Growing in Grace

It is easy to believe that God can use our lives when we see immediate results, when positive feedback encourages us to push on. It is hard to keep walking when we see little sign that what we are doing is making a difference. Sheila Walsh God’s desire is that His Word and His Spirit be guides for life. Being a follower of Jesus Christ means becoming more and more like Him - letting His spirit transform us into all we were created to be. That happens, dear friends, from the inside out. Luci Swindoll Perhaps there is little immediate satisfaction in what you have been called to do, but if you will faithfully push on through the night the Lord is the one who carries a reward in His hands. Sheila Walsh What are you resisting? Has God been nudging you into action and you’ve either said “no” repeatedly, or “well maybe” so weakly that no one can hear it? I can tell you from my own experience, the very thing we say “no” to just might be God’s blessing in disguise. He wants to bless us; He wan...

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” These trials have come, the Scripture says, “so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine” (1 Peter 1:6,7). This genuine, refined by fire, holding-on-for-dear-life faith will result in praise and glory to Christ.” Nicole Johnson We will go through trials, but we can submit to them so that our faith, the most precious thing we have, may be authentic. When people see our lives they know we are honest people. Suffering makes us real, and that brings glory to God. Nicole Johnson Lord, how frequently and mindlessly we kick against the very constraints you put in place for our growth and refinement. Remind those of us who get so caught up with the earthly that to do so is to miss the heavenly. Your plan for each of us is not one of earthly ease but of heavenly peace. Marilyn Meberg How do we truly...

This past week I served at VBS. It was a great week with a wonderful emphasis on the Word of God and its place in our lives. It was easy to get up early and go to church everyday because there was a feeling that what I was doing was important; I was serving the Lord; sharing in His work with my church family; seeing the kids enjoy themselves and many giving their hearts to the Lord. Then the "mountain top" experience is over and I find myself at home with dishes, laundry, and "stuff" to deal with. It's easy to look at these things as dull and non-important. But then I remember that caring for my family and home is just as important -maybe even more important - than serving at VBS. I recalled reading this in my study on "A Life of Worship" and it was a good reminder to do whatever is in front of me at the moment with my whole heart. We all know there are things in life that have to be done, no matter how dull or unpleasant they might be. Those who ca...

Last summer I began working through a Women of Faith study entitled "A Life of Worship". It proved to be very timely as many of the things I was learning really helped me in the early days of Dennis' cancer diagnosis. I recently revisited the study and wrote out some notes from each chapter. I really wanted to wrap my mind around the concepts. Patsy Clairmont wrote on p. 91 "I know I want to be more than I am today. That means I'll have to use my time wisely, invest myself discerningly, and savor the flavor of every delicious moment assigned to me." These words offer a plan for fulfilling the desire of my heart . . . to lead a life of worship. What were we made for? The answer is a life of worship. “Worshipping in all the moments of our lives changes us because we move from trying to be perfect to resting in the perfect will of a God who loves us passionately.” (Sheila Walsh) God has created us to bring glory, honor and praise to Him. “To glorify somethi...