Every one is given grace

Eph_4:7  But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Everyone of us is given GRACE according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Gifts of God are given to people and not all of those gifts are the same. This gift, the gift of GRACE, is given to ALL of us! You may not get the gift of becoming an apostle, a teacher, a prophet and such, but you are given the gift of GRACE.

Grace, the forgiveness offered to us that we can never deserve, we can never earn.  Forgiveness for our weak flesh, our weak natures, our indulgence in sin.  Forgiveness for choosing to separate ourselves from God through sin, after we know what sin is. Forgiveness for all our short comings. Forgiveness given to us so we can be one with God once more.  Forgiveness so the breech between us and God no longer exists.

The Grace of God is ours!  The grace of God is given to us all by Christ!

We have to accept this gift.

If we don't accept this gift it isn't ours, this gift will not be forced upon any of us.

This gift of grace and forgiveness is given to us every time we seek it in truth and love.  This is a gift that is given freely.

Rom_3:24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

All in HIS amazing LOVE!

Grace in our hearts

Col_3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Imagine - the Word of Christ in us richly in ALL WISDOM.

Imagine- teaching and admonishing one another while singing with GRACE in our hearts TO THE LORD.

One of the key words here I believe is 'LET'. We have to 'let' the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom.  Christ has given us His words, His truth and it is those words and that truth that we must let dwell in us.  We aren't to use our own made up truths, we aren't to admonish and teach our own ideas. We have a curriculum, if you will, and it was given by our Savior during His ministry upon earth. He walked for three years constantly teaching. He taught those that would continue to teach others after He was gone. Our Savior gave us many, many lessons- life lessons and His words are life because He is life and He is the Word.  If we are going to become obsessive about anything in our lives let it be our Savior and His truth.  Christ would have us 'LET' His word dwell in us in all wisdom.  And we do have to allow this, because our Savior will not force His word into us.

If we allow Christ's words to teach us, to be lessons we learn and apply to our lives we are letting His word's live in us.

A person brings to life their beliefs by living them.

If you don't believe in violence, you live a non-violent life.  If you don't believe it is good to use profanity- then you do not use profanity. If you have Christ in your life, you live with Him in your life- His way is your way.

Does this mean people don't make mistakes and do things they would rather not do?  No. People make mistakes all the time. But that's just it, they recognize the mistake for what it is. People can't say they are against violence and in the next breath punch someone unrepentantly.  They can't say they are against abuse and all the while go about abusing others without any remorse.  The repentance and the remorse must be genuine, not something pretended, not something used as mere words without heart value.

Sometimes it seems we are called to endless repentance because Satan has us buffeted on every side and our weak flesh falls victim over and over again to the things we would not do. With our minds we want to desperately serve our Savior, but our flesh fights against our minds.

Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ had an infirmity in the flesh and we aren't told what that infirmity is, but we are told he prayed for it to be taken away more than once. What caused the infirmity? Do we have infirmities that tempt us to do things we would not do if we didn't have them? I have to ask these things because Paul struggled with infirmity and he struggled with the war of mind and flesh.  What was God's reply to Paul as he prayed for his infirmity to be taken away…

2Co 12:7  And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2Co 12:10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

TRUTH!

The messenger of Satan was buffeting Paul. A thorn in the flesh.

Is the messenger of Satan buffeting you? Do you have a thorn in the flesh, and by that I'm not just talking about physical thorn because our flesh nature encompasses so much more than mere physical sickness. The things you do that you don't want to do, that's is the flesh nature propelling you forward towards sin.

We have to HOLD fast as Paul held fast, trusting solely in the GRACE of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!  

Jesus told Paul -  'MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE, FOR MY STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.'

We MUST learn this, we must remember this!  These are the words of Christ that must dwell within us! This is the hope given to us that enables us to sing of God's glory!

Please LORD, help us to learn in our hearts the truth of YOUR GRACE and know it is sufficient for ALL of us!  That our weakness is understood and it reveals Your strength, Your perfect strength something we can only have through YOUR GRACE and not something we can manufacture on our own. If we could manufacture our own strength Paul would have been preaching for all to find their own inner strength but that wasn't what he preached at all. We need CHRIST'S strength, our own strength will fail us every time!

All in the LOVE OF OUR SAVIOR!

Hope in Heaven

Hope is laid up for you in heaven.

Hope- the word of the truth of the gospel unto us and unto all the world.

The gospel bringing forth fruit.

Knowing the grace of God in truth.

Do you need grace?  We all need grace, don't we? We do if we believe in the hope of Salvation. If we believe that life was not meant to be lived as we live it now in a sin-filled world.

