A Steward of Grace

I Peter 4:10 "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (KJV). 

I thought it would be good to know the meaning of the word, steward. 1: a manager of a large home, estate, or organization. 2: a person employed to manage the supply and distribution of food and attend the needs of passengers [as on a train, airplane, or ship]   3: “keeper of the hall, keeper of the sty, ward, guard, and keeper.” The word manifold could mean “great variety.”

From the New Living Translation, “God has given gifts to each of you from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you.” Peter went on with examples from verses 11, “Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to Him forever and ever. Amen”

Everyone has some gifts that God has given us and God wants to bless the gifts you have. How is God glorified when we use our gifts and abilities? When we use them as He leads, to help others, they will see Jesus in us and glorify Him for the help they received. Peter may have been thinking of Jesus’ words, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

Song: To Be Used of God

To be used of God, to sing, to speak, to pray;

To be used of God to show someone the way.

I long so much to feel the touch of His consuming fire;

To be used of God is my desire.

(Audrey Mieir, Sing His Praise)

Song: To Be Like Jesus

To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus

All I ask to be like Him,

All thru life’s journey from earth to glory,

All I ask to be like Him

(Inspiring Choruses)

Dorothy

Great and Mighty

Ephesians 2:13 "But now in Jesus Christ ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ"(KJV).  

To appreciate this KJV verse, I was reading from the New Living Translation Ephesians 2:11-13. "Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders by birth. You were called "the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. V12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded (shut out) from God's people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. V13 BUT NOW YOU BELONG TO CHRIST JESUS. THOUGH YOU ONCE WERE FAR AWAY FROM GOD, NOW YOU HAVE BEEN BROUGHT NEAR TO HIM BECAUSE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST."

Song: Great and Mighty Is the Lord
Great and mighty is the Lord our God!
Great and mighty is He!
Great and mighty is the Lord our God!
Great and mighty is He!
Lift up your banner, and let the Christians sing,
Praises to our King . . .
Great and mighty is the Lord our God!
Great and mighty is He!
(Author unknown)

Prayer: Oh Lord God of heaven! Have mercy on us who are going through severe attacks from Satan Himself! Please lift up Satan's fingers upon us and get him out of the way through the blood of Jesus, so You, Lord God could send many "relief blessings" upon us. We need room to breathe in our spirits and in our bodies since we felt Satan's hot breath on us. Now in the name Jesus Christ, Satan begone with your hot breathe! And now Holy Spirit let it breathe on us, let it breathe on us. Let the Spirit of God now breathe on us in Jesus' name I pray. Amen!

May the Lord bless you and be lifted up today!

Dorothy

Grace Through Suffering

I Peter 4:12-13 NLT

"Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world."

Are you going through some kinds of suffering? Sometimes it helps to sing some songs that the Holy Spirit would give us an uplifting soul toward God. This is one song that usually touched my heart as a reminder to keep our mind on Christ. May the Lord lift your spirit toward Jesus Christ our Lord and be healed in Jesus’ name.

Song: When We See Christ

Chorus:

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus;

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase;

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

1. Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear;

We’re tempted to complain, To murmur and despair;

But Christ will soon appear, To catch His bride away;

All tears forever over, In God’s eternal day.

(Then Chorus)

2. Sometimes the sky looks dark, with not a ray of light;

We’re tossed and driven on, No human help in sight;

But there is one in heav’n, Who knows our deepest care;

Let Jesus solve your problem, Just go to Him in pray’r.

(Then Chorus)

3. Life’s day will soon be o’er (over), all storms forever past;

We’ll cross the great divide, to glory safe at last;

We’ll share the joys of heav’n, A harp, a home, a crown;

The tempter will be banished, We’ll lay our burden down.

(Then Chorus)

(Lyrics: Esther Kerr Rusthoi, Sing His Praise)

Dorothy

Grow in Grace

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (KJV).

Peter encourages the Christians to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ because there would be false teachers who would try to destroy the Christians’ relationship with Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Peter explained that God has given us blessings and precious promises. With these gifts we can share in being like God, and the world will not ruin us with its evil desires.

