Friday Thought -- August 30, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”’ ‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Genesis 3:1-6)

Eve gave in to the temptation to become like God. People have been giving in to that same temptation ever since. It is one of the most powerful temptations. At the very core of human nature is a desire to be independent, to control our own lives. When tempered, that is a good characteristic. It enables men and women to be pioneers, take risks, try new things, be initiators and entrepreneurs.

But when taken to the extreme, it also causes men and women to reject even the control of God. That’s what Eve chose.

Eve’s sin wasn’t about fruit, it was about who is in control. It was a position God demanded to keep, and a position Adam and Eve wanted to take from Him, to “be

like God.”

Simple submission and obedience demonstrate our willingness to trust God and let Him be God.

Who has control of your life today?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 29, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ … The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.’” (Genesis 3:18; 23-24)

Alone. That is one of the saddest words in the English language. All of us enjoy some time alone – an evening or three – a weekend to ourselves occasionally. But none of us wants to be alone all the time. We need other people. We need relationships. We need support and encouragement. We need each other.

That is the way God created mankind. He created us to be incomplete without others. God could look at all that He had created and the only thing about which He would say it was “not good” was man’s aloneness. It wasn’t that God had forgotten to create a helper suitable for man. Rather, it was that God waited to emphasize the gift that He was providing and its enduring necessity. Man needs woman and God created them for each other.

In the creation of woman, God established an order by which society would work best – man leaving his father and mother – man and wife united – man and wife never separated. One man – one woman – for life. That was God’s original design and it remains the way that life works best. Best for the man and woman – best for the children they bear – best for the society around them – best for the Kingdom of God.

God’s design of man and woman for each other is His gift. God’s design of man and woman remaining committed to each other in marriage is His command. Thank Him for His design.  Re-commit to His plan.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 28, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’” (Genesis 3:15-17)

What astounding freedom God gave Adam and Eve in the Garden Eden. It was a perfect place in which they lived. Their work was unhindered by weeds and thorns and other impediments to fruitfulness. They were not subject to the pains of guilt and shame. They could enjoy every aspect of the beautiful garden God had created for them.

There was only one restriction – one tree that they were commanded not to eat. I can’t imagine living in that kind of freedom. They weren’t subject to the Ten Commandments. They weren’t subject to the hundreds of laws by which God gave structure to the Jewish people. They did not have to follow the thousands of laws by which man has brought order into our society. They had only one rule – one tree from which they could not eat.

How many trees were there in the Garden of Eden? How many different kinds of fruit were there from which they could choose? Perhaps there were dozens – maybe hundreds – maybe even thousands. And all of them were theirs for the taking without restriction. Only one tree was forbidden to them.

Yet, they could not take their eyes off the one tree that was forbidden. They could not say “no” to the temptation that was set before them by the serpent. Eve, and then Adam, gave in and broke the one law God had made in their Eden.

And from that day to this, the forbidden has had a strong attraction for all mankind. Even today there are so many things that we can freely do and enjoy without restriction. Yes, there are more laws than just the one that we’ve been commanded to follow. But even with those restrictions there are still so many choices that are ours without guilt. Still we are drawn to the forbidden – and often choose it.

Take a moment today to consider all the choices that are before you for which there are no restrictions from God. Rejoice in those choices and the awesome freedom we enjoy. Resolve anew today to say “no” to the forbidden.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 27, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

In this passage God established the principle of the Sabbath rest. For the Jews during the Old Testament era this principle was enforced as a law of God. It’s importance was emphasized by the fact that it was included as one of the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20:8-11)

The law of the Sabbath was abolished in the New Testament – the only one of the Ten Commandments that was set aside in that way. “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) God no longer enforces the law of the Sabbath and we are no longer to allow others to enforce that law on our lives.

But the fact that the principle of the Sabbath is no longer enforced as a law does not mean that the principle has been changed. The principle reflects the cycle of a balanced life that God has established. We are to work hard – as though we are working for God and not man. But we are also to rest regularly. A weekly day of rest is a part of the God-ordained balance of life. It is a time to recharge our physical batteries and to connect more fully to the Lord.

We can choose not to follow that balance – and get by with it for a while – perhaps even for a long time. But eventually when we allow ourselves to live a life that is out of balance it will catch up with us. It will catch up with us physically, it will catch up with us emotionally, it will catch up with us relationally, and it will catch up with us spiritually.

