THE FREE GIFT OF GOD

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 ESV)

I often ask people, "What do you think a person has to do to go to heaven?" Most people respond by saying something like this, "Do the best you can, live a good life, observe the golden rule, keep the Ten Commandments, etc." But I'd like to ask you, "Has anyone really kept the Ten Commandments?" The Ten Commandments are indeed God's standard of righteousness (Romans 7:12), but who has ever kept them?... No one will ever be good enough to go to heaven by keeping God's law; for His law only reveals our sin (Romans 3:19-20).

This is why Jesus came! We all need a Saviour! The word "Saviour" has the idea of "one who can rescue you from the penalty of your sin." Jesus rescues people from perishing so that they might have eternal life (Matthew 1:21).

To be good enough to go to heaven we must have a righteousness that equals God's (2 Corinthians 5:21). The "good news" of the gospel is that not only will Jesus forgive your sins, but He is also offering -- freely -- His very own righteousness as a gift (See Romans 5:17). Do you need a new start in life? A relationship with the God of heaven who loves you very much?… Would you consider turning to Him through Jesus Christ? Accepting Him as your personal Saviour and following Him as your Lord? He loves you very much! 

-- Don Krow

#5871

AMAZING GRACE

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.”

When I was young, I was sure of many things; now there are only two things of which I am sure: one is, that I am a miserable sinner; and the other, that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. He is well-taught who learns these two lessons. 

-- John Newton

#5870

STANDING STILL IN PRAISE

"Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord;
     praise Him, you servants of the Lord,
you who minister in the house of the Lord,
     in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
     sing praise to His name, for that is pleasant." (Psalm 135:1-3 NIV)

What a privilege to stand in praise before the Lord! It seems to me that today we always want to be moving on; we cannot stand still. So many things claim our attention that we are perpetually on the go. We cannot stop for a moment. But he who is spiritual knows how to stand still. He can stand before God in worship while God makes known to him [God's] will. He can pause and await orders.

May I ask you, dear fellow-worker, is not all your work carried out to a schedule? And is it not to be done in great haste? Can you be persuaded to call a halt and stand a while before [God] in praise? You will learn much that way. 

-- Watchman Nee in “A Table in the Wilderness” 

#5869

NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER

God works through weak and obscure instruments to do His work for Him. How often we look to the rich and famous to get the job done. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said:

“We Christians often quote ‘not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord’ (Zechariah 4:6b), and yet in practice we seem to rely on the mighty dollar and the power of the press and advertising and politics. We seem to think that our influence will depend on our technique and the program we can put forward and that it would be numbers, the largeness, the bigness that would prove effective. We seem to have forgotten that God has done most of His deeds throughout history through remnants. We seem to have forgotten the great story of Gideon, for instance, and how God insisted on reducing the 32,000 men down to 300 before He would make use of them. We have become fascinated by the idea of bigness, and we are quite convinced that if we can only stage, yes, that’s the word, stage something really big before the world, we will shake it and produce a mighty religious awakening. That seems to be the modern conception of authority.”

But as Jesus said, “What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight” (Luke 16:15b). God does not look for powerful instruments but for instruments that can be wielded by His power. 

-- Adapted from “A Beacon in the Darkness: Reflecting God’s Light in Today’s World” by David Roper

#5868

INVITE THE SPIRIT TO EXAMINE YOUR SOUL – Part 3 of 3

“People cannot see their own mistakes. Forgive me for my secret sins. Keep me from the sins of pride; don’t let them rule me. Then I can be pure and innocent of the greatest of sins. I hope my words and thoughts please You. Lord, You are my Rock, the One who saves me.”  (Psalm 19:12-14 NCV)

The smoke detector wasn’t my enemy; the fire was my enemy. The smoke detector was simply trying to help me.

I have a life. That’s my house. I have a soul. You do too. Do you hear any beeping sounds there?

Beeping can sound like this: A parent neglects his children. They complain, misbehave, or increase the level of conflict around the house, and the parent has a nagging sense of failure. But instead of looking closely at his parenting – instead of talking directly about it with his children – he buries himself more fully in work, hobbies, or television.

