Transformed Life

We often measure our success by our accomplishments. We crave the affirmation of our parents and peers. When we do not receive this validation, or when we fail to succeed in life, we lose all hope of a meaningful existence. We often change venues and attempt to receive recognition and triumph in some other area. We may enjoy fame for a while, but soon even that is hollow and vain.

There is only one way to truly succeed in this world. Once we surrender our entire life to God, He will direct our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). We grow in ways we never thought possible. Our hard heart is softened (Ezekiel 36:26), our knowledge increases concerning eternal conquests, our emotions level out, and our relationships deepen.

The Word of God penetrates into the most private areas of our life and transforms our mind and enlightens our soul (2 Timothy 3:14-16). God blesses us with His love in more abundant measures than we could ever imagine or deserve (2 Corinthians 9:8). All of God's Saints receive the power to understand the width and height and depth of His love, and we realize that nothing in this world can ever equal to or take that away from us (Ephesians 3:18; Romans 8:38-39). 

Our appreciation and adoration of God increases daily. We submit more willingly to His cleansing power in our life. God starts a work in our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions, which lasts a lifetime. We see changes every day in small increments in every area of our life (Romans 12:2). God molds us like a Potter with a hunk of clay, and makes us into vessels for His service (Isaiah 64:8).

Prayer:

Father God, once we are totally broken, subdued, weak and humbled, we are ready for Your transforming power in our life. Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, so that we will walk on Your straight and narrow way according to Your precepts (Psalm 119:105 Psalm 119:105; Matthew 7:13-14). You take our broken, useless lives and turn them into priceless works of art for Your glory. Remind us not to rely on the thoughts and intents of our heart, but to submit to Your Spirit's transformation in our life (Proverbs 27:3; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Corinthians 2:16).

Thought for the Day:

We are broken for God's glory and then raised to walk in New Life with Him. - Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12

God Haters - Why Serve a God Who Kills

Some people ask, "How can you worship a God who started wars, commanded that women and children and animals be killed, and who causes trials for His own people?" This is an interesting question in light of the fact that humans have killed many more people through murder, human sacrifice and abortion than God ever "killed".

To answer the question: God is the God of justice, as well as mercy and grace (Job 37:23). He wounds, but He also heals (Job 5:18; Hebrews 12:10). When whole nations turn against God, after He gives them many opportunities to come to Him, He sends warnings of judgment for years (Ezekiel 3:17-18). Some nations turn from wickedness, like Nineveh when Jonah preached to them.

However, when nations refuse to repent and come to God, He uses other nations to judge them, or He uses nature, like with Noah's great flood (Psalm 119:71). It is interesting that Noah's great-grandfather, Enoch, knew there would be a flood. God warned people for hundreds of years that a flood was coming.

Then, Noah himself warned the people for 120 years that God wanted them to repent and to turn to Him. God even used the ark as an object lesson that a flood was actually coming. Yet, people mocked Noah and ended up perishing.

God is love and He cares about every one of us (1 John 4:8; John 3:16). God loves us so much that He became one of us to pay the penalty of our sins (John 3:16; John 1:1). He made His laws for our benefit, not His. He does not want us to hurt one another, and He wants us to honor Him for who He is, what He does for us and for our very life. He is waiting for you to come to Him.

Prayer:

Father God, You amaze me with the abundance of love, which You showed over and over again on the nations You had Your prophets warn. You warn modern humanity too by your prophets' Biblical history and through the preachers of your Word. The problem with the human race is our pride and self-reliance. Our penchant for giving Satan control of our life allows him to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). This grieves Your heart (Lamentations 3:33). Thank you for always turning around every negative aspect of life for our good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:

What Satan means for evil, God always uses for our good. - Genesis 50:20

Abundant Life

Read: Galatians 3: 1-3

“For my determined purpose is that I may know Him that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him…” - Philippians 3:10 (Amplified)

As a baby Christian, I misunderstood His new life in me. I thought, “Now that I’ve found God, I no longer need to seek Him. Now I just need to be good enough to deserve His love.” So, I got up from my knees, sighed in determination, pulled myself up by my bootstraps, and went to work for God.

After ten years of striving, I finally heard what God wanted me to know. Our situation today is much the same as what existed among the foolish Galatians Christians, prior to Paul writing his letter to them. Having been born again by trusting in the finished work of Christ and the activity of the Holy Spirit within them, they had been seduced by Satan and the Judaizers - religious legalists who imposed rules and regulations on them to allegedly guarantee them spiritual maturity. Their definition of abundant life had withered to a desperate struggle in which they sought to keep trying to please God. These Christians lived in a constant struggle to please God by keeping the Law of Do's and Don'ts. Does that sound like anyone you know?

