A Balance of Grace vs. Works

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." -Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT 

We live in a very performance-based world. Performance can equate to more success, which equates to more money. And although we should be diligent and hard working, is our success or lack thereof all because of us? 

Sometimes we think we can earn our salvation because of our efforts. But the reality is, we received grace - and that's it! We do things Christ would want us to do out of our love for Him - out of our revelation of Him - so that others might experience the same abundant life. We receive our inheritance in heaven this way. "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10 But we've already received His grace. 

It is so easy to come from a place of performance, instead of coming from a place of grace (what we have already received.) Did you know all you received when you chose to believe that Jesus died for your sins? We can so easily think that our success is our doing. Yes we did the "working hard" part - but without God, our efforts would have been fruitless! 

Do you have a good balance in your life between fruit and grace? If we don't, we can become religious or workaholics on the one hand, or if we lean upon grace, we can become lazy, lacking excellence. Do you carry a careful balance between effort and surrender?

The Gold Seam

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. "Go, stand in the temple courts," He said, "and tell the people all about this new life." (Acts 5:19, 20 NIV)

There are places where we walk that we know are God-ordained. For me, whenever I see a rainbow I know God is highlighting my path, and I am walking in the right direction. You might call this "the gold seam."

Though life takes us on many journeys and along many different roads- there should be one commonality for the life of the Christian: the gold seam. Divine appointments, favor, whatever you want to call it, we need to be able to wake up and invite Gods purposes into our day. We need to ask Him, "God, where do you want me to go today?" or "God, who could I encourage today?" This simple act brings so much purpose into our lives.

We don't find the gold seam just by living our lives or by choosing Christ and then becoming dormant - we intentionally choose to be open to it every single day.

Are you looking for God's gold seam in your life today?

The Good Life

"Be vigilant, listen obediently to these words that I command you so that you'll have a good life, you and your children, for a long, long time, doing what is good and right in the eyes of God, your God."  -Deut 12:28

What is the good life? It seems in our culture that a good life is defined as being filled with money, fame, and unconditional recognition.  This seems as though it’s the good life...but, is it?

"The good life begins in the fear of God - Do that and you'll know the blessing of God. His Hallelujah lasts forever!" -Psalm 111:10

The Israelites spent years in the desert, 40 to be exact, learning how to trust in and be obedient to God.  They were lived day by day, with just that day’s bread for food.  But, after many years and many failed tests, a new generation of Israelites got to enter the Promised Land - and have the 'good life' they had wanted and waited for for so long.

How can we have this good life as Christians?

"Even though a person sins and gets by with it hundreds of times throughout a long life, I'm still convinced that the good life is reserved for the person who fears God, who lives reverently in his presence, and that the evil person will not experience a "good" life. No matter how many days he lives, they'll all be as flat and colorless as a shadow - because he doesn't fear God."  -Ecc 8:12

Being right with God brings the good life. Staying within the boundaries of His teachings & commands brings the good life. Doing right by others, and not believing Satan’s lies about us brings about God’s goodness in our lives.

Are you experiencing the good life today? Ask God if there are any areas in your life where He is teaching you to bring you into the good life.  God desires that all of His children experience this good life through serving, worshipping, and loving Him.

The Kingdom of God

“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." -Luke 17:20 & 21

Dr. Miles Munroe, senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, wrote a book called “Kingdom Principles: Preparing for Kingdom Experience and Expansion.”  In the book he describes the difference between religion (do's and don'ts) and the Kingdom of God that Jesus taught in the Bible.  He calls the Kingdom of God “the foundation of God’s plan for mankind.” (p. 81) 

Jesus mentions the “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of heaven” about 85 times in the New Testament.  In fact, if we read the entirety of Jesus‘  teaching in the New Testament, we will find He spent nearly all of His time on earth talking about the Kingdom! 

Why then is the kingdom so misunderstood?  What is the kingdom exactly?

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a kingdom is:  “a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen.” In this case, the King is our Father God in heaven. From this we can gather that true Christianity has a lot more to do with a perfected and uncorrupted form of heavenly government then it does with religion.

Dr. Monroe goes on to say, “Life in the kingdom is really about returning to the governing authority of God in the earth and learning how to live and function in that authority.” (p. 158)  Because of Jesus, we are now in the process of gaining back what was lost in the Garden of Eden.  (Genesis 3)  

Repentance and our acceptance of grace through Jesus Christ unlocks the door for us to enter God’s kingdom.  But, it doesn’t stop there.  Jesus teaches about many keys that, when activated, unlock the power of heaven in our own lives.

