II Chronicles 14:11 ~ Asa

When we are in trouble, to whom do we turn? Our neighbors, our friends, our spouses cannot possibly help when we have no strength to go one more step. So who can rely on?  That's right, God!  As Asa realized that God is there to give him the strength that he needed when he was outnumbered in battle, so should we rely on Him.  

And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, rather with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude.  O Lord, thou art our God; let no man prevail against thee. 
                                                                                                  II Chronicles 14:11

Note that Asa declared that God is so great and that He has so much power over everything: "Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, rather with many, or with them that have no power".  All that he had to do was to rest in Him: "for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude".  In other words, as long as we are doing God's will, we need only call on Him, and He will give us strength.

Amen!

Thank you for joining me this morning.  May God bless and keep you and yours always!

Alignment with God

Today, we are going to discuss how to align yourself with God. Notice that I a did not say "how how we can get God to align with us". Think about it: most of us are from the 'Me Generation'. One thing that people of that generation are known for is manipulating situations to benefit themselves. We want something, we pray for it, we automatically think that God should blessed us with exactly what we want. Then, when we don't receive it right away, we get angry with God, sometimes to the point of turning our backs on Him.  Sound familiar? I would venture to guess that nine people out of 10 have, at one time or another, found themselves in exactly that situation. This lesson will aim to show us why we should align ourselves with God, instead of the other way around.

We take our lesson from Matthew 20, verses 20 through 23. This is a story about a mother who believed that her two sons deserved to be seated at the right hand side and at the left-hand side of Jesus in His kingdom (vs 20, 21). But Jesus, knowing what His future held, asked the sons, "Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with" (vs 22)? They hadn't a clue what Jesus was about to go through; the persecution and the crucifixion that He would experience was to much for any man.

This shows how a mother tried to have Jesus align with her wishes. In vs 22 and 23, Jesus asks the sons the two very important questions. When the sons answer, "We are able" (vs 22). In vs 23, He tells them how it's going to be. "You will indeed drink from My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with", meaning that the boys will go through persecution (drink from My cup), and they will be baptized (receive the Holy Spirit). But, and here's the catch, "To sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those whom it is prepared by My Father" (vs 23).

This short story is just one example of how God gently guides us back into alignment with Him. So the next time that you think that you "deserve" something, instead of getting mad at God when you do not receive it, try thanking Him.  He, more than likely, just saved you from a lot of heart ache.

Thank you for joining me today. God bless you and keep you until next we meet.

The Beatitudes ~ Matthew 5:8

Yesterday, we started a lesson on the Beatitudes.  This was from a message that my pastor, Kevin Schmidt, gave at my church a while ago. We covered Matthew 5:3 – 7, and today we will cover vs 8. This should be a relatively short lesson, and we will cover the rest of the Beatitudes at a later date.

vs 8  Blessed are the pure in heart,
         For they shall see God.

We will be focusing on the word 'pure'. When we hear this word in connection with us, we know that we cannot possibly be totally pure. This may make us uncomfortable or even give us feelings of shame. If you do not know God, you may not care whether or not you are pure. You may ask yourself how do I be completely pure. The answer to that question lies, of course, in God's Word. We are now going to use what we have learned yesterday to open our eyes to God's expectations. 

Matthew 5:3 uses the phrase 'poor in spirit' to refer to those who recognize that Jesus is the only way to see God. This tells us to be spiritually humble.

In vs 4, Jesus tells us, "Blessed are those who mourn…". This refers to those who are sensitive about sin; to those who realize that when we sin, we hurt God. In other words, in order to be pure, we must recognize our sins, but more important then that, we must try not to send in the first place. Of course this is an impossible task, but to be aware of our actions before we act makes it easier.

vs 5 tells us simply to surrender our hearts to God. This is perhaps the first, and most important, step to becoming pure.

vs 6 tells us to hunger and thirst, or to seek God's Word. This, we do in exchange for righteousness.

The above are steps to becoming pure. First we must surrender our hearts to God, then recognize that Jesus is the only way to live our lives. We must be aware of our sins, and "nip them in the bud". In other words, we must stop them before they start. Lastly, we must keep reading our Bibles every day. We need to thirst for God's Word at all times, good and bad.

Other verses to read:

Matthew 5:48
Romans 12: 1, 2
Psalm 24:3 – 6

Thank you for joining me for this lesson. May God bless and keep you until we meet again.

The Beatitudes ~ Matt. 5:3-7

Today, not only did I read my devotional by Millie Stamm, I listened to a lesson given by my pastor, Pastor Kevin Schmidt of Grace Baptist (a fundamental Baptist church).  He covered Matt. 5:3-8 which, as most of you know, are the first six verses of the Beatitudes.  As I listened with an opened heart, for this is what I prayed for before my lesson, I realized that, even though I have accepted the Lord, I still have a lot of work to do on improving my heart to make me acceptable in the presence of God, and I must do it now...today, right at this moment.

