A Powerful Label Remover

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

I’m not sure if you have ever heard of it, but there is a powerful cleaning product out there called “Goo Gone.”  It touts the ability to remove many stubborn stains and is also very good at removing very old labels.

I’m sure you’ve experienced how difficult it can be to remove an old label that have been in place for years.  The glue has been baked into the surface, but this product Goo Gone dissolves the glue and makes it very easy to remove.

There are other labels that we come across in our lives that can be very stubborn and hard to remove.  They are labels of shame we allow to be put on ourselves for past failures.  Those labels make us ashamed of who we are by continually reminding us of mistakes we’ve made.  They keep us in a prison of fear and unable to walk in our true identity as a forgiven child of God.

Webster’s dictionary describes shame as “a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior.”  It is a normal feeling, but one that was never meant to stick with us, especially as a Christ follower.

Romans 8:1 says “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”  If you belong to Jesus, you have been completely forgiven of all past, present, and future sins.  Lingering feelings of shame have no place in the life of a believer.

Jesus loves to remove stubborn labels of shame.  Just ask Peter who betrayed his Lord 3 times, but still went on to be a leader in the early church, or the woman caught in the act of adultery to whom Jesus said “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Let Jesus remove all those labels of shame from you today.  No matter what the sin, Jesus’ love is powerful enough to permanently remove any label.

All you have to do is choose to believe His words, not your feelings.

Make Romans 8:1 personal by replacing the word “those” with “me” and keep repeating it until you feel that label of shame lift.

“So now there is no condemnation for me who belongs to Christ Jesus…”

In Christ Alone

“know that a person is not justified by the works of the law,

but by faith in Jesus Christ.

So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law,

because by the works of the law no one will be justified.”

Galatians 2:16

If we had to distill down the message of Galatians to only one verse then this verse would well summarize the message of the letter and the Gospel.

We are saved by Jesus Christ alone and not by keeping the works of the law. Paul had to remind the Galatians in his day and it is a reminder we still need today.

We want to do something.

Surely it must require more than just simply believing?

Trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ is a foundational truth of our faith.

It is something we must understand.

It is something our subsequent actions agree with.

Our trust in that truth is to be lived out in our daily life.

The conditional requirements of a faith not based on Christ alone may change through the generations but the fallacy of its theology remains the same.

It is the grace of God through the work of the cross and not our own efforts that save us.

No matter how religious or pious they appear!

Beware – Following Blindly

“For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.”

Galatians 2:11

So Peter ate a meal with a different group of people – what’s the big deal?

Isn’t this nothing more than the same tricks you pulled in high school – watching who ate with whom?

No – it was much more serious than teenage melodrama.

An essential truth of the Gospel was at stake.

Were Gentiles to be second class citizens in the Kingdom?

Were they to become Jews first?

There were those who said yes.

There were those who were attempting to put on the Gentiles the yoke of laws and regulations that the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were so fond of.

Paul would have none of it!  

Peter had shared a meal with the Judaizers and avoided eating with the Gentiles, not because he wanted to win them over but more likely because he feared them.

Even Barnabas who was a close friend and co-worker with Paul, and a mature believer in his own right, was led astray by the poor choice Peter had made.

Our actions and behaviors impact others.

Whether those actions and words are good or bad they can have an effect on our listeners.

It is essential as believers that we know and follow sound doctrine.

Not only for our own benefit but also and especially for those who are observing your life in Christ!

Beware the Backstabber

“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face,

because he stood condemned.”

Galatians 2:11

Antioch was an important city in 1^st Century history.

It was also an important city for the 1^st Century church.

It was what you might call ‘headquarters’ or ‘base camp’ for Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles.

It was a place filled with Greek and the place where believers were first called ‘Christians’.

You might say it was the ‘bible belt’ of the region.

But perhaps the greatest lesson we can learn from this verse are the six words – “...I opposed him to his face...”

Paul knew that some of the church elders had compromised the faith out of fear for what others might think or do.