We need time to rest, to connect, and to reflect – that is how God created us to work.

It’s not a law – it’s a gift!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 26, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:26-28, 31)

When God created human beings, He marked us with His own image. He gave us leadership and initiative. He put within us creativity and the ability to love. He gave us freewill – the ability to choose.

Genesis 2:7 says, “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” By His own choice, God put within us a spirit. We aren’t just physical life, a mechanism of flesh and blood. We have spiritual life that will live after this body is worn out and ceases its life.

Distinct from all other parts of His creation, human beings have the potential to become like God. Not to become a god, but to take on characteristics that are modeled after the characteristics of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Among all of the creation, human beings are unique. We bear the mark of God’s own image.

So the question for each of us to ponder is – How clearly am I reflecting God’s image today?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 23, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

That is the statement with which the Bible begins. It is really all that we need to know about how the world and all who inhabit it came into being.

God is the originator of all that exists.

God created the world. God created the heavens. God created plant life. God created animal life. God set into motion the way the world works – daylight and darkness, summer and winter and spring and fall. God created human life. God created everything.

How did God created it?

I don’t know and the Bible doesn’t offer a detailed explanation. There is much about life’s beginning that we don’t understand and never will. But this much we can know – God is the source of all that is.

Here’s a part of what that means –

God has the right to control and to use what He has created for the purposes He desires.

God deserves our worship – we flow from His power and intelligence and will.

God deserves our service – we belong to Him.

God deserves our thanks – there is nothing in this world that we have gained on our own – all things are a gift from God, even life itself.

If we could roll back history to its very beginning there is only one thing – One Being – we will find there. We will find God in the very beginning. If we could roll history forward to its end – God will be there, too. In the beginning – at the end – and everywhere in between – God is the One who is there and the One we can count on.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 22, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.” (Romans 15:30-32)

The Christians in Rome, along with those at Thessalonica and Philippi and all over that part of the world, had the opportunity to be a part of the ministry of the Apostle Paul. They could make an impact on the effectiveness of Paul’s ministry. They could play a part in how people responded to him and in whether or not his ministry would be hindered by opposition. They could be Paul’s partners -- without ever leaving their homes! By praying for Paul, they could join him in his struggle.

There was no doubt in Paul’s mind that the prayers of others would affect his own life and ministry. He believed that God heard the prayers of those who were praying for him and that God responded with power in answer to those prayers. By offering the opportunity to the Romans to pray for him, he was not just offering a token way for them to help him, but a powerful way to be involved.

Prayer is still powerful. In some way and for some reason, God has linked the release of His power to the prayers of Christians. He allows us to be involved in His work and in the work of others by our prayers.

The question is – with whom are you partnering to spread the gospel? Who are you joining in the struggle to see the gospel preached and see people respond?

Can I challenge you today to be a partner in the ministry of your pastor and your church by praying for him and for it. And how about selecting a handful of others who are involved in ministry and praying regularly and consistently for each one of them. Preachers and missionaries and evangelists and youth ministers and everyone else involved in spreading the gospel need partners. God promises to release His power in response to your prayers.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 21, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:19-23)

People are more important than rights.

In Paul’s day, there was an argument over whether a person could eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. The pagans took their sacrifices to their temples and offered them to their gods. The pagan priests then took the meat of the sacrifice and sold it in the city market. That’s one way that they were able to make their living. The pagans would then go to the marketplace and buy some of the meat that had been sacrificed to their gods and take it home to eat in a meal of celebration and worship.

The question: was the meat tainted by what it had been used for? Could a Christian eat the meat that had been sacrificed to an idol? Or, would the Christian be participating in the worship of a false god by buying and eating that meat?

Not everyone agreed about the answer to those questions. Those who had been converted out of idol worship were likely to be appalled that anyone who did not believe in the idols would eat the meat. Others, who didn’t struggle with idolatry, would likely assume the meat was just meat and the sacrifice meant nothing because the idol meant nothing.

According to the Bible, those who thought the meat was fine to eat were right and they could eat the meat with a clear conscience. But Paul’s point in this passage is that people are more important than rights. If what they did would hurt someone else, perhaps cause him to return to idol worship, then giving up the right to eat the meat was right thing to do.

The principle remains the same to this day – the people around you are always more important than your rights.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 20, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

Someone once said, “Love God and do as you please.”

