All In One

Saved by grace. It is a pure gift from our God, who sent Jesus to die in our place. Serving Him in response is a true blessing and a true calling for each of us.  Is He calling you to be His feet as you travel around the world? Is he asking you to be His hands as you share your gift of hospitality? God may be guiding you to be on your knees as an intercessor in prayer for others. Do you have His heart to listen and to encourage others? Are you using your mouth to witness to others with His mighty Word?

     We make up the body of Christ, and each member plays an important role.

All those are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just  as He determines. Just as a body, though one has many parts, but all its many parts from one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:11-12

     Our gifts, our passions, our personalities are beautiful and unique. No comparisons necessary. Each part is vital and valuable to Jesus. And we are all made one in Him. What an amazing God! Listen for His voice and follow His lead into the places He has called you to serve. Spread the message of the Gospel of grace to a hurting world. Jesus is the answer.

Lord,

We thank You for Your saving grace, for Your love and care throughout our lives and for using us. What a privilege is it to be Your child, beloved and useful. We don’t know how, but it is all to Your glory.

In Jesus name,

Amen

You Are Wonderfully Made

     We are saved by grace, not by works, but God has plenty for us to do. Yesterday we talked about becoming more aware of Jesus, making Him a part of EVERY part of our lives, not just an hour a week. He has planned the perfect places for which each one of us to serve.

     Each of us has natural abilities, spiritual gifts and diverse personality types. You will find just the right places, people and purposes unique to the way you are made! The spiritual gifts are found in 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and Romans 12. The gifts include everything from administration to hospitality, from encouragement to teaching, from pastoral gifts to writing and building.

     Pray about where God wants you to serve and watch for doors to open and for others to close. You will know with the help of the Holy Spirit. God wants our service to be a true blessing to others and to give us joy and peace as we serve

Lord,

We thank You that each one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139) You have chosen each one of us for a time such as this to serve in a particular way in a darkening world. We want our lights to shine; to glorify You.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Every Minute Every Day

     The work of Christ is a work from the inside out. As our souls fill with more and more truth, with more and more of His light, with more and more of His wisdom, and more and more of His unconditional love and heavenly blessings, it begins to show on the outside, both in our countenance and in the way we react to the world and our circumstances.

     Trust builds. We know we can trust Him with everything even unto our final moments. We know He can help us with the tough decisions, with the dangerous storms, with the deep grief as well as showering us with many blessings. We can always have a grateful heart, because we have Jesus.

     I’ve come to realize that there is no dividing our “church life,” and our “ordinary life.” All of it is holy. If we know Jesus is within us and alongside of us, before us and behind us, we know everything we do is because of Him. Our lives are now set apart to worship, to follow and to glorify God. That is our purpose.

Glorify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3

Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify You. Psalm 63:3

I will praise You, Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever. Psalm 86:12

     Continue to praise Him for being our Savior, for taking care of our lives, for giving us good works to do in His name.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5;16

Father,

Thank You for being a part of every minute of our lives. Please don’t let us forget that You don’t want a Sunday morning relationship, but an ongoing relationship, day by day, minute by minute, that will last forever.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Saved! Now What?

     Now that we are saved for eternal life, can we sit back and relax and do whatever we want, however we want, until we go to heaven? The short answer is, Yep. But Jesus offers more. He offers an amazing life, an abundant life. He offers us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. That is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that takes up residence when we first believe.

     You are not saved by works. But you ARE saved FOR good works. God has a plan for His saved believers. For you and me. Each one’s purpose, unique and beautiful. Each person has varied gifts and and each one takes his/her place in the world to make up the full body of Christ. He needs us and He uses us. We started yesterday with saving grace, the free gift of Christ, as seen in verses 8 and 9 in Ephesians 2. Let’s take a look at the next verse today.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

     God has loved you before the foundation of the world. He sees you, once you believe, as His child, forever sealed for heaven.  Now, He desires relationship. He is our Father, our friend, our guide, our teacher and the One to show us what’s next. He left us His holy word in the Bible. It is our plum line for life. When we follow His instruction, He will bless us with the inner workings of the Holy Spirit.