Col 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
Col 1:2  To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Col 1:3  We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Col 1:4  Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
Col 1:5  For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Col 1:6  Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth

People talk about searching for something more.  People go from one thing to the next continuously searching for some sort of fulfilment within themselves yet inevitably whatever new past time they find to fill the void becomes tedious and boring and they're left searching once again.  Time and time again people realize there has to be something more than there is. Others might tell them they're being foolish that this is all there is and there is nothing else and just make do. Sometimes it's easy for those who have what we like to call 'luck' to say things like that. And still others take temporal pleasures as their goal to a fulfilling life.  They hold fast to each temporary bit of happiness and claim seeking those bits of happiness is what life is all about.

Obviously I could go on and on and on, but I won't.

We have HOPE laid up in HEAVEN.  That hope is SALVATION through OUR SAVIOR. SALVATION from what?

Dictionary Definition- Salvation-

'1
a :  deliverance from the power and effects of sin
b :  the agent or means that effects salvation
c Christian Science :  the realization of the supremacy of infinite Mind over all bringing with it the destruction of the illusion of sin, sickness, and death
2
:  liberation from ignorance or illusion
3
a :  preservation from destruction or failure
b :  deliverance from danger or difficulty'

Needing deliverance- that's what salvation means.  And if we need salvation then we need delivering, right?

Do you need delivering?

Delivering from what exactly?

We need to be delivered from danger- danger from what? Satan.
We need to be delivered from the everlasting death that Satan promises to all who don't accept the salvation offered them through their Creator, their Redeemer.

Danger of death eternal, it's real. You are NOT guaranteed salvation at the end of your life, yet so many seem to think they are. Our Hope is salvation through our Savior and there is no other hope than that for us, none.  We find grace only through our Savior.

There is a movie out right now in the theaters (May 2014) called Heaven is For Real.  Yes, heaven is real, but it's not real for everyone and it's NOT real that You won't die, but simply continue to live on like so many believe today. You don't go to heaven immediately upon death. You sleep. You know nothing. You can't even praise God in death. Heaven IS real, very, very real, and by the grace of our God we will live in heaven with Christ one day, after He returns and calls us forth from our graves, or if we are still living, He calls us to meet Him in the air. This is BIBLICAL TRUTH!  I don't need anyone at all to tell me what heaven is like, I have the truth from my BIBLE. Satan loves to weave His lies so close to the truth that people are deceived, only by the grace of our LORD will we know the truth, discerning between good and evil.

My hope is found in the grace offered to me through my SAVIOR.

My SAVIOR paid my way to heaven, because He and He alone has the only currency accepted in heaven, all other is counterfeit and unacceptable.

Truly, Jesus paid it all.

In HIS LOVE!

Good Hope Through Grace

Please, read the following with a heart full of prayer. There is so much truth we need, so much. It is God's Word that commands the action of faith, not ours. God spoke and it was. God speaks and it is. It is He who desires us to call Him- Father. Our Father! He wants us to be HIS CHILDREN of the heart!  As His children He has given us so many messages and the following message must be taken to heart. His words must be words we cherish, words we believe!

2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2  That ye be NOT SOON SHAKEN IN MIND, OR BE TROUBLED NEITHER BY SPIRIT NOR BY WORD NOR BY LETTER as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3  LET NO MAN DECEIVE YOU BY ANY MEANS: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and SHALL DESTROY WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS COMING:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with ALL DECEIVEABLENESS of UNRIGHTEOUSNESS in them that perish; because THEY RECEIVED NOT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  THAT THEY ALL MIGHT BE DAMNED WHO BELIEVED NOT THE TRUTH, BUT HAD PLEASURE IN  UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.
2Th 2:13  But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because GOD HATH FROM THE BEGINNING CHOSEN YOU TO SALVATION THROUGH SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT AND BELIEF OF THE TRUTH:
2Th 2:14  Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Th 2:15  Therefore, brethren, STAND FAST, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
2Th 2:16  NOW UNTO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF AND GOD EVEN OUR FATHER WHICH HATH LOVED US AND HATH GIVEN US EVERLASTING CONSOLATION AND GOOD HOPE THROUGH GRACE,
2Th 2:17  Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.

*******

We need to RECEIVE the LOVE of the TRUTH!

Our Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF AND GOD even OUR FATHER WHICH HATH LOVED US and HATH GIVEN US EVERLASTING CONSOLATION AND GOOD HOPE THROUGH…. GRACE!

Do we believe?! We must believe!

Lord we believe, help Thou our unbelief! Please!

Chief of Sinners

Sinners of whom I am CHIEF.