“Because you have these blessings, do your best to

            add these things in your lives:

1) to your faith, add goodness; and

2) to your goodness, add knowledge; and

3) to your knowledge, add self-control; and

4) to your self-control, add patience; and

5) to your patience, add service for God; and

6) to your service for God, add kindness for your

            brothers and sisters in Christ; and

7) to this kindness, add love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7

Peter went on to say: “If all these things are in you and are growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But anyone who does not have these things cannot see clearly. He is blind and has forgotten that he was made clean from his past sins. My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall. And you will be given a very great welcome into eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You know these things, and you are very strong in the truth …” (I Pet. 1:8-12).

Peter was a man chosen by Jesus Christ to be one of His closest friends. When Jesus asked his followers, “Who do people say that Son of Man is?” Several of them gave different answers, but it wasn’t what Jesus wanted to hear so He asked again, “who do you say I am?” It was Peter who answered to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:13). Peter had a wonderful privileged in knowing Christ. Peter encourages us to know Christ, too!

So let’s grow in grace!

Dorothy

Grace Is Free

Micah 6:8 “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (NKJV)

Micah was a country prophet who condemned Judah’s corrupt rulers, false prophets, ungodly priests, dishonest merchants, and bribed judges. He preached against the sins of injustice, oppression of the poor, pride, and ‘empty religion.’ The ‘empty religion’ means that they would make a habit of following the ritual of sacrifices to please God, but their hearts were far from Him. God was angry and judgment was coming. So Micah asked questions, what would it take to please God and changed their ways?

Micah 6:6-8 “What can we bring to the Lord to make up for what we’ve done? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? ⁷Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the Lord? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls? Would that make him glad? ⁸No, O, people, the Lord have already told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (NLT).

I would like to share one of the devotions from “Our Daily Bread” by RBC Ministries and it was written by Randy Kilgore. “Few people knew me better as a boy than Francis Allen, the pastor who led me to Jesus Christ. A fire-and-brimstone preacher in the pulpit, he was a near-perfect example of the gentleness of God’s love outside of it.

Early on, Francis recognized a tendency in me to try to “buy” approval by working harder than expected and doing more than people asked. “These are good traits to give as gifts to others,” he would tell me, “but you should never use them to buy acceptance and love from people—or from God.”

To help me understand this, he told me to read Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11:30 that His “yoke is easy”—a statement that sometimes seems too simple to be true. Then, pointing to Micah 6:6-8, he said, “Now read this and ask yourself if there are any gifts you can give God that He doesn’t already have.” The answer, of course, is no.

Then he went on to explain that God cannot be bought—the gift of grace is free. Since this is true, what should be our response? “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God’ (v.8). I learned that these were acts of gratitude—not of purchase.

Let Micah 6 be a reminder that grace is free and that faithful living is our grateful response.” –Randy Kilgore

Dorothy

Its Grace So Free

1 Tim. 1:15 “This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I was the worst of them all. 16. But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life” (NLT). This was Paul’s writing to Timothy and I thought of a song, “Room at the Cross” would fit what Paul was trying to say.

Song: Room at the Cross

1. The cross upon which Jesus died

Is a shelter in which we can hide;

And its grace so free is sufficient for me,

And deep is its fountain, as wide as the sea.

Chorus:

There’s room at the cross for you;

There’s room at the cross for you;

Tho’ millions have come

There’s still room for one;

Yes, there’s room at the cross for you.

2. Tho’ millions have found Him a friend

and have turned from the sins they have sinned,

The Savior still waits to open the gates

And welcome a sinner before it’s too late.

(Then go to chorus)

3. The hand of my Savior is strong,

And the love of my Savior is long;

Through sunshine or rain, Through loss or in gain,

The blood flows from Calvary to cleanse every stain.

(Then go to Chorus)

(Lyrics and music: Ira Forest Stanphill, Sing His Praise)

May the Lord touch your heart with this song!

Dorothy 

Extending Grace

Matthew 9:12
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.”

When Jesus invited Matthew the tax collector to follow Him, he accepted. Matthew then invited Jesus to dinner at his house. After the religious leaders criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matt. 9:12-13).

Jesus, the Great Physician, wants to meet each of us at our point of need, offering forgiveness, healing and hope. What we don’t deserve, He freely gives. Jesus offers His extending grace. Here extending grace means to stretch out or to make larger. There is always room for more grace. It is like reach out across a distance or like a bridge extends across the river. Jesus did not limit His grace only to those who are whole. He extends His grace to those who are sick.

