Our LIfe in Christ

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,

instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires
and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed,
and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession,
zealous for good deeds.”
Titus 2:11-14

A good treatise on the Christian life!  Our rebirth, our life, and the hope of the future!  You are a part of a people for His own possession.  You are His!  You are His child!  He loves you. Period!  The grace of God has appeared.  Grace is His forgiveness and pleasure of loving you just  because you are His!  He has redeemed (bought) you from your sins (every lawless deed) and made you His.  The good deeds and righteous living are an outgrowth of who we are in Christ, they do not save us or make us more precious to God.  He already loves His children with a love as wide as the skies!

 

Praise your God today in spite of your circumstances.  His grace is abounding and His love is unending!

Continue

“Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…

You however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of,
knowing from whom you have learned them,
and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings
which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
2 timothy 3:12-15

In spite of life’s circumstances, satan’s traps, and your own inadequacies, know that God is faithful!  Be faithful, don’t give in!  Keep taking the next step next!  Wait with eager anticipation for God to bring the victory!

 

God's Reputation

In the book of Esther after Haman is humbled by having to lead Mordecai around town on the king’s best horse, Haman goes home to complain to his wife.  Her reply? 

 

“If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin,

you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.” 

Esther 6:13

 

The Persians had a knowledge of the Jews’ God!  That Haman’s wife said this is even more profound when you realize that Haman was the Jews’ enemy form the previous chapter. 

 

Do people know that you will succeed because they know the reputation of your God in your life?  Have you made God’s glory and greatness known that others realize that He is your success?

Contentment

“But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”

1 Timothy 6:6

Contentment is the hardest attitude to cultivate, but one that is well worth it!  Contentment comes on the heels of thanksgiving and praise.  Contentment is a byproduct of humility.  Contentment looks forward to Heaven.  Contentment is saying, “I am at peace with my past, my present, and my future because Jesus is Lord over all.”  Godliness without contentment is just legalism.  True godliness is faith and trust not works.  Faith and trust leads to contentment. 

May you be content in whatever circumstance you find yourself in.  God will bless  that attitude and you will be at peace.

 

Fear

“God has not given us a spirit of fear,

but of love and power and discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7

Fear is the opposite of faith.  But it is also a human emotion that must be brought under the authority of the cross by taking every thought captive and replacing Satan’s lies with God’s truth.  Fear often stems from the past.  Jesus is Lord over your past.  Give it to Him along with the fear.  He is Lord of your future.  Give it to Him along with your fear.

 I am afraid of bridges when driving in a car.  There is a bridge on I-10 in Louisiana that reaches the clouds before it comes back down!  The last time we went that way, I was driving and my husband was in the passenger seat sleeping.  As we approached that bridge I told myself that I was fine, that many cars over that bridge daily, that Jesus was with me, that I just needed to sing praises and trust God.  My mind was set on Christ.  My body, on the other hand, began to tremble and shake and I began to hyperventilate.  I finally woke my husband up and asked him to talk to me.  He talked me off the bridge and into the nearest exit.  I got out of the car and stood there shaking for about another 5 minutes.  But when it was over, I was able to laugh.  Fear, the emotion, took over, but faith won the day, and I think that I could handle that bridge if I ever have to again.  (Then again there is always an alternate route!)  That fear did not keep me from crossing over many other bridges since then.  This faith walk is a journey.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.  And remember that Jesus is Lord and will bring you love and power and discipline as you face your fears

God is Near

“’Am I a God who is near,’ declares the Lord,

 ‘And not a God far off?
Can a man  hide himself in hiding places
So I do not see him?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’”
Declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah 23:23-24

The answer: “Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there,
If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me…”
Psalm 139:7-12

Sometimes we don’t feel God’s presence and we feel like he has abandoned us.  But the truth is: He is there with you always.  Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Act upon what you know is God’s truth and not your feelings.  Take time to praise Him for His presence and His care.  Eventually your feelings will line up with the truth.  But stand on the B-I-B-L-E!

 

Our Righteousness

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;
And He will reign as king and act wisely
And do justice and righteousness in the land.
In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His name by which He will be called,
‘The Lord our righteousness.’”
Jeremiah 23:5

It is interesting to note that Jesus will be righteousness and He will do righteousness.  He is the embodiment of righteousness, therefore His actions must be righteous!  What about you?  If Jesus is your Savior, then He is your righteousness.  You are righteous not because of who you are, but because of Whom you belong to.  If we are declared righteous before God, then we should be able to only do righteousness.  Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?  Our pastor explained that this is not the verbs hunger and thirst for an immediate satisfaction that will quickly need to be replenished, but rather a hunger and a thirst that is vital for life a starving and a parchment that can only be satisfied through Christ, Our Righteousness.  Many believe that sin will always be a part of our life while still here on the earth.  I wonder.  If we are made righteous and able to do righteousness because of the Holy Spirit in us, can we choose to not sin?  I think that is sanctification and maturity in Christ.  I am not there yet, but as I grow, I should be aiming towards pure righteousness and not allow sin to reign, because where light is, darkness can not abide!

Again, God's Grace!

