Giving Thanks for the Awesome Gift of Grace

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

With another Thanksgiving celebration passed, we all took time to pause and thank our Heavenly Father for all of the love, protection and provision that we have enjoyed in our lives.  We may have even been humble enough to give thanks for our salvation.  But did we take time to consider and give thanks for the awesome gift of grace that we receive from Almighty God each day?

The ever flowing grace of God is what makes all the other blessings in our lives relevant.  Not one of us would even accept the gift of salvation if we had not first received the gift of grace.  Our sinful, human nature without the grace of God is simply incapable of accepting the idea that a Savior is needed for entry into the eternal kingdom of God.

The greatest blessing that we receive in life, for which we should give thanks every day, is the supernatural grace that we are provided which allows us to acknowledge that we are destitute without Our Savior and we are powerless without His presence in our lives.  May we always be mindful that only through the grace of God and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that our eyes are opened so that we can see the way, the truth and the life that is in Jesus Christ and that our hearts can be prepared to receive Our Savior and surrender to Him as Our Lord and Master.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we give thanks today for Your ever flowing gift of grace.  We pray, Lord, that we will be acutely aware of how far we fall short of Your glory without Your grace.  May our hunger for Your grace release the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  May the Holy Spirit lift us up into the fullness of our lives in Christ.  May the world know us by the fruit that we bear because of our acceptance of Your grace.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who is the ultimate evidence of Your grace, Your Son, Jesus Christ.

The Power and Gifting of the Holy Spirit

Romans 8:11

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as Our Savior, we are immediately and permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit of the Lord.  The Holy Spirit works in and through us to accomplish the will of God.  His power leads us, convicts us, teaches us, and equips us to do the work that God has set aside for us.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we receive all of His gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  We are provided these gifts so that we may proclaim the Good News of the Gospel through our living testimony.

But we are given much more to insure that we will be conquerors over all things.  Because the Spirit of the Lord is within us, we also receive the powers that Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would receive by way of the Spirit of God resting upon Him.  The prophet Isaiah proclaimed that Jesus would be endowed by the Holy Spirit.  “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:2

The Holy Spirit’s powerful indwelling is an amazing gift we should never take lightly.  We should live in the confidence and the power that God has given us.  With wisdom and understanding, we are able to perceive the truth that God reveals to us and are able to convey it to others.  With counsel and might, we are able to originate, plan and execute the work that God calls us to do.  With knowledge and fear of the Lord, we are able to live our lives surrendered to Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gifts and the power that we receive through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  We praise the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to receive this supernatural blessing that empowers us far beyond our natural capabilities.  We pray that the influence and power of the Holy Spirit will be manifest in all that we do.  We ask that we may be made fruitful vessels of the fullness of Your Holy Spirit working in our lives.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Keeper and Our King, Jesus Christ.

Death to Life Stories of Crucifixion, Salvation and Sanctification

Romans 4:25

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

The cross that became the instrument of death for Jesus Christ had no life in it.  The tree that gave its life, so that the formation of the cross was possible, allowed the lifeless cross to meet its responsibility.  Without taking the life of the tree, there would be no crucifixion story.

In a similar fashion, we who were dead to sin, were able to accept the free gift of salvation that was offered to us by Our Savior.  Jesus Christ gave up His life so we could meet the requirements necessary for us to be children of God. Without the taking of the life of Our Savior, there would be no salvation story. 

Along the same lines, we put our old man to death so that we might shed the ways of wickedness, error and ignorance that are inherent in the will and understanding of our sin nature.  By allowing our old man to be crucified with Christ, we take on our new lives in Jesus Christ in which we rely on Him for everything.  Without the death of our old man, there would be no sanctification story.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the endless grace that You provide us so that we are able to accept Your Son as Our Savior and are able to submit to His rule and reign in our lives.  We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins to make it all possible.  We praise the name of the Holy Spirit for preparing our hearts to receive Our Savior and for molding our hearts so that we may submit our lives to Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.  We pray, Father, that You will empower us to go out and proclaim the good news.  May we bring honor to Your name, the name of Your Son, Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit.  We ask all these things in the name of the Worthy Lamb, Jesus Christ.  

Being Thankful for Our Greatest Treasure

John 16:8

And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin and of God's righteousness and of the coming judgment.

