting your cry for help. He’s carrying you through the flood, holding your head up when you no longer can. And His words to you are to cast it all on Him. He is able to handle it when we don’t know the way anymore and have not the strength to bear it any longer.

I read this short paragraph by Oswald Chambers and was struck by the absolute truthfulness of the statement, as if God sent a personal word. He says “It is not so true that “prayer changes things” as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man’s disposition”.- Oswald Chambers. And there it is – truth in its most basic form. For our God does not always come when we call and change our circumstances. In His most loving way and with great tenderness and compassion on us, there are times when He is not out to change things for us but to change the heart and mind in us. When our hearts are broken and calling out to Him in desperation and what we receive seems to be silence, we must think again.  1 Peter 4:19 – Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. Let this stir your soul, dear ones, and open your heart to His wisdom, His will and His way. For what He chooses for us is ultimately, infinitely better, exceedingly more powerful, and certainly more lasting and beneficial than things we would choose for ourselves.

Think of recurring issues in life that continue to bring us pain and distract us from all the things we could be enjoying. Would it not be more beneficial to allow God to change how we perceive life, situations, and people? This change of heart, or change of mind, or change in perception doesn’t leave us open to the next problem to arise with our weaknesses still intact and thriving. No this change is inside of us, orchestrated by God, and completed by God. The divine wisdom has been received and with joy and a renewed passion we move on, to bigger conquests, greater victories. Yes, a change in our disposition will go a lot farther than a change in our external circumstances.

In a fast-food society, we want instant relief or we want it our way. But when God is involved it becomes evident our way leaves us needing more and more fixes, more and more help, and because of His involvement He usually allows us to come to that realization in His time frame and not ours. What great love for man that He would have so much patience with us when we usually have so little for Him.  Isaiah 55:9&11 – For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Think on that for a moment. God doesn’t think like we do, He doesn’t act like we do, but He sends His word and accomplishes what He will, and what He wills will prosper in the situation and brokenness to which He sends it. Established in righteousness? With God it’s possible.

So think outside the box and get a glimpse today of just how big God really is, how great and precious are His promises. Let the painful circumstances in your life lead you to God who is ready to take you on, a special project of sorts, to rebuild, repair and ultimately restore you to all He created you to be. Make Jesus the Lord of your life today. Read His word and receive every bit of its inspiration and encouragement into your life and your circumstances. Set about to stay the course with God and live your life on His time schedule and not  your own. If you want to learn and grow in the things of God His door is always open, His arms are there to welcome you, and the Holy Spirit will come alongside to comfort you. It’s a win-win deal but it can’t be rushed or dictated – only lived out to the ultimate until we all come into the fullness of Christ.

He'll Bring You Through The Fire Again . . .

Jeremiah 16:17-20-Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble!…Can people make their own god? The gods they make are not real gods at all!

Webster’s defines fickle as changeable or unstable in affection, interest, loyalty, etc. It also mentions to deceive, akin to betrayal or deceit. It says in Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NLT)-The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives.

I want to be found faithful in all things regarding my life as a whole, as I am sure most would say they agree, but there are times in every life, in every sincere love walk, that we find we have been fickle in our actions, thoughts, words and/or deeds. And this perhaps solely was done unawares and without malicious intent or a conscious desire to deceive anyone. Have you not experienced periods of time, perhaps gone through seasons lasting longer than we desire, when the stresses of life seem to take a toll on us and before we know it our passion for Christ has dimmed? At times we may feel a lukewarmness toward the things of the Lord, or just a weariness in general.

It has been my experience, that even the most zealous for His word, the most impassioned for Christ, the greatest of servants have moments when they realize they have failed. Our hearts are fickle at times not because we have lost our desire for God and all the beauty and love that we can’t even put into words or have space to talk about here, but because we have fallen into the trap of trying to do all things ourselves, on our own, and without truly and wholeheartedly relying on God daily. What looks to some as hypocritical and fickle is merely an overzealous attempt on our part to do God’s job as well as our own, which when put into practice, will  not bring one success to say the least.

God allows us to wake up some mornings and ask, “What has happened and where am I”, and more painfully, “O God, where are You?”, so that we become aware we have moved away from Him in all our busy-ness, rather than drawn closer to Him. His desire is to fellowship with us. His desire is to allow us to know Him as we are known by Him. No task is generally so important, or a desire of the heart so pressing, as to have no time to seek God concerning the issues that can send us scurrying off into cyberspace or elsewhere looking for help and direction, when our faithful God was there all along, waiting with the answer, and a good rest for the soul along with it. It surely must make God laugh to see us in our moment of seeming triumph, thinking we have it all figured out, only to realize in amazement our way won’t work at all.

It says in Jeremiah 17:14-17 (NLT)-O Lord, you alone can heal me; you alone can save. My praises are for you alone! 15 People scoff at me and say, “What is this ‘message from the Lord’ you keep talking about? Why don’t your predictions come true?” 16 Lord, I have not abandoned my job as a shepherd for your people. I have not urged you to send disaster. It is your message I have given them, not my own. 17 Lord, do not desert me now! You alone are my hope in the day of disaster. Well, sadly I have had people ask me, “how can you write like you do and your life be such a mess?”. What others fail to realize or take the time to understand is man is a triune being. We are created a spirit, a physical body, and a soul which consists of the mind, will and emotions. My physical body may be fine, but my mind and emotions may be a mess or vice versa. But the spiritual man devoted to living for Christ will always succeed. What may appear to some to be hypocritical on our part or deceitful at times, unstable even in their critique, is just a work in progress in our lives. When we come to God and make Jesus the Lord of our lives we are not at that moment made perfect in man’s description of “perfect”, rather we are covered in Jesus’ blood, given the robe of righteousness, a crown of glory, and the Holy Spirit to comfort us and teach us. We begin a life-long journey on this side of heaven to learn to be all and do all God desires for us, and the journey at times takes us through some pretty rough terrain.  There may be times we despair of even our very lives, but through it all God will be there with us, and beloved, if God be for us, who dare be against us?

I do not say the journey will always be easy, or the life lived for Christ a rose garden, but I do say He is faithful to bring you through the hardest of times, in peril or in the deep, through the flood and the fire, and you will come out of each experience richer, sweeter, stronger, more alive than ever before, with wisdom you never knew existed, and a trust in God that is priceless.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deepinto the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by the long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.

So be blessed today. Continue to trust in the Lord even when nothing makes sense and friends start to abandon you. Let the Lord be your hope and confidence, for worldly hope and confidence is fickle at best, unstable and deceitful. I encourage you with these words of inspiration to “be the tree” – the planting of the Lord, for He knows what you need and He has promised to never leave you or forsake you.