We are generations down history's road from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We have copies of the Holy Scriptures, old and new testaments, all over the world, in various languages and formats. Churches dot the landscape, around the globe, and are both underground and magnificent edifices. We, Americans, claim our nation is established by and with Christian principles. Many other nations think American is synonomous with "Christian." But Christianity knows no political identity or limitation. Nor is the Christian faith just another religion that vies for supremacy though "holy" wars. True Christianity is found in the depth of love--love for God, first, and love for our fellow man, second. It is about the return of faithful relationship to God who created us, mankind, and gave Himself to us and for us. It is about receiving the gift of restoration and reconciliation and life that was lost to mankind because of sin. We, modern believers, are not Christian by familial default or locality or citizenship. Each of us, just as in the days of Christ and the early church, become Christians by believing in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and obeying His commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength; and, you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself." (See Matthew 22:37-40) This is the summation of all Moses and the prophets have said and written down.

Faith is the ultimate action of love. Believing in the one we say we love is the proof that this love is genuine and complete. Remaining in company and concert with our Beloved, the Lord who loved us first, will be our greatest challenge and our greatest joy. Think about it.

In the beginning, when you first became a Christian, did you enjoy being with Jesus and doing the Father's will? Have you lost that passion? Has your enthusiasm for following your Lord and learning of Him waned under the desire for man's approval of your religious activity? Have you begun to believe you could do something for God and forgotten that true religion is trusting God to do it for you? I'm sure there are moments when you remember and acknowledge that God was doing it, but it may seem that many more times you thought you had better do it for Him. Have you miserably tried to make your own purpose for life instead of receiving the life and purpose He intended for you? I have. That's why I thank God that He forgives me at my confession of such foolishness,restores me with His Word and by His Spirit and strengthens my faith as I follow Him. Think about it.

How can a person celebrate Jesus Christ's resurrection with unbounded joy if he/she does not first come to the foot of the cross and sincerely embrace the grief of His crucifixion? Were you there? I was. I am one of those in the crowd who betrayed Him, arrested and beat Him, led Him off to be crucified and demanded it. I am one of the crowd who scoffed at Him because He would not save Himself. I thrust the thorny crown upon His head. I drove the nails through the very hands that reached to love and heal me; and, the feet that carried Him to me so I could hear and be set free, so I could be healed. Yes, I am in the crowd who came to gaze at the spectacle but walked away unmoved and unchanged. I denied Him. I cursed Him. But, when He arose, He came and rescued me from the "field of blood," the pauper's graveyard. He took me in and made me His child, a princess, a treasure. It cost Him dearly to pay for this sinner and to make her a saint. He counted the cost but thought it nothing compared to the weight of glory that comes when one sinner repents and believes.

Don't let the flame of continual thanksgiving die for lack of remembering Him and what He endured for you! Don't let it flicker for lack of fervant faith! Don't let the winds of worldly circumstance blow it out. Or did His passion ever burn in your soul? Did only remorse move you when you gazed upon the Innocent, who took your guilt, your crime, you sin upon Himself and forgave you? Has your fervor to love Him and follow Him been choked out by ease and compromise? Has your vow to be His, to know Him better, become only a hollow echo in your breast? Has the pursuit of His presence been supplanted by the trivial pursuit of your own pleasure? It's not too late! Quick run through the open door, into the presence of the Lamb and the Father! Ask for help and grace to turn your stoney heart to flesh, to revive your passion for Him, to re-ignite the light of faith. Hurry! At least,think about it.

Presumptuous sins may be one of the most menacing troubles of the professed Christian. There was a cartoon about a childish character told not to do something, his reply was, “If I do’d it, I get a spankin.’ I do’d it.” That is presumptuous sin. We know that to do something, God considers sin with the attitude that God will let it slide, or “Oh, well, His grace will cover it,” is the type of sin God abhors. It presumes that God is merciful but not just; He is gracious but not righteous. This sin exposes wickedness in the heart, “Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, "He won't call me to account"? (Psalm 10:13, NIV)

The Psalmist pleads with the Lord to “keep” him from presumptuous sin because he knows that it is all too easy to presume upon the loving kindness of the Lord, forgetting that a holy, righteous God, though gracious, still hates sin and will judge the deeds of all men. Think about it.

