Category: II Peter

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Merit And Grace

Have you ever noticed how so much of our society is based on merit?

Merit: the quality of being particularly good or worthy, especially so as to deserve praise or reward.

Our salary or income is merit based. We do a good job and we get a raise. We study hard and we get good grades. Even buying groceries or using our credit cards are based on merit; we buy we get rewards. So many things are based on our ability to earn or deserve a reward.

Our relationship with the Lord, on the other hand, is completely based on grace.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ERV

Grace: the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

Look at all the ways we use the word grace. There is a grace period which allows us to be late on a payment or to use an item without being punished. Royalty and monarchs are often called “your grace”; they give unearned favor to those they rule. “Goodness, Gracious” are more than just two words in a Jerry Lee Lewis song. It’s an expression used to express joy over receiving something good that comes as a complete surprise, completely unexpected. We should be hunting for opportunities to be gracious.

As parents and employers we have a strict duty to keep the line between merit and grace well defined. There are certain standards that we expect those under our leadership to meet; this is merit. Then there are those things that we give unexpectedly, undeservedly and that is grace.

We don’t want our children feeling they have to earn everything they receive based on merit. We want them to know that we take joy in giving them special things, blessings as it were, just because we love them. These things come from a gracious and loving heart. When we do this, we are being an example of our heavenly Father and the way He treats us.

“And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.

7 In Christ we are made free by his blood sacrifice. We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace. 8 God gave us that grace fully and freely. With full wisdom and understanding 9 he let us know his secret plan. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ.” Ephesians 1:5-9 ERV

In some translations the word grace is called loving-favor, in others it’s kindness. Grace is given freely; we don’t earn it. We can’t! Because we can’t earn grace by the good things we do we can’t lose it either.

“But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you. 6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. 7 God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.” Ephesians 2:5-7 CEV

God is good and kind even when we don’t deserve it. He’s gracious, full of grace, when we need help.

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

When we receive God’s grace and experience it personally, we grow. In growing, we become more gracious to those around us.

“Grow in the loving-favor that Christ gives you. Learn to know our Lord Jesus Christ better. He is the One Who saves. May He have all the shining-greatness now and forever. Let it be so.” II Peter 3:18 NLV

I encourage you to live graciously today. Look for opportunities to be grace-filled and avoid making those around you merit your favor!

“The Lord bless you  and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

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Heart To Heart

Technology is wonderful. We can send an email and receive a response in a couple of hours. Better yet, we can text and get an answer in a matter of minutes. These forms of communication are fine but nothing can compare to hearing the voice of a dear friend.

Video chats are nice, phone conversations are great but sitting and talking face to face is over the top!

Face to face conversations involve touch, eye contact, voice inflexion and quality time. These times are the best when building and keeping a relationship. That’s why I love my morning quiet times so much. I get to sit and talk with my heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In my heart and through God’s word, I can hear them speak to me. There’s nothing that compares to these intimate moments of personal communication.

Heart to Heart!

The Father wants to hear what’s on my heart and He wants to share His loving thoughts with me. The depth of that is almost incomprehensible but it’s true. Loving, Almighty God wants to speak with me.

“Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 NLV

The Creator of the Universe is waiting to talk to me and show me the wonderful things that He has done and that He desires to do! And then, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to remind us of the things that Jesus had taught while He was here. He knew that sometimes we have memory failure and forget so He sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper.

“I have told you all these things while I am with you. 26 But the Helper will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name.

27 “I leave you peace. It is my own peace I give you. I give you peace in a different way than the world does. So don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid.” John 14:25-27 ERV

When we find ourselves worrying over a particular situation; work, children, health, finances, relationships, if we pray about it and ask the Lord to remind us of what we need to do, He will be faithful to give us the answers we need. He will bring peace to our lives.

We can talk heart to heart.

I’m sure we all have those close friends whose word we trust. We know they will tell us the truth, they won’t lie. We can place even greater confidence in what God says to us. In all of time, He has never lied and He never will. I remember the first time I read these verses written by John. They seemed too good to be true.