Paul hit the nail on the head in Chapter 3: 1-3..."¹ Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. ² Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. ³ How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?"

That just about sums it up, doesn't it? We trust in Christ for Salvation, but then we try to perfect our selves by our works. Sanctification ~ the process of becoming holy and pleasing to God ~ is a LIFELONG process. There is no shortcut. We did not come to Christ by our works (Titus 3:4-6; Eph 2:8-10), it was a free gift from God. Therefore, we cannot sanctify our selves by our works either; it is also a free gift from God.

There is no striving in our walk with God. We do not need to spend time nor energy on trying to overcome the flesh or on trying to earn God’s love. The only striving that the Bible commands us to do is:

1.) to enter his narrow gate through Salvation
2.) to enter into His rest.


Look at Hebrews 4:9-12… “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God's rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. Let us, therefore, strive to enter that rest."

We cannot be good enough, holy enough or spiritual enough to deserve God’s love. We already have God's love, which does not depend on our behavior. If the Christian walk depended on us, then we would have no need for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. He died because we can never be good enough to earn God’s love.

It’s tough to enter the rest of God. That’s why it takes effort and striving. Once we’re there, however, we can actually stop striving and rest. God gives us His unconditional love freely as a gift. We only have to open our hearts wide and receive His gift of love. When you realize the truth of this concept, you will sit in your quiet place and feel His love cascading over you like a waterfall.

Jesus completed the work of our perfection on the cross. Now we only need to allow Jesus to help us make a conscious effort to walk in obedience to His Will, regardless of the circumstances around us. Now, the focus of our purpose in life is to follow hard after God, to drink as a hart from the waterbrook, to come into an intimate relationship with the Lover of our soul.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, whom do I have in heaven, but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail; but God, You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26) You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Psalm 16:11)

Thought for the Day:

I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory. Because Your love is better than life. - Psalm 63:2-3 (NIV)

The Process

Read: Romans 12: 1-2

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." - Ephesians 2:8

A whole new world opens up to us once we ask Jesus Christ to forgive our sins and to be our Savior. We were formerly unbalanced, self-centered and myopic in our thinking. Now, however, He sets us free from the bondage to self (Romans 6:22). This is called Justification. It is a free gift, which we do not earn, and which happens the instant we surrender our life to Christ. Glorification is also a free gift. We receive an immortal body the moment we see Jesus (1 John 3:2). In between these two significant milestones, we walk out the life-long process of Holiness.

In this progression of Sanctification, Jesus conforms us to His image (Romans 8:29).  All He asks of us is that we live a life worthy of this calling we receive from Him (Ephesians 4:1). We accomplish this by reading the Bible every day, by attending Bible studies at our local church, by worshipping with other Christians on Sunday morning, by talking to God all day long, by consulting Him about His will for us moment by moment, by telling other people about Him and by loving Him with all of our heart.

As we draw nearer to God and give Him our bodies as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), He fills our life with peace that surpasses anything we have ever experienced before in our life (Philippians 4:7). His joy supplies our strength. His love flows over us like a waterfall and infiltrates all of our human relationships. Most importantly, He opens the door for us to enjoy eternity in His presence.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You set us free and gave us Your new life. We are now a new creation. Help us not to be double-minded by continuing an unbalanced walk of having one foot still chasing worldly pursuits (James 1:8). Give us singleness of purpose and help us to surrender to Your will in everything we say and do.

Thought for the Day:

Live a life worthy of God’s calling by surrendering to His will and accessing His power to live according to His purpose for our individual lives (Philippians 2:12-13).

Loving Mercy

Read: Deuteronomy 5: 7-10

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NKJV

None of us are, nor will we ever be, worthy of God’s love; and that’s the Good News! We can do nothing to earn His love and nothing to lose it. It’s a free gift! Tender mercy is the aspect of God's love that causes Him to help us when we break His law or are drowning in our circumstances. Mercy triumphs over the deserved retribution for our behavior, which condemns us to hell.

God’s great mercy saved us and allows us to approach His throne boldly to find grace in our time of need. We have every reason to trust in God’s mercy, which surrounds us and follows us all the days of our lives. He makes our paths full of mercy, so that we can rejoice and sing praises to His name. God’s abundant mercy is just a call away and comes in spite of the fact that we do not deserve it and never, EVER will!

Prayer ~ Lord, if my foot slips, Your mercy will hold me up. Multiply to us Your mercy, peace, and love.

