Grace For The Journey

  The Bible says in Proverbs 22:29, “Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.”

Today’s word of encouragement is rooted in the following story . . .

A man passed by a construction site where several workers were laying bricks. He asked one of the workers, “What are you doing?”  The man answered, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m laying these stupid bricks!”  Going a little further, the man stopped and asked another worker, “What are you doing?”  The second worker replied, “I am making a wall.”  The passerby walked a little further, then asked a third man, “What are you doing?”  The third man exclaimed, “I am building a magnificent cathedral to the glory of God!”

What’s the difference between the miniscule vision of the first two workers and the magnificent vision of the third worker?

THE PRINCIPLE AND POWER OF PURPOSE!

The third worker worked for the glory of God!

So . . . how does this apply to you right now, right where this finds you? You need to see what you are doing as something bigger than what you are doing. If you are just trying to move past “hump day” to get to “Thank goodness it’s Friday,” you have missed the greater purpose in what you are doing. And that greater purpose is to bring the ultimate glory to your God! And how are we to do that? Through the pursuit of excellence.

When you pursue excellence in every area of your life – both personally and professionally – you will not be satisfied with just “getting through the day” and “surviving the week.” Rather, you will see everything you do as an opportunity to bring glory to God by giving your best effort and using the gifts, talents, and abilities God has given you in a way that demonstrates Whose you are and what He has called you to do.

Make no mistake, the Power of Purpose will propel you far beyond the level of simply surviving life, to succeeding for the glory of God. Don’t just lay bricks! Instead, resolve in your heart to build a cathedral, a monument for the glory of your God. This is the Power of Purpose, and it will serve you well, all the days of your life.

The Bible reminds us in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

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.”

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

Jesus says in John 14:13-14, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.””

Jesus says that we are to pray in His name.  Why is that important?  What’s in a name?  In a word . . . EVERYTHING . . . when it is the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Far too many in the church today have not appropriated the power of the deep truth of praying continually in the name of Jesus.

And here is what that means:

To ask in the name of Jesus is to ask

… According to the will of God

. . . According to the character of God

. . . And, for the glory of God.

When we keep prayer in this perspective, we realize that some of the things we ask for – perhaps many of the things we ask for – do not meet this biblical criteria. The key is keeping Jesus in view when we come before the throne of grace and petition our God for the desires of our heart.

A great many people have taken Jesus’ words – “If you ask anything in My name” – and twisted this biblical encouragement to the point where they see God as some kind of genie in a bottle. Others take this verse out of context and believe it to be some kind of magic formula for satisfying the selfish desires of their hearts. Make no mistake, our God will never grant any of our requests if they are contrary to His nature, His will, and His glory.

Here is the key that unlocks the door to living in the light of this biblical truth:

The closer we draw to Jesus,

The more our prayers will be in line

With what He wants for us.

God the Father is perpetually pleased to honor the name of His Son when we petition the throne of grace for things that bring honor and glory to His name. Remember, Jesus provided the greatest model for what we should sound like when praying to our Father in heaven: “Not my will, but thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!”

So . . . have the prayers you are lifting to heaven been for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God?  How can you pray with the confident expectation that our heavenly Father will do what you ask?

Know this:

If your prayers are prayed in the name of Jesus

According to the character and will of God

With the desire to bring glory to God …

You may hold this truth as your own. When you pray in this way, God will do what you ask. You have His Word on it!

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.”

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

   Today we’ll look at a portion of Scripture that is a source of great comfort and encouragement for anyone who is struggling with the things that are happening in your life.

The Bible says in Ezekiel 37:1-10, “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’  I said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, You alone know.’  Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’  So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.  Then He said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”

For far too many today, life is being lived in a valley of dry bones, very dry bones.  A career that once held great promise has careened out of control because of addiction.  A marriage that started in a magical world has ended up in a world of misery because of self-centeredness. A ministry of service that began building a monument to the glory of God has come crashing down in the ruins of everything a man once stood for.

Countless careers, marriages, and ministries have become nothing more than a valley of dry bones, very dry bones.  But this does not have to be your experience!

The prophet Ezekiel gives us a wonderful word of comfort and encouragement . . . no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in today. You see that the first vision given to the prophet was not a pretty sight – “I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley.” Dry, dead bones were scattered everywhere.

On the heels of this desolate picture of death we have the rhetorical question asked by our omnipotent God, “Can these bones live?” The answer we all must give, of course, is a resounding “YES,” for it is God asking the question and it is God who will breathe life into them. And God will breathe life into whatever area of your life is on “life support” right now.

