Growing in Grace

Jesus restored sight to a man born blind. The Pharisees questioned the man, but refused to believe that Jesus had healed him. Despite the obvious evidence, the scoffing Pharisees threw the healed man out of the Temple. Some people doubt Christ's work, not for lack of evidence but because they don't want to believe it. Jesus' mission is often missed by the "wise" people of this world. What about the blind man Jesus and the disciples discovered? The followers thought he was a great theological case study. "Why do you think he's blind? one asked. "He must have sinned." "No, it's his folks' fault." "Jesus, what do you think? Why is he blind?" "He's blind to show what God can do." The apostles knew what was coming; they had seen this look in Jesus' eyes before. They knew what he was going to do, but they didn't know how he was going to do it. "Lightning? Thunder? A shout? A clap

If people want to know what God is like, they can look at Jesus. If they want to know what Jesus is like, they should be able to look at His followers. Can people see Christ in you? -From the Max Lucado Study Bible

The teaching that Christ can come at anytime is called the "imminent" return of Christ. It does not say he is coming soon, but rather that He may come at any moment. What is the significance? Does that affect the way we live? Reflecting on the trials and sufferings in this present age, Paul said we are "waiting eagerly" for the completion of our redemption (Romans 8:23, 25). As a pregnant mother anticipates the birth of her child, so all creation is groaning with labor pains, waiting for release. Paul exhorted the Philippians not to center their attention on earthly things because "our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). We eagerly wait for our Savior because He can come at any moment. If we know His coming is far off, we don't wait eagerly. As we look for Him, we want to be pleasing to Him when He returns; therefore we are instructed to "deny ungodliness and worldl

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law were intrigued by Jesus' teaching; they were always nearby to hear Him and watch Him - and criticize Him. The Pharisees went to great lengths to be ceremonially clean, which they believed made them righteous in God's sight. Jesus' great concern, however, was offering salvation to sinners. Jesus told three parables to correct the Pharisees misconception about God. These parables show that God loves all people and wants everyone - especially sinners - to com to Him. God doesn't play favorites, and He rejoices when anyone turns to Him. Theresa Briones is a tender, loving mother. She also has a stout left hook that she used to punch a lady in a coin laundry. Why'd she do it? Some kids were making fun of Theresa's daughter, Alicia. Alicia is bald. Her knees are arthritic. Her nose is pinched. Her hips are creaky. Her hearing is bad. She has the stamina of a seventy-year-old. And she is only ten. "Mom," the kid

Believers shouldn't worry about the basic necessities of life. If we keep God first in our lives, He will sustain us. He is in control. Be honest. Are we glad He says no to what we want and yes to what we need? Not always. If we ask for a new marriage, and He says honor the one you've got, we aren't happy. If we ask for healing, and He says learn through the pain, we aren't happy. If we ask for more money, and He says treasure the unseen, we aren't always happy. When God doesn't do what we want, it's not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and He will get us through it. Remember, disappointment is caused by unmet expectation. Disappointment is cured by revamped expectation. I like that story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man boug

Jesus emphasized that not only must we hear God's words, but we must act on them too. Only when I reach the point where I solemnly place great store upon what He says will it ever become a powerful force in my life. Only when I really take Him seriously will His word be made Spirit and life (supernatural life) to me. Only when I recognize that what I am hearing is in fact and in truth divine revelation designed by deity for my own good, will I hear it as a word from above. God has chosen to articulate Himself to me as a man in four ways: through the natural created universe around me; through His word expressed by inspired men who reported it in human language I can read and understand; through the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, exemplified in human form; through those other men and women in whom He designs to reside by His own Gracious Spirit. He may speak to me deliberately and distinctly through any one or all of these ways. It is my responsibility then t

I think we all enjoy relaxing and downtime. Often I look at chores with annoyance because I see them as keeping me from enjoying myself. But the funny thing is, once the chores are done, I feel a sense of satisfaction. I like how things look, I like that I've taken care of our home for my family, for the Lord. Which reminds me of something I read a while back about how we were created for work. God worked - He worked for six days creating the world and the things in it. I suspect He enjoyed it. It was a creative endeavor. He had freedom to make things as He wanted them. He created things to work in harmony with one another. All around us is evidence of a divine Creator. Genesis tells us we were created in God's image. If God is a Creator, then I assume that we are to. We were made to create things - things of beauty. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then there are many things that can be seen as beautiful. In my current role as wife and mother, my work is centered

Difficulties only show you how big  your God is When I asked Fred Whiteman how old he was, he replied, "I'm forty-seven on the outside and thirty-one on the inside. I've had more trouble than most senior citizens, and I still look at life through the eye of a child." What kind of an answer was that? Chronologically, Fred had seen forty-seven birthdays. Within his chest cavity beat the heart of a man thirty-one years old - the result of having had a heart transplant. Had Fred really seen more trouble that most senior citizens? Within a six month period of time, Fred lost his best friend, who died with cancer of the liver, his mother died, and his wife died, having gone to work perfectly healthy one morning and then dying later that day in what most would term a "freakish accident". In addition to that, Fred's heart failed him; and even then, following a successful heart transplant, Fred himself faced surgery for cancer, as well as being sued by the ba

Jesus was not simply a man who led a good life and died. He rose from the dead. Death cannot hold Him or His followers. God conquered death, and gave us hope. The year 1899 marked the deaths of two well-known men - Dwight L. Moody, the acclaimed evangelist, and Robert Ingersoll, the famous lawyer, orator, and political leader. The two men had many similarities. Both were raised in Christian homes. Both were skilled orators. . . Both drew immense crowds when they spoke and attracted loyal followings. But there was one striking difference between them - their view of God. Ingersoll was an agnostic; he had no belief in the eternal, but stressed the importance of living only in the here and now. Ingersoll made light of the Bible. . . The Bible was "a fable, an obscenity, a humbug, a sham and a lie". . . Dwight L. Moody, had different convictions. He dedicated his life to presenting a resurrected King to a dying people. He embraced the Bible as the hope for humanity and th

He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene. Three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind. Men clad in soldiers' garb sat on the ground near the trio. They played games in the dirt and laughed. Men clad in religion stood off to one side. They smiled. Arrogant, cocky. They had protected God, they thought, by killing this false one. Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill. Speechless. Faces tear streaked. Eyes downward. One put her arm around another and tried to lead her away. She wouldn't leave. "I will stay," she said softly. "I will stay." All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command. "It must be done. . . ," he said, and withdrew. But as he stepped back in time, he heard the cry that he would someday scream: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He wrenched at tomorrow's agon

As a result of God's love for us, we can love God and others. God's love also gives us hope that we have eternal life. Love for the Master is not some sweet sentimental emotion that sweeps over the soul in moments of special piety. Love for Christ is a deliberate setting of the will to carry out His commands at any cost. It it is the fixed attitude of heart that decides to do His will at all times. It is the desire and delight of accomplishing our Father's highest purposes, no matter how challenging. . . In our highly permissive society, where the so-called "me" generation is encouraged to be so self-centered and so self-preoccupied, the call to obey Christ and comply with His commands cuts across our culture and our cynical conduct. It simply is not normal nor natural for most of us to "love" God or "love" others in the drastic discipline of a laid-down life. We are a selfish, self-serving people. And when called upon to serve others we