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.”
Psalm 103:7-14

What a powerful passage!  Indeed, He has not dealt with us as He should according to our sins, for the wages of sin is death!  Praise God for His forgiveness and lovingkindness  and compassion!  He is mindful that we are but dust, and understands our humanity, our inadequacy, our ineptness, and our sinfulness.  And yet…He forgives.  Fear of the Lord is not quaking fear of retribution, but rather awesome wonder of His power and His grace!   

May you walk in Him today.

God's Grace

“To this end also we pray for you always,

that our God will count you worthy of your calling,
and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,
so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you,
and you in Him,
according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Thessalonians 11-12

This is my prayer for you this day.  I have been studying about the grace of God.  It is bigger and more powerful and more merciful and more amazing than I ever realized!  It is the great cloud in the Never Ending Story movie that overtakes the whole land.  It gets into every pore, leaves no other space, and totally invades a life and being, but in a very good way!  It is indescribable!  My prayer is that you will each know the grace of God in its fullness.

 

Hint of the day: Prayer for your children daily.  Use the prayers from the New Testament and prayer them over your children.  Pray that they might know the fulness of God's grace and the depth of His love.  When they know these two things, all else will fall into place!

 

Trust

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.

For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (Sounds a lot like Psalm 1 though!)

God’s name is “I  AM”.  He knows.  Trust Him.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

HInt of the Day: We taught our boys that trust is easily lost, but hard to win.  One action can break trust, but it takes time and many actions to build it up again.  Take a glass plate or cup and show it to the children whole.  then break it and have them put it back together.  Ask them which took longer?  To break the plate or to put it back together?  Ask which one was prettier?  Then compare that to the breaking of trust.  God will never break His trust.  He is always whole and always relaible and alsways faithful.  It tragedy has struck and you feel that God has broken trust, look again at His promises.   

Joy and Delight

"Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts."
Jeremiah 15:16

The circumstances of these words by Jeremiah will humble you, and challenge you.  The Israelites  have turned their backs on God and have gone after idols for generations.  A good king would rise up and the people would turn back to God and then an evil king would turn their hearts away from God.  King Josiah was the last Godly king, then after a series of evil kings, God sent Babylon to takeHis people into captivity.  God says through Jeremiah in chapter 15 that some would be destined to death, some to the sword, some to famine, and others to captivity.  Jeremiah is sent by God to tell His people that judgment was coming!  Jeremiah was hated, rejected, scorned, cursed, and his life threatened because of his warnings of coming judgment.  He is called the "weeping prophet".  He wishes he had never been born, he complains against God, but he is obedient.  And in the midst of this he even declares that he finds joy and his hearts delight in the word of God!  He knows that God's word brings life and healing to those who will be transformed by it.  He knows that God is faithful to His children.  He knows that all things work for th good for those who love the Lord. (Romans 8:38)

 Jeremiah sees the rejection of the people as rejection from the people not from God. He knows that it comes through the hand of God, but he still chooses to trust God's heart of love to him.  These verses follow:

I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,
Nor did I exult.
Because of Your hand upon me I sat alson,
For You filled me with indignation...

Therefore,  Thus says the Lord, 'If you return, then I will restore you -
Before Me you will stand...'"

Jeremiah acknowledges his emotions, his aloneness, but then turns back to what God says and stands and acts upon God's promise.

My prayer for you today is that you may know the joy and delight of your heart through the word of God no matter what your circumstances are.  You have been called by His name; You are His.  Rejoice!

Hint for the day: Introduce your children to Jeremiah by taking a cloth belt from a robe and burying it in the back yard.  Leave it for the day or for a rew days.  Then read the story about Jeremiah and his belt in chapter 13.Talk about how pride ruined Israel, but that through it all, God offered a way back to Himself - repentance and whole-heartedness.

God's Word

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you…” Colossians 3:16a

 “…the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” 1 Thessalonians 2:13b

 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any, two-edged sword,

and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:2

 Is it important to be reading and memorizing God’s word?”  According to these verses above and others, it is vital to our Christian growth.  It feeds us. it transforms our thinking into a Biblical world view.  It encourages us.  It teaches and trains us, corrects us and rebukes us. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)  Don’t let a day go by without opening God’s word.  In it we find the truth and THE Truth, Jesus Christ.  We learn the love of our Father, His mercy and grace, compassion and faithfulness.  Without the word of God, we would perish physically, and without it we will perish spiritually for lack of growth and understanding. 

Hint of the day: Let your kids see you reading the word of God.   Teach by example the importance of studying God's word.  Memorize it together as a family.  Make God's word the first thing you do each morning as a family; that puts it in a place of importance.

 

Thankfulness and Peace

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,

to which indeed you were called in one body;
and be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15

That little word, “Let”, is revealing.  It tells us that peace is available and waiting for us.  It only takes a choice to experience it.  That choice?  Thankfulness!  It is amazing how many times these two words, “Peace” and “thankfulness” are paired up in the New Testament.  They are linked together in our minds and in our hearts.  When we are thankful, then we experience peace.  Why is that?  When we are thankful in spite of our circumstances, then we are acknowledging God’s authority over our lives and accepting His will for our lives.  In this is peace.  Try it.  List all the things that you have to be thankful for.  Then settle in with a great big smile and a feeling of contentment.

