Grace For The Journey

  As a pastor, it burdens my soul and breaks my heart to hear so many people tearfully say, “That was the one thing I thought I could never do!”  Whether it was a season of gambling . . . a drinking binge . . . a descent into immorality . . . a time of wandering off into some far country . . . surrendering to the temptation of touch-of-a-button internet pornography . . . or countless other scenarios, the cry is universal: “I never believed I could do that!”

The Bible is full of examples of what happens to broken people living in a broken world with other broken people, especially when they thump their chests and utter the word never.  Here is arguably the most memorable “never” in Scripture, where Jesus foretold Peter’s denial:

“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away because of Me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.’ Peter answered Him, ‘Though they all fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ Peter said to him, ‘Even if I must die with You, I will not deny You!” And all the disciples said the same.’”  (Matthew 26:30-35)

Peter really did suffer from “foot-in-mouth” disease.  In response to Jesus telling all the disciples that they would all fall away, Peter insisted, “I could never do that!”  But Peter wasn’t content to contradict Jesus – as if that wasn’t bad enough!  He went on to elevate himself and his commitment to Jesus above the other disciples, saying, “Though they all fall away . . . I will never!”  And, of course, Matthew’s gospel shows us the slippery slope we all stand on when we boast loudly of our own strength and resolve. Peter went on to deny Jesus – not once, but three times . . . just as Jesus had warned him.

When we believe there is something we could never do, we begin to let our guard down.  When we do that, we leave ourselves wide open to the attacks of the flesh, the world, and the devil.  We shift our focus away from Jesus and put in on ourselves.  And when we do that, it’s just a matter of time before we find ourselves doing the very thing we loudly insisted we could never do.

Instead of making our hollow boast about what we will never do, we must cry out every day and ask God to give us grace to withstand the flaming arrows Satan sends our way.  We are never more than one poor decision away from making an appalling mess of everything; the more we focus on what we could never do, we move that much closer to making that poor decision.

Learn and live by these two Gospel truths:

• The only strength that will sustain us is His strength.
• The only commitment we can count on is His commitment to us.

Let us never say “never,” apart from attaching our confidence to the grace and goodness of God, freely given to us in Jesus Christ.  His power is made perfect in our weakness; when we admit that weakness, we are strong in Him!  (If you have any doubts about that, read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.)

Stand on God’s eternal Word, “Blessed be the Lord!  for He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”  (Psalm 28:6-7)

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

  In order to understand what the Bible means when it tells us we are “more than conquerors,” we must first understand what a conqueror is. Here is the basic definition:

• To overcome or surmount by physical, mental, or moral force
• To gain or secure control of by or as if by force of arms
• To be victorious, a winner

So . . . what does it mean to be more than a conqueror? Let’s take a look at the phrase in its Biblical context and see if we can find a deeper meaning.

The Bible says in Romans 8:37-39, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

To be more than a conqueror is to be “in Christ.” Those who do not know Christ know nothing of this biblical truth. To be sure, they can be conquerors (as even a cursory reading of history will attest) and overcome by physical, mental, or moral force. But they cannot be “more than” a conqueror without Christ.

For the Christian, being more than a conqueror is should be our mark in this life. Regardless of the problems or obstacles we face, Christians can know that they can and already have overcome through Christ. Christians live confidently in Christ, knowing that regardless of what obstacle or enemy we face on this side of the grave, we are eternally loved, secure, and can never be separated from “the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You see, when this truth of being more than a conqueror rules our hearts, it shapes our lives. It’s not that we will never face struggles, storms, and sorrows; we will! But even in the midst of these trials, we know we will get through them all because of the One who loves us and laid His life down for us. So regardless of what you are going through, remember that Jesus is with you every step of the way and will bring you safely through to the other side.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  Did you know that faith leaves footprints? So do doubt and fear. The difference is found in the one making the footprint. The footprints of doubt and fear are the ones we make; the footprints of faith are made by the Faithful One, our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and these are the ones that we are to walk in.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

You see, it’s the difference between walking by sight (focusing on the natural) and walking by faith (focusing on the supernatural). The Bible is full of both examples. Let’s take a look at both extremes in one passage – Matthew 14:25-32: “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’  ‘Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.’ ‘Come,’ He said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘O, you of little faith,’ He said, ‘Why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”

When you think about it, it was really no big deal for Jesus to be walking on water. He is God and the One who created the water and who sustains all things by His powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). But for Peter to do it was another thing altogether. For Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water required that he walk by faith and not by sight. He needed to trust in Jesus and not himself. And this biblical account tells us that is exactly what happened . . . at least at first.

