Growing in Grace

To be at rest there must be a definite sense of freedom from fear, tension, aggravation and hunger. . . It is only the sheepman himself who can provide release from these anxieties. . . It is actually he who makes it possible for them to lie down, to rest, to relax, to be content and quiet and flourishing. . . The same is true for people. . . In the Christian's life there is no substitute for the keen awareness that my Shepherd is nearby. . . We live a most uncertain life. . . We live either in a sense of anxiety, fear and foreboding, or in a sense of quiet rest. Which is it? . . . It is the special office work of God's gracious Spirit to convey this sense of the Christ to our fearful hearts. He comes quietly to reassure us that Christ Himself is aware of our dilemma and deeply involved in it with us. . . For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound (disciplined) mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). . . There is the eternal com

The Christian has to take a long, hard look at life. He has to recognize that. . . he may be called on to experience lack of wealth or material benefits. . . Yet amid such hardship he can still boast, "I shall not want. . . I shall not lack the expert care and management of my Master." . . . Contentment should be the hallmark of the man or woman who has put his or her affairs in the hands of God. . . Jesus said, 'I am the Good Shepherd - the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." And again "I am come that ye might have life and that ye might have it more abundantly." . . . In spite of having such a master and owner, the fact remains that some Christians are still not content with His control. They are somewhat dissatisfied, always feeling that somehow the grass beyond the fence must be a little greener. These are carnal Christians. . . who want the best of both worlds. . . It is a solemn warning to the carnal Christian - backslider - the ha

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for (wisdom) is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. -Proverbs 3:13-15 Take a minute and stand back with me. Let's take a really good, long, hard look at the world. Let's look at the diminishing value of material things. This is a great time for a reality check. The stock market has fallen; housing values, fallen. If you buy a new car, it is worth less the minute you drive it off the lot. Last year's top fashions look hokey today. Reality check: even things like our health and the way we look deteriorate as we get older. Diminishing returns. First John says this world is passing away, and so if you're a child of God, you - we all - need to stop living like this is all there is and like this is all that is important. Don't pretend that you don't do that. They say you can look at someone&#

My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. -Proverbs 3:11-12 J. Vernon McGee said, "God is going to chasten you as you go along through life if you are his child. . . That is a good evidence that you belong to him. . . Chastening is not punishing. . . The criminal is to be punished; the child is to be corrected." So let's consider the Lord's discipline in our lives. Here it is directly connected with God's love and even his sweet delight. Think about this. For a parent it is easy to be delighted in a child who is delightful, but have you ever seen a little girl who is a brat? She is spoiled. She is selfish. She throws tantrums when she does not get her way. Have you ever seen a big girl like that? It's not pretty, really. That behavior is a direct result of a stubborn bent that did not have

It is a tragic truth that many people who really have never come under His direction or management claim that "The Lord is my Shepherd." They seem to hope that by merely admitting that He is their Shepherd somehow they will enjoy the benefits of His care and management without paying the price of forfeiting their own fickle and foolish way of life. One cannot have it both ways. Either we belong or we don't. Jesus Himself warned us that there would come a day when many would say, "Lord, in Your name we did many wonderful things," but He will retort that He never knew us as His own. It is a most serious and sobering thought which should make us search our own hearts and motives and personal relationship to Himself. Do I really belong to Him? Do I really recognize His right to me? Do I respond to His authority and acknowledge His ownership? Do I find freedom and complete fulfillment in this arrangement? Do I sense a purpose and deep contentment because

John told Christians that in the end, God would triumph. Despite the obstacles Christians face in this life, all who hold Jesus as their Lord will spend eternity in fellowship with God. Finally. Sin will be destroyed. Death will die. Tears, anger, and frustrations will be gone. He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!". . . He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children." -Revelation 21:5-7 The most hopeful words of that passage from Revelation are those of God's resolve: "I am making everything new." It's hard to see things grow old. The town in which I grew up is growing old. I was there recently. Some of the buildings are boarded up. Some of the houses are torn down. Some of my teachers are retir

When Jesus returns, he will complete the work he began. He will gather his people and destroy Satan. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Corinthians 15:56-57 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. -1 John 5:4-5 Triumph is a precious thing. We honor the triumphant. The gallant soldier sitting astride his steed. The determined explorer returning from his discovery. The winning athlete holding aloft the triumphant trophy of victory. Yes, we love triumph. . . Triumph is fleeting, though. Hardly does one taste victory before it is gone; achieved, yet now history. No one remains champion forever. Time for yet another conquest, another victory. Perhaps this is the absurdity of Paul's claim: "But thanks be to God,

