Recognizing The Reality Of Grace

God's grace is a gift and a wonderful reason to love God for his heart.  We love him because we recognize how much he really loves us (I John 4:19). But what if someone doesn't recognize his love?

What if someone gave you a gift and it was wrapped in a beautiful package. You certainly wouldn't ignore that person or scowl a him. What if you opened the package and there was nothing in there but a piece of paper with the word 'grace' written on it? You might feel let down and empty. That is sometimes how I felt when I was trying to understand what God meant by grace.  I found definitions of grace galore like 'unearned favor, God's unmerited divine favor, divine favor etc. I get that we don't earn it, but oftentimes those definitions don't really get to the heart of what grace is and grace is a very big beautiful concept.

My husband I are really enjoying a new fancy camera. We HAVE TO read the instructions!  Both of us admit to not knowing how to use it. I am so thankful every time we change the settings to take a picture a little instruction blurb pops up on the monitor to explain the why of the setting. We found complete joy when we discovered the action setting and took pictures of our grandchildren sliding into base ( a brave action for a 5 year old), pitching and batting (making my 9 year old grandson look like a pro). I can't wait to use it on my dancing granddaughter and my toddler grandson (Mr. Personality).

Many people don't like to read instructions so they skip doing it altogether. I can't count how many times I've gone back to read the instructions on something and found a new way to apply and use it. This works the same way with God's word.

Grace is indeed God's unearned favor but it is so much more than just what dribbles from heaven.  It is God's heart, his presence, his forgiveness and his power. It is just, very simply, his love. Grace comes with an instruction manual. We should want to read the instructions and utilize his gift of grace fully. "Obedience" is not a bad word and it is not contrary to grace. It is simply knowing what is available and knowing that we have the right to accept God's unmatched blessing in our lives by receiving what he offers us. When we fully understand why we listen to God, why we read his word, why we pray, we look forward to it.  It is not a chore or something we have to do.

I used to follow a schedule for reading the Bible, but I soon found myself reading a chapter and thinking about a million other things and not remembering what I read, let alone applying it. I am reading through the Bible now but time is of no essence and sometimes something in the Old Testament brings something in the New Testament to my mind and I go there. Usually it is because I'm onto something that is right here and now in my life. It is amazing but not surprising that God can be so personable and close. Knowledge helps in recognizing God at work and having the freedom in your mind to let him expand the work of grace in your heart.

Keeping Busy With The Work of Love

Have you ever felt  God peacefully impressing love on your heart when praying for people? The apostle Paul expressed this sort of thing in the first chapter of Philippians :

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

The phrase 'bowels of Jesus Christ' refers to the innermost being of Christ that resided in Paul. We are connected to God and his son through the gift of holy spirit that we receive when we acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as God's son who was raised from the dead and now is the head of God's church.

What is so amazing about this type of prayer is that one can be at total juxtaposition with someone and still pray in this wonderful loving way for them without feeling any negative twinge at all. The more we mature and become more Christ-like, the more we pray with clear undiluted passion for people. We set aside hurts, negative thinking and anger to literally get that innermost heart that peacefully focus on the right and good path of being clear-eyed about love:

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10

Paul was in prison at the time he wrote this. He was in a tough situation. His life was in jeopardy, he was in prison and for what? Was he charged with murder, theft or fraud, lying or libel? No, in reality he was in jail for his beliefs. His state of mind and heart under the pressure of it all is readily apparent when reading the book of Philippians.  He kept busy with the work of love. His heart's desire for the Philippians was that they superabounded more and more in love that was guided by knowledge and judgement. He wanted the Philippians the clearly see God's heart at work in their lives so that they could separate truth from error.

Truth brings joyous abundance, error brings darkness and misery. Truth loves, error brings on more error and bondage. God can show us how to deal truthfully in love and that may mean speaking up or not worrying about political correctness at times. There are times 'minding your own business' can be quite hateful and there are other times that 'minding your own business' can be quite loving. God's love is the only way the way to discriminate between the two.

Life is all about 'judgement'. Of course it is, but the  words 'judgement' and 'judgmental' have taken on a negative connotation through the years. God made our brains in a way that we must weigh, discern, think and make decisions. With God's help love makes the best judgement. That is why prayer is so important. When we have a question or a problem, God can settle our hearts in prayer and we can live in the fullness of life and help others truthfully!

Perfect Love From a Perfect Father

Perfect love casts out fear and gives us true freedom. Real fear is obsessive! Fear grips, presses, engulfs and controls. We are meant to be free of all things oppressive, depressive and obsessive. Jesus Christ has set us free from these things through the truth. He has been our reconciliation to God. We have been given the spirit to settle our minds and hearts. That is what the New Testament is all about. That is why there is a New Testament!