• He will breathe new life into your struggling career.
• He will breathe new life into your strained marriage.
• God will breathe new life into your misaligned ministry of service to Him.

Notice the second vision: “The bones came together, bone to bone.” As of yet, however, there was no breath in them. Imagine what was running through the mind of the prophet when he heard the rattling sound of those dead dry bones coming together, attached by tendons, and being covered by flesh and skin!

But the vision did not stop there, because in spite of the miracle of putting the bodies back together again, there was still no life. So God took Ezekiel deeper in to his vision. God told him to prophesy and breath will enter them. And guess what? It did! From his first vision of being surrounded by nothing but dead, dry bones, the prophet now found himself standing in the midst of “a vast army” that God assembled right before his eyes.

Funny thing about God: He seems to enjoy bringing life out of death.

• He brought life to dead Adam with a breath in his nostrils.
• He brought life to these dead dry bones.
• He brought life to Lazarus in the tomb.
• He brought life to Peter after his denial of the Lord by giving to him a new vision of feeding God’s people.
• He brought life to Saul on the road to Damascus – Saul, who was dead in his trespasses and sins – and turned him into the apostle Paul.

And God can bring life to you and anything you are facing today that is either on “life-support” or already dead. You have His Word on it! “I am the way and the truth and the life,” Jesus tells us (John 14:6). Now you need only to catch His vision in whatever valley of dry bones you are facing today . . . and watch Him work!

Lauren Daggle is a very talented Christian song writer and singer.  She has many a very popular song. Her most recent one is entitled, “Come Alive (Dry Bones).”  I conclude this blog with the lyrics of that song … My prayer is that you will see God move in powerful ways to fulfill His will for you life.

Through the eyes of men it seems
There’s so much we have lost
As we look down the road
Where all the prodigals have walked
One by one
The enemy has whispered lies
And led them off as slaves

But we know that you are God
Yours is the victory
We know there is more to come
That we may not yet see
So with the faith you’ve given us
We’ll step into the valley unafraid

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones, come alive

God of endless mercy
God of unrelenting love
Rescue every daughter
Bring us back the wayward son
And By your spirit breathe upon them
Show the world that You alone can save
You alone can save

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive

So breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe, oh breath of God
Breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe

Breathe, oh breath of God
Now breathe, oh breath of God
Breathe, oh breath of God, now breathe

As we call out to dry bones
Come alive, come alive
We call out to dead hearts
Come alive, come alive
Up out of the ashes
Let us see an army rise
We call out to dry bones come alive, yeah
We call out to dry bones, come alive

Oh come alive

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

Ever wonder why some in the body of Christ seem to stop moving forward while others just keep going and going, regardless of the circumstances they are facing?  They move onward and upward, not only when the road is easy and their burden light, but also when the road is rocky and their burden is weighty.  The key to understanding the difference between the two is found in the following maxim:

The degree of forward movement you experience in life will always be

in direct proportion to the placement of your hope!

When your hope is in Jesus there is no obstacle too great to overcome . . . no mountain too high . . . no valley too low . . . no river too deep or wide.  However, when you build your hope on anything other than Jesus, obstacles and opposition can and will overwhelm you and cause you to stop moving onward.

The Bible has a lot to say about this wonderful truth.  Let me share just a few with you …

“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all who hope in the Lord.”  (Psalm 31:24)

“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  (Romans 5:5)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Romans 15:13)

The only hope that will never disappoint is Jesus.

• If your hope is in your physical abilities, one day they will abandon you.
• If your hope is in your intellect, one day it will disappoint you.
• If your hope is in your money, one day it will sprout wings and fly off to the sky (Proverbs 23:5).
• If your hope is in another person, one day he or she will let you down.

Your physical abilities are not capable of carrying your hope.  Your intellect is not capable of carrying your hope.  Your money is not capable of carrying your hope.  Your relationships are not capable of carrying your hope.  When your reason for continuing onward into the life God is calling you to live is built on anything other than Jesus, eventually the foundation will crack and the walls will come crashing down.

All horizontal hope disappoints.  It was designed by God to do just that.  Only vertical hope can keep you going when you would rather not.  Adam and Eve learned this lesson the hard way, as did many men and women in the Bible.  Because everything on this side of the grave is damaged by the brokenness of the fall, everything you hope in other than Jesus is broken . . . and broken things are designed to disappoint.