He dealt directly with the issue and with the other leaders!

Way too often our disagreements with fellow believers are fought through gossip, innuendo, slander and character assassination.

This is easier sometimes – or so we convince ourselves – but it is not biblical.

Paul confronted the others and they worked through the issue.

It is true – we are in a battle – but it is against darkness and not against one another.

When issues come up between fellow believers, as they often will, ask yourself this question:

Do I want their destruction or am I after correction and growth?

It may help you better understand your own character issues as well!

Beware the Extremes

“James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.”

Galatians 2:9-10

 

Paul, James, Peter and John had a meeting.

Paul had gone to the leadership in Jerusalem and they recognized God’s hand in his work and calling.

They extended the right hand of fellowship and not the ‘left foot of ostracism’!

They essentially endorsed what God was doing through Paul among the Gentiles.

It is essential to note that their discussion included remembering the poor.

This is no light matter for the church.

It wasn’t then nor should it be now.

We are called to include in our ministry those less fortunate than us and the placement of this verse at such a pivotal point of the early churches formation should only serve to emphasize this point to us.

Jesus said that we would always have the poor with us so this was not a 1^st century assignment only that we are free to ignore in the 21^st century church.

Some today eagerly preach the Gospel and ignore the poor while others have a ‘social Gospel’ that is quick to minister to the poor but ‘forgetting’ to preach the Gospel.

A true believer will do (and live) both!

Something Great is Around the Corner

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Have you ever gone through a period of spiritual dryness where God feels distant and heaven is silent?  A time where you don’t feel His tangible presence like you have felt so many times, but instead, it’s difficult to worship, pray, and read the bible?

I have felt that way many times before, but looking back, I also recall times of great refreshing, hunger, and revelation that immediately followed that period of dryness.

The wilderness can be a time of great growth if we don’t give up.  Our Lord Jesus (Matthew 4:1) and some of the greatest heroes of the bible went through a wilderness period just before being launched into their ministry or being used by the Lord to perform a great work.  Moses was in the wilderness when God called him to lead His people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1-2).

The wilderness can be a great tool the Lord uses to shape us and prepare us for the work that He has planned for us.

If you’re feeling that way today, hang in there, even if it’s by your fingernails. Keep your eyes on the Lord, even if all you can muster is an occasional glance.  A time of refreshing is around the corner.

And if the enemy whispers to you in the wilderness and tries to get you to take your eyes off the Lord and put your trust elsewhere, do what our Lord did and say “It is written…”

And, most importantly while in the wilderness, hold fast to God’s promise that “He will never leave your, nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).  He calls our heart His home with a promise to never leave, ever!  So, hang in there.  Something great is around the corner.

Beware the False Believer!

“This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.”

Galatians 2:4

Even though the term ‘false believers’ may have seemed like an oxymoron then, even today we must acknowledge that the tares are sown among the wheat.

Paul indicates a twofold purpose of false believers –

1.     They spy on the freedom we have in Christ

2.     To make us slaves

You also may deal with some people whose purpose is not to come to Christ through the witness of your life but rather to observe and challenge the freedom you have and to bring you back to slavery.

A Gospel that brings bondage rather than liberty is a false Gospel.

The Judaizers in Jerusalem were insisting that Titus be circumcised.

This would not have brought freedom but bondage to the traditions of man.

God had established circumcision as a sign of the covenant He had with the offspring of Abraham but the early church recognized that it was not a ‘new requirement’ needed for Gentile believers in the New Covenant.

Paul rightly opposed those who sought to push a ‘false truth’ that those Gentiles needed to ‘become’ Jews before becoming Christ followers.

Don’t allow the traditions of man to become a prison cell in your life.

Christ came to set us free!

Beware the Private Interpretation!

“I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain.”

Galatians 2:2

 

In this verse we find that the visit with other church leaders and even it’s timing for Paul was led by God and not directed by man.

