I started studying in Galatians last night and WOW! It is ALL so good! I would love to discuss every scripture but so that this blog doesn't become too long, I encourage you to read it for yourself.
Galatians 2:21-3:3 "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"
The word "bewitched" really stood out as I read this. "Who has bewitched you?" Bewitched? I had heard that term before... "Bewitched" was a sitcom that was on TV from 1964-1972 about a mortal man married to a witch. Now, we all know the apostle Paul was not talking about Darrin Stephens and his witch wife Samantha. Never the less, Paul was referring to witchcraft. If someone has bewitched you they have affected you with witchcraft or magic or have cast a spell over you.
So why did Paul ask this question to the Galatians? "Oh foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?" It was because they had put themselves back under the law and were trying to attain the goal by their own efforts! We need to always remember... "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) We are saved by GRACE, not by our human efforts.
As you can read in my "NEVER will I leave you, NEVER will I forsake you" post, I too was foolish like the Galatians and had been bewitched. I was saved by GRACE and then over time I allowed myself to be put right back under the law. As I press on towards the mark (or goal) I am determined to give Jesus Christ ALL the credit. I DO NOT want it to be about me, my knowledge (or lack thereof), my works or good deeds or for that matter all my mess-ups and mistakes. Lord help me to get ME out of the picture! I want to give Jesus ALL the glory and honor that He deserves! I want to know, REALLY know Him and His finished work! Apart from Christ I am nothing and can do nothing! Yet, "I can do all things through Jesus who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse
As I was reading Romans this morning, God reminded me that for such a long time I was trying to put the cart before the horse. If you put a cart 'behind' a horse, the horse is able to 'pull' the cart with ease... try to put that same cart in front of or 'before' the horse and the horse will not be able to push it.
I used to think that I was a sinner because I sinned. God recently showed me that "I was putting the cart before the horse." I now realize, I sinned because I was a sinner, that was my nature before I met and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
I used to think that in order to BE righteous, I had to do and act "righteous." God recently showed me that (yep, you guessed it) "I was putting the cart before the horse." I now realize I am able to act righteous because I AM righteous through Jesus Christ!
This may seem like an insignificant difference, but let me assure you there is a BIG difference!
Before when I would do something wrong (sin), I would start focusing on the thing or sin that I had done and soon would fall under condemnation and feel very unworthy and unrighteous. I would think things like, "How can God use me when I am such a sinner?" Or... I would try to become more 'righteous' by setting goals to increase the hours that I would pray and read the Word, etc. And then life would happen and I would fall short of those goals, AGAIN! I would then think, "How am I ever going to obtain a standard of righteousness good enough to be used by God?"
Now when I mess up and do something wrong (sin) I remind myself, "I am no longer a sinner, so stop acting like one. I am righteous through Jesus Christ, so start acting like Jesus." I am telling you from experience, it is a whole lot easier to stop sinning when you know that you are NOT a sinner! And it is a whole lot easier to act righteous when you know that you ARE righteous! Romans 5:19 "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
Romans 6:14-15 says, "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" Understanding true grace does not give a license to sin it makes you realize that you are no longer a slave to sin.
Romans 6:17-18 goes on to say, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
I thank God that He allowed me to get the cart "behind" the horse in this area of my life!
I used to think that I was a sinner because I sinned. God recently showed me that "I was putting the cart before the horse." I now realize, I sinned because I was a sinner, that was my nature before I met and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
I used to think that in order to BE righteous, I had to do and act "righteous." God recently showed me that (yep, you guessed it) "I was putting the cart before the horse." I now realize I am able to act righteous because I AM righteous through Jesus Christ!
This may seem like an insignificant difference, but let me assure you there is a BIG difference!
Before when I would do something wrong (sin), I would start focusing on the thing or sin that I had done and soon would fall under condemnation and feel very unworthy and unrighteous. I would think things like, "How can God use me when I am such a sinner?" Or... I would try to become more 'righteous' by setting goals to increase the hours that I would pray and read the Word, etc. And then life would happen and I would fall short of those goals, AGAIN! I would then think, "How am I ever going to obtain a standard of righteousness good enough to be used by God?"
Now when I mess up and do something wrong (sin) I remind myself, "I am no longer a sinner, so stop acting like one. I am righteous through Jesus Christ, so start acting like Jesus." I am telling you from experience, it is a whole lot easier to stop sinning when you know that you are NOT a sinner! And it is a whole lot easier to act righteous when you know that you ARE righteous! Romans 5:19 "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."