Jesus instructed His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He departed the earth.  He let them know that the Holy Spirit would be their counselor.  He taught them that the Holy Spirit would convince them of their sin and reveal to them the penalty for sin that is required by a righteous and holy God.  He also let the disciples know that the Holy Spirit would be their comforter.  He taught them that the Holy Spirit would be with them to show them the need for their Redeemer and the value of the gift of salvation.

We received Jesus' teaching about the Holy Spirit in the Holy Word of God.  We have been taught through the Bible of the role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring us with the promise of Almighty God to forgive our sins if we confess them before Him and repent.  As we go through the process of asking for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will remind us that the only reason that Our Heavenly Father can forgive us is because Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and that had Jesus not become sin for us, Almighty God in His righteousness could not forgive our sin.

May we not leave the season of the Thanksgiving celebration without bringing our thanksgiving for the work of completion that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives.  May we celebrate anew each time that the Holy Spirit leads us to relish and savor the gift that we have been given.  May we give thanks again each time that the Holy Spirit begins a new work in our hearts so that we may fully value the treasure that is ours through the Cross.  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of the folly, fault and filth of our sins.  We thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us to Your Son, Jesus.  We bless the name of Jesus for He is the only way that we can avoid the penalty of separation from You for all eternity because of our sins.  We pray, Lord, that we will be forever mindful and eternally thankful for the Holy Spirit that You have provided to be Our Comforter and Our Counselor.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy and Righteous Lord, Jesus Christ.

Only One Self-Improvement Plan Works

Galatians 6:14

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Man throughout the ages has always tried to define what creates a better and more satisfying lifestyle.  From a secular standpoint, many different types of programs, processes and religions have taken turns being touted as the new thing that will change lives for the better.  But none of these have stood the test of time, nor will they ever.  In the end, the secular programs and processes are about as effective as New Year's resolutions.

No plan except the salvation plan of Our Savior has merit.  As the apostle Paul taught repeatedly, vain and carnal hearts will never come up with a plan that even approaches the way, the truth and the life that is offered to us through the Cross of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We can read every single book on how to improve ourselves.  We can attend every seminar that promises to make positive changes in how we live our lives.  Life changes that are instituted from any of these will produce nothing of real and lasting value.  No matter how much we believe that we have improved ourselves, it will not be sufficient.  Until our minds and hearts are changed supernaturally by the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, we will only change the elements of this world.  Only through the Cross will we truly change and claim victory over the foolishness that the world offers and that our flesh demands.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to give us victory over the weakness that is our flesh.  We rejoice in knowing that by accepting Your Son as Our Savior that we can overcome all of the trials and tribulations that the world offers to us.  We pray that we will be given the grace and the wisdom to see the folly that we will undertake if we arrogantly look to our own abilities to secure our future.  We ask that the influence of the Holy Spirit will keep us in humble submission to Our Lord and Savior at the foot of His Cross.  May we deny all riches, praises, honors and pleasures of the world in exchange for our renewed lives in Jesus Christ.  We ask all these things in name of Our Savior King, Jesus Christ.

He Will Set the Limits and the Timing

Psalm 123:2

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy upon us.

Through His love, His grace and His mercy, we are called to be servants of Almighty God here on earth and in heaven for all eternity.  We were created in His image for this purpose in order to bring Him praise and glory.  Being conscious of our own weakness, we should wait on and look to Our Master for our direction and our strength.

Our focus needs to be on God at all times.  We should be expectant that He will direct our ways and make provision for the fulfillment of our calling.  We should understand that He will set the limits of how high He is ready for us to go and He will set the timing of when we will get there.  We should recognize that He knows exactly what He has planned for our lives and the lives of those around us.

If we focus on our problems or our visions without including Our Heavenly Father in the process, we will set expectations for ourselves that are outside of God's will for our lives.  We will be setting ourselves up for burn out or for seeing results that are disappointing to us.  It is almost certain that we will not go as high as God had planned for us or that we will give up on our calling before it is fulfilled because we are not in tune with God's timing.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to be Your servants.  We rejoice in knowing that just as the slaves go to their master for all of their needs, we can go to You for all of our needs.  We pray, Lord, that just as the slaves wait on their master before they do anything, we will learn to wait on the direction of Your Holy Spirit before we take on anything.  We ask that our entire reliance be in Your hand, Almighty God.  May we reach the heights of the supreme service that You have planned for us. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord, Our Master and Our King, Jesus Christ.