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
1Ti 1:17  Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

*******

Are you a chief sinner? Seriously, are you?  We have a tendency to believe that those we would classify as 'chief sinners' are those who are murderers, abusers, torturers etc -- the really awful people. Yet every sin warrants death, every sinner deserves death. The chief sinners are us all really.  My sin of self righteousness may be worse than a thief's sin, yet we don't want to believe that. We want to just label sin - one through ten- and not get into the heart of what sin is. Jesus came and gave us the answers to what the heart of sin is. Anything that keeps us from LOVING our God and LOVING our neighbor is SIN. ANY act even if it’s a bad will thought towards God or a fellow human being, it's SIN.  Is there any wonder we cannot save ourselves?!  We are awful sinners and our ONLY HOPE is CHRIST JESUS!

The GRACE of our LORD- EXCEEDING ABUNDANT with FAITH and LOVE in HIM, OUR SAVIOR!

Jesus came into this world to save YOU, to save ME, to save ALL OF US- SINNERS!

We can OBTAIN mercy just like the Apostle Paul, just like all others! We can obtain MERCY, and we can BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST TO LIFE EVERLASTING!

We can have life everlasting in our SAVIOR!

EVERYTHING unto our KING ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, the ONLY WISE GOD, be HONOR and GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER AMEN!

We are sinners!
We can obtain mercy!
We can have grace!
We MUST BELIEVE!

Too many want to believe in themselves, but we CAN'T!  We have to believe in our SAVIOR to SAVE US!

We will forever fail ourselves if we look to ourselves. We will forever disappoint ourselves. We must look to CHRIST! He is PERFECTION, HE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS! HE IS EVERYTHING!

Please SAVIOR be our all in all! Help us to BELIEVE all in YOU!

AMEN!

According to His own purpose and grace

2Ti_1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began

Before the world began Christ Jesus was promised to us.

How can that be so?

Just tell me one thing, haven't you ever made a contingency plan? Or if you haven't, you must have heard of contingency plans. They are plans that are made should something not go the way it is intended.

To not have contingency plans especially when you are undertaking something extremely important with possibilities of things not going correctly is really - for lack of a better term- stupid.

Our God is the furthest thing from stupid as you can get.

Before the world began Christ Jesus gave us GRACE.

Our Creator was also our Redeemer from the beginning.

He SAVED us.

He CALLED us.

He called us with an HOLY CALLING.

He called us not because He looks upon us and believes our works are good. He called us with an Holy Calling for His purpose and grace. He called us… and in that call we are to answer. Calling doesn't include forced answering. A person can be called and never answer. A calling is not a sure thing to acceptance of that call. We have to answer.  And we don't answer with our works. We don't tell our Savior to notice our behavior. His call to us is an Holy Calling. His call to us is a call to believe in Him and His holiness. His call to us is to understand that He is calling to save us because we absolutely CANNOT save ourselves.

Please LORD, save us! We hear You LORD! We hear YOUR CALL to US. Please SAVIOR save us through YOUR GRACE!

Justified by HIS Grace

Tit_3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Made heirs.

An heir -- 'a person legally entitled to the property or rank of another on that person's death.'

Upon the death of our Savior we are made heirs, heirs of eternal life.

Jas_2:5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

We are justified by HIS grace and when we are justified we are made heirs and given a promise and that is the hope of eternal life, it is the promise of salvation.

Justified by his grace.

Easton's Bible Dictionary-

'Justification
A forensic term, opposed to condemnation.
As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Rom_5:1-10).

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 5:6  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

This is TRUTH!

We can BELIEVE, we can HAVE FAITH!

I was reading something about faith this weekend and one of the things that has stuck with me is what faith is. It's God's word. When God spoke it was so.  The very earth we are standing upon exists because God spoke it into existence. The sky, the water, the animals, all of it exists because of God's Words spoken.  Just assuredly as we exist - our salvation exists.  And as the word above says-  'we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.'   TRUTH!

This life is one tribulation after another interspersed with many plateaus as well as peaks of joy.  This is truth.  The tribulations WILL work patience in us by the grace of our LORD.  That patience will then bring us experience.   Tribulations- help us to understand that life is NOT meant to be this way, there is something better we were created for. And patience through enduring the tribulation gives us this experience, this understanding to get us through the next tribulation and we have HOPE. The hope of salvation in our SAVIOR of a much better life to come, this is not all there is! We have HOPE and we aren't ashamed, we live with this HOPE in us as a REALITY, not fiction, not fairy tale. The Holy Ghost, the HOLY SPIRIT will give us the LOVE of GOD which is EVERYTHING!.

Please, LORD, please through your grace we will be justified!

IN YOU LORD, IN YOU!