Growing in Grace

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" - Luke 10:40 In today's Scripture, we read, "Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made." Martha was on the right path, even with her "much serving," as the King James Version puts it. Martha dearly loved the Lord Jesus, and she isn't to be chided for rolling up her sleeves to prepare a special meal for Him and His disciples. The problem was her focus. It wasn't that she was too busy or planned too many menu items. Martha simply allowed those things to distract her from the true focus - the Savior. She lost joy in her labor, gladness in ministering to her Lord, and delight in exercising her God-given gifts. A complaining spirit took over as she focused on her sister, Mary, along with all the pots and pans! It takes gr

Sing and make music to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -Ephesians 5:19b-20 Today's Scripture raises big - and honest - questions. Paul tells us we must be "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." For everything? How I have wrestled with those words! The Bible says we're to give thanks, not only for the good stuff and the happy moments, but also for those hurtful, crushing, heartbreaking, out-of-control moments as well. He asks us to see life from His point of view. Paul's command begins with giving thanks to the Father and ends with the name of Jesus. All the events of our lives are bookended by the Father and the Son. Everything that touches us comes from His hand. He sees how it will all fit together. He sees right now how you will one day be healed and how the tears, bruises, setbacks, and sorrows of this life have worked for the

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. -John 17:24 All of us will lose loved ones during this life. As much as we wish it were otherwise, it just comes with the territory on this broken planet. Yes, sometimes God chooses to answer our prayers for healing and grants a reprieve. At other times, we're left wondering why it didn't happen for us. A man who recently lost his wife to breast cancer took comfort that, while his prayer for healing wasn't granted, another prayer was answered. In today's Scripture, Jesus prays, "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory." It's the heartfelt prayer of God's Son for all those who love Him. So the length of time we live on earth or whether or not we get healed isn't really the point, is it? The point is, we're all headed for heaven - th

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. -Romans 8:9 Photo Credit Sometimes we think about Christians serving the Lord in difficult and dangerous places - doing extraordinary exploits for Him and bringing Him glory. Then we say to ourselves, "Yes, but what am I doing? How can I bring God glory in my everyday routine?" My friend, there actually is a way to do that. Consider this: There is a wide gap between what you would normally and instinctively do, and what you do when you are walking in His strength and Spirit. In your natural self, you might complain about your routine or difficulties. In God's strength, however, you bite your tongue and refuse to grumble, because you recognize God in those very situations. The gap between those two responses is the glory of God! And our Savior takes note, marki

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. -Ephesians 1:3 Photo Credit When a particular trouble intrudes into our life, it has a way of taking over. It dominates our thoughts, controls our emotions, saps our will, and drains our energy. Eventually, it crowds and bullies every good thing out of our day. As God's children, we can't let that happen. Today's Scripture tells us God has blessed us in the heavenly realms. He's given us peace of heart and mind - something the world craves but can't find. He's given us faith to pass through deep waters. He's given us the grace to give and to let go. He's given us the sweet knowledge that we have an eternal home in heaven, waiting for us just around the bend. He's given us His own Spirit as Counselor and Comforter. He's washed away our sins and forgotten our evil deeds. We have more going for us than