There is so much we can learn about God’s kingdom.  Ask the Lord to show you His kingdom and the part He might have you play.  He desires that we pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10) and that we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matt 6:33).  He promises that all these things will be added to us when we do.

Weapons of Warfare

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” -2 Corinthians 4:10

My dad turned to me one day and said something I had never really thought about before. “You know,” he said, “you have so much at your age that I never had.  It’s like you have a tool belt full of weapons against the enemy.”  He was referring to the preparation I had been undergoing through a series of trainings, and the healing work that God had been doing in my life.

“I guess you’re right!” I said. I knew he wasn’t necessarily saying it so I would feel proud of myself, (although I could tell he was proud.)  He was saying it so that I would recognize the responsibility I had to be able to help others.

The Bible talks about weapons of warfare. It makes a clear distinction between the weapons of this world and weapons in the spiritual realm. The Message version states:  “The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.”  

 

What are our weapons of warfare?  They include faith, prayer, grace, revelation, love, and God's truth.  Most of all, they are the things we have been through that God has healed and delivered us from.  Once we have overcome and are healed, we have the ability to speak truth to that obstacle in someone else’s life with authority.  (2 Cor 13:4)

When we align ourselves with God’s Word, we are taking a clear stand between us and the forces of darkness.  However, when we speak of weapons, it's not people we're looking to use them on.  It's the darkness.  So often we make the mistake of trying to shoot at the enemy, but we end up shooting the person he is holding hostage instead.

Do you know the weapons of warfare God has given to you? Let us use these weapons to remove obstacles to God, so that people can live free and unfettered in the saving grace and love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

A Stellar Example

"The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom." -Daniel 1:20

I love the example of Daniel and his friends. Daniel was such an unwavering model of faith, excellence, and purity, in spite of the world in which he and his friends found themselves.

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." -Daniel 1:8

Daniel and his friends were excellent in four areas:

• Physically: they were physically fit & disciplined
• Mentally: they were filled with wisdom and knowledge
• Relationally: they had one another for support, were respectful, and were highly favored among the king & his officials
• Spiritually: -they were filled with faith, they did not bow down to the world's system, and Daniel was excellent in his spiritual gifting (dream interpretation)

"To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds." -Daniel 1:17

The Bible says Daniel and his friends were 10 TIMES better than all the other magicians and enchanters in the land. To me, the example of Daniel and his friend speaks volumes. They lived in Babylon, in the world's system, which was contradictory to their faith. They lived as foreigners under the king's service. But they remained pure, disciplined, accountable to one another, and spiritually aligned with God. I believe it was because of these four things that God showed up in their midst. (Daniel 3:25)

Daniel challenges me in these four areas of my life, to be excellent and sharp in each one. Does Daniel's example inspire or challenge you? May we be the best examples of the God we serve, so that His light can be revealed in us for all the world to see.

"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." -Daniel 12:3

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

"How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice!"  -Song of Solomon 4:10

"Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: 'This is what the LORD says: "'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown."'" -Jeremiah 2:2

All throughout scripture a beautiful love story is interwoven between all of humanity and her bridegroom, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Every great love story has this plot of the handsome prince saving his princess, fighting off evil enemies in order to rescue her and gain the chance to win her hand.  In modern times, Beauty and the Beast, Allie and Noah, and Bella and Edward have been the forefront characters... but all great love stories involve a certain mystery, a certain magic, and a certain struggle that the man must endure and overcome to win the heart of his bride.  And continue to win it.

Jesus' death and resurrection on the cross was payment for every sin on this earth.  No one is without sin, and so we desperately needed a Savior who would be willing to lay down His life for us so we would not have to endure eternal death.

In this, as we realize just a piece of what kind of sacrifice was required, we learn to love a God who gave up His Son Jesus so that we wouldn't have to die.  Every great story has a derivative of this narrative; that's what makes it so great, and so compelling. 

As the story goes, Jesus is coming back for His bride one day, in a glorious wedding ceremony.  "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." -Revelation 21:2

But in order for Jesus to return for His bride, we have to be ready.  "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." -Revelation 19:7

Do you know your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?  Pray that He would reveal Himself to you, and that He would win over your heart. We need to be found ready, so that His glory can be revealed in all those who believe in Him - His bride, the Church.