Any delay on Paul’s part was not an act of rebellion but rather it was evidence of his desire to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit even as it pertained to the timing of his visit.

One of the ways that we are led by God is through revelation from His Holy Spirit.

Of course that revelation will never lead us contrary to His word.

Through this visit Pauls’ message to the Gentiles was confirmed by the other leaders of the early church.

Paul had been called by God but through this visit it was confirmed by those whom God had set as leaders in the first century church in Jerusalem.

Paul’s call was not in conflict with the others but it was necessary to confer in order that all the leadership moved forward together.

As God speaks to you, communicate often with those in leadership.

We must trust and respect the advice and counsel of those God has brought us into submission too.

Beware the man or woman who claims a private interpretation that is considered a ‘special’ revelation from God and therefore not requiring the need to submit it to others for judgment.

Not that God won’t sometimes speak to us in ways that seem contrary to our sense of reason and that is precisely why good, godly counsel is essential.

Do not run from it!

Beware the Lone Ranger!

“Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,

this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.”

Galatians 2:1

 

We looked at the fact that Paul was not an overnight sensation.

But Paul was also not a lone ranger.

The trip spoken of by Paul in verse two was but one of many he would make throughout his lifetime.

Barnabas and Titus were close friends and co-workers with Paul in his ministry to the Gentiles.

Barnabas accompanied Paul on his first missionary trip which included the churches of Galatia this epistle was being written too.   

Paul did not serve alone.

He knew he needed others and recognized their contribution to what God had called him to do.

Beware the lone ranger!

We are part of the body of Christ and one who tries to ‘go it alone’ is walking contrary to God’s counsel. There may be seasons in your life when you feel alone but that is not the same as intentionally trying to serve the Lord without being in relationship with other believers.

It is true for the apostle.

It is true for the new believer.

It is true for you!

Beware the Overnight Sensation

“Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem,

this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also.”

Galatians 2:1

Paul was not an ‘overnight sensation’!

After he met Jesus on the road to Damascus,

he took many years to grow and learn.

You too will grow as you develop time alone with God and time in fellowship and growth with other believers.

In your zeal, do not get ahead of Gods’ plans for you.

Perhaps Paul would have been considered a ‘celebrity saint’ in his day.

Yet he did not seek to capitalize on his Damascus road experience but took the time God had for him to learn and grow.

Beware the overnight sensation!

The church can sometimes be guilty of ‘presenting’ a celebrity who is not yet mature as a ‘voice’ to the body of Christ.

This can be harmful to that new believer as well as to the church.

That is not to say that we all grow at the same pace.

Our individual hunger can have a huge impact in accelerating our growth but we need to understand that zeal and hunger alone will not necessarily equip us for all the God has called us to do.

We learn to come into His presence and recognize His voice day-by-day and through the trials, testing and circumstances life presents.

Let God set the pace and wait patiently for Him as He works in you!

A Bride’s Preparation

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.  But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3)

My wife and I recently married off our youngest daughter.  After the big day, we were reflecting on all the preparation a bride goes through to be beautiful for her groom on their big day.

There’s pedicures, eyebrow waxing, elaborate hairdos, makeup, jewelry, tanning and many other personal touches a bride undergoes.

While thinking about all the preparation many brides-to-be go through, we felt challenged by the lack of spiritual preparation we invest in our relationship with our groom, Jesus.

While we put a lot of emphasis on our physical appearance, we often neglect our spiritual appearance.

Sure, the redemptive work of the cross will always make us beautiful in God’s eyes and He will always love us regardless of our many blemishes, but as the apostle Paul mentioned above, we should always strive to demonstrate a sincere and pure devotion to Jesus, especially in our thought life, lest we be led astray.

So, what level of preparation are you taking to keep your thought life pure?  Our adversary is cunning and he will do whatever he can to draw the affections of your heart away from Jesus.

Don’t let Him.

Stand guard at the doorway of your thought life.  Be jealous to only give your heart away to Jesus and not to the things of this world.  Like a bridge preparing to meet her groom, let’s prepare our hearts to receive the lover of our souls. Only He is worthy of our sincere and pure devotion.

