Growing in Grace

In Genesis 27, we read about the struggle between brothers, Jacob and Esau. Because Jacob stole both Esau's birthright and blessing, Esau became angry and was determined to get even with his brother by killing him. We see a similar story between brothers, Cain and Abel. Cain's offering was not accepted by God while his brother, Abel's was. God told Cain that he should do well or else sin would become his master. Cain refused to let go of his anger. In his anger, he sinned by killing his brother, Abel. Cain allowed his anger to control him. In Hebrews 12:14-17 we are admonished to pursue peace. If we choose not to respond the right way in difficult situations, we risk becoming bitter. Ephesians 4:25-32 shows us how we are to handle anger. We are to lay aside falsehood and speak the truth. We may feel anger, but we are not to sin in our anger. Anger gives the devil an opportunity to influence our life. No unwholesome word should come out of our mouths; only words that a

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. . . Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.". . . After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. . . On coming to the house, they. . .bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, and of incense and of myrrh. - Matthew 2:1-2, 9, 11-12 The word "wise man" referred to a scholar who studied the stars. We don't really know if there were three kings or more. But we do know that they in fact saw the special sign in the sky and followed it to Bethlehem. My children and I attended a presentation at the Tessman Planetarium in Santa Ana a few years ago. The Christian astronomer discussed all the possible explanations of the

Wiersbe's final chapter in his book The Strategy of Satan refers to Satan's attack on the home. He points out that Satan's very first attack "was against the home" (p. 155) and goes on to describe four specific attacks on the home today. The first attack is on marriage itself. Wiersbe discussed the idea that Satan will try to influence Christians to believe that marriage is sinful; that remaining single is more spiritual than being married. While some people have been called by God to remain single, God's Word makes it very clear that marriage was His idea and His will. Going beyond the book, I think it is very clear that Satan has attacked marriage in other ways in our current culture. Many couples, even Christian ones, have chosen to live together instead of getting married. They do not see the value of making a public commitment to one another before God, family and friends. We have also seen the recent redefining of marriage to include same-sex unions

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. Matthew 28:19 photo credit When we decide to get on the road with Jesus, the joy and peace we feel inside, along with the hope of Heaven should lead us to want to share that Good News with others. We need to share how when we read the Bible, we learn to be more like Jesus; how the Holy Spirit guides us in our daily walk; and how the peace of God keeps us from feeling anxious or afraid. By sharing how Jesus makes a difference in our lives, we are able to lead others to get on the road with Jesus too. We want to know what is happening in the world around us. We can do this by watching the news on TV, listening to it on the radio or reading the newspaper. Whether we watch the news on TV or read it in the newspaper, they both require the same things. First, someone has to go out and investigate the event. He or she will ask questions of the official people and eye witnesses to find out what took place. Then he or she needs to wri

 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. Psalm 62:5 When you’re traveling, it’s good to stop once in a while. You need to stretch your legs, get a snack or maybe use the restroom. Sometimes the driver needs a quick nap. Sometimes there are things that make us afraid. Young people might be afraid of the dark or storms. Maybe spiders, snakes or dogs seem scary. Some adults can be afraid of flying, heights, and even clowns. When you feel afraid, you might start to sweat or you feel shaky. Your heart may race or your legs may feel weak. Sometimes you might even feel sick to your stomach. Those who have Jesus in their hearts may get scared sometimes; but they don't "freak out" and are able to find peace and rest. In Mark 4:35-41, Jesus decided it was time to leave the area of Galilee and take a boat across the Sea of Galilee to the other side. As they were sailing, a big storm came up on the lake. Large waves were breaking over the boat. The disc

 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” John 14:26 Once we decide to get on the road with Jesus, we discover that the Bible is like a road map for our journey; helping us to live in a way that pleases God. If we spend time in the Word everyday, we will grow to be more like Jesus. A car needs gasoline in order to work. In order for you to keep going, you have to fill the tank up. Well, just like our physical bodies need food for energy, and cars need gasoline in order to go, our spiritual bodies need a kind of fuel too. This "fuel" is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and energy for life. We know that God created us. We know that Jesus saved us. But you might wonder who the Holy Spirit is. In John 14:16-17 we see that before Jesus was going to die on the cross, He told the disciples that God would send another Helper to help them. This w

 “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 Photo Credit The first step to going on a trip is deciding where you want to go. In life’s journey we really want to be on the road with Jesus headed for Heaven. Once we know where we want to go, next we need to know how to get there. A map can help us get to where we are going. It shows us the roads we need to take through a city or state to get where we want to go. If we get lost, we can look at the map to help us find our way back to the right road. Just like a road map can help us find our way to our destination, God has given us a road map to help us find our way on the highway of life. It is the Bible. photo credit Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” In Bible times, the people didn’t have bright street lamps like we do today. They would have to carry little clay dishes that had oil in them. The light from these wasn’t

photo credit “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 Going on a road trip can be a lot of fun. Route 66 is the first highway that let people travel back and forth from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. It was 2,400 miles long. There were many interesting places to see on the way. If you want to go on a trip, the first thing you need to decide is where you want to go. There are many places that would sure be fun to visit. There is one place, though, that is more special than any other place. It’s not a place to which you can drive, fly or take a train. In fact, it’s not even a place we can see here on earth now. It is Heaven! Heaven is a real place. It is a place God created. (Genesis 1:1; 14:19) It is special because it is where God the Father is (Matthew 6:9); and a place that Jesus is busy preparing for those who want to go there (John 14:2). As we journey through this life, I think we might like to