With all that said, we see fear everywhere. Is perfect love so hard to see or is it hiding? No! It is everywhere! God wants the best for our lives and we see the effects of that in nature and in his word.

Many people choose to walk around in the dark without bothering to allow light in. Part of the reason for this is that people think they can't go to God directly, have not been taught and have had wrong teaching. There is nothing enlightening about darkness. There are sincere religious people around today that are no better than those who reject God and in some instances worse because they been fed with teaching laced with fear and all those 'sessives'. It is sad when someone doesn't believe there's a God but it is even worse when someone believes the wrong things about God.

Believing that God is love is a great place to start. God has lovingly made the creation and put man in it. He is our source for all that we need to enjoy life in all of its fullness.

When people truly see themselves as God sees them, life is much easier to deal with. Humans that interact with each other with the love of God in their hearts are very blessed by each other.  When we make people or even ourselves our only source, life fails.  If we humans mess up, God is very forgiving when we go to him and we access that wonderful 'peace that passeth all understanding' (Philippians 4:6-7). As a result can we have a clearer mind to see others as God sees them.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.We love him, because he first loved us.  I John 4:16-19

A Very Present Help

Oh if people just understood this! What a different world it would be! This is not a passive verse nor is it contradictory! No need to fight! Stand up, stand strong, see the victory, do not be discouraged nor be afraid.  God will be in your life if you let him. Go out and face the challenge!  

Playing Well

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a 50 year reunion for a college baseball team that my husband played on. This team won a national championship during my husband's senior year. There were lots of activities planned to honor this team which culminated in attending the current team's game for the Division title.

I enjoyed meeting this legendary team's members and their wives and hearing their stories. Many of them stayed active in sports by playing in the pros, coaching, scouting and teaching. As I watched them interact, even after 50 years, there was camaraderie, laughter, respect and an ethical quality that might have been at the roots of why this team was so successful. They played the game well and still do.

Playing together is an important part of life. All sorts of books have been written about teamwork in athletics, families, business, and education.  The best book ever to speak on this subject is the Word of God. The Bible is written for its believers and it is a rich resource for those who expect to learn principles of life in its pages. God's principles work when understood correctly and fully. Some people happen on these principles during the course of life through the ups and downs, trial and error approach because they can work for anyone. There were periods in the history of the world when people didn't have access to the written word.  Today some people stay away from the Bible because they think it is too hard, or have heard things about what is written that is misunderstood or mistranslated. God's principles regardless work and are worth acknowledging and making an effort to understand how they apply to our lives.

In I Corinthians 12:27-28a , there is an interesting statement:

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28 And God hath set some in the church,.....1 Corinthians 12:27-28a

The body of Christ is a reference to the church. It is a called out group of people that believe in God and his son Jesus Christ. The word 'church' refers to the people of God, the members in particular (as individuals).

A baseball team has many members. There are pitchers, catchers, basemen and outfielders. Any given team could have as many as 14 or 15 pitchers.  The coach decides who is in or out at any given time. All players throw, field, bat and run, but in any one given inning, there is only one pitcher, first baseman or catcher or center outfielder. You never see three first base players standing on first base or 5 pitchers standing on the mound. That would be chaos. The same thing is true in the church.

In verse 27 above, Paul writes that 'God has set some in the church'. 'Has set' is in the middle voice, meaning that God has set for himself, for his own use in the church. All members are members individually. Submitting (Ephesians 5:21) one to another has respect for God as its foundation and is a key for success as to how we play well among the called out people of God.

But made himself of no reputation.....

Jesus Christ is our greatest example of a leader. He walked the earth knowing God was his father and yet 'made himself of no reputation' (Philippians 2:7) He did things very differently from the common world-view of success and leadership.

He certainly has had an influence on the world as no other man has. True power comes from God.  When Jesus said "I and my father are one" (John 10:30), he was showing who he was aligned with. He carried and is continuing to carry the purpose of God in his heart. He respected (and still does) the wisdom of God. He depends on the wisdom of God in helping people. In everything Jesus Christ did and does for people, God gets the glory.

Jesus took on the form of a servant. The servant offers the way. As a servant of God, he offers the truth and as a result, he offers life in effulgence (John 14:6).

God set Jesus Christ at his own right hand (God doesn't have a hand physically. This is a figure of speech representing the appointment of Jesus Christ to his position as head of God's church) :

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:17-23)

Jesus Christ made himself of no reputation. It is God that highly exalts him. He gets the pure joy of carrying out God's service which involves wisdom and knowledge of God, enlightened understanding, knowledge of the hope of God's calling, and the riches of the glory of his inheritance to us.

