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Gen. 6:8 - But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. NKJV
John 1:17 - For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. NKJV
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now I'm found Was blind but now I see. I would agree with the words of the song that "grace" was amazing knowing that it saved me. I truly was a wretched person before the "grace of God" encompassed me and brought about a tremendous change. Would you agree with the words that "grace" is truly amazing?
Grace has been defined this way: Favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it and in spite of what that same person deserves. (From Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers) That is what makes "grace" so amazing none of us deserve to receive it but we do. The passage I used above from Genesis about Noah has always been a scripture I loved. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Have you ever wondered if you have found "grace" in the eyes of the LORD? Many translators here define "grace" in this passage as "favor". Noah found "favor" in the eyes of the LORD. Right After Noah finds favor with God, Noah was given a job to do and that was to build this tremendously huge boat aka The Ark. Noah found "grace or favor" in the eyes of the LORD and the LORD used Noah to accomplish something great. He saved the human race. If it weren't for Noah and his family none of us would be alive today. So knowing that. Is "grace" really amazing? Yes, I would have to say that it is.
Jesus came so that we could experience or partake in the Grace of God. Grace came through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul said it this way in 1 Cor. 16:23 - The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Grace belongs to Jesus, He owns "grace" it is His and He wants to impart it to us. Do you believe you are doing anything to hinder the "grace of the Lord Jesus" from being with you? Eph 2:8 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. KJV This is the puzzling thing about humans. In the OT God gave the Israelites the Law through Moses and the Israelites were commanded to obey the 10 commandments as we know them. They broke every law that was given to them. They worshipped other gods, committed idolatry continually, used the Lord's name in vain, violated the Sabbath, they didn't honor their mothers and fathers, they committed murder, were guilty of adultery, were thieves, liars and coveted their neighbors possessions. It was easy to see that God was not going to be able to save mankind by giving them some laws because they were going to violate every law God gave them. So God decides He is going to help save mankind by displaying His Grace and He does this by sending His "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Now what is puzzling is some men and women believe that in order to be saved today they have to obey some man made laws. WAKE UP PEOPLE! If you want to say thanks to God for Him saving you do it His way. Acts 10:38 - "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good…" While you still have opportunities go and do good for someone in this world. Allow the Grace of God to be active through you. Don't fall into the trap of thinking by keeping some man made laws your now going to receive God's approval. My original question was Is Grace Really All That Amazing? My answer is YES IT IS and especially when all of us our share the "grace of God" with others. Think About These: A blessed life is led by Grace. It takes strength to give Grace to others. Grace is a precious gift you get to give to others. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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John 18:36 - Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." NASU
Pilate says, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" Jesus doesn't answer Pilate's question. Instead He informs Pilate that His KINGDOM is not of this world. He never loses focus not even when He has been falsely accused of being an evildoer and will sacrifice His life shortly for all of humanity. You and I would do well to stay focused like Jesus. Never lose sight of this very important tenet. Our kingdom of which we belong is not of this world. Look at the many different political parties throughout this world and how they fight with one another. Look at Jesus' Kingdom and not the one on earth (His Church) because many of them are not any different from the political parties of the world. The Lord's Church is many times engaged in fighting, bickering and complaining with one another. Why because they are not focused on what they should be. What should the Lord's Church be focused on while here? The answer is simple on "Evangelism". Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We would do well to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
All I can say is the Jewish people of that day were fortunate Jesus was focused on His real Kingdom and going back there. If He would have summoned His servants to come to earth and fight those who were trying to kill Him it would not have been a pretty scene. Can you imagine the carnage of Jewish bodies that would have been scattered all over Jerusalem? This world in which we live in had absolutely no attraction for Jesus. He created it and guess what? He could create another one or ten of them if He wanted to do so. His focus is on His Kingdom which is not of this world. Are you a believer in Jesus Christ? Have you been added to His Kingdom? Then stay focused and that means not on the things of this world but on the things of the next world. Jesus may not have been honored here on earth but I can tell you right now He is honored in Heaven. He is honored in that other world where His Kingdom is and in His Kingdom you will not mess around because you will have to contend with "His Servants who are not afraid to fight" according to Jesus. Stay Focused On What Jesus Was Focused On and You Won't Go Astray. Think About These: A failure in life is a person who lives and fails to learn. If the Kingdom of God doesn't have first place in your life, it doesn't matter what is second. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Deut. 23:5 - "Nevertheless, the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you. NASU
The world offers you love based on your performance. God doesn't offer us love according to our performance. However, I know there are some churches that teach you have to accomplish certain Biblical doctrines every week in order to stay within God's saving grace and love. When I first became a Christian one of the popular teachings going around at that time was known as the 3 and 10. You had to attend 3 services per week (Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening Bible Study) and give 10% of your money. If you did all four of these then all was well between you and God. May I tell you something? Nothing could be further from the truth. Your relationship with God has to do with what Jesus did for you. He is the One who lived perfectly and atoned for our sins with His blood on the cross of Calvary. Your relationship with God doesn't have to do with your performance of attending services or tithing. You will notice the verse above informs us that God loved us "while we were yet sinners". You and I were in our worst condition. We were sinners and God loved us when we were at our worst.