Where is our sense of moral outrage? Perhaps our moral sensibilities have been dulled because of today's dazzling instant communications. We sit mesmerized in front of our TVs, unable to turn the sets off, so we turn our minds off instead. Over time, so much trash is heaped upon us that we come to expect and accept it; the bizarre becomes commonplace. Morally exhausted, we lose our capacity to discern good from evil. The brilliant essayist Charles Krauthammer, citing economist Thomas Sowell, sums up our predicament beautifully: "The inability to make moral distinctions is the AIDS of the intellectuals: An acquired immune deficiency syndrome. . . moral blindness of this caliber requires practice. It has to be learned." In a culture with moral AIDS, words lose all meaning; or they are manipulated to obscure meaning. . . But when words lose their meaning, it is nearly impossible for the Word of God to be received. If sin and repentance mean nothing, then God's grac

Many people will profess faithfulness, but very few will demonstrate it. The virtue of faithfulness is often costly, and few people are willing to pay the price. But for the godly person, faithfulness is an absolutely essential quality of his character, regardless of what it might cost. What is faithfulness? How do we practice it, and when do we exhibit it in our lives? The biblical word denotes that which is firm and can be counted upon. . . The faithful person is one who is dependable, trustworthy, and loyal, who can be depended upon in all of his relationships, and who is absolutely honest and ethical in all of his affairs. . . If we are careful to be honest in the little things, we will certainly be careful to be honest in the more important things of life. . . If our society needs to reemphasize the virtue of honestly, it certainly needs to place great importance on dependability. . . Reliability is not just a social obligation; it is a spiritual obligation. God is even more

Holy living demands constant examination of our actions and motives. But in doing so we must guard against the tendency to focus totally on self, which is easy to do - especially as the culture's egocentric values invade the church. In fact, this self-indulgent character of our times is a major reason the topic of true holiness is so neglected today by Christian teachers, leaders, writers, and speakers. We have, perhaps unconsciously, substituted a secularized self-centered message in its place. For when we speak of "victory" in the Christian life, we all-to-often mean personal victory - how God will conquer sin FOR US (at least those sins we would like to be rid of - those extra ten pounds, that annoying habit, maybe a quick temper). This reflects not only egocentricity but an incorrect view of sin. . . . The Christian life begins with obedience, depends on obedience, and results in obedience. We can't escape it. The orders from our commander-in-chief are plain: &q

You can make an idol out of anything or anyone in life. A church building can become an idol to us, when all the while it is simply a place to meet and worship our Lord - nothing more. Your child can become your idol. . . in subtle ways you can so adore that little one that your whole life revolves around the child. Your mate or date can be given first place in your life and literally idolized. Your work can easily become your God. . . as can some pursuit in life. A house, a lawn, an antique car, a letter sport, an education, a trip abroad, and even that goal of "retirement". . . Your Lord and Savior wants to occupy first place. Matthew 6:33 says that when He has it, everything else will be added to you. How long has it been since you've enlisted your Lord's help in a private, personal temple-cleansing session? It's so easy to get attached to idols - good things, inappropriately adored. But when you have Jesus in the center of the room, everything else only junk

God is always first, and God will surely be last. To say this is not to draw God downward into the stream of time and involve Him in the flux and flow of the world. He stands above His own creation and outside of time; but for the convenience of His creatures, who are children of time, He makes free use of time-words when referring to Himself. So He says that He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last. Man in the  plan of God has been granted considerable say; but never is he permitted to utter the first word nor the last. That is the prerogative of the Deity, and one which He will never surrender to His creatures. Man has no say about the time or place of his birth; God determines that without consulting the man himself. One day the little man finds himself in consciousness and accepts the fact that he is. There his volitional life begins. Before that he had nothing to say about anything. After that he struts and boasts and utters his defiant

Almost every headline, every television news report, and every radio bulletin these days proclaims one essential truth: The modern world is in chaos and no one has a realistic solution. . . The whole world is crying out for some word of hope, but all we hear is the babble of wishful thinkers and charlatans. Psychologists, educators, social scientists, physicians, and media wizards of every stripe offer pronouncements and preachments, but even the best ideas generally collapse under closer scrutiny. So far, our modern secular society has produced no positive answers; yet we continue to reach out in hope. Actually there is still good reason to hope; there is still time. For with society's failure comes the chance to repent and seek renewal. If we recognize the failures of living without God and turn from our foolishness and disobedience, we may yet be able to receive God's mercy and forgiveness. Today's headlines are God's warning to a sinful world. The television n

In Warren Wiersbe's book The Strategy of Satan , he reminds us that as we mature in our relationship with Christ, we will face battles of many kinds. In chapter eight, Wiersbe covers the "the 'spiritual armor' that God has provided." This armor is described in Ephesians 6:10-18. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, . . . Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:13, 14-17 "Paul emphasizes the fact that the full armor in necessary if we are to defeat Satan. The area in our life that we leave unguarded is sure to be the very place that Satan attacks" (p. 128) The first piece of armo