The Traditions of My Fathers

“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

Matthew 15:2

“I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”

Galatians 1:14

Paul was head and shoulders above just about everyone else when it came to his religious zeal.

But what was it that he was extremely zealous for?

He was “...extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.”

He was not extremely zealous for the things of God!

In our own lives, we sometimes can blur the distinction between the two.

We assign, as an edict from God, what is in reality a tradition of man and we follow it religiously.

Paul was very sincere in his belief but he was sincerely wrong.

Many are following tradition at the expense of obedience.

Sincerity will never turn a tradition into a truth no matter how long we follow it.

We can easily exalt our traditions over the will of God and become very jealous and very zealous for those traditions.

We see example after example of this in the Gospels as Jesus confronted the religious leaders about hand washing, healing on the Sabbath,  etc...

Paul had been even more zealous than the people who were now bringing confusion by tacking on all sorts of requirements for the new followers of Christ.

If anyone ‘valued’ their past it was Paul.

But he now understood how Christ had fulfilled the law and that there was no righteousness in keeping every ‘jot and title’ the law required let alone adding more.

Are you obediently following Christ or man?

Are there traditions you keep simply because it’s always been that way?

Have you tried to ascribed ‘credit’ to your account in heaven (at least in your own mind) for keeping these traditions?

It may be time to jettison them...

A Previous Way of Life

“But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.”

Act 8:3

“For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.”

Galatians 1:13

Do you have a previous way of life?

Do you think, speak and behave differently than before Christ?

Paul had a dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus.

He persecuted the church of Christ so much so that his ‘turn-a-round’ was suspect to many.

Even when God spoke to a disciple called Ananias to go lay hands on Saul and pray for him to receive his sight, Ananias was reluctant:

He said: “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.”

But Ananias didn’t know that was now a previous way of life for Saul.

He had met Jesus and his life was changed.

Have you met Jesus?

Has your life changed?

Do people still regard you as living a previous way of life?

The fact that Paul’s conversion was genuine became evident not simply by the passing of time but by the changed life lived before others.

Not just a testimony but a testimony supported by changed actions.

No longer did he persecute those who followed The Way, he became its’ chief advocate.

As you follow Christ is it apparent to others?

Is there a before and after picture presented to others?

We are to reflect Christ each and every day.

Let others discover that you no longer live your previous way of life.

Then when they ask, tell them why!

People Pleaser or Servant of God?

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?

Or am I trying to please people?

If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Galatians 1:10

A servant of God will serve Christ.

If He is a true servant, his loyalty is to Christ and not to man.

This does not mean that our actions will not sometimes please men.

It does mean though, that our actions should never please man at the expense of God.

Some great questions for self-examination to ask would be these:

Whose approval do I seek?

Does this action or decision on my part please God or is it only meant to please those around me?

Do I want peace with God or am I seeking peace at any price?

So often we set aside peace with God to have peace with man.

We seek and receive the approval of others while pushing God away from us.

We know that Gods’ approval will upset the apple cart in our lives so we opt for the road of ‘no conflict’.

In so doing we make others ‘happy’ but turn our back on the one we call Lord!

Be aware of the fact that we all seek affirmation, but be equally aware that that need can sometimes lead you away from the arms of a faithful God and into the arms of fickle men.

Don’t Believe a Perverted Gospel

“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.”

Galatians 1:6-7

Confusion is not a gift from God.

Check out the list of the Fruit of the Spirit and you will not find it there!

I hope that this will clarify for you – as Paul was doing in the verses above – exactly who it was that was at work attempting to bring confusion to the church in Galatia.

He still attempts to do so today in your own life and in the life of your church.

Any perversion of the Gospel is not from God and cannot allow to remain in any church.

Paul was speaking as an apostle to the church in Galatia.

He was speaking as one in authority to that local church.

