Are You Looking?

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort

those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Do as I say, not as I do.”

Those are words you will not hear from God.  

God demonstrates His love for us.

In the verse above we read that we can comfort any in trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

In another passage we are told –

“Freely you have received, freely give.”

So what is it that we have received freely?

From the hand and heart of God we have received grace, love, mercy, peace, hope, blessings, joy, compassion and comfort, just to name a few.

Most people who do not know God would still gladly receive those things from us.

We are ambassadors for Christ with a ministry of reconciliation.

God is reconciling the world to Himself through us.

What a privilege to carry these things and this ministry to those hurting and hungry.

Did you see that one earlier today that just needed some encouraging words and a hug?

Have you run into someone this week that needed grace extended to them?

Look for those opportunities to minister Gods’ love, comfort and hope.

There is no shortage of people needing Him!

Showing off God’s Love

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech

but with actions and in truth.”

I John 3:18

We learned yesterday that Jeremiah was being asked by God to buy a field from his cousin.  Prophets not only spoke the Word of the Lord but many, many times their actions were meant to demonstrate the Word of the Lord.

They were not just to be listened to but also to be watched.

Sometimes the things God commanded them to do seemed pretty wild. Always though, there was a purpose behind the picture God was asking the prophet to present.

Prophesy to a valley of dry bones Ezekiel, marry a prostitute Hosea, walk naked through the land, hide your underwear under a rock, shave your beard with a sword, lay on one side for 390 days, and then flip over to the other side for another 390 days.

These are just some of the things we might consider “weird” that God asked His prophets of the Old Testament to do.

Not to say, but to do!

We too are encouraged to be Children of God who demonstrate His love by our actions and not just to speak of it with our words.

Jeremiah’s purchase was made not to enrich the prophet of God but to demonstrate to the nation that God would once again bring His people back to the land He gave them. We often quote the verses from Jeremiah about Gods’ plans giving us a future and a Hope.

Jeremiah was drawing a picture of that for them and for us.

How can you demonstrate God’s love today to someone?

It doesn’t have to be a nation that you minister too – just one person.

God can speak to you about how to show, by your actions, His love to someone else.

Listen for His voice and become His ‘demonstration’ to someone today!

Buy a Field...

“Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

“Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver.”

Jeremiah 32:6-9

So, I hear you are in the market for some real estate.

What is it that brokers tell you when it comes to purchasing property?

Location, location, location!

It’s all about where you make your purchase isn’t it?

We want our money and our investments to grow and not to shrink so we purchase property where that is most likely to happen.

In what locations might you not be too smart to purchase property?

Areas you might stay away from...how about:

A toxic waste site, a high crime area or a remote ‘forever wild’ site where development is forbidden

Imagine a command from God coming to you to buy some property in one of those types of locations.

Do you think you might say “Get thee behind me, Satan.”?

Could there possibly be some doubt, some reason to question whether or not it was the voice of God?

That is exactly what happened to Jeremiah the prophet.

Jeremiah was being asked by God to buy a field from his cousin. Jeremiah was being asked to ‘buy a stake’ in God’s promise to the nation. Have you been asked to ‘buy a stake in the vision and plans of God for your neighborhood, town, city, region or world? Of course you have! It is called the Great Commission and as disciples we are all commanded to go!

Don’t we at least get good marks for trying?

Today's blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:4)

If someone took a poll and asked Christians what alienates a person from Jesus, what do you think would be the most common response?  If I were to venture a guess, I think “sin” would be the first response for many Christians, including myself.

And, if pressed further, many Christians could probably rattle off a list of sins that are sure to separate us from God.  Some may even quote some variation of the top ten list.  You know, the “thou shalt not” list.

But I find it interesting that in the above verse God zeros in on something else that alienates us from Him - thinking we can justify ourselves in God’s eyes by obeying a list of laws or thinking we can earn His acceptance by all the good things we do.