Go and Celebrate with Thanksgiving

Nehemiah 8:10

And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!"

Each year since the Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving celebration feast in the early 1600’s, a day has been set aside in this country to take the time to come together to give thanks for all that we have been blessed with as a nation and as individuals.  For followers of Jesus, it has been easy to give thanks and sincerely praise the Lord.  As His disciples, we truly have been blessed.  But more importantly, we have recognized/learned where our real blessings come from.  We have continued to recognize our blessings and the source of our blessings as we went through pain, trouble, conflict and trials during different junctures in our lives.  We may not have always been particularly happy about our circumstances, but we learned along the way that we could always find our joy and our strength in Jesus Christ.

On a national basis, the story is much different.  As our nation has become more and more secular, a large portion of the population has spent their lives seeking happiness without any understanding of the true joy of living for Christ. Non-believers have bought into the idea that they can control their own happiness.  It can be devastating to them when they realize that happiness is not something that they can create.  It can be crushing to them when they realize that their circumstances are not something that they have control over.  They have no place to turn when they hit their inevitable periods of pain, trouble, conflict and trials.

As we give thanks this year, let us take time to give thanks for the source of our joy, Jesus Christ.  Let us delight in Him.  Let us praise Him for what He has done for us, how He is still working in us and what He promises us for all eternity.  But let us take our thanks beyond the Thanksgiving table.  Let us show the world the powerful joy that is the source of our strength.  Let us show the world how His joy transforms us and motivates us to serve Him.  A joyful life is the most appealing witness that we can ever display for a lost and hurting world.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many blessings that You have poured onto our lives through Your grace, Your mercy and Your lovingkindness.  We thank You for the trials that You have allowed in our lives which have deepened our trust in You.  We bless the name of Jesus who provided the way for our eternal blessings.  We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to take the joy that we have in Christ to share with those around us so that Your joy and gladness can be theirs for today and forever.  We ask all these things in the name of the Joy of the World, Jesus Christ. 

Are We Treating Them with Contempt?

Psalm 123:3

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.

Every day the world around us seems to get more contentious and contemptuous.  Webster defines contempt as "feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn." We see dramatic outpourings of contempt in the news and throughout social media.  We certainly recognize the contempt that unbelievers often have for our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ.  As a result of the contempt that we encounter, we are quick to ask the Lord to open the eyes of those around us so that their scorn for us is replaced by a desire to learn from us the way, the truth and the life that we have in Jesus.

But when we are out in the world, how are we reacting to those that annoy us?  Are we treating them with contempt?  Are we losing our testimony because of an ugly glare or quick nasty comment that destroys our message of salvation?  Are we leaving the world with a taste of our nasty attitude instead of the love of the One who we have accepted as Our Savior?

We need to learn that the world is filled with contempt, but we are not of this world.  We are of the kingdom of God.  We must refuse to be swamped by the cares and challenges of life.  We must turn over the annoyances that we run into in the world and let God handle them in the courts of heaven.  We must ask the Lord to give us discernment in all things so that we are known by our intercession and not by our criticism.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your mercy that You have extended to us so that we may be able to extend mercy to others.  We praise the name of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is our Mediator who stands for us to correct every wrong and every injury as any good master would do for his slave.  We pray, Lord, that we will not faint under our trials in this world, but we will look unto the name of Jesus in faith and in prayer so that we may be vessels of His perfect love and forgiveness and the world may know Him by our actions.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Merciful Lord, Jesus Christ.

Every Level of Service Brings Glory to God

1 Peter 4:11

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 

God's glory should be the reason for all that we do.  Jesus is our model.  In every doctrine that Jesus taught, in every miracle that He performed, in every suffering that He endured and certainly in His death, Jesus Christ lived unto the glory of His Father in heaven.  He came to earth to do the work that the Father gave Him to do and He did it faithfully so that the Father would be glorified.

