Words To Remember - "Grace"

When we talk about pleasing God, as we have done in our previous posts, and how that is connected with our faith, it can seem overwhelming and even at times impossible to the natural mind; and actually it is if we are relying on our own ability.  But there is something called GRACE, which can be defined not only as kindness, goodwill, mercy, favor, etc., but it can also be defined as an empowerment and an enabling from God to us so that we can do/be what we could not do/be in and of ourselves.  God's grace actually helps us to meet His standard and His requirement.  


Now, understand that this grace is attracted to humility.  For in James 4:6, the writer says, "But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'" (NRSV).  And in connection with this, we see the writer in Hebrews 4:16 saying, "Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (NRSV).  So, in our approach to the throne of grace, we are humbling ourselves so that we can ultimately obtain more grace.  And this grace we find at the throne is: 
1) Saving (Ephesians 2:8)
2) Settling (Hebrews 13:9) 
3) Sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9)

Remember, beloved, God does not want us trying to please Him on our own strength, nor does He want us striving to walk by faith in our own might, but rather He wants us to come to His throne of grace with boldness (confidence, assurance) so that we can receive mercy and find (discover) His grace (empowerment, enabling) to help us in our time of need so that we can ultimately do/be what He wants and requires us to do/be.

Words To Remember - "Faith Made Effective"

Previously we had talked about the "Order of Faith", and that it speaks on this wise:  The primary purpose and function of faith is not to get a bigger house, a nicer car, more money, etc.  But rather the primary purpose and function of faith is to please God.  Now, with the purpose and function of our faith established toward God, we now look at what actually makes our faith effective.

In Galatians 5:6, the Apostle Paul says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love." (NRSV).  According to this passage, faith works or is made effective through love.  

So, what is love?  Well, we have a biblical definition and description of it in I Corinthians 13:4-8(a) - "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends."  (NRSV).

So, as we use our faith to please (love) God, we must also use it to love people.  For, "Those who say, 'I love God,' and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen." (I John 4:20 - NRSV).

So, as important as faith is to our walk with God, just remember that it is nothing if it is not fueled by love.  Love is how our faith is made effective, and is therefore how we are able to please God to the utmost.

Words To Remember - "What's Next?"

In our last two postings, we talked about "The Order of Faith."  And we said that the order of faith speaks on this wise:  The primary purpose and function of faith is not to get a bigger house, get a nicer car, get more money, etc.  But rather, the primary purpose and function of faith is to please God.  And in connection with this, we named at least three ways in which we can please God, which are: right living, right attitude, and right testimony.  

Now, after we have utilized our faith in accordance with its primary purpose and function, which is to please God, the question can then be easily asked, "What's Next?"  What more do I need or need to do in order to see things and circumstances change in my life, after all, I am living right; I do have a right attitude; and I do possess a right testimony, so what's next?  Aren't I suppose to be rewarded for pleasing God?  However, it seems like I am being passed over and that the reward is for some reason being delayed and even denied. So, what's next?

Well, in answer to the question, "What's Next?", we turn to the Scripture found in Hebrews 10:35-37 wherein the writer says the following:  "Do not therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward.  For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.  For yet 'in a very little while, the one who is coming will come and will not delay." (NRSV).  The "What's Next" that is needed in our lives after we have pleased (done the will of) God is endurance (patience)!  Now understand that when the Scripture says that we need endurance/patience, that it is not just simply saying that we need to wait, although it is involved.  But when the Scripture says that we need endurance/patience, it is saying (according to the BDAG Greek Lexicon) that we need "the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty."  That means that in having endurance/ patience, we will have enough room to put up with the situation, the unfavorable circumstance, the troublesome issue that continues to stare us in the face until our change comes.

So, how do we do have and even increase in this much needed endurance/patience?  Well, I believe that there are at least three things that we need to do in order to have and increase in the endurance/patience that we need; and these things are:
1) Keep looking at Jesus - Hebrews 12:1-3  
2) Keep rejoicing in Jesus - Philippians 4:4
3) Keep standing in Jesus - Ephesians 6:13

So, what's next after we have pleased God?  Endurance/Patience. And what is endurance/patience?  The capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty.  And how do we obtain and even increase in endurance/patience?  By continuing to look at, rejoice, and stand in Jesus.  God bless you.

Words To Remember - "The Order of Faith" Part II

Continuing in "The Order of Faith", we now look at the following passages of Scripture:

Psalm 37:4 - "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart"; and John 15:7 - "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (NRSV).  

In the above verses, we see further confirmation to the truth of "The Order of Faith" which says:  the primary purpose and function of faith is not to acquire material things (i.e. a bigger house, a nicer car, more money, a better job, the perfect mate), but rather it is to please God.  See, we mostly hear about faith as it relates to acquiring material things, but we really do need to understand that the faith that we have is to primarily obey and please God.  For we can exercise our faith to acquire things, and thereby be impressive to ourselves and others, but all along we can be in a state of losing our own souls; that is definitely not God's will for our lives.

God wants us to first and foremost delight ourselves in Him.  He wants us to above all else abide or live in Him and His words in us, for it is then and only then will He grant us our hearts desire and grant us what we wish.  For if we are delighting or taking pleasure in Him; and if we are abiding in Him and His words in us, then that means that His desire becomes our desire, and our desire becomes His desire, so then He can give us what we desire and wish because it will not be contrary to His will and what pleases Him.