If this finds you in a place where you are struggling to move onward, take some time to check what you have placed your hope in.

• Are you hoping for your spouse to get romantic?
• Are you hoping for your job to get fulfilling?
• Are you hoping for your station in life to get better?

 

Stop hoping in anything that is smaller than Jesus.  Sure, in the short run the promise of these false gods can be powerful and pleasing.  But in the end, they leave you wanting; they simply cannot deliver on their promises.

When your hope is in the God of hope, you can even have hope in a seemingly hopeless situation.  When your hope is in the God of hope, there is nothing that can stand in the way of your onward progress.

• Your safety is in the hands of Omnipotence . . .
• Your security is in the hands of Omnipresence . . .
• Your success is in the hands of Omniscience!

The Bible says in Isaiah 54:17, “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

The only place to find the kind of hope you need to keep moving forward is found in the One who died for you, so that you could live for Him.  Onward Christian; onward, for He is with you every step of the way!

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

 

  Some think of God as being gracious after Adam and Eve fell into sin, especially in light of the promise of the Savior.  But we should never forget that God was not only gracious after the fall, He was gracious before the fall.

The Bible says, “In the beginning, God created” – not because He needed something external to Himself to find fulfillment.  He was completely fulfilled within the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – self-sufficient, self-contained, in need of nothing. Creation was rooted solely and wholly in God’s grace.  He was gracious to create a world of beauty and wonder that is a source of unimaginable wonder and joy.

The Bible says in Genesis 2:9, “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.”

We have a tendency to see only one tree in the Garden as pleasing to the eye and good for food: the one that tempted Adam and Eve.  But the Bible makes it clear that God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground that would be a source of pleasure and profit for His people.  And if that isn’t enough to convince us of God’s gracious nature, consider that He gave Adam a helper.

God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for Him.”

No need would be left unmet.  God gave Adam a world of beauty and provision and a helper suitable to share it with.  He met Adam in his every place of need – not because Adam earned it, but simply because God is gracious!  And God’s grace did not end there.  After Adam and Eve turned their backs on God, God refused to turn His back on them.  Instead, God came to the two sinful rebels and graciously provided for their every need once again, this time with the promise of sending a Savior.

Let’s think about this for a moment . . .

God had already been gracious to His people, giving them everything they could want or need – not because of any merit on their part but simply because of His gracious mercy.  Now, with every reason to withdraw His grace from the ones who willfully rebelled against Him, God still responded graciously. First, there is the promise of the redemption that would come through the seed of the woman. In assuring Satan that his vicious dream of eternally destroying those who were made in the image of God would never be realized, the Sovereign Lord made this promise:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)

You would think that God might have stopped with that word of incredible hope. But no, once again He looked to Adam and Eve’s physical needs, as well.

The Bible tells us in Genesis 3:21, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”

Here we find the Judge of all the earth assuming the role of a tailor and meeting Adam and Eve in their deepest place of need.  As they stood before Him, naked and shivering with fear, God clothed them, figuratively covering their terrible sin.

Perhaps we can understand God’s grace prior to the fall,

But how are we to comprehend it after the fall?

The answer, of course, is that we are to understand it the very same way.  God’s gracious response to us is never dependent upon our response to Him.

Our merits never earn God’s grace,

And

Our demerits never remove God’s grace.

By His eternal nature God is gracious, and it is His nature to respond graciously to those who don’t deserve it and have in no way earned it.

The Bible tell us in Romans 5:8, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Regardless of where this finds you, God is gracious to you from beginning to end.  God’s is gracious to in your birth; God is gracious to you at the very beginning of your walk with Him, and His steadfast love remains with you in your triumphs and trials . . . in your witness and your wandering.  God was gracious to Adam and Eve before they sinned and after they sinned, and that should make it clear that His grace is never earned.

It is freely given by the One who is gracious from beginning to end.

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

  The Bible says in Isaiah 42:16, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

Seeing Eye dogs – also frequently referred to as “service dogs” or “guide dogs” – are trained to act as the “eyes” for men and women who are visually impaired or completely blind, helping to enhance the independence of the disabled person. Have you ever thought of God as a “Seeing Eye” God? No?  Well, I have a great word of encouragement for you today, because that is exactly what we have in our God. And the reason He acts in this way on our behalf is because we are all blind!