Love knows the Creator and is intimately acquainted with His heart. Within this magnificent heart love discovers the reason for all things, the idea for all things, and the attention to all things. Only love can see with prophetic gaze the potential for all men, the possibilities for all creation. Love whole-heartedly relies on the Divine One. Without fear or doubt, love is convinced that the Divine One works all things together for good and glory. Love is certain of the divine plan behind the activities on earth and so his faith is steadfast and strong. Even when challenged by sin or trial, love’s opulent assurance of God’s goodness and justice keeps him generous, forgiving and gracious to those around him. Love is not suspicious, challenging or skeptical. Neither is love judgmental or condemning. Love always extends his hand, always receives those who need him with tenderness and grace. Whether anyone acknowledges him or not, love leaves his door open, day and night, to the weary, the fearful, the sin-ladened. Even the villain can find shelter in love’s embrace. Love in the face of want and deprivation, considers that “all things are possible with God and no word of His is without power of fulfillment.” Therefore, love does not waver when opposed, ridiculed, persecuted or crucified. Think about it.

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them,” said Jesus. Fruit is the evidence of the life and kind of the plant that produced it. If I am the “planting of the Lord,” then my fruit will bear witness to it. If I am a “tare,” my fruit will also show evidence of it. In God’s eyes, I am a “planting of righteousness” but I am also in the process of maturing in righteousness. The Holy Spirit dwells in me because I have been made a holy temple” by God, for God. And, He is making me fit for the Tabernacle of the New Jerusalem. (This is still somewhat of a mystery to me).
A tree does not always bear fruit but does have a season of fruitfulness with each cycle of life. So it is with the life of a saint of God. There are seasons of cultivation, pruning, rest and fruit. There are seasons of fruitfulness, by the Spirit, and seasons of struggle with sin and the flesh. If we persevere by faith in doing the will of God, there will be life produced in every season—because God’s grace will see to it. Think about it.

The condemning of others is not just by criticism and a judgmental attitude; it is also condemning to neglect the needy in order to fulfill selfish interests.
While meditating on the above verse, I believe the Lord was impressing upon me to be more focused on people than on getting all my tasks done today. And, I had many tasks to accomplish. Even as I began to address each task, the direction the Lord gave me through that verse, remained with me. About mid-morning, I received a call from a woman, who is recovering from satanic ritual abuse. She was in need of a “safe place” to come to, which occasionally happens when she has been through an intense counseling session. The Lord has provided me and my home as such a safe and loving place for her. I told her to come ahead; and, over the next couple of hours, our heavenly Father ministered His love, grace and healing to her, strengthening and enabling her to meet the rest of her day, and the people in it, with courage and love. After she left, I realized that God knew all about this and had prepared me to serve my sister with compassion, rather than “getting things done.”
The Christian life-style isn’t about “doing” religious acts; it’s about “being” available to God, and to others, as an instrument of His loving kindness.
Think about it.

Saint Paul exhorts believers to be separate from evil and not enter into close (confidential) relationships with unbelievers. Yet, some of us became believers after we married and our spouses are not believers. Many then ask, “Should I divorce?” And, many, sad to say, use the difference as an excuse to divorce. But, we are to take the whole counsel of God! God does not encourage divorce! (Matthew 19:3-9) God recognizes the faith of one spouse as His provision of grace for the unbelieving spouse and the children of that union (1 Corinthians 7:14). The Holy Spirit encourages sanctity, love and respect between husband and wife, believer to unbeliever, as well as, believer to believer. Hardness of heart leads to divorce, not reverence and obedience to God. Selah (Stop and think about it).

This is a blessing that Paul and the other apostles used in the greeting and/or closing of their letters to the saints of the early church. This greeting has its roots in the Old Testament. God gave to Aaron and his sons the charge of invoking His name over the sons of Israel so the Lord would give blessing: “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you , and give you peace.” The invocation of God’s name and the name of Jesus Christ was given with the idea of releasing grace and peace into the lives of the saints, many of whom were suffering great persecution for their faith. This greeting was meant to encourage the recipients with the knowledge that the Lord recognized, approved and delighted over them so as to grant them total well-being. It was a message of “God is for us,” to encourage loyalty, hope, perseverance, faith, righteousness and obedience in the new and maturing church. It appears to me that the rest of the bodies of the apostles’ letters were illustrative and purposeful expansions on the theme of “grace and peace to you.” The admonitions, corrections and confrontations in the various letters were fired by the desire of blessing with grace and peace. I encourage you to read through the New Testament again this year, wearing the glasses of God’s desire and plan to bless you with grace and peace (total well-being). But don’t stop there! Invoke the name of “God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” for blessing others with grace, peace and well-being. It is the mission of God’s holy nation, royal priesthood, His own possession (1 Peter 2:9-10). Selah.