Thought for the Day ~ God takes pleasure in those who hope in His mercy.

Living Lives of Grace

Read: Romans 5:17-21

“I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” – Exodus 31:13b (NKJV)

Adam brought condemnation on all of mankind when he disobeyed God’s only commandment for him. Consequently, this sin nature is passed down to every baby born throughout the centuries of time. God relinquished His only Son, Jesus, to give His life for the forgiveness of all sin and to restore our fellowship with Him.

Sin, of any kind, results in death (Romans 6:23). Even the smallest white lie bears negative consequences in our life. Though we do not deserve this love, Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates to the world the true definition of God's grace (Romans 5:8). This grace comes to us with conviction for repentance and reigns through righteousness to produce eternal life in us.

The concept of grace is hard to communicate to people through words. Therefore, we can show them by our loving actions toward them that God does not condemn the world, but desires that all men might be saved (John 3:17). Grace grants us an intimate relationship with Christ that begins at salvation, continues through a lifetime of sanctification and ends in our glorification when we see Jesus Christ face-to-face (1John 3:2). Though we often hurtle headlong into sin because of our freedom to choose, amazing grace convicts us to repent and to surrender to God’s will. Living lives of grace toward our self and others makes a huge difference in our world.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, be with us through every step of our journey in life. Keep us on Your path for us and help us to convey your grace to others by living as an example of your unconditional love.

Thought for the Day:

God's love covers our all of our sins and His grace gives us strength to do better the next time.

Our Christian Hope

Read: Romans 5:2-5

“The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, which is the gospel.” - - Colossians 1: 5

Why is a Christian hopeful? To start with, we hope in our salvation through Jesus Christ. We do not have any physical proof that this occurred, but hope that is seen is no hope at all. No one hopes for what he already has. God gives us this hope when we are saved (Romans 8: 24). It is the seal of the Holy Spirit who lives in our born again spirit from the moment of our conversion.

Our salvation gives us confidence in a better hope of heaven, which draws us ever nearer to the heart of God (Hebrews 7:19). He cares about everything in our life and encourages us to cast all of our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). He is the God of our hope and He fills us with all joy and peace, as we trust in Him. The power of His Spirit in us makes us overflow with hope (Romans 15: 13).

God gave us this promise before time began and prior to the formation of the world (Titus 1:2). It is our hope of eternal life that commences on the day we believe God and continues throughout infinity (Titus 1:2). God raised Christ from the dead and restored Him to His former glory on His throne in heaven. Soon, God will also raise us from the dead, or rapture us from the earth, and bring us into His glorious presence (1 Peter 1:21) for eternity.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross to insure that we can enjoy eternal life both now and throughout eternity. We hope in Your salvation and look forward to living with You in the new heaven and the new earth (2 Peter 3:13).

Thought for the Day:
Faith and love spring from the hope that is stored up for us in heaven.

Let God Be God

Read: Hebrews 11: 1-40

 

“Cause me to hear thy loving kindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.” Ps 143:8 KJV

People curry God’s favor for many reasons and in many different ways. Most of us agree that we need God, but the way in which we relate to Him tells a great deal about our relationship with Him.

Some people treat Him like a genie in a lamp and entreat Him for what He can do for them. They trust in Him as their “fire insurance” to keep them from going to hell. They blame Him when things do not go their way, especially in the way in which they expected them to transpire.

Others create God in their own image. They ignore Him or curse His name in their everyday conversation. If pressed, they would say they and God have an understanding: He won’t bother them and they won’t bother Him. They only call on God when they make a bargain with Him to bail them out of some type of trouble they got themselves into; although, they never seem to keep their end of the promise in the bargain.

Then there are those who deny God’s existence. They do not blame Him, nor do they go to Him in their time of need. They may take His name in vain, but they do not believe that He has any more reality than the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.

Finally, there are those who believe in God by faith. They actually stake their existence on the validity of His authenticity. They live a life of faith in His will and obedience to it. They let God be God in His own timing, wisdom, and manner in their lives. They trust in Him alone, regardless of what He provides or promises. Their faith rarely waivers, because it is built on the Rock of Christ, rather than on the sand of life’s circumstances and the behavior of others.

I suppose you can say that I held a membership in each of these groups. I shared all of these viewpoints for a short span in my lifetime. Then, I joined the ranks of Hall of Faith in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. I came face to face with the Savior. Now, His abundant holiness leaves me awestruck. His graciousness humbles me. His loving kindness meets me anew every morning and blesses me all through my day. His peace holds me above troubled waters and His joy is my only source of strength.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for authoring and finishing our faith. Guide us each day, and help us to trust You more. Let our light so shine that others will see our good works and glorify You as their Father also. Commission us to do Your will each day of our lives and use us to further Your Kingdom in the earth.

