He Gives Life

 Act 17:28,25
For in Him we live, and move, and have our being;..seeing He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things..

He is all in all. With our whole being we make Him Lord of our Life. We live because He lives and provides us with all that is needed to survive on earth, and life beyond the grave. No one holds their own destiny. We make choices that determine our destiny, but our life is ultimately in the hands of God. The breath we take daily is given to us by our Creator, who determines when we will take our last. We live each day thinking there will always be a tomorrow, but out of nowhere, like vapor, it is gone. A tragic accident, a heart attack, or cancer makes its way into our life, and we are now counting the days. We don’t hold the number of days, we can only hold on to Christ who is our life, even in death He is our substance and our being. 
As my wife and I walked around the cemetery on the mountain side of Morrison to start making arrangements for our burial place, I was made aware of the certainty of death and the unpredictability of life. Gravestone markers of people of all ages. I wondered how many knew Jesus. Did they have eternal life that only Jesus can give?
 There are many teachings out in the world that give false hope. Paul faced this in Athens, where images of false gods were erected throughout the land. He acknowledged that they had been blinded to the truth, but He preached Jesus, and admonished them to repent. We still live in a day of many false gods. We who are born of God, and have life in Christ, have the answer to the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and life, and He alone can take that which is dead and give it life and life everlasting.  

My Grace is Sufficient

 2 Corinth 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul, the great Apostle of Jesus Christ was given a “thorn in the flesh” that was a constant temptation to question his faith. Satan used it against him to weaken his resolve. It is not clear what this “thorn in the flesh” was, but it was big enough that Paul requested 3 times for it to be removed. Paul surmised that it was put there to keep him humbled and depended on Christ. It reminded him how human he was, and how great God’s grace is to help him in his suffering, and overcome the obstacles that are set before him. When we come to the end of our endurance, realize the weakness of our humanity, His grace is sufficient. Sometimes God has to bring us to that place in our lives when we must trust in the power of Christ to see us through. The mighty arm of the flesh will fail us. Man’s ego, when not submitted to God can cause us to depend on our own strength and abilities, like Nebuchadnezzar, we can be exalted above measure. Paul asked that this thorn be removed, but God’s will was for it to remain. Paul, a man of prayer and faith, did not question God, but accepted God's control and will over his life. Things will come into our lives that will be a “thorn in the flesh”, But Christ, who knows what is best for us, says, “My grace is sufficient, keep trusting Me.”

Abundant Grace

 1 Tim 12:14
And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Paul claimed to be the worst of all sinners. His life before coming to Christ was filled with unbelief and evil intent to hurt those who were followers of Jesus. There are many who have given testimony to a life that is wicked and evil, and how God’s grace through faith and love in Christ lifted them out of the pit of sin and gave them a new beginning. But the truth of the matter is that we ALL are sinners. We may have been brought up in a home that taught and trained us to be good and decent people. To be kind and considerate to others. The rich young ruler was such a person. Jesus told him to keep the commandment he said,  “All these things have I kept from my youth up.” Being a good person was not enough. Jesus did come to teach us how to be good people, but His main purpose for His coming was to save sinners. No matter the depth of our sinfulness, His exceedingly abundant grace reaches each one of us with His love. “In that we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Whether you are the chief of sinners or raised to be a good person, we all need His grace. We all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Believe in Him and His abundant grace will save you!

Kick Against the Pricks

 Acts. 9:5

And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

“To kick against the pricks” is an idiom that implies the fruitlessness of resisting authority or truth. Saul (Paul) on his way to Damascus, encounters his resistance (Jesus). He came face to face with God, and try as he might he could no longer resist that inner voice that no doubt was speaking to him since the day he witnessed the death of Stephen. The Holy Spirit had arrested Paul with convictions, and Paul finally quit resisting and yielded his heart to Jesus. It is difficult to resist the prodding of the Holy Spirit when He convicts the heart of sin. When people do so, they only bring more hurt to themselves. God will use every means to bring others to the light. He will not force submission, but in His faithfulness, He will continue to “prick” to show others the way to go to find true peace. Let us not “kick” against the moving of God, but let us yield to His will and let Him have complete control of our lives.

Sing Praises

Act. 16: 25  Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them…

Praise sets the captive free. When we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, and have exhausted our resources, we can pray and praise our way through. The impact and influence of our lives often will reach beyond our personal hard times. How we face hardships is a witness to unbelievers that we have put our trust in something beyond our own resources. Our attitude and spirit in the times of trouble will be observed by others and will determine if living for Jesus really matters. Complaining about our plight in life does not bring glory to God. Praising God in spite of circumstances demonstrates that God is in control and we our submitted to His perfect will.

Comforted and Established

May 25^th, 2008

1 Thessalonians 3:1-13

There are many who start out the race who do not finish. They are hindered from finishing for many reasons. Paul is concern that these new born in Christ become established in Christ. He knows that there will be obstacles that they will face that may cause them to turn back to their former ways. It is important that a new Christian be disciple and instructed in the Truth of God’s way. For those who are establish in God, must continue to increase in love toward the love of Christ and others.

News from Abroad

• Sends Timothy
• The comfort in knowing
• Staying informed

New Converts

• Babes in Christ need nourishment
• Guided in doctrine
• Instructed in proper conduct
• Grow increase in God- draw nigh to God

Never Turn Back

• Admonition to press on
• Don’t quit when the roads gets tough
• Suffering and afflictions will come
• Satan will attempt to discourage

Need for Fellowship

• Desire to be with God’s people
• Forsake not the Assembly
• Sharing each others burdens

Night and Day Praying

• The importance of daily devotion
• Prayer time- mediation- study
• Thanksgiving and praise

Nature of the Heart

• To increase in Love toward God and other
• Establish our heart to live blameless and Holy
• Only the pure in heart will be ready for His coming

Follower of the Lord

May 18^th, 2008

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

There are many people out in the world who inspire others to follow them. They see themselves as leaders for a particular cause. Paul was such a person, but his cause was for others to follow Christ. He always was aware of the awesome responsibility to be an ensample how one should be a follower of Christ. Many looked to him for guidance and direction. As believers, we have a responsibility also to lead others to Christ and live so that others see our good works and desire also to follow Christ.

Greetings from Paul

• Different than Galatians
• God’s Blessing and favor

Giving Thanks Always

• Words of appreciation
• In all things give thanks
• Praying for others brings unity

Great Work of Faith and Love

• Work of faith- Believing God in spite of all
• Labor of love- Love of God compels-love demonstrated
• Patience of hope- Never give up

Gospel Power

• Words are empty without anointing
• Power comes through believing and prayer

Guide to Christ

• Ensample unto others
• Looking to the saint for spiritual direction
• Pointing others to Christ

God-Ward Faith

• On the move for God
• Spreading the Word
• Always drawing closer to God

Going with God

• No longer in sin
• New creature in Christ Jesus

Grace of Deliverance

• Christ died for our sins
• Christ rose that we might have life
• Christ is coming for those who believe