Romans 6:14-15 says, "For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!" Understanding true grace does not give a license to sin it makes you realize that you are no longer a slave to sin.
Romans 6:17-18 goes on to say, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
I thank God that He allowed me to get the cart "behind" the horse in this area of my life!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
When God said, "NEVER will I leave you, Never will I forsake you." That is EXACTLY what He meant... NEVER!
25 years ago I was introduced to and met my Savior, Jesus Christ! Prior to that day I knew "of" Jesus but I did not "know" Him! I was not introduced to Jesus in a church... it was in the living room of an apartment with a small group of people who were messed up, yet were searching for something to fill the void in their hearts. We would get high and then read the Bible (No, I am not endorsing this nor would I recommend it! Please keep reading for the "rest of the story"). But God loved me! He saw past the muck and mire that I was in and He loved me! When I read the Bible, high as a kite, I read that God was a GOOD God! Could this be true?
For so long, I thought God was watching my every move waiting to beat me over the head and punish me if I did anything wrong! And trust me, I did PLENTY wrong on a daily basis. The only time I talked to God prior was when I was pleading to a God that I really didn't know crying, "Oh God, if you just get me out of this mess, I promise I will be good!" I was never able to keep those promises; I actually never even tried!"
But in that living room I came to realize that God was a GOOD God and that He loved me! I was born again and spirit filled in that living room and my life has never been the same since! As time went on, we kept reading the Word and the more we fell in love with Jesus and realized how much He loved us, the more we stopped wanting the things that the world offered, including drinking and doing drugs.
As I reflect back on the day I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I am thankful that God didn't care what kind of person I was. God didn't wait until I got my act together. My sins did not bother God in the least little bit; He had already provided payment for them at the cross! God didn't require that I clean myself up and come up to His level to meet Him. He gently outstretched His arm and reached down to my level and picked me up! Thank you Jesus!
Many believe, (including myself until recently) that when believers sin we become separated from God. It is preached that, "Sin separates you from God." THIS IS NOT THE TRUTH! Our sin was placed on Jesus when He hung on the cross. God turned His back on Jesus at the cross, full of our sin, so that He would never have to leave us or forsake us! "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34 & Matthew 27:46) That is just how much God loves us!
I was also taught that when Adam & Eve sinned in the garden that their sin separated them from God. As I was reading "The Gospel of Peace" by Dr. James B. Richards (which is a great book) I realized that God did not separated Himself from Adam & Eve. God did not hide from Adam & Eve because they had sinned, it was the other way around! It was their "perception" that God would not want to see them naked that caused them to hide from God. "Perception" is not reality! Adam & Eve had always been naked before God; it did not bother God before... God didn't change, they did! "If God did not want to fellowship with Adam, He would not have come to the Garden looking for him" Dr. James B. Richards
The day I accepted Christ, 25 year ago, I knew that God loved me just the way that I was! I knew that He saved me by grace and that it was a FREE gift from God! I knew that NOTHING could separate me from the love of God! I knew that ALL things were possible through Christ! I knew that what I had was a relationship not a religion! Unfortunately, somewhere along the way I allowed 'religion' to sneak back in to my relationship without even noticing. I started believing that in order to be used by God I had to do X, Y, & Z. I started believing that I had to go to those "who were called by God" for prayer, guidance & approval. I started believing that if I wanted or needed God to move or do something I needed to pray, fast, cross all my T's and dot all my I's and if all that failed beg for forgiveness! It is not that I was living a life full of sin but I just wasn't able to do all the "good" required to be used by God. Thank God that He is the healer, not the one laying on the hands! Thank God that He is the provider, the peace, the joy, the EVERYTHING not the delivery person. If God can use a donkey or a fish, He does not need a man who is full of good works! I found myself back where I was over 25 years ago, before I met Jesus... never quite measuring up! Well, thankfully God continues to love me and again reached down and whispered in my ear, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Before someone uses this to find a license to continue in sin let me share... Since I have come to realize that it has NOTHING to do with anything I do or don't do and EVERYTHING to do with the finished work of the cross of Jesus I have done more for God then before. And though I still sin each and every day (who doesn't?) I sin a lot less. The difference though is my motives. I do not pray or fast or "work" to please God or get something from Him; I realize that He has already provided EVERYTHING for me at the cross and that very act of love compels me to want to do good! Knowing that there is NOTHING that can separate me from the love of my Abba Father compels me to love others! Knowing that by GRACE I am saved and in right standing with God at ALL times, compels me to want to share 'The Good News' with others!