But Peter turned his focus away from Jesus and locked on to his circumstances – the winds and the waves. He began to sink as soon as he started walking by sight. What a wonderful example we have of the difference between walking by faith and by sight!

The footprints of faith are only found when we are walking in Christ’s purpose and power. In the natural, Peter could never have walked on the top of the water. But when he trusted totally in Jesus, he was able to rise above the natural and walk in the supernatural.

So . . . where in your life do you need to shift your focus away from your circumstances – the winds and waves of challenge – and put them back on Christ? What boat of unbelief do you need to step out of today so that you can walk in the purpose and power of your faithful Savior? Take that step by faith, and take it now. You’ll be glad you did.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  I want to take a moment in the middle of another week to reflect on our motivation for the ministry we engage in for our Lord and Master.  First, let me once again dispel the notion that only those in “full-time,” “professional” positions in the church or para-church organizations are in ministry for the Master.  Every child born of grace is in full-time ministry, regardless of the work they perform (excluding, of course, work that would be prohibited by the revealed truth of Scripture – (i.e, dealing drugs, prostitution, pornography, etc.).  The butcher, baker, and candlestick maker are all in full time ministry and should be “rendering service with a good will as to the Lord” (Ephesians 6:7) for the glory of our risen King.  With that understood, let’s take a look at our motivation for ministry.

Have you ever felt unqualified or inadequate for the ministry of service God has called you to?  If not, reflect more deeply on who you really are and what He has called you to . . . and you will!  Feeling unqualified and inadequate puts us in good company.  The apostle Paul felt this way.

“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”  (Ephesians 3:8)

Paul knew he did not live up to the truth he was teaching and preaching.  Yet he understood a great truth that we all need to understand:

His ministry was a grace given to him by the Lord Jesus Christ

. . . And so is yours!

Paul never felt worthy or adequate in his calling.  He knew who he was before Jesus showed up (a great sinner in need of a great Savior), and he knew what he was after Jesus showed up (a saved sinner in need of a great Savior).  Yet he fulfilled his calling, because he knew it was because it was caused by God’s grace and not his own goodness or good works.

It is only when we see our calling as a result solely of the undeserved and unmerited favor of God that we can we get past the concern for our worthiness and adequacy. Every person who has ever ministered in the name of the Most High God has been unworthy and inadequate – except, of course, for Jesus Himself.

For the rest of us, it is all because of God’s grace

. . . it is only because of God’s grace . . . period!

Some readers might be thinking: “What about my clear gifting in my area of ministry?” That is a fair question.  It is answered in 1 Corinthians 4:7 when Paul rhetorically asked the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive?”  Do you think your gift is something that you somehow generated yourself?

The Bible says in Romans 12:6, “We have different gifts according to the grace given us.”

The spiritual gifts Paul was speaking about, gifts which equip, enable, and empower us to perform our ministries to the glory of the Master, are only a result of God’s grace.  John the Baptist stated, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (John 3:27).  We did not earn these gifts.  We did not merit these gifts. We did not deserve these gifts.  They are nothing less than a gracious gift from our good God, to be used for His glory in the advancement of the cause of His kingdom.  Both the gifts and the ministries in which we are to use them are gifts of God’s amazing grace.

So what is our motivation for ministry?  We know we don’t deserve to minister in the name of Jesus, and yet He has determined to call us into service.  The key is found in 2 Corinthians 4:1 – “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.”

We are unworthy.  We are inadequate.  We are undeserving.  But we are His, and He has called us into service for His glory, and that is enough to know!  Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, never lost sight of his unworthiness and inadequacy as an apostle and writer.  But he balanced his understanding of his emptiness with the fullness of Christ.  To be sure, Paul knew he was undeserving of his calling, but because Jesus called him, that was enough to know.

We claim nothing in and of ourselves.  If we are gifted, it is because He has gifted us.  If we are fruitful, it is because He has made us fruitful.  If we are blessed, it is because He has blessed us.  Everything we get that is good comes from Him (see James 1:17).

Knowing that it is all of God’s grace is the motivation for ministry.

Knowing it is not about us and it is all about Him is the motivation to keep on keeping on, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  I cannot tell you how many people in the church today are living with a deep and abiding sense of remorse.  The dictionary defines remorse as “a deep and painful regret of wrongdoing;” that ‘painful regret” is exactly what has a death grip on far too many Christians, keeping them from growing into the man or woman God is calling them to be.