Hint of the Day:   Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.  Begin now encouraging your kids to think about things that they are thankful for.  Let the younger ones trace their hands and write on each finger something that theya re thankful for.  The older ones can cartoon their thanks, or write a letter of thanks to God, or send letters of thanks to people that have touched them this past year.  Make thankfulness a part of every prayer.

Number Your Days

“So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12

We number our days by making each one count.  Deliberate and diligence study of the Word of God will make our days count unto wisdom.   Many a Christian will look back once life is over and realize that their days were spent in worldly pursuits exclusive of Godly pursuits.  Wisdom is gained only through fellowship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son and with the help and teaching of the Holy Spirit.  Talk to God today!

Hint of the Day: Kids have a hard time keeping track of time.  Help them out with a calendar or a basket of day counters.  When the boys were young and my husband went away on a work trip, we would wrap small presents, one per day he was gone, and put them in a basket.  The boys got a present a day from Dad, and as the presents diminished, they knew Dad was closer to coming home!  Sometimes Dad would leave paper plates with faces on them fo each child's breakfast if he had to leave before they woke up.  A few times he left them a treasure hunt with clues and a prize.  Even though he oculdn't be there, he loved them through his actions.  The basket of day counters is also great to help children count up to a big event.  Presents can be pencils, erasers, gum, etc.  Or stickers that they can then place on a calendar.

Made Complete

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception,

according to the tradition of men,
according to the elementary principles of the world,
rather than according to Christ.
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
and in Him you have been made complete,
and He is the head over all rule and authority…”
Colossians 2:8-10

The best way to guard yourself against philosophy, empty deception, tradition of men, and the elementary principles of the world is to know what the Bible says.  Know truth and lies will stand out.  They sound good, they are easier to believe than God because they don’t require obedience, and it’s what everyone else is believing.  But only in Christ are you made complete.  Only in Christ can you experience God, Himself in a close relationship.  Only in Christ do we have assurance of the end of all things because He is head over all rule and authority.  Only in Christ do we have heaven to look forward to.  And only in Christ can we make it through this life victorious, joyful, and loved.

 Hint of the Day: Explain to your kids that God created all of us with a God sized hole.  People try to fill that hole with success, careers, drugs, alcohol, sex, other religions, etc..., but only in Christ will we be made complete.  Only Christ will fill up that God sized hole. 

 

Overcome

“These things I have spoken to you,

so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage;
I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

 Wow!  Peace is from Jesus, not from our circumstances!  If I could just live that daily, I would be ahead of the game! 

 

 The final promise that Jesus has overcome the world is looking ahead into heaven.  Live not for today or the circumstances of today, but rather for eternity!  In that is joy and peace.

 Hint of the day: When your circumstances are overwhelming, take time to praise God and thank Him.  He will bring your emotions into check and you will feel like rejoicing because He has overcome the world.  That's the true reality!

Bearing Fruit

Abide in Me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine,
so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4

How’s your abiding going?  Are you bearing fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?  It’s always good to stop and examine yourself occasionally.  If there is an area in your life that you are not being able to display the fruit, then make sure that you have turned that area over to God, and that you are abiding I Him.  Abiding just means to dwell there; stay there; live there.  /give everything to God.  He is safe and can handle your emotions, your fears, your dreams, your expectations, etc…

 

Hint of the Day:  There is a grat little book called My Heart, Christ's Home.  In it, the author takes you to different rooms of your heart and asks questions to help you decide if you are allowing Christ to be Lord over that area.  You can do this with your kids.  Walk from room to room and ask questions such as:  This is the living room.  This is where we spend our recreation time.  Are you taking Jesus with you when you are out with your friends?  When you are reading a book or magazine?  This is the kitchen.  Are you allowing Jesus to be Lord over your desires and urges such as eating?  Etc...

 

Pruning

" I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.

Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;
and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."
John 15:1 – 3

You are already clean.  You have been forgiven.  You have been bought with a price.  You have been made clean.  End of discussion.  You are God’s child.  Period.  There is nothing that you can do that will undo that!

Now, it is a matter of growing.  Put your roots deep into the Word and spread your hands in praise to the Son.  You will grow.  When hard things come, it is God’s pruning to train you in the way that He wants you to go.  He is preparing you for the day of harvest.  That day will come either in heaven or at the rapture.

You are God’s child.  You are going to heaven.  You can either limp in scarred and weary or bound in with a joyful heart.  That choice is yours and it all depends on the life choices you make here on earth.

 

Hint of the day: Even if you are not a gardener, there is so much to be learned by planting, watering, pruning, and harvesting.  Choose just one plant.  Tomatoes are good to start with.  Have your child help you to plant and tend to the plant. Prune off any limbs that are not producing or that are dead.  Teach your child that you do this so that the sap can get to the good parts of the plant.  Then read John 15: 1-9 to them.  Aplain ten bad  happen is not always punishment, but sometimes it's pruning.