Thought for the Day:

Faith alone, without works to back it up, is dead.

An Eternal Perspective

Read: Isaiah 57:14-19

"Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You."  - Psalm 9:10

Living with an eternal perspective gives life all the vibrancy and fragrance of a blooming flower. This lifestyle makes it so much easier to align the desires of my heart according to God’s ultimate plan for my life. I no longer look to the body or the soul to find fulfillment, although I do not neglect their legitimate needs. I delight more in reading His Word and in fellowshipping with His Body instead. I start taking every opportunity to invite people to church and to share Christ with every weary soul that He brings my way.

In order for us to have an eternal outlook, God needs to pull out all of the roots of pride, selfishness and self-reliance that prevent us from fully surrendering to Him. This takes years as the roots are strong and deep. Initially, this pruning is uncomfortable. However, ultimately, it frees us from the encumbrances of the flesh and the world. This new spiritual mindset allows us to walk in abiding joy, peace and gratitude as we accomplish His will for our lives on a daily basis.

When we sell out for Christ, we live with a stronger desire to please Him. We love God with all of our heart and we lean on Him for wisdom and guidance throughout the day. We follow Him to the cross and we lose our life for His sake; but then, we find new life through this glorious new intimate relationship with Him (Matthew 10:38-39). As we faithfully follow His precepts, our love for and trust in Him also increases. Simply doing the will of God on a daily basis brings both Him and us so much joy and satisfaction. From then on, the grief we experience when we live outside of His will sends us running back into His everlasting arms.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, make me an instrument of Your peace and let me inspire others to believe in You and to willingly shed the pounds of earthly ties that cripple us in so many areas of our life. Give us Your eternal perspective and help us to relinquish the areas of our flesh that bind us to a carnal life.

Thought for the Day:

God's will is a continual journey, not an ultimate destination.

Liberating Forgiveness

Read: Matthew 18:26-33 

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32

Over a lifetime, I collected an assortment of both pleasant and painful recollections. The positive memories warm my soul to the core and bring a smile to my face. I drink in their fragrance like little flowers scattered along the pathway of my life. I can enjoy them any time of the day or night. Milestones with children, kindnesses from grandchildren, thoughtful gesture by friends and family all sprinkle sunshine in my heart.

I usually only think about the negative memories when something or someone reminds me of the mental, physical or emotional damage inflicted upon me by some equally hurting soul. These people suffered at the hand of someone else and those internal wounds still fester in them from time to time, especially when we get too close to a sensitive area. Then they unload all of their pain on us, even if we are unsuspecting victims.

I have heard it said, that we only hurt the ones we love. This may be true in some cases. Some of my wounds came during the heat of raging emotions, some by another person trying to be humorous, and others hurt me quite unintentionally. I know you have similar stories to tell. These same people may continue to hurt us throughout the years. We may even try to reconcile with them to no avail.

Medical practitioners say that when we nurse grudges against these unfortunate people, we end up reaping the negative effects. Seething anger reduces the amount of blood, which the heart pumps to our body tissues. This may result in strokes and heart attacks. Unforgiveness also causes stomach and intestinal disorders, kidney problems, eating disorders, obesity, depression, addictions, insomnia, nightmares, and even self-destructive behaviors. Not a pretty picture.

Forgiveness is liberating. It enables the one who has wronged us to be liberated from their guilt, at the same time that it liberates us from negative emotions. Forgiveness allows us to live more fully and freely in the present, because it frees us from the past. When Jesus died on the cross He gave complete forgiveness, not only to those crucifying Him, but also to the whole of mankind both then and forever. He showed us by example how to love and to forgive others. Any pain, which others inflict upon us, is small when compared to the pain we inflict upon our Savior by our daily behavior and choices. Yet, God completely forgives us. Let us also forgive one another.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, with Your undeniable love You washed away the sins of the whole world. Thank You for forgiving us and making it possible for us to enjoy the glories of Heaven with You in the future. In the meantime, help us to shed a little heaven on earth for others to enjoy.

Thought for the Day:

We can share the gifts of love and complete forgiveness with everyone in our past, present and future.

God's Great Love

Read: Romans 8:5-39

‘Many are the affliction of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all!’” - Psalm 34:19

We all view life from a limited human vantage point. We wonder, “How will I ever solve this problem?” “How am I going to succeed?” “When will I get past this?” “When will this sickness leave?”