Most of us think the same way.  As long as I accept Jesus, live a good life, pray at supper and go to church on Sunday morning, I am good.  After all, I am a flawed human.  What can God expect?  The answer to that burning question is:  EVERYTHING!  We can find what is expected of us in the book of Matthew, specifically Matt. 5:1-12, or as it is commonly known as The Beatitudes.

We are only going to study the first five verses today.  So here we go.

vs 3:  Blessed are the poor in spirit,
          For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Let's look at the phrase 'poor in spirit'.  I used to believe that, because the word poor is used, this verse refers to those who have not received the Lord.  This is as far from the truth as possible (and we all now that God's Word is the truth).  The truth makes a lot more sense.  'Poor in spirit' actually means spiritually humble, or to put an even finer point on it, those who recognize that Jesus is the only way to get a clean heart.

vs 4:  Blessed are those who mourn,
          For they shall be comforted.

This simply means those who are sensitive to sin, who realize that when we sin, we hurt God, will be blessed.    We need to be aware of our actions and stop ourselves from hurting God, and ultimately ourselves.

vs 5  Blessed are the meek,
        For they shall inherit the earth.

Meaning if we surrender to God, we shall inherit everything.

vs 6  Blessed are those who hunger
              and thirst for righteousness;
         For they shall be filled.

If we seek the Lord, our God, in the search of righteousness, we shall have everything that we need.

vs 7  Blessed are the merciful,
         For they shall obtain mercy.

This one is not hard to decipher.  If use show mercy to your fellow man, God will give you mercy.

We will wait to cover verse 8, for it is a long lesson, as well.

May God bless you and keep you always.

He is Always With Us ~ ALWAYS!

In my devotion today, Millie Stamm covered one of God's promises to us.  It is proceeded by a command to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19, 20)  I have italicized today's promise so that we can discuss this wondrous gift from God.

Today, for an example, I will share part of my testimony to show how faith in God's promises can be spread around the world.  First, I must explain a little about myself.  At the age of ten I had a stroke.  It affected my right arm and leg.  Soon, with a lot of support from my family (with which God had blessed me), and a lot of hard work on my part, I got about 90% of the use of my leg back.  However, I chose not to work on getting the use of my arm back, so I never did.  I tell you this not to gain your pity, for I despise it as much as I do criticism about my different ability, but to give you some insight into my heart.  I chose to work hard, and God blessed me with the use of my leg again; but I chose also to ignore my arm and paid the consequences for the rest of my life. God did not give me the stroke because I had sinned or was a bad person.  He allowed it to make me strong and to give me a chance to rely on Him.

As a result of my childhood, which could not have been more full of love and support, I have always had medical problems, or trials, if you will.  My last major one, a broken hip, which required numerous surgeries, finally landed me in a wheelchair (something that I have fought against for all of my life).  But, as Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Isn't that a wonderful thought. God loves us so much that He will use all circumstances for good.  The good that my trials brought me was that they made me a stronger person.  But, besides that, they gave me a chance to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19), even with my restrictions.  God put me into situations which allowed me to witnessed to people who were without hope and searching for something, someone in which to believe.  Most of these situations were as a result of my trials.

So you see, we can all spread God's word and no matter what, He is beside us giving us the strength to see it through...always!

May God  bless you and keep you until the next time we meet.

Jabez's Prayer

This lesson is from my devotional, Meditation Moments by Millie Stamm.

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, "Oh, that thou wouldest bless indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me,  and that though wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!" And God granted him that which he requested.

                                                                                                   1 Chronicles 4:10

Though we do not see Jabez in the Bible more than this one verse, theologians believe that Jabez is truly the prayer warrior.  First, we see him ask God to bless him.  Now, ordinarily we would say that this alone is a selfish prayer way to pray.  However, Jabez knows that without God's blessings, he cannot bless others.  He then asks Him to "enlarge [his] coast".  Here, Jabez is praying that God bring more people into his life that he might lead them to Him. Jabez prayed lastly that God would guide him and keep him from evil.

This prayer is near and dear to my heart.  I truly admire Jabez and love this prayer.

Thank you all for joining me today.  May God bless you and keep you from evil.

Hopeful! Peaceful! Prayerful! ~ Romans 12:12

My devotion today, written by Millie Stamm, is from Romans 12:12.

