Monday 5/27/13

Grace For Today

The Good Shepherd

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.   John 10: 27-30   (NIV)

I once heard Michael Youssef tell the story of someone luring off a shepherd's sheep.  He said as the shepherd looked upon the hill and saw his sheep being led astray, he called out to them and instantly the sheep turned and ran to their master. All we like sheep have gone astray, but once we turn to the  Good Shepherd there is no one who can lead us astray. He know us and calls us by our name and we cannot resist His call. We serve a beautiful Savior who is full of mercy and grace. Stay in the race and stay committed to His word.

I am the Good Shepherd. I know my own sheep and my own sheep know me. In the same way, the Father knows me and I know the Father. I put the sheep before myself, sacrificing myself if necessary.~Jesus Christ

5/26/13

Grace for Sunday: God's Unmeasurable Grace

I will never forget the advice I received from my Mama when I decided to marry my husband to be, she said "Gladys, don't marry that boy." Well being the wise 19 year old that I was I didn't listen to her. When she saw that I was serious about marriage her words to me were "you can always come home". When the marriage ended in divorce, she never said I told you so. But, what she did say was "Gladys, you and those babies are not thrown away." I knew without a doubt that my Mama loved me. But her love for me does not compare to the love that the Father has for us. If you have friended people, places and things that God does not approve of, what He is saying to you is "abandon it, I am the only One who can fill that void in you life. Although you have left me, "I will never leave you nor forsake you". Always Remember Beloved of God, you will always have a place in the Father's house. Abandon it!!! Get out of there!!! It's time to come home. Run into His loving arms. There you will find unmeasurable grace.

A Review of The Tower of Babel

Tower of Babel by Bodie Hodge

I received the book Tower of Babel By Bodie Hodge for free from Attic Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group, and in return I am sharing my honest opinion in my review of this book.   Tower of Babel  is filled with both biblical and historical evidence that shows existence for the people and the tower of babel.  I walked away from this book feeling how can anyone deny the existence of God and his personal involvement in our everyday lives. This books shows God does not sit idly by and watch us do thing that would be detrimental to His plans for our lives, yet He is a loving God who is looking out for our good and for His glory.


The author makes it clear that denying the account of Babel, is really all tied up in our denial of the total authority of God and His Word. Bodie Hodge begins the book by looking at the pronunciation of the word “Babel”. He shows how over the years, languages were altered, and certain words lost their meanings and correct pronunciations.  Case in point is the word "Babel". Mr. Hodge makes it clear that even if a word changes, it true meaning remains the same. Even if we try to change the pronunciation and the meaning of the word babel, the account in Genesis clearly reveals God's intentions for the people of Babel.



 Bodie Hodge presents well researched viewpoints showing why God dispersed the people at Babel. He makes it clear that the people at Babel was blatantly disobeying God. They were well aware that God wanted them to spread through the world but in their own words in Genesis 11: 4 "Then they said,  Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." Who else but God were they referring to when they said "lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth"? They knew what God wanted them to do, but just like the people who deny this account they wanted to have it their own way.




It is obvious that the problem with the people at Babel is the same problem that has haunted mankind since the time sin was introduced into the world, and that is, we want to be the masters of our own destiny and to sin without any consequences. In Chapter 28, Mr. Hodge stated Atheists and Humanists view the incident at the tower of Babel as mythology and he feels the reason for this is "because they have bought into a false worldview, so when they read the account it is foolishness to them."  I  totally agree with him, to any unbeliever the things of God is foolishness and that is why they are perishing.




Mr. Hodge did an excellent job of presenting biblical and historical evidence for the existence of the incidence of the people and the tower of babel, but it is my believe, that even if the historical evidence did not exist, the word of God can stand alone and until a person decides to examine the word of God for themselves and allow the Holy Spirit open their eyes they will never believe therefore they will forever wander in darkness.

This book can be purchased on amazon.com and for more reviews on this book please visit http://nlpgblogs.com/babel-and-seekers-reviewers/

Stay Dressed Up For His Return

Blessed and holy are the ones who take part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power; they will serve as priests of God and His Anointed, and they will reign with Him for 1,000 years. Revelation 20:6 (Voice)


I don't know about you but last week was a very trying week for me. There were many times when I excused myself to the restroom and cried out to the Lord for deliverance from the many trial that I had to endure.  So with that in mind, I have been looking forward to today since last Monday. I knew that I would attend my local church today. There I would get edified, encouraged and equipped to do good works for the Lord. All the things that I had been looking forward to was fulfilled on today.

There is another day that we as believers have been looking forward to since we were accepted into the Beloved, and that is the Day of His Great Return. Hallelujah!!! When Jesus returns for His Church, the Voice words it like this "On that day, with a command that thunders into the world, with a voice of a chief heavenly messenger, and with a blast of God’s trumpet, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven; and all those who died in the Anointed One, our Liberating King, will rise from the dead first.  Then we who are alive and left behind will be snatched up together with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is how we, the resurrected and the living, will be with Him forever".  Oh, what a day of rejoicing that will be!!!
 