While that philosophy isn’t specifically stated in the Bible, Paul does seem to ascribe to the philosophy that love fulfills all of our obligations with respect to our relationships with other people.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)

True love means that you always seek what is best for the other person, even when it means that you have to accept what is less than best, or even harmful, to yourself.

So, true love would never commit adultery. It’s neither best for the person with whom you commit adultery or for the spouse to whom you’ve made a lifetime commitment.

True love would never murder another person – that can’t be in their best interest.

True love would not steal from another person. True love would be committed to taking care of the property of the other person so that it is available for their use.

True love would never covet what another person has. Rather, it would rejoice that the other person has that possession.

And all of the other laws that God has given that relate to human relationships are fulfilled when we respond to others with true love – always seeking what is in their best interest.

Of course, the human heart is deceitful and we must continually test our heart to be sure that it is not justifying selfishness under the guise of doing what is best for someone else. The more our heart is in tune with the heart of God – and therefore in tune with true love – the more fully we can be free from the edicts of the law and just follow what our heart says to do.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 19, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if

you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” (Romans 13:1-8)

If you were to ask President Obama, Governor Kitzhaber, Mayor Manning, or any of the other government authorities across the country, most would tell you that they are servants of the people. They have the idea that the people put them in office and their ultimate responsibility is to the people.

Politicians and leaders who believe that are wrong! Although they may have been elected by a vote of the people, it is God they are ultimately to be serving. The people will pass judgment on how they did in their governing responsibilities, but that judgment is not the one that counts. God will pass judgment, too, on how they fulfilled their responsibility, and that’s the ultimate judgment.

You may have a case all ready to lay out about how wicked some particular governing authority is and think that case somehow releases you from submitting to them. Before you start down that road, consider who the governing authority was when Paul wrote to the Romans. It was Nero! Compared to Nero, any case about wickedness in government pales. He had already begun his murderous rampage against the Christians and it would get worse in the years ahead. Yet, in spite of his wickedness, Paul told the Romans to submit to him and regard him as the servant of God!

It’s good to consider our responsibilities to those in positions of leadership in our government. Submit, don’t rebel, do what’s right, pay your taxes. Those aren’t just the marks of a good citizen, they are also to be the marks of a Christian. Praying for those in authority is another biblical idea. Their responsibility is great – and they’ll answer to God as to how they fulfilled it.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 16, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with

everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:9-21)

This section of Romans contains a whole list of practical instructions for living our lives in ways that please God. As I was looking them over I was struck by the fact that none of them have anything to do with what we accomplish. Pleasing God doesn’t seem to be about how good we preach, how well we sing, how much money we make, how many useful things we invent and how many patents we receive, what titles we are given, what degrees we earn, or any other measure of accomplishment that might be used in this world.

Rather, the measure of a life that pleases God seems to be much more about how we relate to God, how we relate to other people, and about our attitude in facing what life brings us.

In our relationship with God, a life pleasing to Him is marked by a fervor for Him and a willingness to serve Him.

In our relationship with other people, a life pleasing to God is marked by love, honor, sharing, hospitality, compassion, harmony, peace, and even treating well those who treat you badly.

And the attitudes of a life that pleases God include: joy, patience, faithfulness, and humility.

As you look at your own life, consider the measures of a life that is pleasing to God – not the measures of a life that is successful by the standards of the world.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Thursday Thought -- August 15, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” (Romans 12:4-8)

It seems to me that every person I meet is wired a little differently than the rest of the people I know. There must be an almost unlimited number of combinations of abilities, interests, and personalities. That is by God’s design. The human population is designed so that we’re not all alike, and we need each other to function effectively.

I have a friend who enjoys cooking for groups of people. It’s not drudgery for him, it’s pleasure -- and he’s good at it! He’s wired with characteristics that make serving others a ministry that he gets great satisfaction out of and can do well. God made him that way.

I have another friend who is the most caring woman I know. She is amazingly sensitive to the hurts that other people are feeling, and hurting people are drawn to her. When a hurting person is talking with her, it’s not difficult for her to listen to them and communicate to them how much she cares about what they are going through. That’s the way she’s wired – it’s called the gift of mercy.

I have yet another friend who is able to see through situations and people to clearly understand what is going on and what challenge needs to be given in any situation. This friend is not always the most popular person I know, but it is as though God speaks through her. That’s the gift of prophecy.

