Fresh Grace

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are

not consumed, because His compassions

they fail not. They are new every morning.

Great is Your faithfulness!”

     Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)

“But He gives more grace. Therefore

He says: ‘God resists the proud, but

gives grace to the humble.’”

     James 4:6 (NKJV)

I’m generally pretty good about being grateful for each day. But earlier this week, I only felt grateful that the day was over.  I’d let my flesh rule me.  My heart just burned over wanting to give my opinion on an issue because I was so pridefully sure I was right—and it was over something so trivial, yet I could not let it go and the matter kept coming back to me again and again.  In addition, I was very frustrated over some tech issues that made it hard and time-consuming to do my work.  Nothing I tried to fix the problems did any good--I even yelled out loud at my computer at one point (at least I was working at home).  At the end of the day, I turned off my computer with disgust at it and myself. 

I went for a walk outside to clear my head and then a verse of Scripture came to me---God is rich in mercy and His compassions never run out; they’re new every day!  He is abundant in grace!  And this doesn’t mean just salvation grace, but also grace for every day of our lives, even when we’re not walking as we should.  If we humble ourselves, God extends grace and mercy to us.  Of course, He doesn’t want us to stay in that condition; instead, He cleans us up and says to start again afresh.  Those truths washed over me and I regained my peace. And I felt true gratitude over all my Lord Jesus has done for me!

Do you need God’s grace and mercy today?  Don’t delay; He’s waiting to give to you richly.

Thursday Devotional - Life's Ups and Downs

Vacations come and go too quickly, most of the time. We often wish they lasted much longer! However, if we were always on vacation, we probably wouldn’t appreciate it as much.

I know several of you tackled weeds this past long weekend. They’re not fun to pull, but I certainly have a greater appreciation for the flower bed and yard after having worked in it myself!

Life is full of ups and downs. Solomon reflected on this in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Easy or pleasant things usually only come after lots of hard work or difficulties. Through the years, God has helped me learn to not wallow in difficult times. It will not last forever. Whether it’s hours, months, or years, a better day is coming! Then, with His help, I’m better able to enjoy and appreciate the pleasant times in life, whether big or small!

How does this encourage or challenge you in your current season of life? 

Alice

Spiritual Tight Rope

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;

    do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

    and he will show you which path to take.  Proverbs 3:5-6

There is a tight rope to walk when walking the path of worldly and Godly righteousness.  I struggle when there are two sides of seemingly the same godly coin.  For example, I was reading an article about protests having no place in Christianity.  It used the verses of James 5 to emphasize this stating, “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.  You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:7-8)  The emphasis was on patiently waiting for the Lord to exact justice on those who would be either oppressive or doing wrong.

This is stark comparison to that of the beliefs of civil rights leaders.  One in particular named Martin Luther King, Jr came to mind.  A famous quote of his says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  Where might this be biblically prevalent?  There are many areas, but one that speaks directly to this is Proverbs 31 where is says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.” (Proverbs 31:7-8)  So which is right?  The author of the article later noted that not all protests were wrong to push for justice, but he elaborated that some protests are not founded biblically.  I could see his point, but it led me to ask some very difficult questions.  How are we to know when to wait for God and when to act?  Are all peaceful protests right, and are all violent ones wrong?

The answer lies in the prayer of serenity.  It simply states:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Serenity is defined as the state of being calm and unruffled.  The word is not used in the Bible, but is referred to in many ways (ex. “The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:26).  Another word that comes to mind is ‘humility.’  Why?  Because it opens one’s heart to God and removes all selfish motives as noted in James 4:7, which says, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Serenity and humility are crucial when navigating a righteous path.  Today’s verses are good fundamental marching orders, but they are only part of the story.  We want to trust in the Lord, but how sure are we that what we are doing is God’s will?  How are we to trust that which we do not understand?  Do we even know if we are seeking His will?  It is a complicated road and we can potentially either oversimplify or over complicate it.  Thus, it becomes crucial that we put ourselves in a state where we can best hear God.  That’s the serenity part.  Furthermore, we must ensure our hearts are focused on God and not ourselves.  That’s the humility part.  If we can merge the two together, we can have a full view on what next steps to take.  We march bravely if needed or stay patient and wait for further instruction.  Therefore, these two things together are crucial in ensuring our steps taken are the right ones.

God is with us each step of the way.  The world will continue to throw challenges.  Thus when we are dealing with a situation whether it be simple or complex, we must ensure that we are in the best position to hear God and with an open mind and heart that will speak to God in a way that pleases Him.  Then, we will have the best chance toward success.  What process can you take to ensure you have serenity when going to God?  How can you approach Him with a humble heart?  My prayer is we are holding on to God’s hand as we walk across the spiritual tight rope.  Amen.