Tag Archives: Grace

2013 Day 295 – 1 Peter 1-3, Isaiah 33

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

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Today we begin the letters of the Apostle Peter starting with the book of 1 Peter. The letters were written to encourage Christians who were beginning to suffer for their faith. One of the ways Peter encouraged believers was to remind them of the everlasting power of salvation through Jesus Christ. He reminded them, no matter what happened to them on earth, their salvation was forever. In 1 Peter 1:24, Peter quotes a verse from Isaiah 40:6-8 reminding them that the thing of this world will fade but God and His ways are permanent, For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. Let this be a reminder to us; while our sadness, pain, and suffering may feel overwhelming at times, God’s grace, mercy, and peace are always available to us.

2013 Day 294 – Francis Chan: Two Scariest Lies in the World Right Now

21 Monday Oct 2013

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For this week’s Reflection post, I wanted to share this video by Francis Chan. As believers who have accepted Christ and His gift of salvation, we know how much we need Him. But right now there are two lies this world likes to tell everyone that keeps them from wanting and experiencing Christ; “you are a good person” and “because God is a loving God, He will not punish us”. In Roman 3:23 it says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Do not be deceived by the lies of this world. While we do not deserve it, God loves us and wants to provide the grace we need no matter how much we want to believe the lies that are told.

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2013 Day 271 – Jeremiah 10-12, Isaiah 14

28 Saturday Sep 2013

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Today we read one of Jeremiah’s prayers to God in Jeremiah 10:23-25, 23 Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps. 24 Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure—not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing. 25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the peoples who do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have devoured him completely and destroyed his homeland. Because of God’s mercy and grace He does not punish us with His full anger or we would be completely destroyed. God is loving and wants us to come to Him so we can enjoy His love, grace, and protection. But those who go against God are at risk of experiencing His wrath and the consequences of their sin.

2013 Day 270 – Jeremiah 7-9, Isaiah 13

27 Friday Sep 2013

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At the beginning of Jeremiah 9 you can feel how conflicted Jeremiah is with his people. He is angered by their sin: lying, treachery, adultery, and idolatry which had become common among them. But he also felt compassion. While he knew God had set him apart to accomplish his mission, he also knew he was one of them. Jesus had similar feelings about Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37, 37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” This is a great example for us to remember. While our sins may not be the same as others, we all require God’s forgiveness. We are no better than anyone else without the grace and mercy God gave us through His Son.

2013 Day 266 – Job 40-42, Isaiah 9

23 Monday Sep 2013

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We finally come to the end of our reading in Job. God has taken the opportunity to reprimand everyone associated with this story including Job. Once God is finished with all He has to say, Job begins his repentant replay in Job 43:1-6, 1 Then Job replied to the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’ 5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Once Job repented, God was able to bless him even more than He had before. This is not a promise that God has given to us, however our obedience should be unconditional to God. He loves us and has promised us salvation from eternal death, and that is the only thing that should ever matter to us. God’s love has saved us and we are to be obedient, loyal, and thankful because of it.

 

2013 Day 262 – Job 31-33, Isaiah 6

19 Thursday Sep 2013

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In today’s reading in chapter 31, Job challenges his friends to find fault with him. Since they could not convince Job of any wrong doing, Job’s friends stopped trying. Starting in Chapter 32, there is a younger man named Elihu who has been listening to their conversation. He has been respectful in waiting for the older men to speak and now takes the opportunity to share his perspective. We spend the next few chapters listening to Elihu’s words. While Job may not have deserved the severity of his punishment, he is no different from us; someone who is imperfect and needs to receive grace when we probably deserve death.

2013 Day 229 – 2 Corinthians 1-3, Psalm 112

17 Saturday Aug 2013

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Today we start the book of 2 Corinthians. Verse 15 stood out to me, For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. What a great description of what we are supposed to be, an aroma to both the saved and unsaved. To the saved we to be a sweet aroma of like-mindedness and encouragement in the body of Christ. And to those who choose to reject Christ we will probably smell foul. Too often we try to make ourselves more appealing to the unsaved. It is not our job to make ourselves into anything more than what Christ has done to us and for us. We are simply to point people to Christ and be a reflection of Him; that is all. It is up to them to accept or reject His saving grace.

2013 Day 222 – 2 Chronicles 22-24, Psalm 106:24-48

10 Saturday Aug 2013

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Psalm 106:44-46 is a wonderful picture of God’s love for His people who deserve nothing more than judgment for their sins, 44 Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; 45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. 46 He caused all who held them captive to show them mercy. God does not limit Him grace and mercy based on our faithfulness to Him.

2013 Day 217 – 2 Chronicles 8-11, Psalm 104:1-23

05 Monday Aug 2013

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We have talked before about the significance of seemingly minor decisions having a major impact in future events. Today, we read once again about a minor issue in the life of Solomon that would later have a major impact on his life. I am talking about his wife, Pharaoh’s daughter. While on the surface this may not register as an issue, the reality is that her presence in Solomon’s life would eventually cause him to turn away from God. Pharaoh’s daughter was not the only catalyst, but it was one of the circumstances that caused Solomon to be lost for a portion of his life. Through God’s grace he would eventually turn his life around, but not before it made a significant impact on his life. The lesson for us is to be aware of seemingly innocent decisions we make and understand the potential impact it can have on our lives. We must always have our eyes fixed on our relationship with God and allow Him and the Holy Spirit to guide us in every decision we make. He will never steer us in the wrong direction.

2013 Day 214 – 1 Corinthians 15-16, Psalm 101

02 Friday Aug 2013

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It is important for us as believers to remember the purpose of the Law in the Old Testament; to show us our need for salvation from our sin. Paul spells this out in 1 Corinthians 15:56, The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But then he goes on to show us the beauty of God’s grace through Christ’s sacrifice to us in verse 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. In the end, God gave us victory over our imperfection. Even the worst sinners have the opportunity to take part in God’s grace. We must never take it for granted that we are incapable of salvation without the Love of God and the gift he has given us through His grace and mercy.