For so long, I thought God was watching my every move waiting to beat me over the head and punish me if I did anything wrong! And trust me, I did PLENTY wrong on a daily basis. The only time I talked to God prior was when I was pleading to a God that I really didn't know crying, "Oh God, if you just get me out of this mess, I promise I will be good!" I was never able to keep those promises; I actually never even tried!"
But in that living room I came to realize that God was a GOOD God and that He loved me! I was born again and spirit filled in that living room and my life has never been the same since! As time went on, we kept reading the Word and the more we fell in love with Jesus and realized how much He loved us, the more we stopped wanting the things that the world offered, including drinking and doing drugs.
As I reflect back on the day I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I am thankful that God didn't care what kind of person I was. God didn't wait until I got my act together. My sins did not bother God in the least little bit; He had already provided payment for them at the cross! God didn't require that I clean myself up and come up to His level to meet Him. He gently outstretched His arm and reached down to my level and picked me up! Thank you Jesus!
Many believe, (including myself until recently) that when believers sin we become separated from God. It is preached that, "Sin separates you from God." THIS IS NOT THE TRUTH! Our sin was placed on Jesus when He hung on the cross. God turned His back on Jesus at the cross, full of our sin, so that He would never have to leave us or forsake us! "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34 & Matthew 27:46) That is just how much God loves us!
I was also taught that when Adam & Eve sinned in the garden that their sin separated them from God. As I was reading "The Gospel of Peace" by Dr. James B. Richards (which is a great book) I realized that God did not separated Himself from Adam & Eve. God did not hide from Adam & Eve because they had sinned, it was the other way around! It was their "perception" that God would not want to see them naked that caused them to hide from God. "Perception" is not reality! Adam & Eve had always been naked before God; it did not bother God before... God didn't change, they did! "If God did not want to fellowship with Adam, He would not have come to the Garden looking for him" Dr. James B. Richards
The day I accepted Christ, 25 year ago, I knew that God loved me just the way that I was! I knew that He saved me by grace and that it was a FREE gift from God! I knew that NOTHING could separate me from the love of God! I knew that ALL things were possible through Christ! I knew that what I had was a relationship not a religion! Unfortunately, somewhere along the way I allowed 'religion' to sneak back in to my relationship without even noticing. I started believing that in order to be used by God I had to do X, Y, & Z. I started believing that I had to go to those "who were called by God" for prayer, guidance & approval. I started believing that if I wanted or needed God to move or do something I needed to pray, fast, cross all my T's and dot all my I's and if all that failed beg for forgiveness! It is not that I was living a life full of sin but I just wasn't able to do all the "good" required to be used by God. Thank God that He is the healer, not the one laying on the hands! Thank God that He is the provider, the peace, the joy, the EVERYTHING not the delivery person. If God can use a donkey or a fish, He does not need a man who is full of good works! I found myself back where I was over 25 years ago, before I met Jesus... never quite measuring up! Well, thankfully God continues to love me and again reached down and whispered in my ear, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Before someone uses this to find a license to continue in sin let me share... Since I have come to realize that it has NOTHING to do with anything I do or don't do and EVERYTHING to do with the finished work of the cross of Jesus I have done more for God then before. And though I still sin each and every day (who doesn't?) I sin a lot less. The difference though is my motives. I do not pray or fast or "work" to please God or get something from Him; I realize that He has already provided EVERYTHING for me at the cross and that very act of love compels me to want to do good! Knowing that there is NOTHING that can separate me from the love of my Abba Father compels me to love others! Knowing that by GRACE I am saved and in right standing with God at ALL times, compels me to want to share 'The Good News' with others!
Grasping Grace
I titled my blog "Grasping Grace" because I do not believe we can ever fully 'grasp' true Grace; it is a process. I am thankful that my heavenly Father has allowed me to understand Grace more today then I did yesterday. My desire is to understand His Grace more tomorrow then I do today. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith~ and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God~ no by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8)
I do not know, nor would I ever claim to know or fully understand ALL the things of God but I am confident that He loves us dearly. So much so that He was willing to give His one and only Son, Jesus. (John 3:16-18)
I do not know, nor would I ever claim to know or fully understand ALL the things of God but I am confident that He loves us dearly. So much so that He was willing to give His one and only Son, Jesus. (John 3:16-18)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Merely "Focusing" on Jesus is not enough... we need to know who we are "IN" Christ!