“We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important. And this is what God told us: He told us the truth about his own Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. But people who do not believe God make God a liar, because they do not believe what God told us about his Son. 11 This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life, but whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. 14 We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), God cares about what we say. 15 He listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us whatever we ask from him.” I John 5:9-15 ERV

When we place our confidence in Jesus and believe that God sent His Son to be our Savior we receive new life in Him. And if we know that we have new life in Christ, God’s word says we can come to Him, with no doubts, and ask Him for the things we need and He will give them to us. God isn’t looking to withhold things from us; He wants to provide for us and fill our lives with blessing.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4 ERV

When we talk to the Father, heart to heart, we won’t be asking for things that are selfish or displease Him instead we will be asking for things that will make our relationship with Him stronger. That pleases Him greatly.

I want you to look at the face of the woman in this image. Do you see the contentment and joy? She is at peace spending time with Jesus. This sense of well-being doesn’t come with a quick text, a short email, a brief call; it comes from spending time face to face and heart to heart.

I’ve prayed for you this morning that you will know that same peace.

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Do You Smell Thankful?

I guess the better question would be, what does thankful smell like? According to Scripture it should smell like us.

“ I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume. ” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

When we center our focus on Christ and follow His lead He will always – ALWAYS – lead us to victory. With those victories comes our testimony of God’s goodness, His power and His provision. Those testimonies bring the knowledge of Christ to the world and that knowledge brings the smell of a sweet perfume.

So, we have the opportunity to be God’s perfume. Thankfulness should smell like us.

In the Old Testament, when a sacrifice or an offering of thanksgiving was made the priest also burned incense to make the sacrifice smell sweet.

The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to give our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord.

“Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2 Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.” Romans 12:1-2 CEV

We give our lives to Him to be molded and used for His honor. As we thank Him for all He has done and the purpose He gives our life, we are a living sacrifice that is pure and pleasing.

The Lord has so many good things in store for us. He created us for good things. He’s not looking to withhold blessings from us, He desires to overflow us with blessings.

“ I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus. 3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:2-4 CEV

Take time to let those verses sink in. We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. Not by our own power but by His. He gave us great and marvelous promises. Now that’s a reason to be thankful. It’s knowledge like this, that God wants us sharing with others.

God doesn’t expect us to live a life that pleases Him on our own. No, He gave us His promise that He would empowered us for the life He called us too.

“God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.” Ephesians 2:10 CEV

When obstacles, trials and difficult times come, and they will, let’s refrain from complaining and worrying. Instead, let’s use the knowledge that God has provided victory for us through His power and His promises.

That way, we will be the ones who are the sweet smelling perfume of thankfulness.

 

 

 
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Changing Seasons

It seems silly to be talking about changing seasons when we live in the desert but here I am doing it anyway.

Our mornings and evenings are turning cooler and the daytime temperatures aren’t quite as high. Yesterday morning I heard the local news anchor claim that it was almost time to break out the parkas because the weather person predicted that all this week temps would be below 100.

Yep, that’s the way it is in the Great Southwest.

But across the country some areas have already had their first dustings of snow. Leaves are turning, harvest is underway, animals are preparing for winter – Fall is in the air.

For everything there is a season. Sounds like a song that Pete Seeger wrote for The Byrds. Turn, Turn, Turn. However, King Solomon wrote it long before Pete Seeger was ever born.

“There is a special time for everything. There is a time for everything that happens under heaven. 2 There is a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pick what is planted. 3 There is a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up. 4 There is a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to have sorrow, and a time to dance. 5 There is a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to kiss, and a time to turn from kissing. 6 There is a time to try to find, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away. 7 There is a time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; a time to be quiet, and a time to speak. 8 There is a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 NLV

Many times we try to fight change, we don’t want things to be different. Instead we should be welcoming what God wants to do in our lives; He wants to move us from season to season as we grow in Him.

I was reading in Colossians this morning and these verses jumped off the page.

“As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.” Colossians 2:6-7 NLV

Let the Lord lead us in every step.  Through every season the Lord is wanting to direct our lives so that we can continue to grow in Him; gaining strength and developing grateful hearts.

