Growing in Grace

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...

"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...

Children, obey your parents as the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do. The command says, "Honor your father and mother. This is the first command that has a promise with it - "Then everything will be well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth." -Ephesians 6:1-3 NCV What does it mean to honor your parents? We can see if we will look at the word honor in the Scriptures. In Hebrew, the word for "honor" is kabed . This word literally means, "to be heavy, weighty, to honor." Even today, we still link the idea of being heavy with honoring a person. When the President of the United States or some others important person speaks, people often say that his words "carry a lot of weight." Someone whose words are weighty is someone worthy of honor and respect. However, we can learn even more about what it means to honor someone by looking at its opposite in Scriptures. . . . (T)he literal meaning of the word curse (...

God allows tough situations in our lives in order to refine us and bring us closer to him. We should approach these times with a right attitude and seek wisdom from God. When a potter bakes a pot, he checks its solidity by pulling it out of the oven and thumping it. If it "sings" it's ready. If it "thuds," it's placed back in the oven. The character of a person is also checked by thumping. Been thumped lately? Late-night phone calls. Grouchy teacher. Grumpy moms. Burnt Meals. Flat tires. "You've got to be kidding" deadlines. Those are thumps. Thumps are those irritating inconveniences that trigger the worst in us. They catch us off guard. Flat footed. They aren't big enough to be crises, but if you get enough of them, watch out! Traffic jams. Long lines. Empty mailboxes. Dirty clothes on the floor. . . Thump. Thump. How do I respond? Do I sing? Or do I thud? Jesus said that out of the nature of the heart a man speaks (Luke 6:45). Ther...

Here is a story James would have liked. Francis of Assisi once invited an apprentice to go with him to a nearby village to preach. The young monk quickly agreed, seizing an opportunity to hear his teacher speak. When they arrived in the village, St. Francis began to visit with the people. First he stopped in on the butcher. Next a visit with the cobbler. Then a short walk to the home of a woman who'd recently buried her husband. After that a stop at the school to chat with the teacher. This continued throughout the morning. After some time, Francis told his disciple that it was time to return to the abbey. The student didn't understand. "But we came to preach," he reminded. "We haven't preached a sermon." "Haven't we?" questioned the elder. "People have watched us, listened to us, responded to us. Every word we have spoken, every deed we have done has been a sermon. We have preached all morning." James would have liked t...

Faith is more than a belief in God. It is also a way of life. Heroes of faith, although imperfect, trusted God and gave their lives to him. Faith is the belief that God is real and that God is good. . . It is a choice to believe that the one who made it all hasn't left it all and that he still sends light into the shadows and responds to gestures of faith. . . Faith is the belief that God will do what is right. "Blessed are the dirt-poor, nothing-to-give, trapped-in-a-corner, destitute, diseased," Jesus said, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:6, my translation). . . God says that the more hopeless your circumstances, the more likely your salvation. The greater your cares, the more genuine your prayers. The darker the room, the greater the need for light. . . God's help is near and always available, but it is only given to those who seek it. Nothing results from apathy. . . Compared to God's part, our part is minuscule but neces...

Life is difficult. . . really very little more than an endless series of problems. Do we want to moan and groan about them or face them? Do we want to teach the next generation the disciplines involved in accepting and solving them or encourage them to run and hide from them? . . . The tragedy, of course, is that the substitute itself ultimately becomes more painful than the "legitimate suffering" it was trying to avoid. And, adding insult to injury, the avoidance of legitimate suffering means we also avoid the growth that problems demand on us. Our determination to push pain away instead of meeting it head on creates a vicious circle. Could this explain why God's wisest saints are often people who endure pain rather than escape it? Like their Savior, they are men and women "acquainted with grief." I recall that Jesus "learned obedience from the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8), not in spite of those things. Do you have a problem? You'...