Before we go any further, let me make it clear that I believe the Scriptures teaches that wrongdoing should be followed by a godly sorrow and repentance (see 2 Corinthians 7:9-10); and in that godly sorrow we should go directly to God for two reasons: to confess our sin and to be cleansed from it (1 John 1:9).  But when that confession and cleansing has been done, we are to be done with it.  As Paul wrote, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).  The grace and goodness of God – not guilt – is to be the mark of the Christian life.  Our loving Lord came to die on the cross to free us from shame and remorse, not to burden us with it!

We all have pasts that are littered with wrongdoing . . .

• In our friendships.
• In our marriages.
• In our parenting.
• In our careers.
• In our finances.
• In our nutrition.
• In our exercise program (or lack of it).
• In our failures.

And on and on and on.  With all of this wrongdoing, we might easily think the die is cast and there is no hope in making things right.  But that is simply wrong!

Wrongdoing is a part of life, because we are broken people living in a broken world. Instead of living with a sense of remorse, we need to chart a better course, one that is guided by the light of Gospel truths.  Our past does not determine our present.  Broken hearts can be mended.  Distant relationships can be restored.  Unfulfilled promises can be kept.  Dead dreams can be resurrected.  All of this is possible because of the power of the Gospel.

All the mistakes and misdeeds you committed in your past were nailed to that dirty tree on Calvary.  All of them!  Understanding this frees us from the trap of remorse to chart a better course.  Because of the power of the Gospel, the die is not cast and hope is not lost.  We serve a God of second chances . . . and third chances . . . and . . . !  Peter was charting a course of remorse after having fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy and denying Him three times before the rooster crowed.  But Jesus charted a better course than remorse for Peter.

The Bible says in John 21:15-17, “When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed My lambs.’ He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, You know everything; you know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’”  (John 21:15-17)

The Bible tells us that after Peter denied his Lord he went outside the courtyard and wept bitterly.  Peter was filled with a godly sorrow for his wrongdoing.  He was broken by his sin, and this is the response that flows from the heart that loves Jesus.  But Jesus did not leave Peter there!  If it were left up to Peter, the course of the rest of his life would likely have been marked by regret and guilt.  Jesus changed all of that, and He did it by reconnecting Peter with the only thing that could remove his remorse: Jesus! Jesus reconnected Peter to Himself and the calling He had for him.  And this is the power of the Gospel that is available to every child of God, regardless of the past . . . and that includes you and me.

So . . . where in your life has regret and guilt been altering your course and keeping you from being all God is calling you to be . . . personally?  Professionally?  Relationally?

Jesus is asking you the same question today that He asked Peter over 2000 years ago: “Do you love Me?”  And if your answer is “Yes,” then get on with the business of feeding His sheep in whatever capacity God has called you to.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  I would like to begin this week by sharing with you a word or encouragement on the need for continual commitment when it comes to pursuing a life of holiness and obedience to our Lord.

In our ongoing battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil, we must be serious enough to make specific commitments to stand against the temptations that we face every day. Here are two wonderful examples from the biblical record that are a source of great encouragement and strength for every Christian in the middle of the battle.

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”  (Job 31:1)

“Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.”  (Daniel 1:8)

In The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges wrote, “We are vulnerable to [two] kinds of temptations. Some arise from indwelling sin that still resides in our hearts; others come as a result of the environment in which we live or work.”

Job, who lived centuries before the time of Christ, provides insight into the Christian condition, a condition that remains sinful even after Jesus shows up. Sin no longer reigns in our lives, but it certainly remains, and we are to take sword to it every day. The temptation Job battled is one which all men and women face today: the inclination to look lustfully at someone. The ongoing temptation to do this is simply a result of the indwelling sin that remains in us.

Daniel, on the other hand, made it clear that we face temptation because we live in a sinful culture. Daniel lived in an unholy environment; but instead of giving in to it, Daniel resolved to remain holy, regardless of the cost.

Some people mistakenly think that making such commitments is “works of the flesh” and we ought not to be doing such things. We need only trust in God, they say. Well, let me provide a news flash. To be sure, we must trust in God and His empowering grace to provide the strength we need to resist temptations. But we must make the commitment to resist them! Resisting temptation must be our serious commitment if we are ever to make progress against it. We must pray and work, as much as it is within our power to do so. Job and Daniel remind us that the battle is both within and without, and we must be on guard on both fronts.

So . . . in what areas do you need to consider making specific commitments to fight against temptation? Are you willing to do so? Make no mistake; God has given you the greatest motive and motivation for sustained effort against temptation: His name is Jesus Christ. Keeping in view what Jesus has done on our behalf and will do in our future is the fuel that ignites the fire of our faith and inspires continual commitment to fight against all temptations – within and without.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  There is something that needs to be made perfectly clear about the power of the Gospel.  Every Christian is eternally safe in his or her standing in Christ.