Isn't  that great news? I can almost see it unfolding. Can you? Since you are a believer, I know that you can. This is our hope Beloved, this is our hope!!! This week when you are bombarded with all kinds of trials and assaults; look to the One whom you have put your trust in, to fight your battles. Know that the things of this world are temporary and are quickly fading away. In the end all that will last is the word of God and the souls of men. That is why it is crucial to stay dressed up for His return.

When I say dressed up I am not talking about the apparel that you wear. No I am talking about, being dressed in Christ. When those assaults comes your way, put on Christ. Remember it is not you who are under attack it is Him. We are only hated because they hate Him. There is a chance if they see you dressed in the righteous garment of Christ that they will turn to Him, but if they never turn to Him, you stay dressed up, so when He returns; He will find His spotless Bride waiting expectantly for Him.

I found great comfort at church today, the sermon was encouraging and the Ladies in my Sunday School Class was great encouragers as well, but one day, Bride of Christ, the God of All Comfort and the Great Shepherd of the Sheep will return for His Bride and everything that we have experienced here on earth will be worth it. He will comfort us and we will never experience pain or trials again.  Are you dressed for His return?


A true Christian has a good hope when he looks ahead: the worldly man has none. A true Christian sees light in the distance: the worldly man sees nothing but darkness. And what is the hope of a true Christian? It is just this, – that Jesus Christ is coming again, coming without sin.~J.C. Ryle

Captured By His Grace

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. Philippians 3:8,9 (NASB)

 

 

I think believers in Christ take their position in Him for granted. It is true that we cannot lose our salvation, but aren't we suppose to workout what He has put in us? Maybe if we truly got a glimpse of what  Christ has done for us, we would be more grateful. The reason that I caught a glimpse of this, was because I had been a part of a religious cult that was built around works. Freedom is what Christ gave to me, when He saved me back in February of 1986. It was so amazing; yet strange. He delivered me from a life of  bondage but  I desired to become His slave. My greatest desire was to obey Him and to bring glory to His name. My greatest fulfillment is to live my life in such a way that one day, He will tell me "well done." 

 My life has never been picture perfect. I have had a lot of pain and hurt along the way. In 1981, I had a daughter to die at a month old, then in 1988 I had another daughter to die at 5 1/2 years of age.  I was a young believer in Christ at the time and I was filled with so many questions and I felt such anger toward God. Also around this time my husband and I were going through a divorce, but I found when all others ceased to comfort me; He never left me alone.   He was true to His word when He said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  A passion within me grew to tell others about the wonderful love and grace of Christ.

 Eventually I felt lead to go to Southeastern Bible College, to better serve in the ministry. It was there that I got a better understanding of God, because with correct theology comes correct bible doctrine and correct doctrine supplies us with correct principles, which enables us to live out the word of God. I love His word. I know the reason for this love is because of His grace. When I teach or write about his word, I try to be totally transparent with people, my desire is for them to know that Jesus was transparent and in Him they too can be transparent. Being transparent gives us the ability to live out the freedom that we have in Christ. Which can give us great joy.

 
I have never shared this with my love ones but one of my greatest fears is that some of them may never accept Jesus and therefore, they will be eternally separated from Christ. My soul actually shudders at this thought.  This literally brings me to my knees in prayer. Sometimes I find myself prostrate before the Lord on behalf of my family members salvation. I would not wish hell for my worst enemy and I most certainly don't want it for my loved ones. 

As long as I live I will never understand why the Lord saved me. Who am I? I stand in amazement that the Lord would reach down from heaven and snatch me off of the wide road to hell and place me on the narrow road that leads to eternal life. Many times I have cried out to Him and said "why me Lord." I may never know "why", but what I do know is that He loves me. I am not the brightest and by no means am I the riches person who has ever lived, so the choosing of me could only be because of His grace.  

The only reason that I can teach, is because of His grace. The only reason that I can blog, is because of His grace. The only reason that I can love my family, is because of His grace and the only reason that I no longer use profanity, nor am I deceitful, is  because of the grace of Christ. I love you Jesus. Every good thing that I do, is because of the grace of Christ. You see, there is nothing good that dwells in my flesh. If you know something bad about me or have ever heard anything bad about me, I can top it with something worse, but guess what? God knows the worst about me, yet He stills love me. 
 

Daily I try to get in the presence of the Lord. There I am laid bare and it produces honest prayers and it shows me who I am and what the Lord wants me to be.The Lord knows that I do not have the stamina, strength or desire to serve Him, but His strength is perfect and He is the center of my desire. It is only because of His grace, that I am able to read and understand His word. It is only because of His grace that I am able to pray and intercede on the behalf of others and the only reason that I can attempt to witness for Him is because of His grace. All that I do and that I am is because of the grace that I have in Christ.

 The finished product is a warrior that is made spiritually fit for the kingdom of God. God has allowed me to do all of this to give me Glimpses of His Grace. Hallelujah What a Savior.