To define those who are sick could be anything, like someone created a ‘Divorce Recovery Workshop’ to offer help and healing in Christ to hurting people. This was like a person was simply extending God’s grace to people in need. By reaching out to people in need, we can extend to others this grace of God in Christ—guiding them to His healing touch. When you know God’s grace, you will want to show God’s grace.

Song: Reach Out and Touch the Lord

Reach out and touch the Lord

            as He walks by

You’ll find He’s not too busy

            to hear your hearts’ cry.

He’s passing by this moment

            your needs to supply.

Reach out and touch the Lord

            as He walks by.

(Inspiring Choruses)

Prayer: Lord, I pray that You would heal those who really needs You at this moment. Hear their cry, hear their agony and set them free in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen! I believe it!

My friend, reach out to Him when you are hurting.

Dorothy

Grace, A Free Gift

Roman 11:6 “And if He chose them by grace, it is not for the things they have done. If they could be made God’s people by what they did, God’s gift of grace would not really be a gift” (NCV).

It is good to ask question about what is grace, a free gift about? Do you think it is easier for God to love you when you are good? Do you sometimes think secretly in your heart that God choose you because you deserved it? Do you think that some people’s behavior is so bad that God could not really possibly save them? The answer: If you ever think this way, you don’t entirely understand that salvation is by GRACE, A FREE GIFT. It cannot be earned, in whole or in part; it can only be accepted with thankfulness and praise (Part note from QVLAB). 

The New Living Translation is clear about God’s free gift on Roman 11:6 “And if they are saved by God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s wonderful kindness would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.”

Paul, the Epistle writer talked a lot about grace, God’s free gift and here is one of them. 2 Tim. 1:8c “… God, who gives us strength to do that, 2 Tim 1:9 saved us and made us His holy people. That was not because of anything we did ourselves but because of God’s purpose and grace. That grace was given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ before time began” (NCV).

Paul understood grace because he knew who he was, “a terror” to many Christians who once “feared him” when he thought they were wrong in their belief about Jesus Christ. It took grace through the Lord Jesus Christ to change him and Paul was “forever” thankful to have that chance to live for God once again. If you’re like Paul who understood grace, then you could understand that you can only be “forever grateful” for His free gift, grace that was given to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Song: O How I Love Him

O how I love Him, how I adore Him,

My breathe, my sunshine, my all in all,

The great Creator became my Savior.

And all God’s fullness dwelleth in Him.

(Inspiring Choruses)

Oh, the wonder of His grace!

Dorothy

Through His Grace

2 Thessalonians 2:16

“… God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever” (ncv).

Paul knew that the Thessalonians, the Christians who lived in that town, Thessalonica, would face pressure from persecutions, false teachers, worldliness, and lose interest and stray from the truth and to leave the faith. Paul urged the young Christians to “stand strong” and hold on to the truth they had been taught both through his letters and in person. Paul founded the Thessalonian church on his second missionary journey, he had his fruitful ministry, but he was forced to leave because of intense Jewish hostility.

Paul’s words of encouragement touched my heart from 2 Thess. 2:13-17 ncv “Brothers and sisters, whom the Lord loves, God chose you from the beginning to be saved. So we must always thank God for you. You are saved by the Spirit that makes you holy and by your faith in the truth. God used the Good News that we preached to call you to be saved so you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So, brothers and sisters stand strong and continue to believe the teachings we gave you in our speaking and in our letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us, and through his grace he gave us a good hope and encouragement that continues forever.”

We also may face persecution, false teachings, worldliness, and might lose interest in God’s word. Reading this devotion reminds us that we should hold on to the truth of Christ’s teachings because our life depends on it. We should never forget the reality of Christ’s life and love. His agony on the cross was so very great. What would keep me in touch with Him? A song with inspiration words, “Lead Me to Calvary.”

Song: Lead Me to Calvary

1. King of my life I crown Thee now,

Thine shall the glory be;

Lest (if) I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,

Lead me to Calvary.

Chorus:

Lest (if) I forget Gethsemane;

Lest (if) I forget Thine Agony;

Lest (if) I forget Thy love for me,

Lead me to Calvary.

(Lyrics: Jennie Evelyn Hussey, Sing His Praise)

Let’s trust God today!

Dorothy

Lack Wisdom?