When we talk about things that separate us from Jesus, I bet trying to be justified by the law is not on many of our lists.

After all, what’s so bad about trying to obey God’s laws to get closer to Him? Don’t we at least get good marks for trying?  Nope!  God said all that does is alienate (isolate, estrange, separate) us from Him.  Why? Because even our best efforts fall far short of God’s holiness.

It stands to reason that if trying to be justified by our actions will separate us from God, then the very opposite will draw us closer.  What is the opposite?  Knowing that we are only justified by grace, the free and unmerited favor of God.

John 1:17 sums up the contrast beautifully – “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Let’s not abandon God‘s grace.  When we do, we resort to trying to be justified by our actions, which only alienates us from God.  Instead, let’s cling desperately to His grace which draws us closer.

Grace Poured Out

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

Freely you have received, freely give.”

Matthew 10:7-8

 

It wouldn’t’ be 100% correct to say that we were challenged at the end of the service last Sunday with these words:

“What will you do with the grace you have been given?”

While that question was posed to us last week it is also a challenge spoken by Jesus to His disciples (that should include all of us) implicit in the scripture above.

So often we rationalize away why it is not happening.

We say things like:

“Oh, that was only meant for the early church.”

Or

“If God wanted me to do that, then He would tell me.”

But I think He did.

It is stated above!

Don’t get me wrong – I haven’t raised a single dead person to life so the “we” includes “me”.

We are walking below our calling as a church.

We are walking below our inheritance as a church.

The world is watching and the world is waiting for the

Sons of God to be revealed.

Not the Sons of Wesley or the Sons of Luther,

as honorable as their work for the Kingdom was.

The world needs the Sons of God, filled with His grace, to start freely giving of that grace we have freely received.

Let His grace on your life be freely poured out on others.

What will you do...with the grace you have been given...today?

A Gift Tossed Aside?

“I do not ignore or nullify the [gracious gift of the] grace of God [His amazing, unmerited favor], for if righteousness comes through [observing] the Law, then Christ died needlessly. [His suffering and death would have had no purpose whatsoever.]”

Galatians 2:21 Amplified

 

It sits there, tossed in the corner.

Bow on top and exquisitely wrapped.

So much thought went into selecting just the right gift.

The giver wanted to ensure the receiver would enjoy and benefit from their choice.

Still, it was tossed aside like some useless piece of junk mail.

The “Thank You” card was never sent because the gift remained unopened and unused.

Can you fathom doing the same thing with the grace of God?

Unthinkable!

Well, think again.

Likely, Paul would not have spoken of ignoring and nullifying the grace of God without having seen that very thing happening in the lives of others.

Those who mentally ascent to the work of the grace of God but who nevertheless live their lives trying to earn His favor.

Our efforts cancel out His grace.

Good works are a fruit of a redeemed life.

They are not the currency that buys it!

Don’t toss aside God’s grace.

Receive it and walk in it.

Rejoice in it as you would rejoice in the opened gift sent by a friend because the value of God’s grace is immeasurable.

Are you walking in the gift of His grace today?

 

The Path of Least Resistance

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;

without holiness no one will see the Lord.

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that

no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”

Hebrews 12:14-15

The path of least resistance can be fatal.

But there are also times when the path of least resistance is the very best route you can take!

God’s grace is a case in point.

We can resist the grace of God or we can readily receive it.

Which do you suppose is the best choice?

Electrical current flows well through copper wire.

It does not flow well through rubber.

That is why one is used to conduct electricity and one is used to insulate from it.

We were created to be carriers of God’s grace.

You might say it was meant to flow through us.

But it is possible to resist that flow of His grace in our lives.

God will not make you receive His grace.

It is offered to each as a wonderful gift but we must choose.

In the Old Testament God offered His people a blessing or a curse and then counseled them to choose the blessing, to choose life.

How much better the new covenant offer of His grace made through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

What is your choice?

Not just once only when we said yes to making Him savior but a hundred times a day when we say yes to making Him Lord of all!