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

God's Word gives us strength to get through the tribulations of life.  It gives us hope in our prayers and we need to be patient for God's answer .  Though we do not always get the answer that we want, He gives us the answer that we need at the time.  Romans 12:12 reminds us to rejoice in hope because God is is the God of hope.  We are to rejoice in the hope that He will give us what we need, AND we are to rejoice in the hope of Christ's return.

Our prayer lives are to be constant and never ending.  We are to be patient in times of trouble, for God is allowing the trouble to refine us. Patience brings peace.

As Ms. Stamm writes, "God is interested in our lives.  We can rejoice in our hope in a God who is all-powerful.  We can be patient in tribulation, knowing that He is near to comfort and encourage.  We can be steadfast in prayer, for He has promised to hear and answer."

Hang your hopes on His promises!

Be thankful this Thanksgiving day, and always!

Psalm 84:5 – 7

I have been reading daily devotion by Millie Stamm called Meditation Moments. I would like to share with you the scripture Ms. Stamm shared with us today.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion. 
                                           Psalm 84:5 – 7

This lesson was close to my heart as I have had many occasions where to draw on God's strength in the past couple of months. I have been plagued with one medical problem after another, but God is always there. 

This piece of scripture reminds us that, as we pass from trouble to trouble, we go from strength to strength. Meaning that when we are in trouble, there always is God's strength and grace to pull us through.

Thank you for joining me today, and may God bless each and every one of you.

God's Grace is Sufficient

I have been having more medical problems than usual.  I have not been able to attend church, so I have been feeling more doubtful and less faithful that normal.

My pastor came by today to pick up a few items that he left when painting my house.  We talked for some time about God's grace.  I asked him why God would keep His children from the fellowship of His people. 

You see, lately I have been feeling as if I was set apart from my church family; as if I was isolated on my own island. Of course, I knew the answer to the question even before I asked; however, I needed someone else to confirm it for me. We could never know what's in God's mind, but we know that God is in control. His love for us is astronomical, and we need to have faith in what He has planned for our lives.  
Pastor then said something was not expected. He told me that when I go through my hardships I teach others the same lesson that God teaches me. To have faith is the most important thing that we can learn from our trials. We need to remember that others learn from how we deal with our tribulations. This may sound like a simple lesson, but I felt that it is important for all of us to remember.

Magnify the Lord With Me

Today's lesson comes from my pastor's message on magnifying the Lord (Psalm 34).  It is short, but oh so sweet!

He brings up a scenario in which a mother brings a newborn home.  That mother is now responsible for baby's physical welfare, as well as it's soul.  Now, that is a lot of responsibility.  So imagine, if you will, a mother looking on with adoration, as she tenderly holds her beautiful infant in her arms.  Her soft voice envelopes the child as she says,"This is what we will do, you and I.  We will magnify the Lord throughout our lives." 

What is Faith?

 Praise be to the God and Father of our 

Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed 

us in the heavenly realms with every 

spiritual blessing in Christ.

                                                   Ephesians 1:3

Our lesson today is taken from Ephesians 1:3 – 10, among other verses which will be given to you. It comes from a message that my pastor preached some months ago.  We will be asking and answering questions that will answer the big question of "What is faith?". 

1. What is the definition of faith? - Biblical faith is taking God at His word  (comes  from Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.")

We can only have biblical faith if we have a Bible. The Bible gives us revelation to God's characteristics, power, love, etc.  The Bible is our evidence that there is a God. Miraculous unity is our evidence that the Bible is true.  In other words, this is a book that is written by many different men from different many times, who did not know each other. They wrote about the same events that came to the same ends.  For instance, Psalms 22 prophesied  that they would gamble for the Christ's clothes in the future.

2.  What is the process of faith in our hearts? - There are three aspects of faith that men have talked about for years: 

   1) Knowledge -  We can't believe in something that we don't know is there.

   2) Assent - We need to accept that it is true.

   3) Trust - A personal commitment to and reliance on subject of faith.

3. How does faith fit us for heaven? - There is a "package" of salvation that we receive from God when we choose to make a personal commitment to Him. In this package are:

   1) Regeneration - When the Holy Spirit goes to work in our lives.

   2) Faith - Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says that, ..."it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so no one can boast."

  3) Union with Christ - We have eternal bond with Christ.

  4) Justification - We are declared fit for heaven because of the righteousness of Christ.

Saving faith follows with us throughout our lives, and leads to personal sanctification.

Thank you for joining me this morning.  God bless.

The Beginning of Acts

Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift 

my Father promised, which you have heard 

me speak about. For John baptized with 

water, but in a few days you will be baptized 

with the Holy Spirit.