James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God …”

This was my favorite verse because sometimes I felt like I lack wisdom and I need help so I turn to James 1:5. I would quote, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (KJV). The word, ‘liberally’ means give freely, more than enough and the words, ‘upbraideth not’ means He will not scold you severely or criticize you for asking help.

In NCV, “But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so He will give you wisdom.” Sometimes it was not enough just to ask God for wisdom, so I quote James 1:6, “But when you ask God, you must believe and not doubt” (NCV). So often my prayer was like this: “Lord, James 1:5 tells me if I lack wisdom and I could ask you for help in my devotion. I want to thank you and I believe and I would not doubt that you could help me. Thank you, Father, in Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!” I often felt good just to ask my Father in heaven in child-like faith, believing in Him. I know it makes Him felt good, too! He loves it!

This morning I was looking over more lists about “grace” and sometimes I felt helpless and don’t know which one to start. That was how I thought I would share my favorite verse, James 1:5 with you. It was a wonderful blessing to know that I could turn to my Father in Heaven at anytime. I believe that God wants you to know that you could ask Him for wisdom. 

So ask God for wisdom today!

Dorothy 

Song: I Believe God
I believe God, I believe God;
Ask what you will and it shall be done.
Trust and obey, believe Him and say;
I believe, I believe God.
(Inspiring Choruses)

God's Valentine, Grace

Romans 3:24 “… and all need to be made right with God by His grace, which is a free gift” (NCV)

The Valentine Day reminds me of “a gift” so I am thinking that this is a perfect day of God’s Valentine gift to the world from John 3:16 ncv, “God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”

Romans 3:23 NCV, tells us that “All have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory.” In KJV tell us that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Adam once had God’s glory as his clothing, but after he had sinned, he lost that glory. This is why the Scripture tells us that we are not good enough for God’s glory and we are short of God’s glory. How do we get back to the glory of God that we have lost? Romans 3:24b, 25a tells us that “They (we) need to be made free from sin through Jesus Christ. V25.God gave him as a way to forgive sin through faith in the blood of Jesus’ death.”

Romans 5:12-21 tells us about Adam and Christ being compared. Adam brought death, but Christ brought life. One part that I like was from Romans 5:15, “But God’s FREE GIFT is not like Adam’s sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But the grace from God was much greater; many people received God’s gift of life by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.” Also in Roman 5:17b “But now those people who accept God’s full grace and the GREAT GIFT of being made right with him will surely have true LIFE and rule through the one man, Jesus Christ” (NCV).

So the answer was how to get back to the glory of God that we once had lost through Adam’s sin.  Suggestion of prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son as a free gift of grace. Now I ask for forgiveness of my sins through the blood of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for me. I invite You, Jesus into my heart that You have been “knocking” on my heart’s door. Thank you for the free gift of grace through Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Happy Valentine Day!

Dorothy

Gospel of God's Grace

Acts 20:24c “… the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace” (NCV).

It was Paul’s testimony to the Ephesian elders, about his life and what he had gone through and how he served the Lord unselfishly. He had given his life to preach to the Jews and Greeks to change their lives and turn to God and believe in the Lord Jesus. Paul knew that there would be troubles and even jail time. He quoted, “I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace” (Acts 20:24 NCV).

He went on to the part, “Now I am putting you in the care of God and the message about His grace. It is able to give you strength, and it will give you the blessings God has for all his holy people” (Acts 20:32). Then later on, Paul knelt down with all of them and prayed. Then Paul left to the ship toward Jerusalem.

Paul was a single-minded person which means that the most important goal of his life was to tell others about Christ. No wonder Paul was the greatest missionary because he focus on that one great goal since the Lord had called him at Damascus through Ananias’s prophecy, “… he (Paul) must tell about Me (Jesus) …” (Acts 9:15).

We have a lot to thank God for many missionaries around the world who are testifying “the GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD” (Acts 20:24c KJV). This song is dedicated to the missionaries whom God is leading them to find souls for Jesus Christ. We could pray for them that God’s grace will give them strengths and blessings for all the work they are doing right now. We, also, could be "a home missionary" to our friends and remind them to ask Jesus into their hearts. Let our lives shine so that they may see God's work in us.

Song: Lead Me to Some Soul Today

Lead me to some soul today

And teach me Lord just what to say

Friends of mine are lost in sin

And cannot find their way.