By grace ye are saved and by grace we, God’s people, shall persevere in doing the will of God. The soil that we, the planting of the Lord, grow in is His grace. The Master Gardner has grafted us, into Jesus Christ, the True Vine, Who is rooted in God’s grace. We are expected to grow and mature to “fruit-bearing” ability. The branch that humbly and eagerly receives the grace of salvation begins to grow in grace; and, as he/she grows, more grace flows. Before every season of new growth, there is a season of preparation. It is in this season that the pruning of the Word of God is applied. Life in this world is stressful and sometimes damaging to the branch. But the Word of God is sharp and able to cleanse the dead or damaged parts of the branch so that it may continue to flourish. Though new plants grow and must endure pruning, it only produces fruit after a certain degree of maturity. And the old branch that has produced fruit in the past sometimes must endure the most rigorous pruning in order to remain fruitful. It is in the pruning period that the greatest care and consideration is given. Our Lord is truly masterful at pruning the yielded branches for future growth and fruitfulness. For us, the branches, the task is one of simply abiding in the Vine and under the care of the Master Gardner. Selah.

Mankind was created in the image of God, creative, good, very able, intelligent, loving, kind . . .” Just like Dad, except man does not have all-authority, all-knowledge, all-ability, etc. He is like God but not God. Pride is a heinous plague, spawned in the heart of Satan and highly contagious. The symptoms of this plague are worldliness, strife, disobedience, rebellion and every evil deed. The cure: Faith by grace; the Physician is Jesus Christ; the donor of the antidote, God Almighty. There is a grace that all mankind enjoys. But, the greater grace lies with those who have humbly taken “the cure.” This year, doctors are saying, is the worst year for influenza. The flu viruses are becoming more and more resistant to human remedies. Pride is like a virus in that it resists human or fleshly remedies. “Therefore, submit to God... Draw near to God... Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Selah.

By God’s grace we are promised “rest,” i.e., rest from striving, rest from working things out on our own, rest from failing to find peace or comfort in this world, rest from the pain of fear, disappointment or betrayal. A gift of God’s grace is “rest” and we are invited to enter rest by taking the steps of obedience. John and I have both worked with people who are oppressed by compulsive behavior. They cannot or will not get off the merry-go-round of repetitive sin to find the rest their souls crave and strive for. Why, because at some point in their lives, they put their faith in something from the world around them for comfort and satisfaction. When it didn’t completely do either, their hearts became hardened through blaming God for, what they perceived as, His neglect. They made a choice to not believe the Truth, the Way and The Life, and their hearts became more hardened. It became easier to be disobedient, or so they thought, but the oppression of sin only drove them to more compulsivity, more striving, and more frustration until they are faced with destruction. What is the cure? Jesus Christ is He who is the Way to the Father and His “throne of grace,” where we can “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” All of us, at some point, will look outside of ourselves to find help when we are needy. If we choose the All-sufficient One and trust Him for mercy and grace we will find rest. If not, we will continue in striving. Where are you placing your confidence in your time of need? Selah.

Jesus said to His disciples at one point in His training them for ministry, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” There are tribulations that come simply because the world is corrupted by sin; and, where there is sin there is suffering. Then, there is the tribulation that comes because God is disciplining us so that we mature and are able to handle Kingdom purposes. And finally, there is the tribulation that comes from God as chastisement, not to punish, but to correct the errant ones. Our enemy, Satan, comes on the heels of tribulation, using his wiles of deception and temptation, to try and wrestle us from our faith and trust in God alone. His tactics of fear and discouragement are used against the suffering saint. “Take courage,” Jesus said. Then, courage must be offered, as a gift of God’s grace, to help us resist evil. And that grace, according to Saint Paul, is more than courage, it is “the power of Christ” to strengthen the saint in godliness where the weakness of pride would cause him/her to fall. The power of Christ enables the saint to do the will of God no matter the cost or the situation or the weaknesses of the flesh. This grace is yours and mine, just as it was Christ’s and His apostles, that for Christ’s sake we may persevere and overcome, being content, with thanksgiving, for God’s all sufficient grace. Selah.

Most, if not all, of us who become Christians must have our minds “renewed” in order to understand, think and purpose to do things God’s way instead of man’s way. One of the very first issues we must assent to and live by is that “God is able.” It is a premise to our being obedient to and persevering in doing, His will. Next we must realize that, not only is He able, He provides a sufficient, and bountiful, supply in every situation, for every need, i.e., “in everything.” He doesn’t squander His grace so that we can be pampered and self-absorbed. His grace is purpose-filled, i.e., “for every good deed.” His grace is given not only to bless but to enable us, His people, to be a blessing by doing good in every situation with every type of person. When our intention is to have God’s grace for our own purposes, we will find it in short supply (James 4:3). While the world we live in promotes selfishness, Our Lord promotes giving. Everything the world promotes is “god-less,” and, everything God promotes is “Christ-filled.” The walk of faith is hard here on earth and, without God’s all-sufficient grace to steady us; we would be swept away in the world’s current to destruction. Selah.

