Category Archives: God’s Grace & Love

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July 11, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, God's Promises

HE IS MINE!

The Lord is my shepherd. I am never in need. [Psalm 23:1 (GW)]

What confidence David shows in the 23rd psalm; what confidence this psalm gives me. Note that he used the pronouns “me,” “my” and “I” instead of “you,” “our” and “us.” While sharing is nice, we all want to have someone or something that is truly just our own. Psalm 23 tells me that I do: the Lord is my shepherd. He is my very own personal shepherd who will feed me, guide me, and provide me with everything I need! He refreshes, restores, revives and reassures me. He both shields and comforts me. I dwell in him and He in me; He is mine and I am his! He cares for me as if I were the only lamb in His flock. We’re all His sheep, but He knows each of us by name. He is the personal shepherd for each one and every one of us.

Thank you, God, for loving me as if I were your favorite lamb, the one most precious in your sight. Thank you, God, for loving everyone else the very same way!

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me. My sheep know me as I know the Father. So I give my life for my sheep. [John 10:14-15 (GW)]

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July 9, 2014

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Bible Stories, God's Grace & Love, Knowing Him, Obedience

A BOY’S LIFE

          His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
          “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant.
          Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. [Luke 2:48-52 (NLT)]

Do you suppose Mary and Joseph “grounded” Jesus (or the 1st century equivalent of grounding) once they got back to Nazareth?

In the gospels, Jesus seems to jump from babyhood to manhood in one fell swoop so we rarely think of Jesus as a boy. Except for this story of his staying behind in Jerusalem at the age of twelve, we know nothing of his youth. Since he was a boy, however, it is quite likely that he had skinned knees, bloody noses, bumps and bruises. He probably had stomach upsets and fevers; he knew what it was to be hungry and tired. He played and laughed and cried and experienced the full range of human emotions. In spite of being the Son of God, he was obedient to his earthly parents. In spite of being the Prince of Peace, he lived in obscurity in a humble home in a small village. His tears were dried by Mary as she held him in her arms and he learned the art of carpentry at Joseph’s side. And, through the years, he “grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”

Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. [Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)]

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July 2, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, Salvation: A New You

WE HAVE TO OPEN HIS GIFT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)]

It’s no use just looking at a beautifully wrapped gift; it needs to be opened and used to be appreciated. The gift of salvation is His; the belief in Him is our responsibility.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 6:23 (NLT)]

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June 17, 2014

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Forgiveness, God's Grace & Love, Joy, Salvation: A New You

WHAT ROBE AM I WEARING?

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. [Isaiah 61:10 (NLT)]

Lord, don’t let me forget that you have clothed me with a robe of salvation and righteousness, not one of condemnation and self-righteousness. I am redeemed and righteous, not because of anything I have done, but because of what you have done. It is your love and forgiveness that have saved me. If I don’t extend that same love and forgiveness to others, I am simply a sanctimonious, pious, and holier-than-thou hypocrite.

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. [Luke 6:37 (NLT)]

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May 18, 2014

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God's Grace & Love

Our Travel Companion

Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?” They were silent. On the road they had argued about who was the greatest. [Mark 9:33-34 (GW)]

Even for the best of friends, traveling together can be challenging, if not downright difficult. The twelve disciples traveled with Jesus for about three and a half years. What was that like? Mark tells us they bickered among themselves. This probably was not the first time and certainly wasn’t the last time there was discord among the disciples. Matthew and Thomas may have been a bit jealous that Peter, James and John seemed to be Jesus’ favorites. Peter may have argued with Judas about the way he handled their treasury. For all we know, Simon might have complained that Philip snored. The disciples were twelve ordinary men with the same weakness we all have: impatience, jealousy, gossip, pride, anger, etc. One of the twelve, in fact, would betray their leader. The gospels never say the disciples were without sin; only Jesus was!

It’s good to know that we have a traveling companion in Jesus who always knows the way, won’t complain, and never asks, “Are we there yet?” We walk with the one who knows when we’re tired and hungry, who provides for our needs, and both loves and forgives us. He leads us on the one true road to life. Thank you, Jesus, for being with us wherever we go.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going. So how can we know the way?” Jesus answered him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through me. [John 14:5-6 (GW)]

 

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April 25, 2014

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God's Grace & Love, God's Promises

KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL OPEN

A hostile world! I call to God, I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence — a private audience! [Psalm 18:6 (MSG)]

Knock and the door will open. [Luke 11:9b (MSG)]

The peasant can’t just come before the king to speak and we’d be hard put to get an invitation to meet with the president or even our governor. The Prime Minister of England has an audience with the Queen only once a week. A private audience with the Pope is all but impossible unless one is a head of state or a high ranking dignitary. When he’s in Rome, the Pope does have papal masses and a public audience weekly but tickets are required for that. Yet, whenever we call on God, we all can have a private audience with Him because Jesus Christ purchased the ticket for us!

Thank you, O Lord, for always allowing us to approach your heavenly throne.

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us — set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. [Romans 5:1-2 (MSG)]