When we notice our thoughts drifting in the direction of the Big “I” we need to remind ourselves that the battle is the Lord’s. Then, we can transfix our affection, our thoughts, our beliefs, our emotions and our worldview on things above, on a heavenly rather than an earthly point of view (Colossians 3:2-3).

The Eighth chapter of Romans gives us a powerful message of a life lived from God’s point of view. When we look at our problems from God’s angle, we soar into the heavenly realm and leave this old world and all of its problems behind us. Think of the photos of the earth as seen from outer space. These photos put the earth into proper perspective. In the light of all of the galaxies that make up the universe, earth is one of the smallest planets God created. God rules all of creation, and we can trust Him to conscientiously rule over our life as well.

At times, it seems that our whole world just came unglued. Everything swirls out of our control in every direction. We subdue one issue and several more pop up. Our molehill becomes a mountain in record time! This happens, because in the pressure cooker of life, God softens us until we are pliable enough for Him to mold us into Christ’s image.

Psalm 34:19 reminds us that the Lord delivers us out of all of our afflictions! God already won the battle 2000 years ago on Calvary’s cross. We are already conquerors through Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27). When we look at life through God’s eyes, we start to see the possibilities rather than the problems. God used a small boy named David to defeat a giant like Goliath. He also empowers us with the same ability to face the giant problems in our life.

We serve an awesome and empathetic God. He loves, forgives, aids, chastises, transforms and molds us; and all the while, He gives us His abundant life now and for eternity. 1 John 3:1 reminds us, “Behold, what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us.” Ephesians 2: 4 encourages us, "He is rich in mercy and loves us with abundant love.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for telling us that nothing in heaven or on earth can separate us from Your love. No human experience or atrocity can remove us from Your presence. We can run away from You, but You always wait right where we left You; so we will find You again when we go around the mountain of life one more time!

Thought for the Day:

Nothing will ever separate us from God’s great love.

God's Abiding Love

Read: I John 4: 8-12

“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31 (NKJV)

Did you ever notice that even with just two commandments, we have a hard time keeping either one of them? The Bible teaches us that since God’s love abides in us, His love has been perfected in us. God forgave us and loved us while we were still sinners, and He gave us His example to follow.

After salvation, His love abides within us. We can more readily keep these two commandments. It is possible for us to love God and our neighbor, as well as our self. Even if my carnal nature gets in the way of my obedience to these commands, Agape’s love within me will do the job much better than I could ever imagine. As I put my feelings and prejudices aside, Christ will love even the most indigent of humans through my feeble actions.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, let us pour out Your love to those in our family, neighborhood, workplace, community and church. You loved us without conditions and undeservedly. Help us to allow You to share Your love through us without restraint! 

Thought for the Day:

God’s love in us is the anchor for a world adrift in the sea of suffering.

Go With The Flow

Read: Psalm 119: 116-126

“You will keep on guiding me all my life with your wisdom and counsel, and afterwards receive me into the glories of heaven!” Psalm 73:24 (TLB)

Anxiety drives us to try to control our life. In seeking freedom from the intensity of our fears, we keep tabs on everyone and everything in our sphere of influence. We exhibit a bossy, controlling, sometimes bombastic attitude in our attempt to keep people from hurting us. We fear the unknown and try to manage every aspect of our life to ensure tranquility.

However, no amount of self-effort guarantees us a peaceful life. All of our expended effort eventually crumbles at our feet, leaving us disillusioned and hopeless. Only God gives us the assurance we crave. His Word promises His provision for us on a daily basis. He gives us serenity, which is the exact opposite of anxiety.

If His kingdom is our desire instead of our own success, He will not allow our hopes to be dashed against the rocks of the circumstances we encounter. God ensures our well-being as we serve Him. He prevents the arrogant and the liar from oppressing us. He deals with us according to His loving kindness. He teaches us His commandments and writes them on our hearts to prevent us from sinning against Him. His great peace envelops us and nothing can make us fall or even stub our toe upon the impediments of adversity.

If we rest in God’s promises, we have nothing to fear. He supplies all of our needs according to His riches, mercy and grace. We can “Go With the Flow” of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment throughout the day and rest in His abundant love.

Prayer ~ Lord, help me to relinquish control of my life and to give You the reigns. Lead and guide me wherever You choose that I should go and help me to find peace and contentment in Your will.

Thought for the Day ~ Go with the flow of the Holy Spirit, moment by moment throughout the day.