Resurrected Life

The word "resurrection' is believed to be derived from the old Latin word, 'resurgere'. We get the english word 'resurgence' from it. It can mean many things such as; rebirth, regeneration, revival,  and re-emergence . The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most significant moment in history. God raised him up and out of this world's doubts, negativity, brutality, and darkness to ascend to his right hand.  Jesus Christ, 'sitting at the right hand of the Father,' is a figure of speech meaning that God has made him Lord of his church. God has given him authority to act on his behalf and Jesus is not just sitting around twiddling his thumbs. He brings resurgence to us as well.

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1

We have been risen with Christ and we are encouraged to seek those things above.  'Above' refers to  the right hand business of God. God provides perfect love. That is what he is all about! God is spirit, he doesn't really have a physical hand to sit at, but this figure (attributing human characteristics to God) helps us really think about what Christ is doing and has been doing for the last 2000+ years or so. We can be a part of that.

At a very early age Jesus realized who he was when he said; "wist ye not that I must be about my father's business?" (Luke 2:49). Later he taught to pray 'on earth as it is in heaven' (Luke 6:10), that God's will would be present in our life on earth.

We become connected by the gift of holy spirit, when we in our hearts realize that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead. (Romans 10:9-10) It is really so simple and has results that are far beyond anything we could think of on our own. We too can be raised up and out of doubt, negativity, fear and anything else that attempts to pull us back down into the mud spiritually. This is also how we can help each other now in this life. We also can look forward to permanent resurrection life physically in the future.  We have a lot to celebrate and  be thankful for and its is a great time to think about being about our father's business too.

Superabounding Prayer

Philippians has some great truths about the believer's adequacy and completeness. The world is not a perfect place. God gave man managerial power to take care of this planet. There is much in this world that is great and at the same time, man has made some mistakes.  God would not have given Adam the commission he did as recorded in the early chapters of Genesis, if he didn't think he was adequate for the job. God gave him the knowledge and ability to manage the earth the way it should be managed.  Adam and Eve messed up and listened to someone else other than God. The results were not so great.

God wants his people to utilize all that he has provided for the benefit of their own lives. He designed the human body so that a human being is a very capable organism. Good magnifies this ability, evil corrupts it.

Paul's prayer in the 1st chapter of Philippians shows perfectly God's love and will for completeness;

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10 (KJV)

God's heart is that mankind will superabound more and more through knowledge and in every judgement (perception of ethical and good). The language in this verse is beautiful. God wants us to weigh everything with what he has given us in the word to really have the best. We are to compare and separate out those things that are not in our best interest by seeing those things that cause us to superabound.

God wants us to be sincere by walking in full sunlight. Our actions can be revealed by that sunlight so that we are not tripped up. We don't have to grope around in darkness trying to figure things out. God wants us to walk in his light until the day of Christ.

What is a great example of prayer! This is what we want for ourselves and the way we should for pray for  others!

What does Holy Spirit Mean To Us?

God is spirit according to John 4:24:

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 God has given us a gift of what he himself is. We receive the gift of holy spirit when we recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and believe God raised him up from death. It gives us access to the throne of God and his wonderful son. We become sons of God through the spirit.

So what does that mean? I Corinthians gives us some amazing information in  chapters12, 13, 14 and it is something God does not want us to ignorant about. We must understand how that spirit works in us.  The profit that result from our utilization of the gift manifests itself as we rely on God:

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 

8 For to one (profit) is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another(again referring to the profit and in all the rest of the list) the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. I Corinthians 12:8-11

How do these benefits profit us?:

1. Word of wisdom - it is no accident that this is listed first. God's wisdom supersedes all other wisdom.  We have access to that wisdom spiritually. God can inform us what to do about a given situation.
2. Word of knowledge -  It also applies to what is specifically going on around us. God can provide us knowledge about what is happening above what we know by our five senses.
3. Faith is our spiritual believing so necessary to enlist the power of God. Our minds may be shaky but our innermost being can rise to God's level of carrying out what seems impossible.
4. Gifts of healing - healing is a gift of God.  We are surrounded by things that man created that are not the best for our health. God is the true healer and can pull us out of whatever challenge we face.
5. Working of miracles - the energizing of things that happen that are beyond our natural man ability. When healing takes place instantaneously, working of miracles has been energized by God.
6. Prophecy - speaking forth the heart and word that God wants spoken. There are many examples of this in the Old Testament with individual men and women upon whom the spirit of God rested on.  There were even times in the Old Testament when the spirit rested upon others, not just the leaders (Numbers 11:25-29).  God's will is that he can communicate with any believer and that believer can speak forth the words of God. The New Testament provided this access.
7. Discerning of spirits- separating good from evil. God does not want us to be fooled.
8. Speaking in tongues- This refers to praying in the spirit. Sometimes we don't know what to pray for or maybe we don't have to know the details of what is going on. Maybe it is none of our business. We can still pray in the spirit. Praying is our business. Praying spiritually is so much easier than praying with our understanding sometimes.
9. Interpretation of tongues - when in a gathering, this explains what is spoken in a tongue so that all can be edified and built up.

