Growing in Grace

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. -Galatians 1:10 The ceremony dedicating the Gettysburg National Cemetery took place on November 19, 1863. It featured famous orator Edward Everett. His two-hour speech covered various topics. Then President Lincoln spoke for two minutes. Major newspapers applauded Everett's address and ignored or criticized Lincoln's remarks. Fifty years later, the chancellor of Oxford University declared Lincoln's Gettysburg Address "a pure well of English undefiled." We all know how fickle human opinion is. Yet we struggle with a desire to gain approval from others. As believers, our responsibility is to do what pleases our heavenly Father, not what pleases those around us. Seeking popularity can become a form of idolatry, if that's what we base our behavior on. When we make pleasing God our first priority, we demonstrate our t

Galatians chapter three opens with Paul rebuking the Galatians and calling them foolish because they had failed to use their "powers of perception" to see that the Judaizers were trying to convince them that their experience with Christ was not enough; and that they also needed the law. In their conversion experience, the believers in Galatia had received the Spirit by faith and not by the works of the law. Paul asked, in the form of five rhetorical questions if they began with the Spirit, how could they go on to maturity without the Spirit, depending on their flesh? Since we were saved through the Spirit and not the flesh, through faith and not the law, then we should continue that way. (WW) We may try to be perfected through human effort such as going to church, tithing, serving, or trying to be "good"; but salvation and sanctification are the work of the Holy Spirit. The presence and work of the Spirit in the life of the believer is the only real evidence of

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been."  -Madeleine L'Engle I have to admit that 45 has been challenging for me. There have been financial strains, a car accident, busy schedules, disappointments of all kinds, family health problems, and weariness on my part. I still try to look for the good in all circumstances and count my blessings; but I still find myself giving in to anxiety at times which robs me of my joy. Here are some of things I've been thinking about since turning 45 (in no particular order): Parenting is hard. Add in homeschooling and that difficulty increases. Teaching, training, discipling, and leading by example daily is tough. I struggle with wanting my kids to be all they are supposed to be RIGHT NOW! Shouldn't they be mature servants of Christ already? Shouldn't I be? There are so many "ouch" moments in my life as a mom. So often I cringe as I see my girl a

" O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." -Isaiah 25:1 (NIV) I envision great things, but often life gets in the way. As a mom of young children, I run frantically from one "uh-oh" to the next. "Uh-oh, the juice spilled on the couch." "Uh-oh, the dog ate my sandwich." "Uh-oh, my sock fell in the toilet." And suddenly my day is gone. Then my week is gone. Then my month. It becomes, "Uh-oh, the birthday party is tomorrow." This is when the perfectionist in me collides with the dreamer. Oh, the plans I had made! The party would have been fabulous. Should I still shoot for the magnificent array I had planned but accept the fact that the details won't be perfect? Do I give up my creative ideas and aim for a few things done to perfection? Either way is a compromise. Neither way will be what I had originally hoped

The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. -Proverbs 10:27-28 Photo Credit Abraham Lincoln said, "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Some people think that living the godly life will only matter in eternity. They think if they shut God out and live for themselves, life will be better here. That's not so. Really, it's just not so. Jesus came to give us life and life more abundantly. Listen to what God gives us as a beautiful yet simple path for a godly, meaningful life here on earth: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8, NKJV). Live it out! You are writing your legacy, a page every day, by the things that you do and the words that you s

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him. -Proverbs 10:26 (NIV) W.C. Fields said, "The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves." A sluggard is like a slug, lazy. The definition of lazy is "to dislike and avoid work or activity." Procrastination is the sluggard's method of operation. If there is someone who works with you or for you who operates like this, it can be annoying and frustrating, like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes. So let's apply this to ourselves and let it prompt us to not be the cause of this kind of irritation. There is joy in being faithful and diligent, even in the little things. Is there something that someone has asked you to do, and even though you said you would, you've put it off? Well, get to it. Really. Write it down and get to it. And do it with joy, because then everyone wins. It will be a pleasure to get it o

