When Paul wanted God to solve his problem by removing a source of pain and discouragement, God answered with a strategy that he also uses in our lives. He let the difficulty continue and instead directed Paul to his SUFFICIENT Grace.
Really knowing by experience and trusting in God's sufficient grace is a treasure once we discover it and EMBRACE IT. It isn't easy though! We usually expect that God will clear our path and deliver us out of pain and discouragement and "loss". It doesn't come naturally to suppose that God will answer our prayer with: "No. I have something better for you than rescue. I have perseverance in my sufficient grace."
Give some thought today to hard situations in your life and ask the Lord to give you the gift of seeing and experiencing his grace. Ask him for courage to lean on him more fully. And give him thanks that he is completely trustworthy.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Greater Grace
James 4:6 says that God gives us greater grace. Greater than what? I won't be dogmatic about this but my reading of the context indicates that the grace is greater than the intense desire that our nature has for the things of the world.
Fights and quarrels originate from desires within us. We covet and even kill but still don't get what we WANT! WANT!!
This intense desire puts us into enmity and hatred with God. We are cozy with the world but hard and cold toward God.
Scripture has told us that we have a spirit within us which envies intensely and we agree with this often in our experience when we give excuses for our behavior and act as though there were no other option than to cave in to sin . . . but . . God gives us greater grace than even the intense desires that wage a war within us. We are equipped!
Let's humble ourselves and ask for and receive this GREATER GRACE.
Fights and quarrels originate from desires within us. We covet and even kill but still don't get what we WANT! WANT!!
This intense desire puts us into enmity and hatred with God. We are cozy with the world but hard and cold toward God.
Scripture has told us that we have a spirit within us which envies intensely and we agree with this often in our experience when we give excuses for our behavior and act as though there were no other option than to cave in to sin . . . but . . God gives us greater grace than even the intense desires that wage a war within us. We are equipped!
Let's humble ourselves and ask for and receive this GREATER GRACE.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Let's Admin!
God's grace is administratable. He has gifted each one of us so that we are equipped to serve others in the body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10). I consider this to be one of the awesome privileges of my life - to be able to deliver the lavish grace of God to another person.
Sometimes it comes through use of a spiritual gift such as teaching. Sometimes it happens by saying that word that you feel burns in your heart, or maybe by lending a hand in service. The amazing thing of course is that God has chosen to let his rich, pure grace flow through one fragile human vessel to another.
When this happens you will know the unspeakable thrill of being one with God in his loving and perfect purposes. You will taste his kingdom and rejoice in his glory, all the while being sure that it is all because of our Lord and Savior, who reconciled us to our Father in the first place. Without him and his costly intervention we are unworthy.
Show us today, Lord, where and how we can administrate your lavish grace.
Sometimes it comes through use of a spiritual gift such as teaching. Sometimes it happens by saying that word that you feel burns in your heart, or maybe by lending a hand in service. The amazing thing of course is that God has chosen to let his rich, pure grace flow through one fragile human vessel to another.
When this happens you will know the unspeakable thrill of being one with God in his loving and perfect purposes. You will taste his kingdom and rejoice in his glory, all the while being sure that it is all because of our Lord and Savior, who reconciled us to our Father in the first place. Without him and his costly intervention we are unworthy.
Show us today, Lord, where and how we can administrate your lavish grace.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Grace conversations
Starting now, and for eternity, the conversation is about God's incomparable grace that he lavished on us in and through Jesus Christ. God has it in mind to DISPLAY this grace (Eph. 2:7).
The conversation has many different entry points and excludes no one as we shall see in the blogs ahead.
Today we start with the concept that we are God's poem by his grace. He has saved us and raised us up and is crafting a unique and beautiful poem through our life. Eph 2:10 uses the word "workmanship". We are his crafting, or Poem.
Be sure today that there is nothing in your story, or Poem, that God is not able to touch with his grace and make it part of the heavenly conversation for time and eternity. Reflect today on the grace you can see in your Poem.
The conversation has many different entry points and excludes no one as we shall see in the blogs ahead.
Today we start with the concept that we are God's poem by his grace. He has saved us and raised us up and is crafting a unique and beautiful poem through our life. Eph 2:10 uses the word "workmanship". We are his crafting, or Poem.