                                                                        Acts 1:4 – 5

For some time now, I have been wanting to study the Book of Acts. I have had some friends that have studied it themselves, and have strongly suggested that I do the same. I have a wonderful commentary called, "Believers Bible Commentary", by William MacDonald. So it is with a NIV Bible and this commentary that I began to study this book.

The Book of Acts is a record, written by Luke, of the transition period between Judaism and the New Testament church. We will see the Holy Spirit form, empower, and expand the new church. It will show a new fellowship of Jews and Gentiles who will be one in Christ. According to J.B. Phillips,there is no comparable period of human history that has "any small body of ordinary people so moved the world that their enemies could say, with tears of rage in their eyes, that these men 'have turned the world upside down!'"


When I read this this morning, I got excited to delve into this book, and I hope that you feel the same way.

A couple of days ago, we had a comment regarding baptism and the necessity of immersion. If we look at Acts 1:4 – 5, we will see that Jesus is addressing this subject to his apostles. The commentary that I am using seems to stress the baptism of the Holy Spirit being more important, as the baptism with water is on the outside; the baptism that we received from the Holy Spirit is in our hearts. Since Luke has started the book of the beginning of the church with the baptism of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, to me, it shows how important this baptism is.  Our hearts are what God looks at.  This is the Promise of the Father; it is a gift from God, and when we accept this wonderful gift, we have Jesus in our hearts.


Thank you for following God's Grace, and God bless you all.

Deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, 

but the things revealed belong to us and to our 

children for ever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

                                                                                       Deuteronomy 29:29

I have chosen this verse to study today because I believe that it shows what God expects us to know, and how He expects us to live. It is found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy.  However, the principle of this verse is found throughout the New Testament.

The book of Deuteronomy 29 speaks to the terms of the covenant between the Lord God and the Israelites. In 29:14 and 15, it is clear that this covenant was not only for the Israelites of that day, but for generations of God's people that follow.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought 

to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

                                                          James 4:17

These two verses clearly state what God, our Father, expects of us. He gave us His word to live by, to obey; and we are held accountable to that very word. He, and only He, sits in judgment.  This should be very clear to us. If there is any question as to what we should do in any circumstance, we have only to go to His word for the answer.


Thank you for following God's Grace, and God bless you.

I have been having a difficult time with my arm. I have tennis elbow, tendonitis and carpal tunnel. This is my only arm that I can use, so I must rest it. I will be back asap.

Cultivating Community

You can develop a healthy, robust 

community that lives right with God 

and enjoy its results only if you 

do the hard work of getting 

along with each other, treating 

each other with dignity and honor.

                                              James 3:18

Only the Holy Spirit can create real fellowship between us, as believers, by helping us to make the right choices in our lives. Paul points this out in Ephesians when he said, "You are joining together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together this way" (Ephesians 4:3). In other words, we cannot produce a loving community without God's power and our effort.


Our effort includes a healthy relationship skill that we would learn from growing up in our family. However, some of us are not brought up in healthy families; therefore, we need to to be taught by others in God's family. The New Testament is the greatest instruction manual of all. Paul wrote, "I am writing these things to you…[so] you will know how to live in the family of God. That family is the church" (1 Timothy 3:14 – 15). We will be going over some cultivating ideas for real fellowship and a loving community in your Christian family the next few days.

Cultivating community takes honesty. When cultivating a loving community, we need to speak the truth instead of ignoring a problem. When we speak the truth, we speak it with love, so as not to hurt the feelings of others. It is sometimes easier to remain silent when we see someone doing the wrong thing. However, think about this: if you were unknowingly hurting someone that you cared about, wouldn't you want someone to set you straight right away, so that you could apologize and move on? We all have sin nature, so naturally we will all be in this position at some point. I know that all I would want someone in my family to correct me with Christian love; so that I could stop my self-destructive ways; leaving me ample time to mend any fences that I might have broken and wiping the slate clean again.


It is important that we have truthful fellowships and that we have the courage to help one another along life's bumpy road. The Bible tells us to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15). So we must able to lovingly confront our sisters and brothers who might themselves be confronted by temptation. Paul says, "Brothers and sisters, if someone in your group does something wrong, you who are spiritual should go to that person and gently help make him right again" (Galatians 6:1 – 2).

Paul had to rebuke the Corinthian church for their passive code of silence in allowing immortality in their fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:3 – 12). We must not let this happen in our fellowships.

Tomorrow, we will go over more cultivating ideas.  Thank you, and God bless you!

Experiencing Life Together ~ Wrap Up

Each one of you is 

part of the body of 

Christ, and you 

were chosen to live 

together in peace.

       Colossians 3:15

A while back, we discussed fellowship, as pertaining to "The Purpose Driven Life". Due to technical difficulties, we had to cut our lesson short. Today, we are going to wrap up this lesson, entitled "Experiencing Life Together".