But while he was exercising his role as a leader just as our church leaders today must, it never removes from you and me the responsibility to know what we believe and why we believe it.

Remember, Eve was not tempted by Satan in the Garden with Adam standing by her side. She was alone to determine whether what was being said by the serpent was true.

Jesus is the only way to salvation.

That is a truth that is frowned upon today for being intolerant and not inclusive of others.  

But truth must never take a back seat to being ‘comfortable’ or what is acceptable to others.

That truth of the Gospel is fundamental and it is God’s way and not our own!

It is a bedrock of our faith.

There is no other way in!

Paul used a strong word when he said the word ‘pervert’.

That word often implies a subtle and ‘nuanced’ difference rather than something blatant.

Misled by subtle means is still being misled.

Determine to be one who knows and stands in the truth of the Gospel.

Don’t let your past determine your future

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. John 21:7

Not long before the above encounter with Jesus, Peter had denied 3 times that he even knew Jesus for fear of his own life.  We all know the story.  Jesus was seized and taken away when someone recognized Peter and asked if he was with Jesus, to which Peter replied “I do not know him.”

Peter was so devastated after denying his Lord that the bible says he wept bitterly.  I can’t imagine how Peter must have felt.  He must have been wracked with guilt and regret for abandoning the person he loved and admired most.

However, after hearing it was Jesus on the shore, the above verse says Peter “threw himself into the sea” in a rush to see Jesus again.

Peter could have let his guilt and shame drive him away from Jesus.  He could have stayed in the boat or even rowed in the opposite direction afraid to face the man he let down.

But Peter would not let his past determine his future.  He wanted more than anything to be reconciled with his Lord.  He wanted to stand before Jesus again to know that He still loved him and that everything was ok between them.

And what did Jesus do after seeing Peter?  He didn’t turn him away.  Instead, he broke bread with Peter and the other disciple and then went on to commission Peter with the great task of “feeding His sheep.”  Peter then went on to become a leader in the early church and pen some of the New Testament.

Regardless of what’s in your past, don’t run from it.  Like Peter, don’t let your past failures determine your future.  Run to Jesus.  He is waiting to bring restoration and healing to your life so He can commission you to do great things.

Redeemed From Your Past

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,”

Psalm 107:2

 

So you’ve determined you will no longer allow your past to paralyze your future!

So what?

How do you accomplish that?

After all, isn’t it easier to talk the talk than walk the walk?

Yes it is, so be sure you are committed to seeing an end to your controlling past.

Start by confronting.

No more ignoring or excusing it away.

Then clarify – don’t accept all that others would say is part of your past.

Clarify the past relations, events and trauma that contributed to it.

Move on to confess your past to the Lord and finally...

Celebrate your past!

Don’t live there but let others know where God has brought you from!

Let your past be the testimony that honors what God has done in you.

Remember Rahab who moved from the prostitute hiding the spy’s in the Book of Joshua to the family tree of the Messiah of Israel – Jesus Christ Himself.

As he redeemed her from her past, so too can He redeem you from yours!

False Remedies

“There is surely a future hope for you,

    and your hope will not be cut off.”

Proverbs 23:18

There are many ways that people try to deal with their past.

We can ignore it.

That won’t get us very far because people, especially those closest to us, often like to remind us of our past.

We may be inclined to think we can just forget about it but that is not really sound advice either.

I think a favored way of dealing with it is to make excuses.

Maybe we genuinely were a victim of someone else’s cruelty but if we were once a victim we need not continue to be a victim to them or our past.

Trauma and loss are real and they cannot be ignored, forgotten or excused away.

The longer we fail to deal with it though, the greater the hold it will have on our future.

Perhaps you have heard this analogy used before but it is one that fits here – imagine trying to drive your car by only looking in your rear-view mirror.

That is what it is like trying to navigate the future why holding on to our past!

Commit today to no longer ignore, forget or excuse away the past.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you step into tomorrow without the backpack of your past.

