Growing in Grace

Pursue the Prize And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown . -1 Corinthians 9:25 Once a person believes in Christ as their Savior, he becomes a runner in the Christian race. Just as only Greek citizens were allowed to participate in the Isthmian games, once we accept Christ as our Savior, we become qualified to have a personal relationship with our heavenly Father. This relationship makes us citizens of heaven. (1) Being in a personal relationship with Christ means we will receive eternal life. (2) Jesus said the true meaning of eternal life is that we will know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom the Father had sent. (3) We also become co-heirs with Christ (4) which means we share in everything Christ has been given by the Father. In heaven, we will dwell with God personally for all eternity. There will be no more death, sadnes...

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. -1 Corinthians 9:24 Most people, and athletes in particular, have a strong desire to compete – whether they are trying to make the team, set a personal best, win a championship or award, or simply outplay their buddies in a friendly game. God uses that competitive spirit to draw us closer to Him. As we work for excellence in sports and other areas of life, we will eventually realize that true satisfaction doesn’t come from winning trophies, medals, applause or scholarships. The truth is that no achievement or award can equal the deep satisfaction of discovering new life in Jesus.(1) The Christian life is often described as a race; and Paul often used athletic images in his letters to the churches as sporting events were a big part of society. The Corinthians would have found this especially meaningful because their city was the center for the Isthmian ...

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. -Proverbs 16:24 There are no words in the universe that have more power for good to us than the very words of God. The Psalms are a source of encouragment and comfort. The Proverbs give us sound, practical advice. The Gospels give us a fresh picture of Jesus. The Epistles teach us how to live. Revelation gives us a picture of our eternal future. -From  The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional  by Debi Bryson; June 6; p. 165 Photo Credit Your Words by Third Day "Your words give us life that's never ending. Your words bring us love that never fails. Everything else will fade away, but what will remain are your words."

Replace a complaining attitude. . . with a thankful one. Complaining is an attitude choice that if left unchecked will wither my capacity to experience joy and genuine thankfulness. When we express resentment over circumstances that are beyond our control and about which we are doing nothing, we are complaining. We choose our attitudes. Attitudes are patterns of thinking formed over a long period of time. Complaining is a sin. Complaining questions God's sovereignty . It hurts God and others around us. God gives each of us the right amount of adversity to accomplish His eternal purposes in our lives. By complaining about your trial, you are flushing away the grace of God. Our consequence for complaining is a joyless life. When we set out to replace a bad atittude, we need to pray and then put a good attitude in its place. Thankfulness is the attitude that perfectly displaces my sinful tendancy to complain and thereby release joy and blessing into my life. Everyone can mak...

Photo Credit It is better to live humbly. . . Proverbs 16:9 "Better" = "pleasant, excellent, valuable, glad, happy, prosperous, and kind." All this good comes when we are happy and contented with the low, humble places and things in life. When we're not comparing. When we're not spending all our time working things to our advantage. The definition of simple is "not complicated, easy to do, not luxurious or elegant." Trust God's strength, wisdom and love and allow Him to guide you. -From  The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional  by Debi Bryson; June 4; p. 163