God intended for us to share our lives with each other. This is called fellowship. The word fellowship now is used to describe casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun. When we say, "Where do you fellowship?", we often mean, "Where do you go to church?" This just skims the top of what fellowship means. Real fellowship means to experience one another's life together. Real fellowship is unselfish. It includes loving, sharing, serving, comforting, giving, and all the other commands in the New Testament that deal with relationships.  Real fellowship is usually found in a small gathering, not in church. Not to say that a church gathering is not important; but what a church gathering does is worship; while a fellowship meeting is a small, and more intimate gathering of brothers and sisters sharing each other's problems and triumphs.

The following are three bullet points that we have already gone over. I include them here to refresh your memory.

1. In real fellowship people experience authenticity.


2. In real fellowship people experience mutuality.

3. In real fellowship people experience sympathy.

As I stated above, these three points we have gone over in earlier lessons. So, I will start with the forth point.

In real fellowship people experience mercy. In fellowship, we often share our mistakes. We need to feel that these mistakes will not be held against us, but that we will receive mercy from our brothers and sisters. "We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track" (Warren). God says "When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so they won't give up in despair" (2 Corinthians 2:7).  We can't have fellowship without forgiveness. We will never be asked to forgive someone more than God has already forgiven us.

When we are hurt by someone, we have a choice to make. Will we use our energy for retaliation or forgiveness? We can't do both. If we forgive, we must forgive immediately. This means to instantly forgive someone of their sin, and to not hold a grudge. In other words, do not burn inside.

Point to Ponder:

I need others in my life.

Verse two Remember:

Galatians 6:2

Question to Consider:


What one step I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart - to - heart level?

Prayer Request

We have an unspoken prayer request for Amelia.

Thank you, and God bless you all.

New Changes

If you use Google Reader to get your God's Grace Blog, we have some bad news for you.  After Monday, July 1st, Google Reader will be no more.  BUT fear not!  We, at God's Grace have other options for you, and you will still be able to get your daily devotionals. 

On the right-hand side, a short distance from the top, you will see the word 'Followers'. Under Followers, you will see 'Follow us by Email'. This is one way to make sure that you receive every posting in your email. You simply type in your email address and submit it.
Under that, you will see 'Follow us with Twitter', and a Twitter button.  Under the Twitter button, is one of our favorite ways to follow blogs, Bloglovin'.

We are sure that you will find one of these ways acceptable. If you know of another reader or social network that we may use, please let us know via a comment.

Thank you for your understanding.

Friday's Thoughts

Thank you for coming back to God's Grace...! Your host has been having technical difficulties, along with some medical problems. All is well now, and we are going to continue "What on Earth Am I Here For?" on Monday. Today, I would like to share with you some thoughts that I have been mulling over this week. It has been "Neighborhood Bible Time" in our church. 

Last week, the message in our church was based on Exodus 3:10, "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." This was the first and second commands to us from God, through Moses. God was telling Moses to listen to His message and then to go tell His people. His words that we can find in Exodus 3:5 – 10 are telling Moses that God is merciful to His people; that God has an all – encompassing love for His people; that God will give His people in the grace that they need to get through any trials that may confront them.

We all need to heed God's words and go out and share them with others. Spread the seeds and watch as they grow into God's beautiful garden.

Have a wonderful day, and God bless you all.

Delay of Posts

Your host is having some medical problems which are preventing her from posting. Thank you for visiting the blog, and please check back often for the next post.

God bless.

Experiencing Life Together ~ Part 2

Each one of you is 

part of the body of 

Christ, and you 

were chosen to live 

together in peace.

       Colossians 3:15

Yesterday we talked about what real fellowship was, and how it helps our lives. Fellowship takes place in a small group situations such as a Sunday school class a Bible study or a home fellowship group; where as, worship takes place in a large gathering, such as a church. In a real fellowship, we experience authenticity. It is a place where we can share our true feelings, hurts, failures and doubts.

In real fellowship we experience mutuality. Mutuality is the art of giving and receiving. The Bible says, "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part" (1 Corinthians 12:25). Mutuality is what we build relationships on, meaning we share responsibilities and help each other. Paul said in Romans, "I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you" (Romans 1:12).

When we share mutuality, our faith in God grows. Sharing mutuality includes mutual accountability, mutual encouragement, mutual serving, and mutual honoring (Romans 12:10). The Bible tells us to make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification (Romans 14:19). We are responsible to everyone in the Body of Christ. God expects us to do whatever we can to help them.

