Month: February 2017

Question: “What is the definition of grace?”

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Answer: The gospel message is the good news of God’s grace, so it is important to know what grace is and to constantly seek to get a better view of what grace does in our lives. Grace is an essential part of God’s character. Grace is closely related to God’s benevolence, love, and mercy. Grace can be variously defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us abundantly, in spite of the fact that we don’t deserve to be treated so well or dealt …

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Who do you say that I am?” Denying Jesus

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Who do you say that I am?” Denying Jesus Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father, who is in heaven. Strong words from Jesus (Matthew 10:33; Luke 12:9). But wait! The Apostle Peter denied Jesus, not just once but three times! So has Jesus denied even Peter — one of the twelve original apostles, a primary figure in the founding and growth of the early Christian Church (Acts 2, 10), and writer of two books of His Holy Word (1 and 2 Peter)? The answer is of course, no. In fact, the lesson …

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The Lord is my peace.

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I will not live in anxiety.
He puts me under His wing of comfort and calms my spirit within me.
He takes all my anxieties on Himself and helps me to focus on Him.
Yes, though I walk through a time of grave uncertainties and fierce anxieties,
I will not fret — for You are my peace.
Your Word and presence calm me now.
You hold my uncertainties in the palm of Your hand.
You soothe my anxious mind — You smooth my wrinkled brow.
Surely serenity and trust in You shall fill me all the days of my life.
And I shall keep my mind stayed on You forever.

Dillow, Linda

John 16:33 – These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

1 Peter 5:7 – Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

Do I Trust God, or My Understanding?

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Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. (Prov 3:5) If there is one thing that comes natural, it is to put trust in our understanding. People assume that, “the way they see it,” is the way it IS. The way WE feel about something, or someone, we assume is the way it IS. We use ourselves as the measuring tape by which all things are evaluated. This is, of course, not only self-trust, but arrogance. And unfortunately, many Christians are not free of such nonsense. There are a number of ways to …

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Revelation Message 57 The Source of Sin and Pride- Satan Bound for 1000 years

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The elimination of pride in the Kingdom. Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Isaiah 14 & Ezekiel 28 give us some information of the source of sin and its worst aspect pride.Man will be rightly related to God
Universal peace between men
Animals will return to their Edenic state
Renovation of the heavens and earth
Elimination of infant mortality
Minimum human longevity is one hundred years
Death in the Kingdom is limited to unbelievers
The incentive for sin will be greatly reduced
Many of the effects of the curse will be removed
Warfare and inter-human calamity will be removed
The Church Age saints as well as Tribulation and OT saints will have glorified bodies
God will control the entire government from Jerusalem

Most of the exact nature of the effects of the Fall will be removed from the earth at that time. When Satan lured Eve into disobeying God she let sin and decay into the arena of time and space. What exactly was this sin that Satan imparted to Eve and has become endemic to mankind; even celebrated. It is pride; the source of all sin and that which is an abomination to God. We may say it is not in us but God knows otherwise.
Lucifer was the most anointed cherub prior to his prideful ambition to assume God’s role.
Isaiah 14:12-15 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Received From Above

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Reflections A man can possess nothing, except it be given him from heaven. (John 3:27) John the Baptist was, of course, referring to the things of God. It is certainly possible for people to possess much through their own efforts, and to possess things that are outside of the will of God. John is saying that what is of God must come from God. Paul the apostle said the same thing: “Don’t you know your own selves that unless Christ is in you — you are a reprobate?” (II Cor. 13:5) A reprobate is a person who is of no …

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Service Is Not an Option

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Regardless of how large or small their task, all believers should serve God to enlarge and equip His kingdom Titus 2:11-15 11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 15 …

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One Mediator

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REFLECTIONS For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Tim 2:5) A, “mediator,” is a proxy; one who connects two parties. Jesus Christ is the sole Mediator between the believer and God. If Christ is in us, then by His very presence in us, we are joined to both Him and the Father. Now, notice what this means: It means that there must NEVER be introduced anyone or anything into our relationship with God who acts as ANOTHER mediator. There are no mediators in addition to Christ – there is no …

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OUR WAY OR GOD’S WAY

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Moses learned the hard way that relying on our own understanding and strength is a mistake.   Exodus 2:11-25 (KJV) 11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews …

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Taking Up the Cross

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Reflections If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matt. 16:24-25) If I am saved — if I am raised in Christ — it is only because I have taken my place in His Cross. That is a once and for all and forever reality. But here we see the working out of that finished reality. We have to progressively relinquish all that is contrary to Christ to …

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CALLED TO COURAGE

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Joshua 3:1-17 3 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two …

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A New Creature

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“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) We are saved when Jesus Christ joins us to Himself. Since He is THE LIFE, then when we are joined to Him, we are ALIVE in Him. We are planted together with Him in His death — and then what is birthed through His resurrection is the new creature in Christ Jesus. “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his …

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Genesis Message 58 The Abrahamic Covenant Transfers to Jacob

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The fact is that God had determined in advance who should get it and announced that to Rebecca in Genesis 25: 23. Esau had violated his birthright for a bowl of stew and permanently removed himself from consideration. Now it seems that Isaac is about to attempt a reversal of the birthright over a bowl of venison. Perhaps his taste for venison governed his behavior. With Isaac’s action here Rebecca made a crucial decision to correct this. Most Bible commentators and pastors who elucidate these passages find fault with Jacob for “stealing” the birthright. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Esau was not worthy, Jacob had been prophesied as the rightful Covenantal heir and Rebecca saw Isaac’s failure to carry out God’s will. This speaks volumes to the problem we have in Christianity. Most people do not read the Bible carefully. The theological term for letting the text speak to us is exegesis. When we read what we want the text to say instead it is called eisegesis.

Itching Ears

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Reflections For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (II Tim. 4:3-4) If I have been deceived, there are REASONS – there are reasons why people believe error rather than the Truth. And it is a fact that those reasons are found in our own hearts. Only through knowing Jesus Christ and giving ourselves to Him can our heart be made pure, and can it be …

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