There is a flip side to the issue of believers who struggle. It is, "Why do I struggle when wicked people seem to be so free of trouble?" Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -James 1:2-4 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. -1 Peter 1:6-7 We should not be surprised when the righteous suffer. It conforms us to the image of Christ. It gives us power in witness. It instills the valuable strength of God-sufficiency and reduces the risk in our ministry for God. It refines us to

The contest between good and evil is a great, cosmic battle that God will win. We can experience God's victory in our lives through faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." -John 8:12 Life is so short. The Bible says that we must be prepared to meet God at all times. We never know when we step into our car, walk out the door of our home, or just open our eyes to a new day, what lies ahead. "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with Thee, and his limits Thou hast set so that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5). Millions of people on earth are walking around physically alive, but spiritually dead. When your eyes and ears become attuned to the cries of others, you hear those who say they are empty and lost. They are separated from the source of life and like a lamp which is unattached, they are

John reported that Jesus Christ would initiate the final conflict against Satan. At the end, God would defeat Satan and throw him into hell. For the believers, the end will be a time of rejoicing; for the unbelievers, time to face God's judgment. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. -Ecclesiastes 12:14 "The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword," declares the Lord. -Jeremiah 25:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. -Acts 17:31 The risen Christ had called John into the presence of God so that the old man could know, and through him we could know, this fact: Behind the universe there is a Power and a person worthy of our praise and our trust. In

Happy is the one who reads the words of God's message, and happy are the people who hear this message and do what is written in it. The time is near when all of this will happen. . . Look, Jesus is coming with the clouds, and everyone will see Him, even those who stabbed Him. And all peoples of the earth will cry loudly because of Him. Yes, this will happen! Amen. The Lord God says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty." -Revelation 1:3, 7-8 As the Christian with the Bible in his hand surveys the world scene, he is aware that we do not worship an absentee God. He is aware that God is in the shadows of history and that He has a plan. The Christian is not to be disturbed by the chaos, violence, strife, bloodshed, and threat of war that fill the pages of our daily newspapers. We know that these things are the consequences of sin and greed. Every day we see a thousand evidences of the fulfilment of biblical prophecy. E

Some people claim to love God but don't obey him. Be careful that disobedience does not create a wedge between you and God. What good is it, my brothers and and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has not deeds? Can such faith save them? . . Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action if dead. . . You see a person is considered righteous by what they do and and not by faith alone. -James 2:14, 17, 24 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. -2 Corinthians 9:13 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. - Hebrews 12:4 According to Gallup surveys, confirmed by other polls taken over the past fifteen years, 33 percent of all Americans over age eighteen indicate they are evangelical or "born again&qu

"I was very happy when some brothers and sisters came and told me about the truth in your life and how you are following the way of truth ." -3 John 3 (NCV) The truth was in Gaius, and Gaius walked in the truth. If the first had not been the case, the second could never have occurred; and if the second could not have been said of him the first would have been a mere pretense. Truth must enter into the soul, penetrate and saturate it, or else it is of no value. . . Be it ours today, O gracious Spirit, to be ruled and governed by Thy divine authority, so that nothing false or sinful may reign in our hearts. -From Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon; part of The  Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version  by Max Lucado

John wrote that Christians should become more like Christ. Their actions should prove that they unite in love as the church of God. As God's children, Christians will be characterized as those who stop sinning and demonstrate love towards their fellow Christians. 1.  The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. . . 3. Christ is pure, and all who have this hope in Christ keep themselves like Christ. 4. The person who sins breaks God's law. Yes, sin is living against God's law. 5. You know that Christ came to take away sins and that there is no sin in Christ. 6. So anyone who lives in Christ does not go on sinning Anyone who goes on sinning has never really understood Christ and has never known him. . . 7b. So to be like Christ a person must do what is right. 8a. The devil has been sinning since the beginning, so anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. . . 9. Those who are God's children do not cont

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God..   -Hebrews 12:1-2 In her book, "Dancing with my Father", Sally Clarkson recounts her dear friend's battle with ovarian cancer. In spite of her pain and discomfort, she covertly invited her five good friends to bring food for a houseful of women for the sole purpose of sharing the Gospel with those in attendance. Sally writes, "Marcy had grasped the reality of heaven so clearly that she conquered her illness even though it ravaged her body. She understood that she had one chance to live in such a way that she would make the reality of God, His love, beauty, and red