As we grow to become more like Christ, our behavior grows more distinctive from the world. Now I see why powerful people often wear sunglasses - the spotlight blinds them to reality. . .They are under the impression that earthly authority will make a heavenly difference (it won't). Can I prove my point? Take this quiz. Name the ten wealthiest men in the world. Name the last ten Heisman trophy winners. Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest. Name eight people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize. . . How did you do? I didn't do well either. With the exception of you trivia hounds, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday too well. .  . Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one. Think of three people you enjoy spending time with. . . List a few teachers who have aided your journey through school. Name a half-a-dozen heroes ...

For you to rest - that is, to live in total acceptance of God's way - demands quiet. . . To rest in God permanently means to hand over each activity, each situation of your life, to Him and to learn the habit of trusting Him to work for you. We don't naturally rest. Naturally we are stewers, tinkerers, and fussers. . . Have you too much to do? Are you pushed, rushed, harried? Said George Fox long ago, "Come out of the bustlings you that are bustling." To guard your inner life, you must guard your outer life. How's your pace? Are you too busy? . . . Does your pace allow you to keep in touch with yourself - with your inner needs and feelings and longings? Does it allow you time to think, plan, make changes? Does it allow you time to observe carefully the dear ones around you and care for their needs - physical and emotional? Do you have time to really live? . . . Asian theologian Kosuke Koyama says that in human affairs God moves at something like thre...

I have found that the casual Christian has little or no influence upon others. I am finding that it is only the Christian who refuses to compromise in matters of honesty, integrity and morality who is bearing an effective witness for Christ. The worldly Christian is prepared to do as the world does and will condone practices which are dishonest and unethical because he is afraid of the world's displeasure. Only by a life of obedience to the voice of the spirit, by daily dying to self, by a full dedication to Christ and constant fellowship with Him, are we able to live a godly life and have a positive influence in this present ungodly world. -From Unto the Hills by Billy Graham; part of The  Inspirational Study Bible: New Century Version  by Max Lucado But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume. Our offering to God is this: We are the sweet smell of Christ among those ...

A deep personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ will transform every area of our lives. If people love you at 6:30 in the morning, one thing is sure: They love you. They don't love your title. They don't love your style. They don't love your accomplishments. They just love you . . . Sounds like God's love. "He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy," wrote another. Underline the word perfect . Note that the word is not better . Not improving . Not on the upswing. God doesn't improve; he perfects. He doesn't enhance; he completes. What does the perfect person lack? Now I realize that there's a sense in which we're imperfect. We still err. We still stumble. We still do exactly what we don't want to do. And that part of us is, according to the verse, "being made holy." But when it comes to our position before God, we're perfect. When he sees each of us, he sees one who has been made perfec...

As we know Christ more, we discover the insignificance of worldly treasures. Our true goal should be to know Christ and His power. I was glad to see the plastic ball pit. . . It's a large, covered, shady, cool, soothing pavilion. . . But rather than being filled with water, it's loaded with balls - thousands and thousands of plastic, colorful, light-weight balls. Three-year-old Andrea, however, had a few difficulties. As soon as she took one step into the pit, she filled her arms with balls. . . Andrea took a step and fell. .  . She began to cry. I walked over to the edge of the pit. "Andrea," I said gently, "let go of the balls, and you can walk." "No!" she screamed, wiggling and submerging herself beneath the balls. I reached in and pulled her up. She was still clutching her armful of treasures. . . Andrea's determination to hold those balls is nothing compared to the vise-grips we put on life. . . Try prying our fingers away from o...

Jesus deliberately stripped Himself of everything - His divine rights and privileges - and crossed the unthinkable chasm between God and man. Try to imagine the span of that chasm. . . The unlimited God became limited man. . . Jesus Christ is God. . . . From the world's viewpoint, Jesus had descended as low as man - to say nothing of God - could go. But there was one more downward step, in heaven's eyes the deepest descent of all: from sinless to sin stained. . .Truly, He could go no lower. . . . He knowingly and actively embraced a life of giving, serving, losing, and dying. What was, and is, really hard for Jesus' followers to swallow is that we are called to do the same. To make ourselves nothing. . . We must believe that as painful as it sometimes feels, descending is the only way to greatness. . . Jesus obeyed for the sake of love. And we, His followers and the recipients of His love, are called to do the same. When asked about the two greatest commands, Je...