Few there are who pray;

Melt my heart and fill my life

Give me one soul today.

(Inspiring Choruses)

Let us be thankful that we have heard the Good News of God’s Grace!

Dorothy

Saved By Grace

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”

Who said this? It was Peter who stood up to speak to the council meeting with apostles, elders and some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee group. The believers from the Pharisee group had disagreement about Gentiles being saved without being circumcised by the Law of Moses. The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this problem.

After long debate, Peter stood up and explained his side of story of how God had chosen Peter to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles according to Acts 10. From this story, Cornelius and the group had heard the first Gospel preached by Peter and while Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit came down on all those Gentiles who were listening. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been given to the Gentiles.

Peter then explained, “They heard the Good News from me, and they believed. God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, He made their hearts pure. So now why are you testing God by putting a heavy load around the necks of the non-Jewish believers? It is a load that neither we nor our ancestors were able to carry. BUT WE BELIEVE THAT WE (JEWS) AND THEY (GENTILES) TOO WILL BE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF THE LORD JESUS (Acts 15:7b-11 NVC).

The representatives meeting there concluded that Gentiles were saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, who forgave them of sin and made them a new creation. Grace comes to a person when he or she repents of sin and believes in Christ as Lord and Savior. This response to God’s grace enables him to receive the power to become a child of God (John 1:12).

Thank you, God for the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Dorothy

Grace Is Sufficient

2 Corinthians 12:9a “But he (God) said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you” (NCV).  

Paul prayed that God would remove his problem that he had in his flesh and the scripture didn’t tell us exactly what Paul’s problem was. Sometimes we don’t always understand God’s way, but God explained to Paul the reason was that ‘God’s power is so great and it shows Himself the best when Paul was weak.’ So Paul learned to say, “So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me. For this reason I am happy when I have weaknesses, insults, hard times, sufferings, and all kinds of troubles for Christ. BECAUSE WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM TRULY STRONG” (NCV: 2 Cor. 12:9b).

God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” What would “GRACE” do for us? Grace is God’s presence, favor, and power. It is a force, a heavenly strength given on those who call upon God. This grace will come upon the faithful believer who accepts his or her weaknesses and difficulties for the gospel’s sake. The greater our weakness and trials for Christ, the more grace God will give us to accomplish His will or plan.

What He gives on us is always sufficient for us to live our daily lives, to work for him, and to endure our suffering. As long as we draw near to Christ, Christ will always give His heavenly strength and comfort on us. We should glory and see eternal value in our weaknesses, for they are the reasons that cause the power of Christ to come upon us and dwell within us as we walk through life toward our heavenly home. [Part of notes from: The Full Life Study Bible, Donald C. Stamps).

What this mean to me? I sometimes become weary and probably have questioned this without thinking about it. Then somehow I found the devotion about “grace” and I was surprised to see the title, “Grace is sufficient.” I realized God read my heart even when I didn’t ask about it. This shows me that God even cares enough to let me know that He cares even before I talk about it. That is God’s amazing grace to me. My friend, God does care what you are going through. He said, "My grace is enough for you today!."

So let’s trust our God today!

Dorothy

The Jew Were Amazed

John 7:15 ncv The Jews were amazed and said, "This man has never studied in school. How did He learn so much?"

There's one translation that I like: "How can He know so much when He's never been to our schools."--Tay

What school? If a person wants to become a Rabbi, a man usually goes to school to be trained. What were the Jews amazed about Jesus? His style of teachings were so different from them.

What was Jesus' answered? John 7:16-17 ncv "The things I teach are not my own, but they come from Him (God) who sent Me. If people choose to do what God wants, they will know that My teachings comes from God and not from Me." Doesn't this make you want more of Jesus?  

Song: I Want More of Jesus
I want more of Jesus, more and more and more.
I want more of Jesus than I ever had before;
I want more of His great love, so rich, so full and free.
I want more of Jesus, so I’ll give Him more of Me.
(Inspiring Choruses)

Pastor Dale Boyd of Edmonton, Canada traced back to Oct. 28, 2010 and sends me this 

"Jesus is so cool" and I was so encouraged. Thank you, Dale!  

Addition: This reminds me that Jesus was "full of grace and truth" from Feb. 4th, 2013, Fresh Manna.

Grace is all about Jesus Christ, our Lord!