• Not because of good works.
• Not because of trying harder and doing more.
• Not because of personal merit.
• Not because of self-righteousness.
• Not because of the consistent practice of the spiritual disciplines.

Because Jesus lived the perfect life and went to the cross to pay the penalty for sin, He has secured for all eternity the relationship between the Christian and God.  (John 10:27-30 – “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”)

The Bible says in Romans 8:35-39, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But inasmuch as we are safe in our standing before God, unable to be separated from the love of God in Christ, we frequently don’t feel very safe as we go sledding down the icy hills of life.  There is a war that rages inside us, and we feel the stress of that combat.

The Bible says in Galatians 5:17, “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

Sin no longer reigns over us, but it most certainly remains in us!  In the heart of every believer there is a never-ending battle between the old nature and the new nature.

Charles Spurgeon explained:

“The old nature is very active, and loses no opportunity of plying all the weapons of its deadly armory against newborn graces.  The enemy is so securely entrenched within us that he can never be driven out while we are in this body: but although we are closely beset, and often in sore conflict, we have an Almighty helper, even Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, who is ever with us, and who assures us that we shall eventually come off more than conquerors through Him.”

I once heard an older saint say with wry frustration, “If Satan is bound [Revelation 20:2], he’s bound to my right leg!”  Do not think it peculiar that you battle morning, noon, and night with the evil forces of darkness.  It is a fact of life that every child of God faces. But we do not battle alone!

“I will not leave you as orphans,” Jesus promised; “I will come to you” (John 14:18).  Omnipotence is with us, and He will strengthen us in our weakness . . . in all our weakness, in our thoughts, words, deeds, and desires.  And knowing that we are eternally secure in our standing we can find strength enough to keep fighting the battle, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

“Let not your hearts be troubled,” our Savior said, “neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  Far too many in today’s church believe that the Gospel is only for reaching the lost.  They see the Gospel as a set of truths that must be believed in order to receive eternal life – but nothing more.  The problem with this view is that it limits the Gospel to the door leading into the Christian life, when in fact it is also the floor upon which to build the Christian life.  Regardless of how long we have been walking with Jesus, we are never freed from our need of a daily dose of the Gospel!

After we are saved from the penalty and power of sin, we still need the Gospel to save us from the presence of sin.

Sin no longer reigns, but it still remains;

because of this we need a daily dose of the Gospel truth about what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.  The Gospel is not only for the unbeliever living in the far country, it is also for believers who wander off into the far country from time to time.  We require daily Gospel-reminders to reach deep into our hearts and reconnect us with our first love, the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the things we never needed to debate at First Baptist Church was whether we wanted to gear our services toward believers or unbelievers.  If the service is focused on believers, the message is crafted to strengthen them in their walk with Christ.  On the other hand, a service focused on unbelievers delivers a message designed to win them to Christ.  The reason we do not need to focus specifically on one group or the other is the fact that both groups are sinners in desperate need of God’s grace and rescue . . . DAILY!  The Gospel is needed by everyone every day of every week.

We are not saved by the Gospel and then expected to grow up into Christ by the spiritual sweat of our brow.  We are saved by the Gospel and then we are sanctified as the same Gospel is applied to our hearts daily.  God pursued us with His Gospel when we were first saved, but it didn’t stop there.  God continues to pursue us daily with His Gospel.  Daily doses of grace are a continuing requirement for saved-by-grace sinners who are locked in the ongoing battle against sin.  Without the Gospel applied to our hearts each day, we naturally tend to drift into a performance-based relationship with God.  Without the Gospel applied to our hearts each day, we begin to believe that the more we do and the harder we try, the more God will love us and the more He will bless us.

But this is not how God wants us to think and live! Thank God for the freedom we have in the Gospel!  In Christ we already have the love and acceptance we long for.  There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more . . . and there is nothing we can do to cause God to love us any less!  We are loved because of Christ.  Because of what He has already done on our behalf, we find rest in the knowledge of our unconditional acceptance and the unwavering assurance that once we are His, we are His forevermore!

Let me close today’s blog with these beautiful words from Isaac Watts’ wonderful hymn, At the Cross:

Was it for crimes that I had done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity, grace unknown,

And love beyond degree!

 

At the cross, at the cross

Where I first saw the light,

And the burden of my heart rolled wway,

It was there by faith

I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  On a scale of 1-10, how content are you?  What would those closest to you say regarding your level of contentment?  How would your coworkers rate you?  Honestly now, does your score depend upon the circumstances you are facing at the time and God’s “painless” providence for your life?