During Autumn and Winter most trees drop their leaves and stop growing upward. There is growth that we do not see; the roots are going deeper into the earth, seeking out water, providing a stable foundation that will sustain it through the cold.

Welcome the change of seasons. As we prepare for the cooler temperatures that are coming,  let’s also take time to prepare our hearts. We should never quit growing. Let our roots go deep and continue to strengthen us with the amazing love of God.

“Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 CEV

To everything there is a season…

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Watching Them Grow

Yesterday we were at our grandson’s wedding but of course you knew that.

What a beautiful day!

I know it’s cliché, but they grow up so fast. Sitting there on the patio of the wedding venue Dave and I were recalling the times that he had come to visit, fishing trips, Christmases, making jam in the kitchen – the things that make memories for us as grandparents.

Of course we want to see them grow, mature and have many more exciting moments and make lasting memories.

Isn’t that just like our heavenly Father? His desire is to see us grow up and experience the life that He has designed for us. He wants us to dream big and achieve those dreams.

“Let’s pray that our young sons will grow like strong plants and that our daughters will be as lovely as columns in the corner of a palace. 13 May our barns be filled with all kinds of crops. May our fields be covered with sheep by the thousands, 14  and every cow have calves.

Don’t let our city be captured or any of us be taken away, and don’t let cries of sorrow be heard in our streets. 15 Our Lord and our God, you give these blessings to all who worship you.” Psalm 144: 12-15 CEV

The Lord gives blessings to all of us who worship Him. I know I’ve said it before but God is more desirous of our success than we are. He has given us all the resources we need to grow in Him.

“Let the wonderful kindness and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you to keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 CEV

Do you see what these verses say? It’s by the kindness and understanding that we receive from the Lord that we grow. Yes, it’s possible to learn from trial and error but God’s plan is that we mature and develop by the good things He provides.

“Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head 16 of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love.” Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV

It’s by love that we grow perfectly and become stronger.

I can just hear our heavenly Father say, “I remember when you were little and you came to me wanting to share all of your life’s experiences with me. I’m so glad that you’ve grown up and still want to do that.”

At every stage of life God’s word has a message for us.

“I write to you, dear children, because your sins are forgiven through Christ.
13 I write to you, fathers, because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you have defeated the Evil One.
14 I write to you, children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers,
 because you know the one who existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong. The word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.” I John 2:12-14 ERV

Thank you Father for all you have done and are still doing to see that I grow up and become like You.

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How Much is ALL

Not all of our time in West Glacier was spent working. We did take one day and travel through Glacier National Park. We went on Going to the Sun Road, saw St. Maries Lake and Many Glacier. We stopped at Many Glacier for lunch. The view from the deck of the Lodge was amazing. It was impossible to take in all the beauty.

I kept thinking God made ALL of this. He made if for our enjoyment. All of His creation tells of His glory.

ALL – is an absolute – not some, not part – not by special selection but ALL. The Bible has much to say about all. God loves ALL of us.

“God makes people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. He does this for all who believe in Christ. Everyone is the same. 23 All have sinned and are not good enough to share God’s divine greatness. 24 They are made right with God by his grace. This is a free gift. They are made right with God by being made free from sin through Jesus Christ.” Romans 3:22-24ERV

The righteousness of God, right standing with God, is for ALL and to ALL who will believe because there is no one who has his own righteousness. We have ALL sinned. Our salvation is not predicated on how good we are, our social standing, our financial statement, our academic degrees, political party or our natural citizenship. It is ONLY based on what Jesus did to bring salvation to ALL. Our part is to receive the gift.

More ALL verses to contemplate today.
” Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him (Christ) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:8-10

All God’s fullness of power and deity are in Christ and when we are in Christ we are complete in Him. He invests His fullness in to our lives as well. That’s just too good to be true you might say. Read this:

” and that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. Stand firm and be deeply rooted in his love. 18 I pray that you and all of God’s people will understand what is called wide or long or high or deep.[19 I want you to know all about Christ’s love, although it is too wonderful to be measured. Then your lives will be filled with all that God is.” Ephesians 3:17-19 CEV

When we understand the love of God by experience, His true unconditional love, we will be filled with ALL God’s fulness! Amazing!! Amazing grace in giving us freely this gift. The Gospel message really is the nearly too good to be true news!! The Apostle Paul prayed that we would know this fullness of God’s love.