The Bible teaches us that by nature, we are all blind to the spiritual things of God . . . until He raises us out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:8, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.”  The prophet Isaiah tells us that our God graciously leads us, the blind, because we are incapable of leading ourselves. We all know what happens when we try to lead ourselves; we find the wheels coming off the tracks, and eventually we wind up derailed and in a ditch. Yet even when our eyes are opened to God’s light of truth, we must continue to trust in Him to lead us, and this is the promise we have been given in the Word of God.

Isaiah went on to say that once God starts leading us, He never stops. “I will not forsake them” is the promise our Lord makes to us. Every step of the way to glory, we are shepherded by the great gift of our Seeing Eye God, who has promised to lead us safely to the other side.

Now, I must remind you that He did not promise to get us home without having to go through some storms along the way. In fact, He has promised just the opposite: “In the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus said matter-of-factly. The storms have been guaranteed!

What God has promised is to guide us and take us through the storms,

Not leave us alone in the midst of them.

And along the way He will make all the rough places smooth. “But be of good cheer!” Jesus assures us. “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

One final point: Isaiah said that the blind (you and I) will be led by ways we have not known and along unfamiliar paths. God leads us out of our particular zones of comfort and into His calling on our lives. God does leave us where we are, because comfort zones are not conducive to developing Christlikeness. It is only when we faithfully follow our Seeing Eye God down pathways we have not known that we begin to grow in our trust and mature in our faith.

Make no mistake, living a life of meaning, significance, and purpose will only happen when we allow ourselves to be led by our Seeing Eye God, trusting in Him completely, regardless of where He leads us. Always, always stand on the promises of God your Savior:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)

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

  The Bible says in Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

If a sparrow does not fall to the ground outside of the Father’s care, is there anything that is happening to you right now that is outside of the care of your Father in heaven? I think not!

To the unbelieving world, life simply looks like a series of never-ending accidents . . . one accident after another accident after another accident. To the naturalist who does not believe in God, life appears to be a random roll of the dice. Some rolls work out in your favor and others do not. But to the child of God, everything that happens is part of God’s providential plan and nothing is outside of His care.

Think about it this way: in the above passage, Jesus is speaking to His disciples and preparing them for the persecution they will certainly encounter as ambassadors for the Almighty. In the book of Acts, we see our Lord’s promise fulfilled in the lives of the disciples. They suffered at the hands of both their enemies and their friends. Yet these words from Jesus were designed to encourage them with the truth that God is in control of all things. If a sparrow is cared for by God, and you are worth far more than a sparrow, you can rest assured that your Father in heaven is caring for you in both the times of sunshine and the storms.

It should be a great comfort to you today to know that nothing happens by accident in your life.  The Bible says in Romans 11:36, “From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!”  God is superintending and overruling all things that occur in the lives of everyone all the time. Nothing happens apart from the sovereign will of God. Life is not a series of “accidents,” but rather “inspired incidents,” delivered by the will of God for two simple reasons:

Your good

And

God’s glory!

So regardless of where this blog finds you today, remember that God is still on His throne and in control of all things.   This does not mean you have been promised a trouble-free life on this side of the grave; you have been promised just the opposite.  The Bible says in Philippians 1:29, “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him . . .”

You will have troubles in this life; you will walk through storms. But always remember, throughout it all, that God is with you and working for you . . . so it really doesn’t matter what comes up against you!  God loves you.  God cares for you. And His care never stops.   Let that truth fill you with His peace, the peace that passes all understanding.

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

Jesus concludes a parable in Matthew 25:23 with these words, “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”  I am not sure if there is anything harder than being faithful in the little things. We live in a world that constantly urges us to want “bigger” and “more.” The world tells us “Bigger is better” . . . a bigger car, a bigger house with a bigger yard and a bigger flat screen TV, a bigger office, a bigger title, a bigger paycheck, a bigger bank account. I could go on with that list, but let me say here that many of us learn from experience that bigger is not always better. “Bigger” often brings with it a bigger headache and greater heartache.

But if God does indeed have something bigger in His plans for your life, you can be assured of this: you will not receive it until you have been faithful in your stewardship over the little things that you have already been given. In other words, God is calling each one of us to grow where we are planted. Why? Because this is the place where He has placed us, and until we are faithful with what we have, God will not give us the bigger things we desire.

Let’s look at a wonderful illustration of this principle recorded in John 6:5-13, “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.  Philip answered him, ‘Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’ Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.  When they had all had enough to eat, He said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”

There may be no greater story in Scripture about faithfulness in little things. Faithfulness in little things was indeed a very BIG thing in the feeding of the five thousand. When Jesus told His disciples to tell the people to sit down so they could be fed, they could not imagine how this would be possible. The only one who had anything was a little boy . . . and what he had was not much. But that boy was faithful in the little things and gave what he had to Jesus, who multiplied them to feed the multitudes . . . they even had plenty of leftovers!