In a real fellowship, we experience sympathy. Sympathy is not trying to solve another's problem; it is sharing the pain of others. Sympathy says, "I understand what you're going through." Today we might call this "empathy", but the biblical word for this is "sympathy". The Bible says, "As holy people… be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient" (Colossians 3:12). 

When we sympathize with others, we help them meet two human needs: the need to have their feelings understood; and the need to have their feelings validated. Every time we sympathize with another, we build fellowship. What prevents fellowship is when we are so caught up in our own hurts, that we cannot feel for others.

Due to technical difficulties, this lesson was cut short. We will continue tomorrow. God bless you.

Experiencing Life Together ~ Part 1

Each one of you is 

part of the body of 

Christ, and you 

were chosen to live 

together in peace.

       Colossians 3:15

God intended for us to share our lives with each other. This is called fellowship. The word fellowship now is used to describe casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun. When we say, "Where do you fellowship?", we often mean, "Where do you go to church?" This just skims the top of what fellowship means. Real fellowship means to experience one another's life together. Real fellowship is unselfish. It includes loving, sharing, serving, comforting, giving, and all the other commands in the New Testament that deal with relationships.

Fellowship is more meaningful in smaller groups. The larger the group gets, the more likely that someone will be left out. We can worship in a crowd but, when it comes to fellowship, smaller is better. Remember, our true goal in fellowship is to share one another's life experiences.

Within a church, there are several groups of fellowship; this could be a home fellowship group, a Sunday school class, or a Bible study. These groups are where the sharing takes place. The big group, our church, is where the worshiping takes place. "If you think of your church as a ship, the small groups are the lifeboats attached to it" (Warren).

God has made a promise to the fellowships, "For where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst" (Matthew 18:20). Unfortunately, at times, some groups will not experience true fellowship, even though they are small. What is the difference between real and fake fellowship?

In real fellowship people experience authenticity. Real fellowship involves heart-to-heart sharing. We are honest about what is happening in their lives. We share our hurts, our feelings, our doubts, our fears, our failures and our weaknesses. We asked for prayer. It is only when we become open about our lives, that we experience real fellowship.

"If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other… If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves" (1 John 1:7 – 8). God says that intimacy occurs in the light, not darkness.  We often use darkness to cover our sin. Darkness hides all of the things that we share openly in fellowship.


Since fellowship requires the courage and humility to share our deepest secrets and fears, it involves risk. Why would anyone do this? The answer to this question is easy: because it helps us to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed" (James 5:16a).

Next time, we will discuss more about fellowship.  Thank you and God bless you.

A Place to Belong ~ Part 4

"You are members of God's very own family, 

citizens of God's country, and you belong in

 God's household with every other Christian."

                                                       Ephesians 2:19b

We have been talking about why we need a church family. A church family identifies us as a genuine believer; a church family moves us out of self – centered isolation; a church family helps us develop spiritual muscle; a church family will share with us Christ's mission in the world; and a church family will keep us from backsliding. Being a part of a healthy church is essential to having a healthy life. 

God created the church to meet our five deepest needs: a purpose for which to live; people to live with; principles to live by; a profession to live out; and power to live on. The church is the only place where we can find all five of these benefits in one place. God's purposes for the church are identical to His purposes for us. The church gives us fellowship, which helps us meet life's challenges; discipleship, which builds our faith, ministry, which helps us to find and strengthen our gifts, and evangelism which helps fulfill our mission.

We are all born to the family of human beings. That comes automatically when we are born into this world. It is our choice to receive God into our hearts. When we do receive God into our hearts, we are born again. God wants us to, not only attend church, but to be a committed church member. He wants us to get involved in the Ministry. He wants us to contribute to His church. He wants us to commit to our spiritual brothers and sisters. We can jump from church to church in search of the perfect church, however it does not exist. Churches are filled with  imperfect sinners, and God calls us to love them, just as he does. The Christian life is more than just a commitment to Christ, it is a commitment to other believers (2 Corinthians 8:5).

Point to Ponder:

I am called to belong, not just believe.

Verse two Remember:

Romans 12:5

Question to Consider:

Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?

A Place to Belong ~ Part 3

"You are members of God's very own family, 

citizens of God's country, and you belong in

 God's household with every other Christian."

                                                       Ephesians 2:19b

Today, we will continue the lesson "A Place to Belong". We are talking about why you need a church family. Yesterday, we learned that the church family identifies us as a genuine believer; moves us out of self - centered isolation; and helps us to develop spiritual muscle.

The body of Christ also needs us. The Bible tells us, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church" (1 Corinthians 12:7). This gift is called our ministry. God designed our local church for us to develop and use our gifts. We may also have a wider ministry, such as Bible studies at a local organization, but these are in addition to our service in our church.