A woman feels a twinge of pain when she sees a documentary about famine in Africa. She vaguely wonders about how little money she gives. But she doesn’t like the discomfort, so she distracts herself by going shopping.

An angry man blows up at those closest to him. His “beeping sound” is his loneliness. He takes the batteries out of the smoke detector by drinking a little more, convincing himself his relatives are all difficult people.

Guilt is not my enemy. Sin, which blocks off life, is my enemy. The Spirit will often bring a sense of conviction, and when He does, the best response is not to suppress the guilt, but to get out of bed, take a look around the house, and put out the fire before it does more damage.

-- John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”

#5867

INVITE THE SPIRIT TO EXAMINE YOUR SOUL – Part 2 of 3

The next morning I had an early breakfast meeting, so while everyone else in the family was still sleeping, I went downstairs to leave the house. There were some odd malfunctions. The hall lights downstairs didn’t work. The garage door wouldn’t open automatically. That was strange, but I didn’t think much more about it. Forty minutes into breakfast the server asked me if I was John Ortberg.

“Your wife called,” she said. “She asked you to come home. She said the house is on fire.”

I went home. Fire trucks were parked all over the cul-de-sac. I watched the outside of our white house turning brown, great clouds of smoke escaping into the neighborhood.

It turns out that a few delinquent birds built their nest inside the chimney casing. It eventually started smoldering and set off that loud beeping sound. Because we didn’t do anything (and when I say, “we,” it is my way of saying that mistakes were made, but not by me), a fire started behind the wall and did unbelievable damage. All from a little bird’s nest. A stupid little bird’s nest. What kind of an idiot would take the batteries out of a smoke detector so he could sleep better during a fire?

That would be me.

The smoke detector wasn’t my enemy; the fire was my enemy. The smoke detector was simply trying to help me.

– John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”

#5866

INVITE THE SPIRIT TO EXAMINE YOUR SOUL – Part 1 of 3

Trying to see the truth about myself is like trying to see the inside of my own eyeballs. “Who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults,” the psalmist asked [in Psalm 19:12]. Fortunately, we are not left on our own. The Spirit is already at work in us. Our job is simply to listen and respond.

Once, in the middle of the night, Nancy and I were lying in bed and there was a tremendously loud beeping sound. Nancy gave me an elbow to the ribs and said, “What is that sound?”

I knew that if I acknowledged hearing the sound, it would be my job to go check it out. So I said, “What sound?” But I had to say it very loudly so that she could hear me over the tremendously loud beeping sound.

And she said, “That tremendously loud beeping sound.”

“Oh, that sound! Let me go find out.”

I went into the hallway, found the problem, and took care of it. When I got back to bed, Nancy asked, “What was it?” I told her it was the smoke detector.

“What made it stop?” I told her I took the battery out.

“You can’t do that,” she said. “There could be a fire in the house somewhere.”

“Nancy,” I explained patiently, “we’re upstairs. There’s no smoke, we can’t smell anything, there’s no heat coming from anyplace. I checked. Do you smell any smoke? I don’t smell any smoke. It was clearly a battery problem. Trust me. I took care of it.”

We went back to sleep.

– John Ortberg in “The Me I Want to Be”

THE INTIMACY OF SMALL GROUPS

“Those who accepted [Peter’s] message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  (Acts 2:41-42 NIV)

Belonging to a learning faith community provides companionship that sustains us through difficult experiences.  Nothing is as disheartening as a lonely struggle.  Many communities and congregations are too large for people to know others well, and so it's in the intimacy of small groups - classes, Bible studies, choirs, prayer groups – that we learn each other’s' names, pray for one another, and learn to care for one another.  Christian companions become the people God uses to sustain us through the ordinary ups and downs of living, and also through those times of extraordinary darkness and grief. 