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10b

     Not until heaven comes, but right now, the abundant life on earth is offered to us. Let’s find it.

Jesus,

You offer us the full and abundant life right now. Fill us with that deep joy and peace no matter our circumstances, no matter the world around us, no matter what. You are enough.

Amen

Saved By Grace

     Serving others in the name of Jesus is a part of who we are in Christ. Are we defined by “what we do?” Does it matter? Our salvation is a free gift of grace. We cannot do anything to earn our way into heaven. Jesus did it for us. He took the punishment for sin and paid the price with His shed blood. All we can do is receive the gift of grace He offers.

     But then what? We’ll talk about just that this week. First, if you haven’t received Jesus as Savior, why not? God came down to earth for you. He willingly suffered more than any human being as He was separated from His Father for the first time and felt our pain, our humiliation, our diseases, our lost hope and He rose again after His death. He conquered death for you! He loves you! Accept His gift and see what He will do with your life. It just takes faith. Saving faith.

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

     No works necessary. Only faith. Believe in Him.

Jesus,

We have no words to thank You for offering Yourself in our place. We take You as Savior through our faith. Your grace gives us what we do not deserve. We praise You today.

Amen

Look Up

Today,, after reading the horrendous signs of the end of the age, we read about our future home. Forever and ever is a long time. Let’s make our short journeys on earth count for our Lord. For more on heaven, see the full chapters of Revelation 21 and 22.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  Revelation 21:1-4

     A new heaven and a new earth. Can you imagine the earth redeemed as well as us? No more tears or crying or mourning or pain? Forever? Hang onto the hope of eternity. Jesus promises us we will be with Him. He is our Savior and He will be the lamp of heaven. Forever.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14;3

     Someday soon, we will be with Jesus and He is preparing a place for me and for you! It will be made perfectly and give us just what we need.

Father,

Thank You for hope in a dark world. Your light exposes darkness and the world does not want to hear. We pray the Gospel of grace will be believed by many and we can dwell with You forever.

In Jesus name,

Amen

    

Look Up!

     Before the worst 7 years of earth’s history the church of Jesus Christ will be raptured to be with Him for the wedding feast of the Lamb. After the 7 years we will return with Him (on horses!) as He finishes His work at the battle of Armageddon and sets up the new heaven and the new earth.

     How wonderful to know we will be protected, just as Noah was from the flood and just as Jesus took Enoch up in the clouds. Here is a verse to bring hope.

After that, we who are still alive and are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

     Encourage one another with these words. Whether we die in our earthly bodies or are caught up with Christ to be with Him forever, we will be in eternity with Him. Talk about encouraging! There is no longer fear in death. Jesus won the battle over death on the cross. He is our victory.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But, thanks be to God. He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56:57

Jesus,

Death no longer holds us captive. You overcame it for us. Whether we die or are lifted up in the clouds when the trumpet sounds, we will live forever. Thanks be to God!

Amen

Look Up!

     Paul mentions more signs of the end times in his letter to Timothy, his protégé and son in the Lord.

But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

     Whew! A depressing list, right? The world needs Jesus. Can you see all of the above happening around the world? Or on the internet? Or in politics? Or in terrorism? Or in drug and alcohol abuse? Or in negative speech about each other?

     But, God. There we have hope. In Christ, we can live as His children, changing the world around us. Believe in His power to do just that. Jesus tells us to look for the signs. We have talked about them for the past three days. As we see the increase of all of the signs, our hope increases for the day we will be in eternity forever. Stay strong. Stay joy-filled. Stay in His peace and share the good news of saving grace. He brings new life away from all of the things Paul warned us about.

Jesus,

We have You to guide us in Your ways. We pray for others around the world to get to know You while there is still time. Your Word holds truth and tells us the end from the beginning. We thank You for sharing it all with us.