Be sure today that there is nothing in your story, or Poem, that God is not able to touch with his grace and make it part of the heavenly conversation for time and eternity. Reflect today on the grace you can see in your Poem.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Lavish
In Ephesians we are told of the lavish grace of God that he has poured out on us. In this Christmas season I want to explore that a bit.
First, let's look at the word lavish. A synonym is prodigal. You have heard of the prodigal son? He wasted his inheritance, and was thus "prodigal" ( it wasn't b/ c he was lost). Well, this is the "prodigal" Father! He is so GENEROUS with his kindness and love, that it borders on crazy wasteful.
Another way to think of "lavish" is the word "downpour". Have you ever been caught in a torrential rain? Our family got caught once in a memorable spot - London Tower. The rain came down furiously and fantastically, providing forever a visual image of our Prodigal Father.
In the next several days, I will be sharing gifts of God's grace. It is multi-dimensional and amazing. Each day will show another angle on God's goodness.
First, let's look at the word lavish. A synonym is prodigal. You have heard of the prodigal son? He wasted his inheritance, and was thus "prodigal" ( it wasn't b/ c he was lost). Well, this is the "prodigal" Father! He is so GENEROUS with his kindness and love, that it borders on crazy wasteful.
Another way to think of "lavish" is the word "downpour". Have you ever been caught in a torrential rain? Our family got caught once in a memorable spot - London Tower. The rain came down furiously and fantastically, providing forever a visual image of our Prodigal Father.
In the next several days, I will be sharing gifts of God's grace. It is multi-dimensional and amazing. Each day will show another angle on God's goodness.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Kenosis
That word, I am told, means "emptying". This is what the Lord Jesus experienced as he took on manhood in order to redeem the world. It is such a cause for worship! The glorious Word of God, who speaks creation into existence and upholds all of creation and life by his powerful word, set aside divine glory.
J.I. Packer explains this: " . . a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice, and misunderstanding; finally, a death which involved such agony - spiritually, even more than physical - that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it (See Luke 12:50, and the Gethsemane story.) It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely men, who 'through his poverty, might become rich'.
Through the Kenosis of the eternal Word of God, through this awesome service of love, I have become rich!! I want to praise the living God for this act of mercy and grace that staggers the mind. We know from Philippians that because of this chosen poverty God has exalted Jesus and given him the name above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! I bow the knee this morning and with adoration in my heart I confess him as my Lord this day and always.
J.I. Packer explains this: " . . a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice, and misunderstanding; finally, a death which involved such agony - spiritually, even more than physical - that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it (See Luke 12:50, and the Gethsemane story.) It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely men, who 'through his poverty, might become rich'.
Through the Kenosis of the eternal Word of God, through this awesome service of love, I have become rich!! I want to praise the living God for this act of mercy and grace that staggers the mind. We know from Philippians that because of this chosen poverty God has exalted Jesus and given him the name above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! I bow the knee this morning and with adoration in my heart I confess him as my Lord this day and always.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
If I were . . .
"You who made the lion and the lamb
You who made me what I am
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan . . . if I were a wealthy man?
That was the question of Tevye to God in The Fiddler on the Roof. And if I understand some of what God is saying to us when Jesus compares the kingdom to yeast, then I think we can say that God's answer to Tevye would have been "Yes". God has a vast eternal plan in our hearts, attitudes, instinctive responses, behaviors and habits. And he still uses "ALL THINGS" to form us to the character of his son Jesus.
Let's not say "if I were . . ." and instead let's submit ourselves to God in any given situation or trial and allow him to let his nature spread in us like YEAST.
You who made me what I am
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan . . . if I were a wealthy man?
That was the question of Tevye to God in The Fiddler on the Roof. And if I understand some of what God is saying to us when Jesus compares the kingdom to yeast, then I think we can say that God's answer to Tevye would have been "Yes". God has a vast eternal plan in our hearts, attitudes, instinctive responses, behaviors and habits. And he still uses "ALL THINGS" to form us to the character of his son Jesus.
Let's not say "if I were . . ." and instead let's submit ourselves to God in any given situation or trial and allow him to let his nature spread in us like YEAST.
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