Before this morning I was determined to keep my eyes focused on Jesus. I realize now that just focusing on Jesus is not enough! I can focus on Jesus and "see" His finished work but "seeing" is not always believing or accepting! The whole world knows and "sees" that Jesus died a brutal death on the cross. The question is do they really know who Jesus is? Why did He die? Who did He die for? And when He cried, "It is Finished!" do they know what was finished? We need to accept the Finished work that took place on the cross.. not just a portion of it, but ALL that was provided on the cross!
It is kind of like "The Old Country Buffet" or "The Golden Corral"... the food is all there provided & spread out for our taking but we are the one's that need to dish it up and insert it into our mouths. The price is paid at the door so once we enter we can partake in as much or as little as we want but it has ALL been paid in full for us to enjoy!
Friends, Jesus has paid the price for us and has provided ALL on the cross. You can partake in as little or as much of His finished work as you would like but as for me, I want it ALL!!!
I woke up this morning and read an article posted by a brother in Christ that we had the privilege of meeting last week, Cody Bateman, about how to receive criticism. It was a good reminder to consider the source, ponder whether there is any truth to what is being said, and that "a soft answer turns away wrath" Proverbs 15:1. I then watched a message from Joseph Prince that was a good Word in due season for myself. This is when I realized that I needed to do more then merely "focus" on Jesus. I needed to remind myself who I am "IN" Christ. JP made a few statements that made my Spirit do a little cartwheel on the inside of me this morning...
"If I am in Christ and I am completely in Christ, I don't have to prove nothing to anybody... nothing to defend, nothing to prove, nobody to impress. It's a wonderful life!" JP
"When I know who I am in Christ then words from people are like water of a ducks back." JP
"When I forget who I am in Christ, that is when people's words start to get the better of me." JP
"You must be independent of people's opinions before you can help them. As long as you are still bound by people's opinions you can not help people because of your motivation. You do the right thing with the wrong reason." JP
So I hope this encourages others as much as it has encouraged me this morning. I don't want to just "Focus" on Jesus and view Him and His finished work from a distance... I want to accept Him & His finished work! I want to know, really know, who I am in Christ! Thank you Lord for allowing YOUR finished work to provide EVERYTHING for me!!! Help me daily to discover who I am in Christ so that I can partake in EVERYTHING that has already been provided for me as Jesus hung on the cross and cried out, "It is Finished"
It is kind of like "The Old Country Buffet" or "The Golden Corral"... the food is all there provided & spread out for our taking but we are the one's that need to dish it up and insert it into our mouths. The price is paid at the door so once we enter we can partake in as much or as little as we want but it has ALL been paid in full for us to enjoy!
Friends, Jesus has paid the price for us and has provided ALL on the cross. You can partake in as little or as much of His finished work as you would like but as for me, I want it ALL!!!
I woke up this morning and read an article posted by a brother in Christ that we had the privilege of meeting last week, Cody Bateman, about how to receive criticism. It was a good reminder to consider the source, ponder whether there is any truth to what is being said, and that "a soft answer turns away wrath" Proverbs 15:1. I then watched a message from Joseph Prince that was a good Word in due season for myself. This is when I realized that I needed to do more then merely "focus" on Jesus. I needed to remind myself who I am "IN" Christ. JP made a few statements that made my Spirit do a little cartwheel on the inside of me this morning...
"If I am in Christ and I am completely in Christ, I don't have to prove nothing to anybody... nothing to defend, nothing to prove, nobody to impress. It's a wonderful life!" JP
"When I know who I am in Christ then words from people are like water of a ducks back." JP
"When I forget who I am in Christ, that is when people's words start to get the better of me." JP
"You must be independent of people's opinions before you can help them. As long as you are still bound by people's opinions you can not help people because of your motivation. You do the right thing with the wrong reason." JP
So I hope this encourages others as much as it has encouraged me this morning. I don't want to just "Focus" on Jesus and view Him and His finished work from a distance... I want to accept Him & His finished work! I want to know, really know, who I am in Christ! Thank you Lord for allowing YOUR finished work to provide EVERYTHING for me!!! Help me daily to discover who I am in Christ so that I can partake in EVERYTHING that has already been provided for me as Jesus hung on the cross and cried out, "It is Finished"
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