Amen

Look Up

     As we witness the terror, the increase in drugs and violence, the intensity and frequency of hurricanes, earthquakes and floods, we know the return of Christ gets ever closer. Jesus called this the “birth pains” before the end. We are to watch for the times and seasons, even though no one knows the day or the hour.

“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Matthew 24:6-8

     For those of us that have given birth, we know as the birth gets closer, the pains draw closer together in intensity and frequency. The birth pains leading to the end of the earth will increase. Notice, Jesus tells, us not to panic. In another translation, He tells us not to be troubled.

     We belong to Jesus. As we walk through our days with Him, we are safe and protected and can be at rest in our souls. Seems impossible, but the Holy Spirit has sealed us for eternity. We will never die!

Father,

Keep us from fear during these times. We pray for those affected by the increasing disasters and terror around the globe. We pray, through times of darkness and suffering, many will come to the light and accept You as Savior.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Look Up

     Thousands of years have passed since Jesus walked the earth. His disciples and followers knew He could return at any moment. Each day that passes brings the time closer for us to move into the heavenly realms and for Jesus to establish His kingdom on a new earth and live with man forever.

     As we witness the groaning of the earth and the increase in disasters including hurricanes, earthquakes and violence, do not be surprised. The Bible tells us all of this must happen, to let evil run its course and bring on the Day of the Lord.

There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Luke 21:25

     Global warming? Maybe we contributed, but God saw this time in advance. He knows the timing of the earth and its final destruction and its future restoration. What are we to do? Listen and take heart!

     When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Luke 21:28

Father,

Teach us to continue looking up and not looking around in worry and fear. The whole world is in Your hands. We don’t understand it all, but justice and mercy will work hand in hand in perfect harmony. We await Your coming.

In Jesus name,

Amen

More and More Light

As we age, the light of Christ will shine even brighter. Trust Him with the rest of your life and rest in His peace. He has you in the palm of His hand.

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Lord. Psalm 89:15

     Our faces will shine with the glow of His light with ever-increasing power. Listen to this beautiful verse.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

     As we contemplate Jesus, the Spirit will continually transform us to be more and more like Him. Trust His Word and trust His work in you! He will continue to increase our light until our death or until His coming. You have the light of life!

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me, will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Lord,

You have removed darkness and turned it into light before us. The Word lights our path. Your light covers us day and night. Fill us today so we may shine like stars in a dark and gloomy world.

In Jesus name,

Amen

A Light For the Path

     The Word of God is where we receive our light. He opens the windows of our soul and pours in wisdom and truth. As we continue to study, He brings forth more light.

For with You is the fountain of life. In Your light, we see light. Psalm 36:9

     Delight yourselves in His Word, drawing from the very breath of God.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. Psalm 19:8

Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

     Let God’s Word fill you with His light, making Your eyes shine with His glory.

Lord,

Thank You for the Word that lights our path. Keep us steadfast in an ever-changing world. You are the foundation and we will not be shaken.

Amen

Fan Into Flame

     Speaking about Jesus takes courage. Each of us will have opportunities throughout our lives to share Him with others. It’s tough to know when and how, but as we trust in the Holy Spirit’s power, He will give us the right words at the right time. Let’s keep watching for those opportunities. I saw a great quote in a book recently.

People don’t care what you know, until they know that you care. Those may not be the exact words, but they are close. As we care and love others, trust builds. The time to speak about our love of Christ may arise. Trust in the power and light of the Spirit within.

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7

     We get so caught up in the busyness of life, we neglect the gifts that God has entrusted us to use in His honor, to share His grace, His hope, His light for the rest of our lives. It is our purpose and our calling. Paul reminds us to continue to fan the flame of that light.

For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God. 2 Timothy 1:6a

     Let’s turn up the heat. That small ember of light needs some fanning. The fire and the flame of our God is available. Let’s begin to burn with His passion.