And other friends teach as though they were born to do it. Others rise to leadership no matter what group they are a part of. And others have still different gifts. Everyone is wired differently. It’s the way God made us. And each of us is important to what God wants to accomplish among us.

So, don’t expect to be like everyone else around you. Don’t try to become like them. Instead, figure out how God wired you and how He wants to use you as one contributor to what He is doing in the world. That’s what He designed you to do.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Wednesday Thought -- August 14, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!  Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)

Romans 11 is a difficult chapter. It speaks of election and hardening and foreknowledge and the irrevocability of the call of God, and a future ingathering of Jews, saying “and so all Israel will be saved”.

I don’t understand all that Romans 11 teaches. The depth of Paul’s knowledge of God is revealed in this chapter, and it’s more than I can grasp. This is not the only part of the Bible that is hard for me to understand! There many things about God and His ways in the world that are beyond my grasp. How do you handle it when you can’t understand something about God or something that He has done?

I’ve come to the same conclusion that Paul did: I trust God, even with what I do not understand. Although the depth of Paul’s understanding was great, there was still much about God that was beyond him. Paul concluded that God’s judgments are unsearchable, that what God is up to in the future in “beyond tracing out.” There are mysteries about God that we won’t understand until we’re with Him for eternity.

Does that mean we shouldn’t try to understand God? Of course not, we should continue to seek greater knowledge of Him. But we shouldn’t allow our lack of understanding be a stumbling block to our faith

There are many things that just need to be put on the shelf and reserved until God can explain them to us when our minds are able to grasp them. In fact, if there weren’t things of that nature, then God wouldn’t be big enough to be God. If God is only as big as my mind can grasp, then He’s not a very big God!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 13, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’  But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:12-17)

God has established a process by which salvation will be spread to the whole world. That process is through the message of Christ being preached. The only way the message will move from one person to another and from one city or country to another is by it being shared. And God promises that there will be power when His word is shared with others -- power that will result in people being saved.

Isaiah declared that God’s word, “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) The word of God, proclaimed to people, is powerful and will result in the salvation of people when it is shared.

And the amazing truth is that you and I have the opportunity to participate in the sharing of the word with others. We can participate by being one who shares, speaking the word of Christ to others as God provides the opportunity. The message of Christ that saved you is powerful enough to save some of those around you, if you will share it with them. And you are positioned to share with some people in ways that no one else can.

And we can also participate in the sharing of the word by helping others be able to proclaim the message of Christ. God uses us to send people to those to whom we cannot go ourselves. By helping to send others, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in sharing the message of Christ in Ukraine, Japan, China, Thailand, Mongolia, St. Vincent, and hundreds of other places that I’ve never even seen.

What an amazing privilege -- to be able to participate in the salvation of others!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 12, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“I speak the truth in Christ - I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit - I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5)

So, here’s the question: How badly do you want those you care about to find salvation in Christ?

Paul said he would be willing to forfeit his own salvation if he could exchange it for the salvation of his fellow Jews. He wasn’t making an exaggerated claim – he declared that offer as truth confirmed by his conscience in the Holy Spirit. Paul did know that it was not possible for him to surrender his salvation for the salvation of his fellow Jews, but that did not diminish his willingness.

It’s not that Paul did not value his own salvation. In fact, Paul told the Philippians that there was nothing more valuable to him than knowing Christ and being found in Him. “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” (Philippians 3:8-9)

But as much as he valued his relationship with Christ, he would give it up if that would result in his fellow Jews being saved! What an unselfish declaration that is.

And I’ll go you one even better than that. There is One who did what Paul declared himself willing to do. There is One who surrendered His relationship with God in order for others to come into that relationship. From the cross, Jesus cried out to His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) The Father turned His back on His Son in order to save you and me. And Jesus was willing to pay that price for our salvation. That’s how much He wanted you and me to be saved!

So, here’s the question: How badly do you want those you care about to find salvation in Christ?

Do you want it badly enough to be willing to surrender your own salvation to ensure theirs? How about being willing to pay a much smaller price than that – like talking to them about Jesus?

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 9, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died -- more than that, who was raised to life -- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him

who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39)

The list Paul provides of the things that will not separate us from the love of God is pretty exhaustive. It’s meant to be! The seed of life that God has implanted in every believer is not fragile. The natural flow of life, the wicked world around us, and even Satan himself can throw their most painful stuff at us, but the life of God cannot be removed from us by what comes at us from outside. Nothing external is ever powerful enough to separate us from God, God won’t allow it to.