 Dorothy 

How Rich God's Grace

Ephesians 1:7 ncv
"In Christ we are set free by the blood of His death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace..."

How much is God's grace? ".. He has given to us so fully and freely" (Eph.1:8a). What is that? "That is, in Christ, He chose us ... to be His people and we bring praise to God because of His wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One God loves" (Eph.1:4,6). God gave His grace to us, why? "Because of His love, and it was what He wanted ... to make us His own children through Jesus Christ. And that pleased God so much" (Eph.1:5).

You know, I have come to appreciate God's grace more and more. I pray that Holy Spirit will open our hearts toward God, the wondrous of His grace. The song came to me:  

Grace Greater Than Our Sin.
"Marvelous grace of our living Lord,
Grace that exceeds (goes beyond) our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvery's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was split (spilled).
Chorus:
Grace... Grace... God's... grace...,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse.. within...;
Grace... Grace... God's... grace...,
Grace that is greater than all.. our sins..."
(Julia Harriette Johnson)

May the Lord gives you grace and peace today!

Dorothy 
PS. I happen to find this in Dec. 2010 and I thought, "wow," I didn't even remember that far back that I had done this. His Word of Grace is new every morning.

He Held On

Hebrews 12:3 ncv

“Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to Him. So do not get tired and stop trying.”

Do you ever face hard time and get discouraged when your friends hurt your feelings?  Do you ever get tired and ready to stop trying? Do you ever say this: “Oh, what the use of doing this for the Lord?” What should you do? The Scripture encourages us to “think about all he (Jesus) endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him (Jesus), so that you don’t become weary and give up” (NLT).

It is easy to lose sight of the big picture of what God is doing. So the Lord is speaking to us: “My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like My ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. The same thing is true of the words I speak. They will not return to Me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do. So you will go out with joy and be led out in peace” (ncv, Isaiah 55:8, 9, 11, 12a).

So here are the words of encouragement: “So HOLD ON through your sufferings, because they are like a father’s discipline. God is treating you as children and LET US HOLD ON to the faith that we have” (ncv: Heb. 12:7a; 4:14c).

Song: His Name is Higher

His Name is higher than any others.

His Name is Jesus. His Name is Lord.

His Name is higher than any others.

His Name is Jesus. His Name is Lord.

His Name is Wonderful. His Name is Counselor.

His Name is prince of Peace, the mighty God.

His Name is higher than any others.

His Name is Jesus. His Name is Lord.

(Collection of songs, author unknown)

So let us hold on to Him and never stop trusting Him!

Dorothy

His Grace was True

Acts 14:3b ncv

“He (God) showed that their message about his grace was true . . .”

Paul and Barnabas traveled from Antioch and arrive in Iconium. They went as usual to the Jewish synagogue. They spoke so well that a great many Jews and Greeks believed. But some of the Jews who did not believe stirred up the trouble among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all sorts of evil things about them (Acts 14:1-2).

In spite of trouble, Paul and Barnabas stayed in Iconium a long time and they spoke boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the word of His grace. Some of the Jews found it hard to believe about “God’s grace” so the Jewish leaders brought theological arguments against Paul and Barnabas. Something happened here. God confirmed His Word of grace with miracles, signs and wonders done by Paul and Barnabas’ hands. NCV quoted: “He showed them their message about His grace was true by giving them the power to work miracles and signs” (Acts 14:3c). God gave miracles to help the Jews believe that His grace was true!

Wow! I would have like that! It would be wonderful to have miracles, signs and wonders to prove God’s grace. But surprise, it doesn’t always work that way. The next Scripture tells us that the city was divided. Some of them sided with the Jews, and others sided with the apostles, Paul and Barnabas.

We may wish we could perform a miraculous act that would convince everyone once and for all that Jesus is the Lord. But we see here that even if we could perform a miracle, it would not convince everyone. God gave these men power to do great wonders as confirmation of the message of grace, but people were still divided. Don’t spend your time and energy wishing for miracles. Sow your seeds of the Good News on the best ground you can find in the best way you can, and leave the convincing to the Holy Spirit (note from QuickVerse Life Application Bible).

What can I learn from this? Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:31). So let us believe God that His grace was true.

Dorothy

Continue in Grace of God

Acts 13:43b niv

“… Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.”