Hiding Some Limbs on the Family Tree

“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,”

Matthew 1:5

There are many websites today that offer people a look into their past.

You can pay the website and delve even deeper into your ancestry.

I suppose all of us have skeletons in our ‘family closet’ that we would just as soon not know about or perhaps more to the point, we wouldn’t want others to know about.

How about a prostitute on the family tree?

Would you be proud or would you try to chop off that limb of the tree?

The Bible doesn’t hide the fact that Rahab the harlot was an ancestor of Jesus!

Why would that fact need to be pointed out?

Because what we were is not who we need to become.

Rahab was a harlot.

That was her past.

It was not her future.

Hers is a story of redemption told in the bible and highlighted in the genealogy of Matthew 1.

Perhaps it offers a certain recognition that no family line apart from the divine one is left untouched by sin.

We all have history, some good and some sordid.

But we do not need to live in the past nor do we need to allow our past to shape our future.

In Christ the power of our past is broken.

Rahab’s redemption story is not unique.

We too can be redeemed from a past we are not proud of.

Your past need not become your future.

A Brighter Future

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,

forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”

II Peter 1:5-9

 

The biggest reason most people aren’t able to love themselves with biblical love is because we are not able to get past our own past.

We rehearse every failure, every rejection and every hurt and convince ourselves the future can be nothing more than a repeat of our past!

And we are not alone in our efforts.

We have a co-conspirator in the enemy who loves to assist as we amble down bad memories lane.

Don’t take that road trip.

Are you tempted to rehash your past?

Let this acronym serve as a reminder to what reliving the past can do –

Previous

Actions

Sabotage

Today

The single greatest detriment to my future is when I fail to deal with my past.

It is as if my yesterday lies in wait to snatch up my tomorrow.

But we can move on from what has gone on before in our lives.

We don’t have to give free reign to the enemy, allowing him to use our past to bring defeat and struggle to our today and our tomorrows.

Learn to deal with the past.

Learn to put it in the past.

Learn to not visit there!

Let’s take a closer look this week, shall we?

A Safe Place

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. (Psalm 57:1)

In the Midwest where tornadoes are common, many homes include a storm cellar (an underground bunker) where families can hide to protect against violent severe weather.  No matter what devastation is happening around them, they are protected from harm.

God offers such a safe haven to protect us from the storms of life – His presence.  And there’s no safer place to be.

Is there a storm on the horizon in your life?  Are the storm clouds gathering?  Are you feeling overwhelmed at what lies ahead?

If yes, run to God now.  Don’t wait until you are in the midst of the storm.  He is beckoning you to come and hide in His presence now and rest there until the storm passes.

And once you taste of His presences and faithfulness through the storm, you won’t want to leave.  You will want to dwell there all the days of your life.  You will shout as the Psalmist did in Psalm 84:10 - “a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.”

The storm will eventually pass by, but until it does, hunker down with God.  Pray continually and keep your eyes on Him.  Rest in His promise of protection and provision.  No storm is too big for Him.

No Pickle Juice Please!

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age,

according to the will of our God and Father,”

Galatians 1:3-4

 

Paul extends grace to his reader, not from himself, but from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

That same grace and peace should be evident in our lives today and, as living epistles others should receive from us the abundance of grace and peace given to us from the Father and from His Son.

Peter said to the beggar at the Gate Beautiful...“such as I have...”

Maybe you are not rich in material wealth but if you are a child of God you are rich in His grace and His peace and you too can declare to others – such as I have!

Let His grace be shared freely with others.

Jesus admonished his disciples (and us by extension) –

“...freely you have received, freely give...”

We ought never to be stingy with what God has given us!

As He has abundantly and lavishly poured into us so we too can abundantly and lavishly share with others.

God loves a cheerful giver.

Not just when it comes to tithes and offerings.

God loves us to be cheerful in giving to others what He has given to us.

Don’t go through life looking like – as someone once said – you were baptized in pickle juice!

Joyfully, cheerfully extend His grace and peace to others!