James was put to death with the sword.

Stephen was stoned.

According to tradition, Paul was crucified.

Tradition says Peter was crucified upside down.

Yet, as horrible as those things were, they did not separate them from God. In fact, they did quite the opposite. Death ushered each of them into the fullness of God’s presence! Death was powerless to separate them from God.

Life can’t separate us, either. God is there in the midst of disease and infirmity. God is there through the death of someone we love. God is there when someone we care about walks out of our life. God is there when finances are tight. God is there when your job isn’t going well, even when you get fired. There is no situation in life during which God will flee from you.

Jesus told His disciples just before He went back to heaven, “I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) He has kept His promise. He always will. You can count on Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 8, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:18-25)

There are sufferings in life. There can be no denying that fact. It’s obvious in each of our lives and in the lives of those that we see around us. Sin has extracted a high price from all human beings. We experience relationship problems that are caused by our own selfishness and the selfishness of others – our self-protecting and self-advancing natures. We face disease and decay. There are only two options in life with respect to its physical characteristics – die young or live to see your body slowly fall apart. Industrialization belches out its pollution and with it comes an array of problems and distresses – often that we do not recognize until the damage has been done. Nations and religions and philosophies and languages and all other mechanisms that divide man from man bring discord, fear, hatred, and violence.

And God allows the suffering to continue. In fact, Paul says that God allowed the suffering to enter the world in the first place … “subjected to frustration … by the will of the one who subjected it.” That speaks of God. He subjected the whole of creation to frustration so that men and women would be driven by the frustration to seek something better.

And when we turn to God to seek that something better then He satisfies our search through Jesus. In Jesus, there is something better. And what lies ahead … in eternity … is even better than what we experience now in Jesus. In fact, what lies ahead is so much better that its glory can’t even be compared with what is happening here in this world. Put all the sufferings of life on one side of the scale and the glory of heaven on the other side and the scale is tipped completely toward heaven.

Remember, this life and this world are not where our hope lay – thank God because this life and this world have been marred by sin. Our hope is in Jesus and in the eternity that awaits us in Him.

His, by Grace,

Steve 

Wednesday Thought -- August 7, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:18-25)

Paul acknowledges the truth of what Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) It’s a truth that all of us have experienced and have to acknowledge, if we are honest.

Paul wanted to do what was good, but he found that he could not carry out that desire. Something kept him from being able to do the good he wanted to do. Paul wanted to keep from doing evil, but though the desire was there, he still found himself giving in to the evil he did not want to do. Try as hard as he could, there was nothing he could do to change. And so he had to conclude, “What a wretched man that I am!”

There are many in the world who don’t want to admit that they, too, are wretched. There is an old hymn that talks about Jesus dying for “such a worm as I.” There are people who don’t like to sing that phrase. In fact, there are people who simply won’t sing that phrase. They aren’t willing to view themselves as a “worm.” But Paul didn’t have a problem with that. He knew the depth of his own problem with sin and his own helplessness to overcome it.

Where could he turn? Only one place -- to Jesus Christ. Wretched though he was, Jesus rescued him. And so he could proclaim, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

Praise God! Give Him thanks. What we could not do for ourselves, He did for us.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Tuesday Thought -- August 6, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:1-4)

Some of the Romans had a wrong idea. They were unconcerned about the sin in their lives. Even after coming to Christ, they continued to sin without any concern. Some even thought that sin was a good thing. The more they sinned, the more God had the opportunity to exercise His grace. Since grace was such a good thing, it would be a good thing to sin more and let God’s grace be even more evident.

That idea was such a concern to Paul that he mentions it twice in Romans 6. First, he mentions it in verse one and answers in a clear and direct way, “By no means!” The King James catches the force of Paul’s answer in its translation, “God forbid!” The question is repeated in verse 15, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” And the answer is repeated, too:  “By no means!”

Grace isn’t intended to provide a license for us to sin. And, certainly, grace is not intended to encourage sin. In fact, quite the opposite is true: through grace, God provides release from the power of sin and His indwelling power to say “no” to sin.

Our baptism provides a good illustration of what grace has provided for us. It pictures our death to sin and its guilt and consequences and our resurrection to a new life that is empowered by God’s Holy Spirit.

The changes God makes in our lives when we enter a relationship with Him are not immediate and are never complete, not in this world. But a process begins from the very moment we enter this new relationship by faith through grace. God begins to change us. It’s like starting all over again with a new life.