Again, there is an order to faith, and that order involves pleasing God, and then allowing Him to add all things to us.  "The Order of Faith."     

Words To Remember - "The Order of Faith"

Romans 1:17 says, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, 'The one who is righteous will live by faith.'"  And Hebrew 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."  (NRSV).

The greatest, most important question that one can ask, as it pertains to their life, is:  Am I right with God?  For after all is said and done; after we have accomplished this, and traveled there, and made that, and built here, the lingering and final question is:  Am I right with God?  And either the affirmative or negative answer will be as a result of our faith, and particularly, the object thereof.  For the way by which one is made right with God is through faith (trust, confidence) in Jesus Christ; and being made right with God is synonymous to being pleasing to God.  For if I am right with God, then I am pleasing to Him, and if I am pleasing to Him, then I am right with Him; and this is all done by faith.

So, if the most important thing in my life is being right and pleasing to God, and this is done by faith, then that tells me that there is an "Order of Faith" that goes like this:  The primary purpose and function of faith is not to obtain a bigger house; it is not to acquire a nicer car; it is not to get a better job; and it is not to make more money.  But the primary purpose and function of faith is to please God.  This is not to say that we don't use our faith to acquire things, but it is saying that even if we do not get the things that we want when and how we think we should get them, that we still have an obligation to please God.  For at the end of the day, we need to please God.

Now, how do we please God?  Well, I believe there are three ways in which we can please God, and actually they are what we previously posted under "Ways of the Kingdom", and those things are:

1)  Right Living - I Thessalonians 4:3-7.
2)  Right Attitude - I Thessalonians 5:16-18
3)  Right Testimony - I Peter 2:15

If we practice these things as ways of pleasing God, then our faith is in order and then we can believe God for other things that we desire and need and see Him move on our behalf for His glory.  "The Order of Faith."

  

Words To Remember - "Mother's Day 2010: A Day of Hope & Restoration"

On this special day, Mother's Day, we celebrate and honor the mothers in our lives.  This celebration, though, should go beyond cards, flowers, and candies, as we see the depth that is inherent within a mother.

A mother/woman, is a carrier/bearer of hope.  For when a woman is pregnant, we say that she is "expecting"; and what is hope, but expectation.  Thus we can say that a mother/woman is a bearer of hope.  And with hope comes restoration.  So, we declare this day, Mother's Day 2010, "A Day of Hope & Restoration."

Our scripture reference for our subject title is Isaiah 49:14-16, wherein the prophet said, "But Zion said, 'The LORD has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me."  Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me'." (NRSV).

Understand that the context of the aforesaid scripture, is after the people of Judah experienced tragedy, destruction, and pain as a result of judgement that came because of their iniquities; but also understand that God did not plan to leave His people there.  For He shined a ray of hope and restoration in the midst of the darkness that surrounded His people by reassuring them of His ever abiding presence; and He used the analogy of a woman/child relationship to express this reassurance to His people.  God showed that, just like a woman/mother cannot (normally) forget her child, so He cannot and will not forget His people.  God has His people on His mind, and even when it "feels" like He is not there, He wants His people to be reminded that He will never leave them, nor forsake them.  The walls of His people are continually before Him.

So, let this day, Mother's Day 2010, be a day of hope and restoration.  Expect again, and let restoration be made active in your life today.  No matter what happened yesterday, this is a new day, so walk in the fullness of the new mercies that it brings.  "A Day of Hope & Restoration."  Happy Mother's Day!

 

Words To Remember - "How To Feed Your Faith" - Repost

Hebrews 11:6 ~ "And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (NRSV)

Using the preceding verse as our launching text, we continue on the subject matter of faith, and how it influences our flow within the kingdom of God.  And with this in mind, we look again on how we can feed our faith.  For in November of 2009, we posted the subject title, "How To Feed Your Faith"; and now I sense that we are to repost it, as it is an appropriate message for our current message on faith.  So, with that, be blessed as you read and meditate on the following repost from November 2009:

We need to feed our faith; for without it, we cannot please God, or do His will.  And if we cannot do His will, then we cannot be blessed; for the will of God is the place of blessing.

So how do we feed our faith, so that we can please God; so that we can do the will of God; so that we can be in the place of blessing?  Well, I believe that there are four laws that aid in the facilitation of the feeding of our faith; and these are:  1) The Law of Hearing; 2) The Law of Forgiving; 3) The Law of Confessing; and 4) The Law of Doing.

1) The Law of Hearing (Romans 10:14-17).  In these verses, we see faith being connected with the continual hearing of the Word of God.  As we continually hear the Word of God, our faith is fed.

2) The Law of Forgiving (Luke 17:1-6).  In these verses, we see faith being connected with forgivness.  For when Jesus instructed His disciples to forgive, even if sinned against seven times in a day, the apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith.  But Jesus' reply assured them that they could do great things with the little faith they had; yes, even forgive.  As we forgive, our faith is fed.

3)  The Law of Confessing (II Corinthians 4:13).  In this verse, we see faith being connected with what we say or confess that is in line with the Word of God.  As we confess the Word of God, our faith is fed.

4)  The Law of Doing (James 1:22-25; 2:26).  In these verses, we see faith being connected with doing the Word of God.  It is not enough just to hear the Word, but we must ultimately apply the Word.  It is not enough just to say we have faith, but we must ultimately show evidence of our faith.  As we do the Word of God, our faith is fed.