The Bible says in Hebrews 13:5, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” 

Therein lies the key to exchanging chaos for contentment.  Chaos is found in the love of money, because regardless of how much you have, you never have enough. Contentment is found in Who you know – and His name is Jesus Christ.  Knowing what He has done for and that you will never walk this life alone is the key to exchanging chaos for contentment.  And the choice is always yours.

• Whether you are in plenty or want . . . He is with you!
• Whether you are in sickness or health . . . He is with you!
• Whether you are in prosperity or poverty . . . He is with you!

You see, contentment is never found in the stuff of life.  It is only found in the Savior.

Here is the great secret of life – He is enough!

We stumble into quicksand when we look for satisfaction in anything other than God. Nothing in this world was ever designed to do for us what only Jesus can do, and that is to replace a life of chaos with contentment.

In God’s economy, the stuff He gives us was never intended to satisfy us at the deepest level.  Only God can do that, because only God is big enough to fill the God-sized void inside of us that He placed there, so that we would cry out to Him alone and depend on Him alone!  When we focus on what the world offers, we find chaos instead of contentment.  But when we focus on what the living Word offers, we find true contentment, because we understand all our gifts must be held loosely.  It is never “the stuff” that destroys our contentment and fills our life with chaos; it is how tightly we hold on to it that does.  Hold on loosely to all your stuff and rest securely in your Savior.

One last great truth: if you ever think you cannot hold on and you find yourself losing your grip on Him, relax!  You were never holding Him in the first place!  He has had a hold on you from before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), and He has promised to never let go (John 10:28-29 – “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”)! The Bible also says in Romans 8:38-39, “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Now that is the ultimate source of continual contentment!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  When was the last time you had the odds stacked so high against you that the possibility of coming out on top seemed to be, well, impossible?  Today we will take a lesson from a man whose name means “Mighty Warrior.”  His story is recorded in the Book of Judges and he is also mentioned in the Hebrews 11 “Faith Hall of Fame.”  You may remember his name: Gideon, one of the twelve Judges selected by God to act as a temporary leader for the Israelites.

The Bible says in Judges 7:1-8, “Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.’ So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink.’ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.’ So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 3000 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.”

The Almighty is in the business of snatching victory out of the jaws of certain defeat – more accurately, you could say creating victory.  The Bible is replete with stories where God’s people faced odds that were stacked so highly against them that when victory was achieved, the only possible explanation was that God was responsible for it.

• He did it when the Israelites were trapped between Pharaoh’s approaching army and the Red Sea.
• He did it when the shepherd boy David agreed to do something the entire Israelite army refused to do: fight the giant Goliath.

 

And God did it again here.  Gideon started with 32,000 men to battle against the Midianite army of 135,000 men (Judges 8:10), but God told him he had too many soldiers!

I’d say the odds were already stacked steeply against Gideon (135,000 to 32,000—roughly 4-to-1), but God didn’t see it that way.  God instructed Gideon to find out who was “fearful and trembling” and send them home.  As soon as he did, 22,000 men scurried away, leaving Gideon with 10,000 troops.  Now the odds were much worse, roughly 13-to-1, but God still wasn’t finished stacking the odds against Gideon.  The Lord informed Gideon that He would test the men at the water.  When the test was over, only 300 men were left in Gideon’s “army.”  God had whittled Gideon’s force down from 32,000 to 300 and was preparing to send them into battle against a Midianite army that was 135,000 strong – unimaginable odds of roughly 450-to-1.  When the dust settled, God settled any question as to the cause of victory for Gideon: it was all of God! As the Lord of hosts said to Zerubbabel, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).

So . . . where in your life do the odds seem to be stacked high against you?  College acceptance?  Job promotion?  Too much month at the end of the money?  A prodigal child who has been a long time off in a far country?  A marriage on the rocks because you spent more time planning for the wedding than you did working on the marriage? Your doctor wants to see you for consultation after receiving the test results?  There could be many more examples, but the point is the same: God is in the business of bringing victory out of defeat – not because we deserve it or have earned it in any way, but simply because we are His.

Bought by the blood of the Lamb, you are precious in the sight of God.  Whatever you are facing today, you are not facing it alone.  Jesus said He would never leave you nor forsake you, regardless of the odds that are stacked against you.  Remember, God may simply be stacking those odds to make it clear to you and to the watching world that it is only God who could have achieved the victory.

As the Lord would say to Jehoshaphat: “Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15-16). He has already won your eternal victory; Christ announced it with a victory cry that split the rocks open!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”