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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Relationship of Grace

Exodus 33:19 (NIV)
And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.


Here we find the elements of God’s grace… Goodness, Mercy, and Compassion; all in the name of the LORD because His Will, wishes it to be.

Another way of looking at "His Grace" is to see it as a part of “His Will”, as it concerns us. It’s the part of it that is unconditional. His Grace carries no strings. There is nothing demanded or commanded of us for it. We don’t have to promise to do anything, and there is no passing of judgment associated. When you look around, there is quite a bit of free stuff that God has provided for everyone. None of it is denied based on our actions, good or bad. That in itself shows how "His Grace" is at work to help us all.

Isaiah 45:18 (NIV) For this is what the LORD says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
"I am the LORD, and there is no other.


This Earth and all the material within it, was fashioned for the people who would inhabit it… That’s us. His action is extended because of His will for relationship, with us. His Grace forms the foundation of the relationship that God would intend to share. By design, we are instilled with favor in order that we might display the wondrous glory of our creator. It’s His way of giving us the incentive to turn towards “His Righteousness”; an act of choice that hallmarks His greatness. An act of which, on our part, also makes certain the bond of that relationship; formed between ourselves and God. By choosing Him, we acknowledge that Greatness, and we display for others; That Glory.

Blessings,
Matt.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Lessons From Christ

Luke 2:52 (NIV)
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Jesus spent His time among us teaching. He placed much of His effort in trying to expand our understanding of what really should matter in our lives, as far as how we regard our Father in Heaven; as well as each other. As a follower of Christ, what was emphasize by Him, must be looked at with serious attention. This being said, I start this study with this example from Jesus….

Christ was fully God, perfect in all areas of existence. God became man, existing as a man in every aspect. As a man it was necessary for Jesus to develop, into a man from a child. This passage in Luke gives insight into just what is necessary for complete development. This was a living example set by Jesus for all of mankind. It speaks to the type of instruction that should be given a child, and also gives us adults a guideline for self-analysis. From this guide we can determine what is lacking and how to make changes for improvement.

Jesus Grew….
Not only is it necessary to develop physically in all areas, but also to make efforts to grow continually as well.
Wisdom….
This places focus on intelligence, development of the mind and its abilities for mental strength.
Stature….
In addition to the mind, the body or physical being must be maintained. Healthy living was an issue back then as it is now.
Favor….
In order to receive favor one must do what is favorable in the sight of the one whose favor is wanted. When that one is God, it becomes a question of the spirit. How closely you can get your spirit to follow the Holy Spirit, will determine the measure of obedience you have to God's righteousness.
With God and Men….
We were created to be involved in relationship, first with God, and then with each other. In the very beginning, it was God who said that man should not be alone. It has always been our position to exist as a social being. The difficulty lies in finding a peaceable path that will include both God and man. Remember the instruction from Christ; 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' (you find it... hint: see Matthew) Finding a balance is not an easy thing, but that does not release us from the obligation to make the effort.

In terms of today's world, most everyone holds some kind of understanding of the necessity of the mind and body. The focus is toward the promotion of education and health, and spans throughout every nation and culture. It might be said that in some ways it has grown at the expense of the other areas on this list. In order for man to be complete, all of these areas of life must be recognized and addressed. The neglect and inattention to the spiritual being, is still persistent today. The confusion that hindered the development of social harmony, back then, is still a problem area. In the social area of relationship, we still need the umbrella of clarity.

The teachings given us by Christ Jesus are of great value. His best teaching is in the life that He lived... giving the example and pattern for us to follow. That life was presented to the apostles, who in turn formed and taught the early Church. All of the inspiring lessons that deal with faith, character, belief, or Spirituality, are touched on in this brief description, concerning Jesus' development. It's a great lesson... "A LESSON FROM CHRIST."

Blessings,
Matt.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

"TODAY"



Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.


When I read this passage, I must take a moment to consider the word Today. Even now as I type, spell check wants me to use lower case. Why did the writer put so much emphasis on the today word? It was so strongly stressed that the translators used capitals to bring home the urgent need. Digging deeper I find that the urgent, implied imperative associated with the word today; has as synonyms the terms, vital, necessary, and very important. Now that’s a great deal of stress for one word alone. So I ask again, why?

When you think about it, Today is really the only time that any of us has under our control. Yesterday is history, it can’t be undone. Tomorrow is the future, yet to be achieved. That leaves us with today and today alone. The enemy, Satan is a mastermind of deceitfulness. One who paints great illusions for us to believe, and we want to believe it. We want to take credit and say it’s our own creation. It’s easy to fall into the trap of complacency, delaying our action until some future point in time. A point we assume we can arrive upon. Remember Satan is a thief, in this case playing con man to rob us of opportunity.

Everyday we encounter many that would benefit from a simple act. That is, the act of kindness known as encouragement. Those who just might cling to some form of hope, with nothing more than a simple good word. Instead we look inward, not noticing, not caring, not thinking of the others, or maybe saying… it’s not my problem. Have we developed into a class structure, an “us against them” society? Indeed we have. Like the passage says, hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Satan has traded today’s opportunity for borrowed time. It’s time that neither he nor anybody else can really deliver. You see, time is only in God’s hands, He alone has the control. I say again, Satan is a thief, he has no time to trade… it’s a con. Legally, it’s theft by deception.

There are a few things that are for certain, one being this. God knows Satan, and Satan knows God. We, on the other hand, don’t know much of nothing. God is ever making an effort to guide us and keep us safe, because we don’t know better; while Satan is ever fooling us. That’s why we have “The Book”, and are instructed to meditate on it day and night. We may not know better, but we can learn. By the way, it seems that this day and night thing sounds familiar. I remember now, it forms a day. That’s a day from God. It’s a gift of time, an opportunity. So while we have this day, so long as it’s called “Today”, let us all encourage one another.

Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

You're Blessed To Be A Blessing,
Matt.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Q&A --- Bible Study



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Luke 11:9-10 (NIV)

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Helping each other is what fellowship is all about... sharing !


When I was a boy in my father's house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, "Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
(Proverbs)

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