-- Robert Schnase in “Five Practices of Fruitful Living” 

#5864

THE DOMINANT INFLUENCE IN OUR LIVES

“How can young people keep their lives pure? By obeying Your commands. With all my heart I try to serve You; keep me from disobeying Your commandments. I keep Your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against You.”  (Psalm 119:9-11 GNT)

Only through God’s Word are our minds remolded and our values renewed…

Obedience is the pathway to holiness, but it is only as we have His commands that we can obey them. God’s Word must be so strongly fixed in our minds that it becomes the dominant influence in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions.

Jesus said, “Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me” (John 14:21).

-- Jerry Bridges in “The Pursuit of Holiness”

#5863

THE FIRE OF THE SPIRIT

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.” (Acts 2:1-6 NIV)

I owe everything to the gift of Pentecost. For fifty days the facts of the Gospel were complete, but no conversions were recorded. Pentecost registered three thousand souls. It is by fire that a holy passion is kindled in the soul whereby we live the life of God. The soul's safety is in its heat. Truth without enthusiasm, morality without emotion, ritual without soul, make for a Church without power. Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters. 

--  Samuel Chadwick in “The Way to Pentecost”  

#5862

THE ROLE OF THE SPIRIT

“And I (Jesus) will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor -- Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever -- the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.”  (John14:16-17 AMP)

Without Pentecost, Easter reminds the church that Jesus has now gone to be with God and His followers are left alone in the world.  Without Pentecost, Easter offers us a risen Christ whose return to glory leaves the church to face the world armed with nothing but fond memories of how it once was when Jesus was here.  But with Pentecost, Easter’s Christ promises to return and has returned in the Holy Spirit as comforter, guide, teacher, reminder, and power.  With Pentecost, the church does not simply celebrate but participates in Easter.  With Pentecost, the risen Christ says hello and not good-bye to the church. 

-- Dr. Fred Craddock 

#5861

THE SEAL OF THE SPIRIT

“In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”  (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)

Have people ever told you they loved you, but their actions betrayed their words?  When I was in seventh grade, I thought a boy loved me.  The notes he passed to me in math class said so.  In reply, my notes were always "sealed with a kiss."  But one day my boyfriend saw me being silly with my friends, got embarrassed, and dumped me!  When I grew up I met Skip Heitzig.  He also told me he loved me, but he showed me how much by sealing his love with a ring.  That ring became my guarantee that Skip would do what he said.  It represented the promise that one day Skip would take me as his bride.

Jesus loved you so much that when He made you His own, He put His "seal of approval" on your life.  That seal is the Holy Spirit, who is your guarantee that God will do what He has promised you.  He is completely trustworthy.  Paul said that when you believed, "you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit."  The Holy Spirit's indwelling in your life is your engagement ring.  God intends to marry you, His bride, at the marriage supper of the Lamb.  God's love letter, the Bible, is better than any romance novel, and He made certain it was "sealed with a kiss."

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in “Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians”

#5860

IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT

When God’s Spirit directs us, we actually “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). He is the drum major; we are the marching band. He is the sergeant; we are the platoon. He directs and leads; we obey and follow. Not always that easy, is it? We tend to go our own way…

Here is something that helps me stay in step with the Spirit. We know that the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB). God’s Spirit creates and distributes these characteristics. They are indicators on my spiritual dashboard. So whenever I lack them, I know that I am out of step with the Spirit…

To walk in the Spirit, respond to the promptings God gives you. 

-- Max Lucado in “God’s Story, Your Story: When His Becomes Yours”

#5859

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT

Jesus never brainwashed anyone.  To the contrary, He depicted the cost of following Him in the most realistic terms imaginable, "Take up your cross and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)  He never imposed Himself on another person but always left room for choice and even rejection.  In that same style, any changes God works in a person will come about not as a result of coercion from the outside but by a Spirit working from within, summoning up new life, transforming from the inside, out.  The words used to describe God's Spirit -- Comforter, Helper, Counselor -- imply that change may involve a slow, internal process, with many fits and starts.