We will share in Christ's mission in the world. God works differently now than He did when Jesus walked the earth. At that time, He worked through the physical body of Christ; now, He works through the spiritual body, meaning the church. We have the privilege of carrying the love of God to the rest of the world. The church is Christ's body; and as such, He works through us in the world. (Ephesians 2:10)


A church family will help keep us from backsliding. We all sin, even though we try to be like Christ. A church family will keep us accountable. The Bible says, "Encourage one another daily… so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13). We are called to be involved with each other's lives. It is our responsibility to keep each other accountable. James tells us, "If you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back" (James 5:19).It is the job of our godly leaders at church to defend, protect, and guard for the spiritual welfare of his flock. That means us. (Hebrews13:17)  It is easier for Satan to tempt detached believers because he knows they are powerless against his tactics. They have no church family to defend them.

We will talk more about the church and our choices tomorrow. God bless you and have a nice day.

A Place to Belong ~ Day 17 ~ Part 2

"You are members of God's very own family,

citizens of God's country, and you belong in

God's household with every other Christian."

                                                               Ephesians 2:19b

Tuesday, our lesson was on belonging to God's family. The Bible tells us that a Christian without a church is an unnatural state. If you don't have a church, get one. The Bible says, "You belong in God's household with every other Christian" (Ephesians 2:19b). Our church gives us an identity, accountability, and commitment.

Why You Need a Church Family

A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. Jesus said, "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35). When we stand together in our church, we show the world the strength of His body, for when we are together we are His body (1 Corinthians 12:27).


A church family moves us out of self – centered isolation. Our church is a place where we can learn to be unselfish and to practice love for each other. "If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it. Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share this honor" (1 Corinthians 12:26). Only when we are in regular contact with imperfect believers, can we learn to depend on one another as the New Testament tells us to do (Ephesians 4:16; Romans 12:4 – 5; Colossians 2:19; 1 Corinthians 12:25). We are expected by God to show a sacrificial love for one another.  This is stated in 1 John 3:16: "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle. We need to participate fully in our church. This will help us to grow spiritually. The Bible says, "As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love" (Ephesians 4:16b). The Bible tells us to love one another, to pray for each other, encourage and admonish each other, greet each other, serve and teach each other, except and honor each other, forgive each other, bear one another's burdens, submit to each other, to be devoted to each other. Are you getting the message? We need to think of each other before we think of ourselves; to love one another as we love Jesus. The only way that we learn to do this is by attending and participating in our church. Only then are we accountable to each other.

This is the end of part two of this lesson. The final part will be posted tomorrow. Have a blessed day.

Delay

I am sorry for the delay in posting Part 2 of the lesson from Tuesday, but I am too sick to blog.  I will continue with Part 2 on Monday.
Thanks for understanding.

Yours in Christ,
Your host

Depression and the Cure

I know that I promised the second part of the lesson from "Purpose Driven Life", but today I wanted to do something a little different. We will do the second part of the lesson tomorrow.

This is part of my testimony, and it took place yesterday and this morning. Let me give you a short background. If you have already read the testimony that I posted a couple of days ago, you will know that I have had medical problems almost all of my life, starting with a stroke at the age of 10. Almost 10 years ago, I broke my hip and, after three failed attempts of putting artificial hips in, I have no hip on my right side. As a result, I am left wheelchair-bound for the rest of my life.  As you can imagine, this is taking a toll on me, as I have to get used to a whole new way of life.

Yesterday it hit me: I will never walk again. This realization is a hard pill to swallow. When we go through a life-changing event that is negative, we tend to want to blame someone, anyone. It's only human. In this case, I was blaming the doctor. A seed of bitterness was threatening to grow in my heart.

But in the light of day this morning, things looked a lot different. Yes, the fact is, I cannot walk, but God brought me through the infection that was threatening to take my life in 2011. He obviously has a job for me to do here on earth before He takes me home.

When things of this world get us down, God wants us to turn the page. Remember Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

A Place to Belong ~ Day 17

"You are members of God's very own family, 

citizens of God's country, and you belong in 

God's household with every other Christian. 

                                                    (Ephesians 2:19b)

We are called to belong, not just to believe. When God created Adam, he stated, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:8). We were created for fellowship and meant to be in a family. We can only achieve God's purposes through fellowship with others. Once we are in God's family, we are no longer alone (1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:21, 22; 3:6; 4:16; Colossians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 4:17). We are all connected to every other believer for eternity.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we except that we are members of his Body. As Paul tells us in Romans 12:4 – 5; 1 Corinthians 6:15 and 12:12 – 27, being a member of the church is like being a vital organ of a living body; as such, we are all in the connected in the Body of Christ. Of course, we all need to have faith in Christ.