So too, we have all been called to serve Our Father in heaven here on earth.  Everything that we do is ordained by God.  Every portion of our lives, even our eating, drinking, walking and talking are all for His glory.  But beyond our daily utilities, God has created each of us to serve Him in accordance to the plan that He has for our lives.

Most of us were not called to be theologians or full time ministers.  Most of us were called to be secular laborers or laborers in our homes.  For some of us, aside from our daily labor, the Lord has placed a calling on our lives for some type of spiritual service such as teaching a Bible study, singing in the choir, visiting prisons or assisted living facilities, etc.  For most of the rest of us, our service beyond our daily labors may be quite simple service at the church we attend - child care, parking attendant, usher, etc.  Again, all of these things are ordained by God for His glory and all are held in high esteem by Him.  Let all our works be done for the glory of Our Heavenly Father.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You that You allow the least of us in the least of ways to bring glory to Your name.  We rejoice in knowing that You have created us for this purpose.  We bless the name of Jesus who accepted His calling as Our Savior and fulfilled it completely to the end of His days on earth.  We pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit will guide us and inspire us in finding all the ways that You have planned for us to serve You.  May our every act be consecrated by our holy motives to glorify You.  We ask all these things in the name of Our Glorious Lord, Jesus Christ.

Understanding the Will of the Our Father in Heaven

John 4:34

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

"God loves us so much that He forgives our sins" is a misstatement in and of itself.  God by His very nature cannot forgive our sins without the redemptive work of the Cross.  Our Father in heaven abhors sin and cannot tolerate even a smidgeon of its stain in His presence.  The proper statement is "God loves us so much that He gave His Son to die on the Cross to atone for our sins so that all could become acceptable to stand before Him".

This misstatement about God's love for man is the one that Satan uses to dupe many into denying Jesus Christ as their Savior. "All paths lead to heaven because of God's love" is one of the greatest lies of the enemy.  To accept the misstatement about God's love as the truth is to make the sacrifice of Jesus Christ unnecessary and to open the doors to heaven to those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.  

Jesus Christ took on our sin on the Cross by divine decree.  His death was the reason that He came to earth.  He completed the work that His Father gave Him to do.  His unimaginable accomplishment was crowned by His own words, "It is finished."  Through His perfect life and His atoning death, He glorified the Father and opened the way for us to become heirs to the kingdom of Almighty God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to die on the Cross to atone for our sins.  We exalt the name of Jesus who accepted His assignment on earth so that He might glorify Your name and open the way to heaven for all men.  We pray, Father, that we may glorify Your name by faithfully completing every good work that You have set aside for us.  In the name of Jesus, we ask for the grace to see and the strength to accept the things that You have called us to do so that others may see the way, the truth and the life that is Your Son, Jesus.  We ask all these things in the name of the Lamb slain for our sin, Jesus Christ.

The Forgiveness Process That Never Fails

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

When we think of forgiveness, we usually think of it in terms of how it plays out in our natural interactions with others.  We may find it hard to forgive someone who has offended us, but we can usually find the mercy to forgive them under the right conditions - they come to us and express sufficient regret and express a sincere desire that they will never do it again.  Conversely, we feel like we should be forgiven if we are willing to express our sorrow for the pain we have caused to another and we are willing to say we will not cause that harm again.  In the natural, among people of good hearts, this process works much of the time.

Almighty God looks at forgiveness in a different light.  He certainly requires the same natural interactions of forgiveness that we are familiar with.  For God to forgive us, He requires us to come before Him humbly and confess our sins.  For God to forgive us, He requires us to repent of our sins.  But Our Father in heaven also requires supernatural interaction.  Because of His holiness, we cannot approach Him with our expressions of sorrow and repentance unless we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior.  For Our Savior must first approach the Father as Our Mediator.  He must identify us as ones who have been cleansed by His atoning blood.  In the supernatural, under these conditions, this process works every time without fail.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect, unconditional love and the mercy plan for forgiveness that You have provided through Your Son, Jesus.  We bless the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to come before You with our confessions and our desire to repent of our sins.  We rejoice in knowing that Our Savior stands before You as Our Mediator and that His atoning blood covers us so that we are acceptable to receive Your forgiveness.  We pray, Lord, that we will always be mindful of what it cost You to reinstate us in Your favor.  May the world around us see us in the light of Your favor and be drawn to Your Son to receive the same treasure.  We ask all these things in the name of Our High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Attaining Freedom From Sin

John 8:34

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.