Paul was saved by the grace of God and his life was changed. God called Paul and Barnabas together to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So Paul began his first missionary journey from Antioch where the prophets and teachers prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away (Acts 13:3).  Paul and Barnabas sailed to the island of Cyprus and went to different towns and preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Jewish synagogues. They went on to Perga (Turkey) and went north to another Antioch which is between Asia and Galatia. 

Paul and Barnabas went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down. Paul and Barnabas listened to the leaders of synagogue (church) who read the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets. After that the leaders asked Paul and Barnabas if they have any message that will encourage the people.  Paul took the opportunity to speak to the Israelites and there he gave his long speech from Acts 13:16 through 41. While Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people asked them to tell them more about these things on the next Sabbath.

When the meeting was over, many Jews and those who had changed to the Jewish religion and who worshiped God followed Paul and Barnabas from that place. They were really hungry for more of what Paul has to say. But Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue trusting in God’s grace (Acts 13:43b NCV).  

In King James Version quoted: “… Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.” And what was more interesting was that the next Sabbath day, almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God (Acts 13:44). I believe that when they heard, “God’s grace,” that was very new to them.

This devotion touched my heart to “continue in the grace of God.” This means I am to continue to study them and remind myself that we are under the grace of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, and our Savior.

May the Lord bless your heart to continue in the grace of God!

Dorothy

Grace and Truth

John 1:17 ncv

The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, Moses was the giver of the law. Moses emphasized God’s law and justice. It was the only way that the people would come to know God was through His law and God’s nature. God communicated through different people, usually prophets who were told to give specific messages. But no one ever saw God.

In the New Testament, Christ came to earth to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). The only way God could communicate His people was through His Son, Jesus Christ. God send His Son into world to show God’s mercy, love, faithfulness, and forgiveness rather than through the cold stone tablets.

In the beginning of John’s writing, he introduced Christ, as the Word. The Greek word is “logos,” meaning any kind of communication; it could be translated “message.” Here, it means Christ, because Christ was the way God told people about himself (note from ncv).

John continued, “The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father—and He was full of GRACE AND TRUTH. John (the Baptist) tells the truth about him (Christ) and cries out, saying, “This is the One I told you about: ‘The One who comes after me is greater than I am, because he (Christ) was living before me.’” Because he (Christ) was full of GRACE AND TRUTH, from him (Christ) we all received one gift after another. The law was given through Moses, but GRACE AND TRUTH came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But God the only Son is very close to the Father, and he (Christ) has shown us what God is like. (John 1:14-18 ncv)

Jesus said, “For when you see Me, you are seeing the one (the Father in Heaven) who sent Me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness” (John 12:45-46 qvlab).

We often wonder what God is like. How can we know the Creator when He doesn’t make Himself visible? Jesus said plainly that those who see Him see God, because He is God. If you want to know what God is like, study the person and words of Jesus Christ. Why? It is because Christ was full of GRACE and TRUTH, the One whom you can trust.

May the words of grace and truth dwell in you richly!

Dorothy

Words of Grace

Luke 4:22a ncv

“All the people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the words of grace he spoke.

QVLAB: All who were there spoke well of him and were amazed by the gracious words that fell from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

What were the words of grace that Jesus had spoken that the people were impressed with? Jesus simply opened the book of Isaiah and found the place where this was written:

        The Lord has put his Spirit in me,

            because He appointed me to tell the

                  Good news to the poor.

       He has sent me to tell the captives they are free

            and to tell the blind that they can see again.

      God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly

            and to announce the time when the Lord will show

                  His kindness.

Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. He began to say to them, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!” So all the people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the words of grace he spoke (Luke 4:17-22 ncv). When Jesus speaks, His words always inspired. It was the Holy Spirit that made His words full of grace that would reach an open heart. His word enriched us!

Song: Wonderful Grace of Jesus

1. Wonderful grace of Jesus,

Greater than all my sin;

How shall my tongue describe it?

Where shall its praise begin?

Taking away my burden,

Setting my spirit free,

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Chorus:

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,

Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;

Higher than the mountain, sparking like a fountain,

All sufficient for me,

Broader than the scope of my transgressions,

Greater far than all my sin and shame;

O magnify the precious name of Jesus,

Praise His Name!

(Haldor Lillenas, Sing His Praise)

May the Lord bless you today!

Dorothy