Growing in Grace

Okay, so on Facebook, people are being tagged to share 10 books that have affected them in some way. My husband tagged me a week ago. I know we're not supposed to "over think" it, but it did take me some time to come up with this list. Mainly because I kept forgetting, but also because I'd remember before bed and fall asleep after coming up with just a couple! So, after coming up with my 10, I decided to post it here because it seemed like a good post to share! #1 The Bible. Maybe this is a "given"; but really, of all the books I've read, this of course has affected me the most. I believe the Bible is God's Word and what it says about the past, how I should live in the present and what is going to happen in the future is the Truth. It has revealed my sins and weaknesses and shown me the way to salvation, given me wisdom and guidance, strength to stand, and comfort and hope in times of sorrow and difficulty. It's the filter through which all t

The kids and I completed our studies in Genesis and have moved on to the life of Daniel. Ellie asked to study Revelation this year. Knowing that Kay Arthur's two studies wouldn't last the whole school year, Dennis suggested we also study Daniel. The first week has already been very good. Photo Credit Daniel's story begins with him being taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon. He was chosen because he was young and good-looking; he showed intelligence and was endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge and had the ability to serve in the king's court. These youths were ordered to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans and to be given the king's choice food and wine. At the end of three years they would enter into the king's personal service. (Daniel 1:4-5) Daniel was only about 15 years old when he was taken captive. He was taken from his home and family, given a new name, put in a new school to learn new beliefs and a langua

My children and I just finished our study of Joseph. There is so much to be gleaned from his life! I so appreciated the focus in this study on Joseph's character. While his brothers simply saw him as a "dreamer"; Joseph was really "God's superhero"! Photo Credit To be a superhero for God, a person must have strong, godly character. Joseph showed eight character traits that gave him "the right stuff to be a superhero for God". #1: FAITH "Faith is believing God; it is taking Him at His Word. It is when you believe what God says in the Bible, and it shows by the way you act. You decide to do what God wants you to do." (p. 37) Joseph showed that he trusted and believed God by his actions. #2: INTEGRITY "Integrity is being trustworthy and sincere. . . It is being honest, pure, and consistent. Integrity is living by God's standards. . . doing the right thing when no else is looking." (p. 38) Joseph was put in charge of

As my kids and I continue our study of Joseph, we learned that he was a man who walked with God. We spent some time looking at what the Bible says about what it means to walk with God. In Genesis 6:9 we read that Noah walked with God. He was described as a righteous man who was blameless in his time. Deuteronomy 30:15-16 tells us about Moses. As leader of the people, he told them to walk in God's ways, to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments . Moses told the Israelites that the result of walking with God in this way would be that the Lord their God would bless them in the land they were entering to possess. In Micah 6:8, Micah tells Israel to walk humbly with our God. 1 John 1:5-7 reveals to us that if we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin then we walk in the light . 1 John 2:4-6 shows us that if we abide in Jesus we are to walk in the same manner as He (Jesus) walked. Ephesians 4:1-3 instructs us furthe

People who have genuine faith and love for God will try to obey God. To be a Christian is, in a sense, to be a man without a country. If you truly are obedient to Christ - if you take the Scriptures to heart and attempt to live them - you will inevitably come into conflict with the world. You belong to no one but Christ, while those in the world give themselves to people, possessions, institutions, and idols other than to Christ. To be a Christian is to stand apart and yet to remain within - to dare to be different. You look at everything through the prism of Scripture, and things look different when viewed biblically. Success in the world means power, influence, money, prestige. But in the Christian world, it means pleasing God. This quest for obedience may lead you to do things that are wholly contrary to what the world wants and rewards. . . Obeying his commandments means reading and understanding Scripture, then determining that you are going to live exactly as Scripture teac

Materialism is not the answer to a fulfilled life. Trust only in God. Not far from where I live are some of the most luxurious beach communities in all the world. The finest in homes, furnishings, clothing, automobiles, restaurants, artworks, yachts, and craftsmanship can be found in the Newport Beach-Balboa Island-Laguna Beach region. If you ever want to witness materialism on parade, just visit that elegant stretch of real estate. While driving on the Balboa Peninsula to meet a man for lunch one day, I found myself momentarily behind a bright red Porsche, a beautiful little German-made sports car, meticulously cared for by the owner, who was whipping in and out of traffic. Obviously, he was familiar with the road. As I pulled up behind him to wait for a traffic light, I noticed several appointments on him and his car that revealed he was very much at home in the chic scene. As I smiled at his clever license plate, personalized, of course, I caught a glimpse of the lettered frame

There are two kinds of pride. One is the opposite of humility; it is very bad. The other is the opposite of shame; it is very good. The kind of pride that is the opposite of humility leaves God and other circumstances out of our successes. It claims that whatever we have achieved, we have achieved by our own virtue. The essence of this kind of pride is self-centeredness and selfishness and it is condemned by Scripture. This does not mean, however, that the Bible is opposed to the self. The self is one of God's good creations; selfishness is worshiping the creation other than the creator. Bad pride is the kind of selfishness that always wants to be center stage, that takes all the credit, that leaves God out, that gives no thanks to other people, that goes it alone. It is the opposite of what God desires for us. .. By contrast, the kind of pride that is the opposite of shame has to do with a job well done, with excellence, with striving for the best, with rising above medioc

God hates idolatry. He hates anything that gets in the way of a relationship with Him. The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your mind and thoughts under control. Is your mind focused on the face of an idol? Is the idol yourself? Is it your work? Is it your idea of what a servant should be or maybe your experience of salvation and sanctification? If so, then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don't look back on your experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and away from everything else that has been blinding your thinking. . . Deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to God. -From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers; part of The  Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version  by Max Lucado Idols come in attractive packages today. You can identify them when they keep you from worship,

God will not tolerate anything that displaces Him in our lives. What is idolatry? Idolatry is anything that comes between us and God. Joshua told his people that their nation would be destroyed if they persisted in idolatry, and their souls would suffer eternal death. He said, "You must make your decision today. You must decide weather you want to serve the idols of this life, or the living God." "Choose you this day," said Joshua, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." What about you? Are you taking your stand with Joshua? No matter what the cost? I am asking you to choose this day whom you will serve. Our families cannot choose Christ for us. Our friends cannot do it. God is a great God, but even God can't make the decision for us. He can help, but only we can decide. We have to make our own choice. -From Day by Day with Billy Graham by Joan W. Brown; part of The  Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version  by Max Lucado We don&

I came into this world physically alive but spiritually dead, I learned to live my life independent of God. Essentially, that is what constitutes the flesh. I had neither the presence of God in my life nor the knowledge of God's ways, so I learned to cope and defend myself as I was being conformed to this world. This learned independence is what makes the flesh hostile toward God. That is why the flesh and the Spirit are in opposition to one another. Being children of God, the presence of the Holy Spirit restrains us so we will not do the things that we please. If there were no moral restraints and no boundaries to govern our behavior, we would drive ourselves into moral decadence. Imagine the air traffic controller saying to the pilot, "You have my permission to land any time and any place you want". . . God wants us free, but freedom is not license. I believe we are free by the grace of God to live a responsible life. In the early part of the twentieth century, a ri