Just as the human body is not healthy without each of its organs, so too the church depends on each of its members. The Bible tells us, "Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body and chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped off finger or a cut off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we?" (Romans 12:4 – 5)


If we cut ourselves off from the body of the church, we could do not survive on our own. We need the church to support our spiritual life (Ephesians 4:16). The first sign of this happening is if our attendance at church and other fellowship becomes sporadic. When we notice that this is happening, it won't be long before all our other spiritual life begins to slide.  We need to remember that the church will last for eternity, and so will our part in it.


This is a very long lesson, and as such, we will be breaking it down into parts. Please come back tomorrow for Part Two.

What Matters Most ~ Day 16 ~ Part 2

Last Friday, our lesson was on what matters most to God. The most important commandment that we are under as we live in the Age of Grace is, "Love others as you love yourself" (Galatians 5:14). Today we will finish this lesson.


The Best Expression of Love is Time

Because we are limited on our time, it is our most precious gift. The more time we give to someone, the more importance we give to that person. Therefore, if we give a relationship our time, we are actually investing into it a part of ourselves. We can say that a certain relationship is important to us, but unless we actually invest in it by spending time, we are not showing that this relationship is a priority. Our words are worthless (1 John 3:18). Relationships take time and effort.  The essence of love can be measured by how much we give of ourselves. "Love concentrates so intently on another that you forget yourself at that moment" (Warren).

The Best Time to Love is Now

Love is what matters most and therefore, there is no room for procrastination. As the Bible says, "Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. Never tell your neighbor to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now" (Proverbs 3:27). We don't know how long we will be here to express our love to our neighbors, so the best time is right now. Let's change our schedules to make the people in our lives our top priorities. Loving takes time, and time is precious. We need to give of ourselves to be more like Jesus.


Point to Ponder:

Life is all about love.

Verse to Remember:

Galatians 5:14

Question to Consider:

Honestly, our relationships my first priority? How can I ensure that they are?

What Matters Most ~ Day 16

"Love means living the way God commanded us to live.  

As you have heard from the beginning, 

His command is this: Live a life of love."

                                         2 John 1:6

In Galatians, we learn that the whole law is dependent on one command, which is to "Love others as you love yourself" (Galatians 5:14).  This means to love unselfishly; to put others before yourself.  For most, this is hard to do; in fact, it only comes when we make a conscience effort.  This is because of our survival instinct; to do everything it takes for ourselves to get "on top".  Because of this, God gives us a lifetime to learn selflessness.

While God wants his people to love everyone, he wants us to have a special love for each other. As Jesus said in John, "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples" (John 13:35). This means that when we show a strong love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, the world will learn how to love by our testimony. In order to learn this, God wants us to be in fellowship, for we cannot learn how to love selflessly in isolation. Through fellowship we learn three important truths.

The Best Use of Life is Love

As we have learned in Galatians, love is the greatest commandment. As such, it should be our top priority. The Bible says, "Let love be your greatest aim" (1 Corinthians 14:1a).

Life without love is really worthless. 

As Paul said to the Corinthians, "No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love" (1 Corinthians 13:3).

God says that relationships are what life is all about. If this is true, then we should not hesitate to make time for them. Think of all the relationships we have: spouse, children, friends, acquaintances, etc. Do we make enough time for them? If God tells us that relationships are important, shouldn't we take special care to include them in our lives? "Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six deal with our relationships with people" (Warren). Notice that all Commandments have to do with relationships. In the New Testament, Jesus summarized what was most important to God (Matthew 22:37 – 40). After loving God, which is worshiping, learning to love one another is the second most important thing in our lives. In other words, achievements or the acquiring of material things are not important. It is our relationships that concern God.


So, when our schedules get overloaded, most often our relationships suffer. Can we be pleasing God when we allow this? We become preoccupied with unimportant things, and let our second purpose of our lives slide.

Love will last forever. 

Another reason God tells us that love is our top priority is that, along with faith and hope, it is eternal (1 Corinthians 13:13). "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters" (Mother Theresa). At the end of our lives, we want to be surrounded by the people that we love, not our accomplishments, for these accomplishments are empty. In our final moments, we realize that relationships are what life is all about.

We will be evaluated on our love. One of the ways that God measures spiritual maturity is by how we treat others (Matthew 25:40). As the Bible says in Galatians, faith expresses itself through love, which is the only thing that matters (Galatians 5:6).

Remembering this every morning, should bring us to our knees and thank God for another day of loving Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We should not waste our time worrying about unimportant things, such as, our career and acquiring things of no real worth.

Tomorrow, we will cover Part 2 of this lesson