“But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:10‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

-
God’s grace is misunderstood by most people. It is not given to us to stop excelling toward God but it is given to us to motivate us toward God. Because God loves us so much He wants the best for us so then he gives us something we really don’t deserve. 

Mercy is related to grace but it is the opposite. God holds back something we deserve so that we are not overtaken by it. 

Grace is given to us to be effective in us. Paul did not misuse the Grace given to him but understood that it was given to produce something in his life and He allowed it. And then He worked toward achieving what it was given for. Because of His past, He relied on Grace to motivate him to press on in this life. His past haunted him but he kept the faith, he was determined to finish the race called life.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭HCSB‬‬
https://www.bible.com/72/2ti.4.7.hcsb

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:3-6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬
https://www.bible.com/72/2ti.2.3-6.hcsb

I was diving home listen to the radio and God spoke to me saying, “My grace is for those who are trying.” God does not extend His grace for us to give up but to press on toward him. The grace of Jesus does not make life easier but harder. It does however make waiting on heaven easier. God bestows on us glimpses of what heaven will be like and it should motivate us to press on toward it.

We are not really deserving of anything God wants to give us but He is a good Father and wants the best for us. If we are lost and undone he will be watching and expecting and calling for us when we return. If we are home what is His is ours. 


“So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I’m no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 
“But the father told his slaves, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let’s celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! ’ So they began to celebrate. 
“Now his older son was in the field; as he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

“Then he became angry and didn’t want to go in. So his father came out and pleaded with him. But he replied to his father, ‘Look, I have been slaving many years for you, and I have never disobeyed your orders, yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 
‘Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭15:20-25, 28-31‬ ‭HCSB‬‬
https://www.bible.com/72/luk.15.20-25,28-31.hcsb

Grace and mercy were extended to the prodigal son when He was within sight of the father. The older son had all the grace of the father already and did not ask for anything, but yet felt gypped. 

We can get trapped in these two mindsets. either we want all the blessings but don’t want to work or we work and do not take advantage of the blessing of the house. We must find the happy middle. Where we are working hard for God and get to enjoy his grace toward us.

“For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:3‬ ‭HCSB‬‬
https://www.bible.com/72/rom.12.3.hcsb 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The women with the issue of blood

-
Image
​ The women with the issue of blood Soon after I was married our pastor’s wife gave a message called “The Hem of Him” and this woman was the main subject of her message. She talked about how she had to press through the crowd to get to Jesus. She talked about how she was unclean and should not be in the crowd. Then she related it to us that we have to press through all the doubts, internal and external, to get to Jesus. Most certainly we all have heard a message of this woman.  Did you pick up that she had an issue with bleeding for 12 years? Jairus’ daughter was 12 years old. Of course, neither the women nor Jairus knew this but Jesus did. And was willing to help both the synagogue ruler and this poor woman the same. He did not show favoritism but was moved by their faith.  Could this woman have touched a tassel on Jesus’ robe or did she just touch the hem of it? “The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels
Read more

The Word of God is #1 living!

-
Image
​ I want to take the next 4 to 6 posts in BQTT to dwell on what “the word of God is”. The Word of God is #1 living! In our hands, we do not hold some dusty old relic of some 35 to 40 authors. But a living book written by God through the hands of many different people over 1,000’s of years. Have you ever been reading a normal book and a few words jump off the page to say, “Hey, read me again.”? I bet there have been very few times this has happened, but now, how often have the words written in the Bible done that for you? If you spend any amount of time reading the Bible I would say it has happened more than the normal literature.  Last night I was lying down and a verse reference popped into my head. I did not immediately know the words of this verse but had to look it up.  The verse was, “Who makes a god or casts a metal image for no profit?” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭44‬:‭10‬ ‭HCSB ‬‬ This is another aspect of the Bible being alive. The Holy Spirit will bring verses back to memory that we have long
Read more

Jephthah a Judge Whose Words Mattered

-
Image
​ “When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. They said to him, “Come, be our commander, and let’s fight against the Ammonites.” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭11‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭HCSB ‬‬ Judge #10 Jephthah Jephthah is an interesting judge. First, he was kicked out of the family because he was the son of a prostitute. But then he was called upon because of his military might. He reasoned with the king who was fighting against Israel. He made a vow that ended in the death of his only daughter. Then he fought against Ephraim, a tribe in Israel, and killed them based on their accent. “Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭11‬:‭2‬ ‭HCSB ‬‬ “Jephthah the Gileadite was a great warrior, but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭HCSB ‬‬ “Jephthah sent messeng
Read more