In Ephesians, Paul taught that before we accepted Our Savior that we all once walked the course of the world, following the spirit that is at work in the lives of the disobedient.  Through the teachings of Paul and John in the Holy Word, we learn that Jesus is the only way that we can attain freedom from the slavery of sin that we have been born into.

It is through Jesus Christ that we have victory over our sins.  Once we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior, He comes to dwell within us.  With the presence of His Holy Spirit within us, we are set free from the bonds of slavery of sin.  Sin is no longer the ruler in our house, Jesus Christ is.

Because our freedom of choice is never taken away, our flesh constantly battles to take control over our lives and Satan constantly works to deceive us in an effort to make us slaves to sin again.  But Jesus Christ stands with us and, in accordance with His promises, He perfects His strength in our weaknesses and He provides victory over all evil.  He provides all that we need to overcome our sins.  If we choose to submit to the urgings of His Holy Spirit, we shall be free indeed.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect love that provided Your Son to free us from the slavery of sin.  We praise the name of Jesus for taking on all sin so that we may become heirs to Your holy kingdom.  We ask forgiveness for all the times that we have chosen to offend You through our sins.  We repent of these sins and ask for the fullness of the promise of Jesus to perfect His strength in our weakness.  We pray for the grace to surrender today and live forever as bondservants to Our Savior.  We ask all these things in the precious, holy and mighty name of Our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.  

Every Act of Obedience Releases Favor in Our Lives

Luke 16:10

One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

While it is generally understood that this passage is about the poor money management of the underperforming steward, it also places focus on every resource that we have been given.  The message can be taken down to the very basic level of how obedient we are in carrying out even the smallest of tasks that the Lord has put on our hearts to do.

As a parent or an employer, the assessment of how our children or employees carry out their assignments is the basis for our decisions concerning assigning them greater responsibilities in the future. As a good parent or employer, we want the best for those under our care.  We want to see them succeed.  Because we view their position from a higher level, we know that we should only give them greater responsibility when they have shown that they are ready to handle it.

It is in this same way that Almighty God gives us more of anything, whether it be material things or greater responsibility.  Everything that we have belongs to God.  We only have the use of it.  He will only bless us to the extent that we have proven through our obedience that we are ready to handle more than He has already provided.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving patience with us as we struggle to properly manage all that You have given us.  We ask forgiveness for the times that we have squandered the gifts that we have been provided. We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in being good stewards of our blessings.  We rejoice in knowing that with every act of obedience that You are ready to graciously release more to us.  We pray, Father, that we will come to a place where we are obedient in every small thing that You place before us.  May our eyes be opened that we may see Your ways, and not our own, in all that surrounds us.  We ask all these things in the name of the source of all provision, Jesus Christ.

It Is Our Focus That Matters To Our Father in Heaven

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

We are too often focused on getting everything we can out of life from a physical and material standpoint.  In fact, we are so focused on the material things that we do not even take a moment to consider God's perspective of what we are doing, how we are doing it, or why we are doing it.  Even people in ministry often get caught up in the numbers.   Their focus turns toward man's measurement of what they are doing and not God's.

In God's eyes, it is not about how much or how many.  God takes full responsibility for the bottom line.  What He is concerned about it is the "how" and "why" behind our efforts.  Are we leaning on Him for our accomplishments and not on our own abilities or the capabilities of the world?  Are we doing what we are doing for our own personal gain and recognition or are we doing it for the gain of God's kingdom and for His glory?

Our model for life is Our Savior.  Through His obedience, His suffering and His death, He lived to make intercession for us.  He lived in accordance with the will of His Father.  He lived to bring glory to His Father in heaven.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us living proof of Your ways through Your Son, Jesus.  We bless His name for the way, the truth and the life that He revealed to us through His time on earth.  We pray, Lord, that You will prepare us to walk this earth in the same manner as Our Savior.  May we love You above all things.  May we seek You in all things.  May we love our neighbors unconditionally as we love ourselves.  May it all be for Your glory.  We ask all these things in the name of the Son of the Most High God, Jesus Christ.