“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:8-9 (NIV) How refreshing to receive something special that you did not deserve! That’s grace in action. God saved us by His transforming grace. […]
During my sophomore year in High School, I worked in a large grocery store. After spending a week outside fetching grocery baskets, I was promoted to mopping floors on the inside. A few weeks later I catapulted to the next level, that of being a display clerk. My job was to build captivating displays at the end of each aisle. […]
Jesus prayed that God’s Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His desire is to see heaven’s reality realized on earth. What is keeping that from happening? Sin! Yet, in Christ, we have the reality of heaven authenticated in our love relationship with God. We are living in the Spirit realm whereby our identity in Christ […]
The Bible is divided into two sections: Old Testament and New Testament. There are sixty-six books in the Bible: thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament. God inspired forty human authors over a period of sixteen hundred years to record His Word to humanity. The Bible’s overall theme is that of God […]
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved.” Eph 2:4-5 (NIV) Why would God go to such lengths to rescue us and redeem us? God’s great love and rich mercy […]
An honest look at what we were before Christ keeps us humble and teachable. We live in light of our “in Christ” realities, but we keep an eye on our “before Christ” reality to remind us of what we have been delivered from. In Paul’s letter to the saints in Ephesus, he identified the believer’s condition […]
If you have ever had surgery you know that it takes time for you to regain your appetite. You have been blessed with a God given appetite for food. That appetite can be a blessing and help you grow and develop. However, that appetite can be abused and cause your body harm. Your sinful nature has an appetite […]
People are not the enemy! Your spouse, your children, your brother, your sister, your mom, your dad, your boss, your neighbor, or your in-laws are not the enemy. Your enemy is the Devil and his demons. Your enemy is his spirit at work in the world. Your enemy is his evil spirit trying to coerce your flesh to follow […]
Imagine our world without sin. Prisons would be empty. Crime would be absent. Poverty would be eliminated. Corruption would be nonexistent. The reality is that sin is rampant throughout society and the world. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 (NIV) “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions […]
What do an eraser, white-out, and a delete button have in common? Each item provides compensation for our mistakes. If you make a mistake on a document then all you have to do is erase it, white-it-out, or delete it. Don’t you wish that the mistakes we make in life could be handled that succinctly? The reality […]
What were you before you came to Christ? Go there for a moment and ponder your condition. I remember as though it were yesterday. My parents were divorced and I was a few weeks shy of my tenth birthday when I came to the place of decision. The Holy Spirit had convicted me of my lostness and convinced […]
How much of Christ did you receive on your day of salvation? Did you only get a part of Him and then at a later date receive a little bit more of Him? Or, did you receive all of Him? When you placed your faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross, you received all of Him. Instantly, upon […]
“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Eph 1:22-23 (NIV) The supremacy of Christ is affirmed in Paul’s letter to the saints in Ephesus. God, the Creator and Sustainer […]
Do you fully know the power made available to you as a Christ follower? When you made the divine transaction by trusting Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life, you were indwelt by the Holy Spirit. His power became part of your spiritual DNA. Paul prayed for the saints at Ephesus to come to fully know the resurrection power made […]
At conversion, you get Jesus and He gets you. You become a saint, blessed, chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, included, sealed, and secure. When you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you get all of Him. He permanently indwells you by His Spirit. “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if […]
Have you ever faced a seemingly hopeless situation? How did it make you feel? Hopelessness erodes passion for living. However, for the follower of Jesus Christ, hope awaits. Feast on the following verses and notice the hope made available to every believer. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory […]
Do you remember the Polaroid cameras that produced the photo for you within a minute of you taking the picture? Now we have digital cameras that provide a picture instantly. The old Polaroid cameras were considered state of the art innovation in its time. You would take a picture and then watch it develop right […]
Take heart! Let’s get to the heart of the matter! My heart has been deeply touched by God’s amazing love! Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 (NIV) Your heart matters to God. God wants […]
Years ago I read J. I. Packer’s book, Knowing God. I recently picked it up again and read it. Your walk with God will be enhanced and your passion for God will be intensified by reading Packer’s book. Make a commitment to secure a copy at a local library or bookstore and feast on it. […]
Our God is a God who speaks. He desires to communicate His love to His creation. Henry Blackaby, in his study, Experiencing God, taught us that God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. God is a God of revelation. He […]
God’s passion is for you to know Him intimately and accurately. However, you cannot know Him without the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” Eph […]
“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Eph 1:16 (NIV) Is somebody praying for you? I want you to begin to calculate where you would be had it not been for the people who have prayed for you. Your name, your circumstances, and your future have been placed before […]
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” 1 John 3:17 (NIV) When you pull up to a traffic signal and notice a man holding a cardboard sign saying, “Need food! Please help!” What kind of thoughts […]
The most incredible relationship you can ever have is vertical. Having a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the ultimate relationship. Think about the vertical beam of the cross. Allow it to represent your relationship with God. What does that relationship look like currently in your life? “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The […]
Are you making Jesus visible to others? “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let […]
“But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’” “Abraham looked […]
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” Gen 22:9-10 (NIV) Is […]
“Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’ Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his […]
“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from […]
“So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.” Gen 12:4 (NIV) What is keeping you from obeying God? Do you fear the unknown? Are you uncomfortable making a move without having more information? Maybe God has chosen to […]