After considering the various words used of the Holy Spirit, both in Greek and in English, James Houston summarizes them in the simple word "friend."  A true friend always has my best interest at heart. Sometimes the Spirit must, like a good friend, use tough love to remind me of what needs to change -- knowing me from the inside out.  God can bring to mind shortcomings I would prefer to overlook. Yet when I feel empty, misunderstood, and lonely, the Spirit offers comfort, calming my anxiety and fear. Most of all, the Spirit reminds me of God's love, His very presence a token of the fact that I have been graciously adopted as God's child.

-- Philip Yancey in “Reaching for the Invisible God” 

#5858

A MOTHER’S DAY PRAYER

God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, we pray:
for expectant mothers, wondering and waiting;
for new mothers, coming to terms with new responsibility ;
for those who are tired, stressed or depressed;
for those who struggle to balance the tasks of work and family;
for those who are unable to feed their children due to poverty;
for those whose children have physical, mental or emotional disabilities;
for those who have children they do not want;
for those who raise children on their own;
for those who have lost a child;

for those who are estranged from their child;
for those who care for the children of others;
for those whose children have left home;
and for those whose desire to be a mother has not been fulfilled.
Bless all mothers, that their love may be deep and tender,
and that they may lead their children to know Your will and Your way,

and to do what is good and pleasing in Your sight,
living not for themselves alone, but for You and for others.

Give them grace and strength and hope in Christ.
Amen.   

 

-- Source Unknown  

#5857

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S CHARACTER

“Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living… For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:15,16,23 NLT)

When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our sin and hopelessness. Helpless sinners can survive only by grace. Our strength is futile in itself; we are spiritually impotent without the assistance of a merciful God. We may dislike giving our attention to God's wrath and justice, but until we incline ourselves to these aspects of God's nature, we will never appreciate what has been wrought for us by grace. Even Edwards's sermon on sinners in God's hands was not designed to stress the flames of hell. The resounding accent falls not on the fiery pit but on the hands of the God who holds us and rescues us from it. The hands of God are gracious hands. They alone have the power to rescue us from certain destruction. 

-- R. C. Sproul in “The Holiness of God”

#5856

DISRESPECTING GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin, of the most minute peccadillo? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no to the righteousness of God. We are saying, “God, Your law is not good. My judgement is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to do.” 

-- R.C. Sproul in “The Holiness of God”

#5855

MISSING GOD’S PURPOSE

You don't have to understand all the implications of your decision when you choose to follow Jesus. You simply need to respond to His invitation, to make a commitment to follow Christ.

Your commitments shape your life more than anything else. Your commitments can develop you or they can destroy you, but either way, they will define you. Tell me what you're committed to and I'll tell you what you'll be in twenty years. We become whatever we're committed to.

It is at this very point of commitment that most people miss God's purpose for their lives. Many are afraid to commit to anything and just drift through life. Others make half-hearted commitments to competing values, which lead to frustration and mediocrity. Others make a full commitment to worldly goals, such as becoming wealthy or famous, and end up disappointed and bitter.

Every choice has eternal consequences so you need to choose wisely: "Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living!" (2 Peter 3:11 LB).

Christ-likeness comes from making Christ-like commitments.  

-- Rick Warren in “The Purpose Drive Life Daily Devotional”

#5854

SEEKING GOD’S WISDOM

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!"  (Isaiah 5:20,21 NKJV)

We are caught in a dilemma between good and evil, right and wrong. God's Word seeks to inform us about what is right and what is wrong. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Fortunately, we are not simply left with that information. The Holy Spirit then seeks to transform us from wrong to right. (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18)  However, the way the world deals with the dilemma is to inform us that wrong is right. 