Don’t be content to keep living in the patterns of your old life. Recognize the power that is available for change.

His, by Grace,

Steve

Monday Thought -- August 5, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11)

Paul uses four terms to describe mankind when Jesus came to die for us:

     Powerless.

     Ungodly.

     Sinners.

     God’s enemies.

Those words hardly describe the kind of people that seem worthy of the marvelous sacrifice that Jesus made for us. And that’s precisely the point! Mankind never has been worthy, isn’t worthy now, and never will be worthy of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. That fact makes the sacrifice of Jesus that much more a demonstration of the depth of God’s love and grace.

God sent Jesus to make the sacrifice that He did for people that did not deserve it, have not earned it, and are not worthy of it.

We were powerless -- we were not in a position to be able to offer God anything that might be useful to Him. The sacrifice of Jesus was no quid pro quo – He sacrifices for us and we give Him something in return. We have nothing that God needs to offer in return.

We were ungodly -- we weren’t like God at all. In fact, our character and God’s character were quite opposites. He didn’t make the sacrifice because we were so much like Him.

We were sinners -- all of the laws that God established to order the world, we broke. There isn’t a law of God that mankind was not guilty of ignoring or breaking.

We were God’s enemies -- we didn’t just ignore God, we opposed God and all that He stood for.

Powerless – ungodly -- sinners -- God’s enemies -- yet God sent Jesus to die for us so that we could be reconciled to Him. He wanted -- and still wants -- a relationship with us that badly. That’s something to rejoice about!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Friday Thought -- August 2, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:1-5)

To be justified means that we stand in right relationship with God. Because of what Jesus has done and our faith in His finished work on the cross, we have a right relationship with God. Because of our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus, God puts our sins on His account and that makes our account with God clean. When we are in Christ, from God’s perspective it is as if we have never sinned. Our relationship with Him, that had been marred by our sin, has been restored and made right again. So, what benefit to us is a right relationship with God. Paul outlines several benefits.

We have peace with God. (verse 1) Everything that was wrong with our relationship with God has been made right. The tension that existed between us and God has been removed.

We have access to God’s grace. (verse 2) God’s grace encompasses all of the things that God provides us that we do not deserve. All of those things are made possible by our restored relationship with Him and is the result of our faith.

We have the hope of the glory of God. (verse 2) Our restored relationship makes it possible for us to see and experience God’s glory. That is our hope, a hope that comes to us only by our faith – a hope in a future dwelling amidst God’s glory.

Even our sufferings are a benefit of the restored relationship we have with God. (verse 3) It’s not that our faith causes us to enjoy suffering now, but that in our restored relationship with God, He takes our sufferings and uses them to accomplish positive things in our lives, developing our character through them.

We have the Holy Spirit in our hearts. (verse 5) God’s power and presence is always with us through the indwelling gift of His Holy Spirit in our lives.

All of these blessings and many more come to us because our relationship with God has been made right through our faith in what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

Thank God!

His, by Grace,

Steve

Thursday Thought -- August 1, 2013

Good Morning Friends,

"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.  Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” (Romans 4:7-8)

Paul is quoting from the Old Testament writings of David in these verses. It is a passage from Psalm 32:1-2.

The point that both Paul and David are making is that God’s blessings are on those who are forgiven.

God’s blessings are not on the righteous. That’s good, because then none of us would qualify for God’s blessings. Because -- “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10)

God’s blessings are not just on the perfect. That’s good, too, because if only the perfect qualified then we would have to be better than the Apostle Paul to qualify. He knew he wasn’t perfect -- “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect.” (Philippians 3:12)

God’s blessings are not on those who are able to hide their sins. David continued in Psalm 32, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away.” (Psalm 32:3)

God’s blessings are not on those who claim that they don’t have any sin. John wrote, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

But God’s blessings are on those who acknowledge their sin and in doing so, find God’s forgiveness. As John said, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9)

One requirement of God’s blessings is that we admit that we fall short of His will -- that we are sinners. It is that admission that opens the pathway to forgiveness and the blessings of God.

So, don’t try to hide your sins from God. Don’t try to talk yourself into believing that you aren’t a sinner. Don’t try to persuade God that you really are righteous. Instead, cast yourself in humility and confession upon the grace and mercy of God. He’s waiting to pour out His blessings on people like that.

His, by Grace,

Steve