You see a clear contrast between the disciples and the little boy in this story.

• The disciples saw what they believed could not happen with so little, while the little boy saw what he believed could
• The disciples saw the challenge before them; the little boy saw the Christ before him.
• The disciples focused on what they did not have; the little boy focused on what he did

To be sure, faithfulness in little things is truly a very big thing.

So . . . where in your life right now is Jesus calling you to be faithful in the little things?

• In your resources?
• In your education?
• In your life experience?
• In a friendship?
• In service to your church?
• In your time, talent, or treasure?

God has given you everything you need to do everything He is calling you to do right now, right where this finds you. Like the little boy with the meager meal, give what little you have in service to your Lord, and watch your God return multiple blessings . . . to you and to others!

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

  As you probably know, a compass is the direction-finding instrument typically used in navigation. A hiker, soldier, or sailor will use a compass to be sure he or she is headed in the right direction.

A compassion compass is the direction-finding instrument used by the Christian to find all those who are in need of Christlike compassion. It keeps us going in the right direction.  The Bible says in Matthew 9:35-36, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

I’d like to emphasize three things about the way the compassion compass works:

1. It requires searching.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages. He did not wait for people to come to Him. He did not hang up a sign that said, “The Great Physician is in” and wait for customers to bang on His door. He was not stationary in His service to others! He went searching for those who needed what He alone could provide.

2. It requires seeing.

Jesus was other-oriented, which opened His eyes to see the crowds of harassed and helpless sheep who needed a Good Shepherd. He refused to do what so many do today: look away from those in need. Our English Bibles do not capture the full force of the Greek verb translated “had compassion” in Matthew 9:36, which means “to feel deeply or viscerally.” When Jesus saw the sick, the lost, and the hopeless, He felt an ache in the pit of His stomach! Compassion began to beat within His heart and He yearned to help them. So He did!

3. It requires shepherding.

A shepherd cares for his sheep. He knows how defenseless they are, and he knows that if he does not care for them, they simply will not survive. He knows how helpless they are without a Helper.

Like Jesus, we are to search, see, and engage. Recall Jesus’ searching words in Matthew 25:37-40, “The righteous will [ask Jesus], ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40)

When we serve the harassed and helpless, we are serving our Lord!

So . . . how well is your compassion compass working these days? Remember what is required to keep it in top notch condition: searching for those who need to experience the healing grace of God in Christ; seeing their distress and resolving to take action; and shepherding them by meeting them at their point of need. And in a lost, broken, and hurting world, their greatest need is to hear of the One who died in their place so that they might have life in His name.

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 was a time, not that long ago, when no one questioned the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Today, it is attacked on every front. Many sneer that the Scriptures are nothing more than a collection of myths, fables, and legends produced by the imagination of man, not the inspired, inerrant revelation of God.

Author Dan Brown advanced this theory through the fictional character Sir Leigh Teabing in his best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code:

“The Bible is a product of man, not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.

What do you say? Was the Bible produced by man? Or is it a product of God? How would you respond to someone who believes the Bible is simply an ancient text written by ancient men? In the following verse, the apostle Paul tells us that the entire Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament was the only Bible they had in the 1^st Century) was “God-breathed.” He could have only been speaking about the Old Testament because the New Testament had not yet been completed, much less printed and distributed at this time.

“All Scripture is God-breathed . . .” (2 Timothy 3:16)

What Paul tells us regarding the Old Testament, our Lord tells us about the New Testament. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He gave final instructions to His disciples in the Upper Room. One of the most striking statements Jesus made gives us the confident assurance that the Bible we read is truly the Word of God:

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  (John 14:25-26)

The Holy Spirit inspired the writers of both the Old and the New Testaments to write down the very words of God. Certainly, the writers were shaped by their personalities and their life experiences, but the Spirit of God “inspired” – that is, He superintended – their writings, making the Bible the very Word of God. You can trust that the Scriptures are the work of God, not the work of man. All of the 66 books in our Bible are God-breathed and designed to lead us to Jesus and help us grow and mature into the person God is calling us to be.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Let me leave you with one last thought:

If the Bible is to be “useful” to you,

You will have to make use of the Bible.

As someone has rightly said, “The book you don’t read . . . won’t help!”

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.”