As believers, we must discern between right and wrong, good and evil. Sometimes, societal norms or personal preferences can lead us astray. Let us seek God’s wisdom and align our hearts with His truth. (Ephesians 4:22-24) 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson, SOUND BITES Ministry

#5853

FOLLOWING GOD’S PATH

“I long for Your salvation, Lord, and Your law gives me delight. Let me live that I may praise You, and may Your laws sustain me. I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your commands.”  (Psalm 119:174-176 NIV)

In these verses, the psalmist expresses a deep longing for God’s salvation and a delight in His law. Let’s explore three key points from this passage:

Longing for Salvation: Life can be challenging, and we often find ourselves in need of rescue. The psalmist acknowledges this longing for salvation -- a desire for God to intervene, deliver, and redeem. As believers, we too can cry out to God when we feel lost, broken, or overwhelmed. Our hope rests in His saving grace.

Delighting in God’s Law: The psalmist finds joy in God’s law. This isn’t a mere set of rules; it’s a reflection of God’s character and wisdom. When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, we discover God’s heart. His commands guide us, protect us, and lead us toward abundant life.

Acknowledging Our Straying: Like lost sheep, we sometimes wander away from God’s path. We make mistakes, lose focus, and drift along with the culture. Yet, even in our waywardness, God seeks us out. He doesn’t abandon us. Instead, He lovingly calls us back, inviting us to return to His ways.

Heavenly Father, we long for Your salvation. Your law is our delight, and we seek to live according to Your commands. When we stray from Your path, gently guide us back to You. May our lives be a testimony of Your sustaining grace. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

-- Author Unknown

#5852

PRAYER IS…

“Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore!”  (1 Chronicles 16:10-11 NKJV)

Prayer is co-operation with God. It is the purest exercise of the faculties God has given us -- an exercise that links these faculties with the Maker to work out the intentions He had in mind in their creation. Prayer is aligning ourselves with the purposes of God...

Prayer is commitment. We don't merely co-operate with God with certain things held back within. We, the total person, co-operate. This means that co-operation equals commitment. Prayer means that the total you is praying. Your whole being reaches out to God, and God reaches down to you...

Prayer is communion. Prayer is a means, but often it is an end in itself. There are times when your own wants and the needs of others drop away and you want just to look on God's face and tell Him how much you love Him...

Prayer is commission. Out of the quietness with God, power is generated that turns the spiritual machinery of the world.  When you pray, you begin to feel the sense of being sent, that the divine compulsion is upon you... 

-- E. Stanley Jones in “Growing Spiritually”

#5851

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”  (Luke 11:1 NIV)

He was a gifted Preacher, a powerful Person, a Man who drew people to Himself, yet search as you will, His disciples never ask Jesus how to preach or how to become a magnetic person.  But they do ask Him:  "Lord, teach us to pray."  Somehow they realized that behind that magnetic and productive life lay a power unknown to them, a source untapped by them.

They had seen Him get up early in the morning [to pray].  They had known Him to stay up late at night [praying].  They knew He prayed as the need arose.  More than once they caught Him in meditation.  "Lord, teach us to pray."  We, too, want to know the secret of a productive life.  We, too, want to tap the source of power. 

-- H.S. Vigeveno in “Jesus the Revolutionary” 

#5850

WHY BOTHER TO PRAY?

Why should we expend the energy to pray?

I found there are several reasons – but the first is all we really need to know.  God has told us to pray.  It is a commandment, and if we love Him, we obey His commands.

But there is a second reason: We pray because Jesus prayed.  Sometimes people will say the only reason for prayer is that we need to be changed.  Yes, we do need to change, but that's not the only reason to pray.  Jesus didn't need to be changed or be made more holy.  When He prayed He was communing with His Father.  He thanked God.  He praised Him.  He asked for things.  He requested power.  He prayed on behalf of others.  He asked that the devil be bridled.  He asked His Father to prevent what was about to take place.  He made clear His own will.  He prayed as though His petitions had a definite effect on God's design.

In light of God's clear commands and our Lord's unmistakable example, it's obvious we believers "should always pray and never give up" (Luke 18:1).  God does not want us to shrug our shoulders, shuffle our feet, and mutter, "Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be."  On the contrary, Scripture makes it plain that we are involved with this life of ours -- and the lives of others as well.  Certain things simply will not happen… unless we pray.

-- Joni Earkeckson Tada in “Glorious Intruder”

#5849