I want to fulfill my part of God’s mind. I want to find my true self. I yearn to want God to be my foremost desire. I want to die, so that I might be alive.~Ashlyn Ricklard

Excuses, Excuses,Excuses

Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men.  Matthew 4:19

"I wont become a Christian because of the things that Christians do".  Have you ever heard that excuse before? What about this excuse ?  "I refuse to become a Christian because all Christians are hypocrites."  EXCUSES!, EXCUSES!, EXCUSES. I will be willing to pay you money if you can tell me that you have heard these excuses before. "The reason that  I wont go to the grocery store to buy groceries is because  all of the employees at the grocery store steals." or "I  refuse to accept my paycheck from my employer because my boss is a liar."  Well, do I owe you some money? Of course I don't.  No, you will never, ever hear of anyone using those excuses. Why? Because those are things that meets their physical needs, but when their very need of salvation is at stake, they would rather allow the lives of others to dictate where they will spend eternity.

I am not making light of what we Christians have done to bring shame to the name of Christ. SHAME ON US!. We need to start living out the things that we profess that we believe, but by no means does this negate others decisions to follow Christ. In I Corinthians 11:1 Paul said "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." Did Paul say, imitate me as I imitate Barnabas? By no means did he say that,  and Barnabas was a great example of "a godly man". Paul imitated the one who died for his sins; the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 In order for someone to sit back and observe the behavior of another, and from their observation,  determine whether the behavior is wrong or right, it is obvious that, that person knows what is morally right. If they know the behavior is wrong, why do they use it as the standard?

 Let's examine this for a second, because I am not sure that they realize it, but in their own examination and conclusion about not following Christ,  because of their fixation on  someone;  who happens to be human just like they are; they have made man as the example of why "Christanity is not the real deal." Before Jesus ascended into heaven, did He say that man was to be the standard, in which another should live?  He most certainly did not!!! You foolish man, do you not know that Jesus entrusted Himself to no man, because He knew man's heart. It is not others who causes you not to follow Christ, it is because you have made a decision within your heart not to do so. You have shut God out of your life. Woe is you!!! The late pastor Adrian Rogers once said "if God is for you who can be against you, but if God is against you, then who can be for you". Amen

 The book of Romans speaks of such people who consistently abandons God. It tells of how God eventually abandons them (Romans 1:24,26,28). It tell us three times in Romans Chapter 1 that God gave them up to do whatever they were inclined to do. This is something to take note of because God will never abandon anyone who calls upon His name, but in Romans,  He leaves these people to do whatever appears to be right in their own eyes. That is scary. They have become their own righteousness and therefore they do not feel a need for God. Where do you think these people will spend eternity? Have you said in your heart there is no God? Who is your righteouness? Is it man? Where will you spend eternity? I pray that it is with Christ.


Everyone has as much of Jesus that they want.`Adrian Rogers

Equality in Christ

Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Malachi 2:10


As a little girl, I grew up in the late 60s. I attended 2 elementary schools. The first school I attended was for blacks only. Then the laws changed, and the government placed a law that said schools must be integrated. So before I knew it, I had to leave the only world that I had ever known, and I was bused off to the white’s only school that the government said I must attend. As long as I live I will never forget the greeting that we kids received on that early August morning. Our bus was greeted with people lining each side of the streets with signs filled with racial slurs.


As a child, I couldn’t understand why we were treated that way; it wasn’t until years later that I came to realize that we were treated in that manner because we were different. It brings to my mind the story of the Jews and the Samaritans; especially the story of the Samaritan woman in John Chapter 4:1-42, because she had a “triple whammy” in her life. She was treated unkindly because she was a woman and not just any woman but one with a tainted past, and she was despised by the Jews because she was a Samaritan; in today’s terms that means she was biracial. Some would say, she was indeed different.

If we were to be honest with ourselves; aren’t we all different? Or should I say aren’t we all different from Jesus. Let me ask you some questions. Were you born without sin? Are you holy? Could you die for the sins of the world? If you attempted to, would God accept your offering? I’m positive that He could not. Does it matter to you that Jesus is different from you? I did not think so.


It did not matter to Jesus what you looked like. Neither did He let your sins keep you away from Him. Although you were different from Jesus, He still died for you. Isn’t that good news?


Did you decline his finished works because you are Black, White, Asian or whatever your race, ethnicity or sex may be, just because He was Jewish? I did not think so. The same salvation that Jesus offered to His mother, Paul and Apollos, who all happened to be Jewish people, is offered to all people. Isn’t that freeing? The story of the Samaritan woman shows that everyone is equal in Christ.


 My favorite part of the story about the Samaritan woman is when the men of Samaria get involved. Now I don’t want you to miss out on this morsel of truth. In verse 42, the men of Samaria say “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” Did you get that? God revealed to these men who was different from Jesus; that He was the Savior of the world. Jesus came for the different, so that He could make a difference in our lives. That would be you, me and every sinner that has ever live. Now that Christ has made you different, go therefore and make a difference for Christ.


If you go against the grain, you get splinters, regardless of which neighborhood you're from, what your parents taught you, what schools you attended. But if you embrace the way God does things, there are wonderful payoffs, again without regard to where you are from or how you were brought up.... God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.                          Romans 2:9-11 (The Message)