Look at what Paul says in Eph 5:25-27 - "…just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." Yes, God loves us and has proven His love for us. He brought us into His church by cleansing us with His Word. As I said, God didn't leave us the way He found us. We now have no spot or wrinkle. We are considered "holy and blameless". Ananias said to Saul of Tarsus there was something for him to do and in Acts 22:16 - 'Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.' Saul did what Ananias told him to do. He got up and was baptized and had his sins washed away. Remember God loves you way too much to leave you the way He found you. He will remove your sins and place within you the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will help you become more like Jesus if you will allow Him.
Jesus is the One who has redeemed us. We didn't redeem ourselves. There is no possible way we can save ourselves. We can't pay the price because we all have sinned and have fallen short of His glory. So what are we to do? We are to depend on the love of God. His love provided Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. His blood atoned for our sins and all who will accept Him as their Lord and Savior. It is my desire today that if there are any of my subscribers who are reading this and have not been baptized (immersed) in water for the forgiveness of your sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that you will do this ASAP. If you need help contact me I will be glad to help you experience the Love of God by being born again as mentioned in John 3. Think About This: Love looks through a telescope, envy through a microscope. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Exo. 17:12 - But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. NASU
In Exodus 13-14 God is delivering the Israelites out of Egypt by using Moses to stretch out his hands and part the Red Sea. Once they are safely on the other side Moses will once again stretch his hands out and the Red Sea will return to its normal position and wipe out all the Egyptians who tried to catch the Israelites to destroy them. The Israelites are no sooner on the other side and they begin to complain that they have no water to drink, and then they grumble and groan that they have no food. They get in Moses' face and accuse him of bringing them out into the wilderness to die. God provides them water from a rock, manna and quail are also given to them for their survival.
However, when he drops his hands to his side the Amalekites begin to be the victors. Here is where the plot takes a change. Aaron, Moses' brother, and Hur have Moses sit on a rock and they support Moses' arms to stay up and in so doing the Israelites are victorious over the Amalekites. Everyone needs someone to give us the support we need when we are battling with life's challenges. Here in Exo.17 Moses has Aaron and Hur. Earlier in this chapter when the Israelites were complaining against Moses God steps in and validates Moses. In life when we are battling life's challenges we need an Aaron or Hur to provide us with the support we need to stay in the battle. As Christians we need to have someone like this in our lives and we need to be the Aaron or Hur in someone else's life.
"The thing that you are doing is not good. 18 "You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone." Did you see what just happened there? Jethro told Moses straight up what he needed to hear. It most likely wasn't what he wanted to hear but it was exactly what he needed to hear. We all need this type of person in our lives. The ones who love us enough to tell us straight up what we need to hear. Knowing full well that there will be times when what we need to hear will not be what we want to hear. Again, as Christians we need to have this type of person near us and we need to be near others who need this type of a friend. Think About These: Advice is least heeded when most needed. What good is good advice if you don't take it? It takes a great person to give sound advice tactfully, but a greater person to accept it graciously. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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