The Word of His Grace

In Acts 20:32 Paul said, "And now I entrust you to God and the message of His grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for Himself."

In this passage Paul is encouraging us to read the Word of God. Just like taking vitamins for our physical health, when we read the Word it will strengthen us and guide us into new territory with Him under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Expand your biblical knowledge. Find out what God has to say to you. Read His Word.

You'll be glad you did!

MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST

Do you ever take the time to simply stop and reflect on your life this far into your journey? I do frequently and today I began to think of my life, past and present. There's been a lot of miles, a lot of living, and many experiences. Some are ok and...well...some I'm not so proud of. Then I remembered what the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2:1-10. He was teaching about being made 'Alive' in Christ. He said that "once we were dead (spiritually) because of our disobedience and our many sins." Now, before this begins to sound too fatalistic he changes the entire perspective in verse 4 with two transitional words, 'But God'. It reads, "But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, (on to verse 5), that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead." So, when I think of past experiences in my life that I'm not so happy about, I remember that when Christ rose from the dead I rose with Him leaving all the negative things behind. I am truly made alive with Christ.

You can have this experience too. Just talk to Him. Tell Him how you feel. You won't surprise Him and you won't offend Him. You'll be surprised how quickly He responds to you. And He will respond. Remember verse 4, "But God is so rich in mercy, and He loves us so much."

God will fight your battle and He will win it!

Being thankful shouldn't be a season, but a state of mind.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how God brought people through adverse circumstances in their lives. We all face problems and challenges. Many times we are broadsided with issues that shake our very foundation. Times like these can destroy us or make us better and strengthen our faith. One day a young shepherd boy named David was going out to fight this huge giant of a warrior named Goliath. The odds were severely stacked against him, yet he issued this proclamation of faith: "The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" (1 Samuel 17:37 NLT). David is saying, "God will fight the battle and He will win it." God honored David's faith and a great victory was won for Israel that day. When we walk with a mindset of thankfulness and faith we see our Heavenly Father honoring us by strengthening and enabling us to get through the toughest of storms. There's actually a great deal of wisdom in living with an attitude of gratitude. When we put our faith and trust in God, He will not fail us. Ever!