Faith and grace are inseparable companions of the saints of God. They are our guardians, teachers and protectors as we travel the path of righteousness. Faith says to the young believer, “Let me introduce you to Grace who will strengthen you so you can continue to do the will of God and obey His commands.” Faith and Grace introduce us to Hope when we face tribulations. It is in tribulation that we are introduced to Perseverance and Proven Character and the depth of God’s love for us.

Grace is the demonstration of God’s love toward us through Jesus Christ, “in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Yet, that was only the beginning of God’s grace. For, He continues to pour out grace upon grace, giving us justification, salvation, reconciliation and life. And when we find ourselves confronted by the schemes of the devil, we, by grace are able to stand and resist. Not being moved to return to sin, we remain free in Christ. Grace, then, is not just some “nice” companion for the saint but a “powerful” attendant that enables us, God’s people, to be Kingdom citizens. Selah.

Unlike Jesus Christ, none of us has dealt with our sin or the sins of others to the point of sacrificially shedding our own blood (Hebrews 12:3-11). Jesus felt the same emotions as we do when misunderstood, persecuted, rejected, grieved, abandoned and betrayed—yet, He dealt with each offence God’s way, by God’s grace. And, God rewarded Him, for He did not remain in the grave, He was raised from the dead and sits now at God’s right hand—the place of honor, majesty and authority. We, Christians, are called to do the same, not in our own way and strength, but by this same grace that Christ had when He was on earth. This is the grace to endure, obey, suffer, maybe even die; yet, to be raised from the dead to eternal glory and a reward that has been prepared and kept for us in heaven. Amazing Grace! Selah.

From a footnote in Ryrie’s Study Bible: “Faith is defined by Paul and James as a living, productive trust in Christ.” The act of obedience proves the reality of our faith, just as it did for Abraham when he obeyed God and offered his son as a sacrifice. If we know the right thing to do but choose not to do it, then our faith is but doubt, and doubt is unbelief which is sin. We have been given the grace to present the Truth to people and encourage the sinner to turn from the error of his way that he may be saved from condemnation and death. Let us employ this grace by faith, in obedience with rejoicing. Selah.

God was gracious to Adam and Eve, to Cain, to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses and Israel, to mankind; and, to you and me. God blessed Israel to be a blessing to all, but Israel became proud and disobedient. They became sectarian in their religious endeavors. When Jesus Christ came into the world, one of the gifts of grace he brought was re-union with God through faith; first to Israel then to people everywhere. Historically, instead of blessing others by introducing them to the One True God, Israel would leave her devotion to Him to follow other gods. Jesus showed, time and time again, that, not only was it possible to bring Gentiles to faith, it was commanded and encouraged. He, then, raised up, disciplined and commissioned others to go and be a blessing to every tongue and tribe in the world. He sent them to their own and sent them to the stranger; and, He gave them the grace to “bring about obedience of faith” to “as many as would receive Him.”

Grace is intended to bring about obedience of faith not to augment religious pride and prejudice or encourage licensciousness. Faith in God through Christ makes us children of God, obedience make us worthy sons and heirs of His kingdom. Saint James said in his letter, “Faith without works is dead.” But the “works” he was speaking about is simple obedience. The Jews had many laws and demanded the works of those laws as proof of religious devotion. Jesus Christ came to exemplify devotion by His obedience to God’s purpose and will; and, invite others to do the same. To some of the Jews it was too costly. Is it too costly for you? Selah.

Do we need a working definition of grace? Look to Christ. Grace is the unmerited favor of God, incarnate in Christ, through whom we are given salvation, justification, election, faith, spiritual gifts, “every good thing bestowed, and every perfect gift.” God is full of grace and so is His Son Jesus. It is out of His fullness of grace that the All-Sufficient One feeds and cares for His children. Even though grace is spoken of in the Old Testament, it is in the New Covenant, ratified through Jesus Christ, that the reality of God’s graciousness is fully revealed.

Consider this: If a gift is properly used it can last for generations. However, if a gift is treated with disdain and misused, it often lasts no longer than the first day it was received. God’s gift of grace is bountiful but if it is never used or treated inappropriately, at some point it will not longer be available. Selah.