What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted. When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. -Proverbs 10:24-25 (NIV) "What the wicked dread." Isn't that an intriguing phrase? What then do the wicked dread? Think about it. When you lie or steal something, there is the constant dread of someone finding out. If you say something mean about someone, what if they hear about it? What if you get a bad reputation for being mean? Dread. It is like a big ol' black cloud of darkness, a fear that that thing you did will come back to haunt you. Isn't that the way of sin? You think it will add pleasure, but instead it rips you off. It does, it really does. In contrast, living right, doing right, has its own sweet rewards. I love that our proverb tells us that doing right gives us stability. The definition of stable is "constant, able to maintain or return to a strong position,

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish man,  but fools die for lack of judgment. -Proverbs 10:20-21 (NIV) Photo Credit Never underestimate the power of the words that you speak. Words can be like precious silver used to add value everywhere you go and anytime you speak. Mark Twain said, "The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug." This should make us excited and at the same time sober. We all know we have been foolish, even destructive, at times with our words. So David prayed, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer" (Psalm 19:14, NKJV). This is the key. For our words to be right, our hearts must be right. And so we can do what David did. We can ask the Lord himself to give us a sense of his prese

The blessings of the Lord bring wealth, and He adds no trouble to it. -Proverbs 10:22 (NIV) The blessings of God are the only true commodity that can fill us so completely that we become full and rich, internally rich. But does "blessing" mean riches like money or health or beauty or popularity? No. These things can give us temporary happiness, but temporary is the key word. These things don't last, and they can't give us lasting satisfaction either. Through the years, Hollywood icons from Marilyn Monroe to Brittany Spears have been tragic illustrations. A picture is worth a thousand words. They had all the money, beauty, and popularity this world offers, but definitely those girls had troubles, lots of troubles. Photo Credit So what is "blessing"? Literally it means God's favor - his smile on your life, his pleasure. And most of all, the greatest blessing is his presence, his friendship. His presence brings peace and joy even when times are

He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, But he who refuses correction goes astray. -Proverbs 10:17 (NKJV) "It is only when man learns to mistrust himself and rely alone upon the unerring Word of God, unfolded by the Holy Spirit, that his feet walk in the way of life. . . Let me gladly, then, receive correction." -H.A. Ironside Photo Credit The journey of the children of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land is full of important lessons for us. As they were crossing the Jordon, that river that separated them from the land of rich blessings, they were told to follow the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Word of God. And then God used this compelling phrase: "For you have not passed this way before" (Joshua 3:4, NKJV). Here's the lesson for us,. . . each day holds events and obstacles and dilemmas. There will be moments like crossroads, when your choice in a moment of time can affect your life for years. You need to come to God'

What is life? Do you have a passion to fulfill the purpose that God put you on this planet for? Do you know what it is? Do you ever ask the Lord to show you what it is? In Exodus 7 we see that Moses was given the task of going before Pharaoh to petition for the Israelites to be let go. This was his purpose. "You can get all A's and still flunk life." -Walker Percy Jesus gave us a clear, solid place to start that will shake us loose from just falling into the world's version of success. He said, " But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:20-21 Material things get broken, go out of style or get lost. Experiences come to an end. It's people who are important. Jesus invested in people. Our greatest purpose is to love God and love people. That's true living. Photo Credit "We m

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. -James 3:9-10 In Genesis 6 the Israelites would not listen to Moses when he told them what God said. They allowed their discouragement from their harsh labor to cause them to grumble and criticize Moses. When the heat gets turned up do you add fuel to the fire or are you the voice of reason and peace, kindness and grace? When you're criticized, do you use words to cut back? Do you pass along that ugly story about someone? Truthfully, what are you known for? Photo Credit Live it out! A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (the fruit of wisdom). - Proverbs 25:11 You can chose to find opportunities to use your words to encourage or inspire. Your words might be the only ones they will hear all day. -From The One Year Wisdom for Women  Devotional by D