God may give us a word of knowledge about something and then not tell us to do anything about it. Also, God doesn't have to give us information on everything. The important thing to understand is that he's the one who is the source and knows what is best.  Great lessons in life are learned when we rest in God's wisdom.  Our brains were designed by God and we can think. To see spiritually, which is to see things that are hidden behind what we see, we need the spirit of God informing us. Something may appear so wonderful on the surface, but God may show us something totally different.

In I Corinthians 14:1, Paul writes that we are to follow after the love of God (I Corinthians 13) and desire spiritual matters and especially that we may prophesy.  Speaking God's heart and word is what we all need. The gift of holy spirit is what inspires and reveals God's solutions.

7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Colossians 1:7-9

Confusing Weakness and Strength

There is an inordinate amount of confusion in this world as to what is strength and what is weakness. Weakness is confused with strength and strength is confused with weakness. The apostle Paul had many challenges. He was strong and knew where his strength came from:

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient (be content enough) for thee: for my strength (dunamis- potential power) is made perfect (complete) in weakness(lack of strength. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities (frailty), in reproaches (insolence, insults and injury), in necessities (needs), in persecutions, in distresses (narrowness of room) for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong(capable). II Corinthians 12:8-10

Recognizing weakness in one's own life has the potential to produce true strength in an individual. It takes guts to stand up for what one learns and believes. It doesn't take adamance and loud proclamations either as we see so frequently around us.  Paul said he would rather glory in his challenges. The word 'glory' represents confidence in a godly solution. It is the word 'kauchaomai' which means 'to hold one's head up high'. It is always found in the middle voice which means the person does this for himself. One can hold his/her head up high if he/she puts confidence in God and the resurrection power of Christ.

To live in this world takes work. The hard part often is in accepting God's help. Sadly, many people accept the world's solutions rather than the word's solutions. Some don't know God, some mock, some just don't take the time to patiently wait for a solution. However, once a person sees how eager God is to help, it builds to trusting him again and again and again.

Whatever challenges arise can be dealt with in confidence when we trust God and apply his word to the situations. We just have to find out what God has to say about whatever problem arises. We can believe to get out of debt, be a blessing to others and live a free life, Whatever gets in our way can be dealt with effectively if we trust God and act. 

Effectual Fervent Prayer

Yesterday I  decided to catch up with the news and not to my surprise, nothing had changed. The news echoed the same ole same ole drone of futility and negative banter as usual. It offered the fullest range of conspiracy, blame, shame, accusation, and defamation it could conger up and then repeated it from program to program, hour to hour.

Enough is enough! Life should not be as complicated or as sinister as is danced out in front of us in every newspaper, commentary and media presentation. People need to stand up and call it what it is. It is not about hiding our heads in the sand, nor is it about swimming with the sharks.  It is about telling the truth. It is only within truth that answers come.

James 5:16: Confess your (added by translators- leave it in or take it out) faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The world is full of things that are wrong; things that God never intended for this world.  By openly agreeing and acknowledging what is off the mark, we open the doors to putting things right. We should do this together and cleave to what is right for one another other. Hiding is not 'effectually fervent'. Prayer is to be 'effectually fervent' and full of energy to get things done. Prayer is openingly acknowledging God's power and love.

'Healing' is the result. the first use of 'healing' is used in Genesis 20 in the Old Testament. It is a great example of this verse in James.  Abraham had gotten into a bad situation in Gerar because of some second guessing peppered with fear. To may a long story short (Read the record! It is exquisite) Abrahams wife ended up in the Philistine ruler's  (Abimelech) harem and things started going awry.  No more children were being born in Abimeleh's household and Abimelech spoke openly to Abraham (a prophet) about it. It was open acknowledgement of the truth and will of God. In the end, Abraham prayed and things were set right and everybody benefited.

A 'righteous man is one who has been justified by Christ and can stand in the presence of God without fear, shame or guilt.  What a privilege! What a comfort! It is very powerful in our lives. We can do this together and make a difference!

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16