Father,

Help us to fan into flame the gifts You give each of us. It’s time to turn some darkness into light with the fire of Your love. Give us new enthusiasm to share Your glorious Word with others.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Shine Like Stars

     The stars glow with beauty in the night sky. The sun breaks through the clouds after a storm. A candle brings warmth to an otherwise dark room. No matter the depth of the darkness, just one small light makes a difference. That light? It’s you and it’s me! Paul tells us we can shine just like those stars through the night sky.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Philippians 2:14-15

      I love the thought of Christians around the world, scattered throughout the darkness, shining, each one individually, wherever they are. The light is scattered through the darkness, just as the stars are scattered throughout the night sky with their beauty and light. We can make a difference. Jesus asks us to shine with His light. Let’s get started and shine!

Jesus,

Show us how to break through the darkness around us. Give us opportunities to share the Gospel of salvation to a hurting world. You do not want to lose even one. Scatter us throughout the world as we shine with the power You give us in the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Shine The Light

     Are you ready to shine? Did you know Jesus calls His followers the light of the world? Amazing. Are you filled with the joy, the hope, the promises of Jesus? I hope so. The world is becoming more and more dark. Evil is running its course. Christians will be persecuted because of Jesus, but He continually shines through the darkness, in the hearts of believers and with the power of the Holy Spirit.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

     With the light and love of Christ shining through us, we can affect the people around us. Let’s shine this week with hope, the hope of Jesus in a dark world.

Father,

You ask us to shine our light before others. Fill us to the brim with the Holy Spirit and the living water of the Word of God, so that it overflows to the world around us. You give us so much. How can we not share?

In Jesus name,

Amen

Be Kind

What is the antidote for anger and bitterness? Try this on for size.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

     When we think back to the forgiveness God gave each one of us when we accepted Christ as Savior, how can we be anything other than forgiving and loving to others? Many do not know the saving grace of our Lord. Remove anger. Be kind to one another, forgiving just as Christ forgave us. The Bible always has just the right words for whatever we are going through.

     So, let go of anger. Let it go before sundown tonight. Be kind and forgiving. It is the way of Jesus.

Amen

No Bitter Root

     Our anger grieves the Holy Spirit, the very one of God that resides within us. Listen to the following verses:

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, for whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4: 30-31

     Maybe you’ve remained angry at someone over a long period of time, even years. Conversations roll around in your head, over and over. You’re right. They are wrong and they have hurt you. And the verse above is familiar in its pattern. Anger turns into bitterness, filled with rage. You may speak out against the person and even seek revenge. God warns us. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit with these types of attitudes and judgments.  Bitter roots grow deep and ruin our souls. That boiling pot within often spills over into poor health, into bursts of rage and anger, into more and more trouble, affecting ourselves and others.

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15

     Bitter roots grow deep and become more and more difficult to pull. But the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit are strong enough to get rid of all bitterness, anger and malice. What can we do? Read with me tomorrow.

Father,

Keep us from building up anger and resentment toward others. Your grace is sufficient to see others through Your eyes. Remove all bitter roots from our souls until we can breathe with the fresh air of the Holy spirit.

In Jesus name,

Amen

By Sundown

     My friend, Susie, mentioned a verse to me the other day. It was a motto for their family growing up and continues in her own family today. It’s a great verse for all of us to remember. For these three days this week, we will talk about and look at the root of anger, how it builds up and gives Satan a stronghold in our lives and in our hearts.

In your anger, do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. Ephesians 4;26

     It’s easy to pout and hang on to our anger, when we feel we are right. God warns us to let it go, to make things right each day before the sun goes down. Great advice. The next verse adds another step to the warning.

And do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:27

     Interesting, isn’t it? When we stay angry, we open a door for Satan to move in, to get us to go deeper into our anger until he takes residence. Tomorrow, we will look at the pattern anger takes as it moves deeper into our souls.

Father,

We ask You to remove any anger within us today. Teach us to forgive, to make it right, each and every day before the sun goes down.

In Jesus name,

Amen