He also gave us a few other absolute “ALL” verses.
” I can do all things because Christ gives me the strength.” Philippians 4:13

” I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus! ” Philippians 4:19

If you haven’t accepted God’s free gift of grace that brings salvation, all you have to do is accept it with a sincere heart because it’s available to ALL.

” The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise as some people think. He is waiting for you. The Lord does not want any person to be punished forever. He wants all people to be sorry for their sins and turn from them.” II Peter 3:9

Be ALL God created you to be!

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Do You Hear It?

One look at this photograph and you know what I’m going to talk about don’t you?

What do a beeping smoke alarm and the early morning hours have in common? Nothing good!!! Why is it that smoke detectors always seem to wait until the wee hours to chirp or in this case beep intermittently? Trying to tell us it’s time to change the battery but it’s unsettling to say the least…

You probably like me, at one point in time or another you have heard that little chirp coming from your smoke detector, warning you that the battery is low. Or worse yet, you have been frying bacon or burnt some toast only to have the whole thing screech its “something’s on fire” warning so loudly that the entire neighborhood can hear.

Isn’t that the way it is with “warning” devices? They interrupt the normal flow – they come with annoying sounds that set us on edge and that is their purpose. A warning has to be something loud or out of the ordinary so that we stop, look and listen!

Those in the Midwest know they have only minutes to react when they hear the tornado warning. The entire continent of Europe lived in fear of hearing the air raid signal. We hear police sirens, fire trucks and ambulances and move off the roadway when we hear their sirens.

Yes, we are programmed to respond when we hear those warnings!

The same is true in spiritual things. God gives warnings. He sent Moses to the pharaoh; Noah preached to the world during his time; Daniel’s dream told of the fall of the Medo-Persian empire; Jesus came preaching salvation, His second coming and the certainty of the last days.

“Later, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, “When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?”

4 Jesus answered:

Don’t let anyone fool you. 5 Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

6 You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don’t be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn’t the end. 7 Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. 8 But this is just the beginning of troubles.

9 You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. 10 Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. 12 Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. 13 But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved. 14 When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.” Matthew 24:3-14 ERV

“The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe. They will obey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. 2 Those teachings come through people who tell lies and trick others. These evil people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is like their conscience has been destroyed with a hot iron.” I Timothy 4:1-2 ERV

Things like this are happening all around the world and even in our own country and states. It can be alarming. However, we have no need to fear or be in distress.

“Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, stand up tall and don’t be afraid. Know that it is almost time for God to free you!” Luke 21:27-28 ERV

Don’t be afraid. But also don’t become hard hearted. Some want to withdraw and hide almost paralyzed with fear while others take the attitude that it’s no big deal.

Here’s the good news. The warning signs are given so we won’t loose hope, so we won’t give up.  Life should continue on in a normal way; going to work, doing family things, getting married, raising kids. However, we need to be looking for the day that the Lord will return. Living with an expectancy, knowing that our salvation is secure in Christ and doing those things that honor Him.

The Lord is loving and patient. He wants everyone to have the opportunity to respond to His message of salvation and new life in Christ.

“The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives.” II Peter 3:9 CEB

It’s time to look up, the day of HIs coming is soon!

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Our Biggest Cheerleader

Do you realize that this year is half way completed? What goals are we accomplishing – what successes have we had so far?

Do you know that our Father is gracious and loving and He has such big plans for us? Plans for our success and benefit.

Oh my goodness – He is our biggest cheerleader! He is at every soccer game, basketball game, swim meet, 4H and FFA event and on every shoot. He’s there cheering us on and He does it with a good attitude and doesn’t say bad words if the “ref” gets it wrong.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

I used kids’ activities as my examples because each of us as a parent have been there to cheer our kids on and to tell them they are great. God does it too but in a much greater way.

He’s also there in every prayer we pray over our kids, He’s in on every discussion we have with our mate, He attends every business meeting, goes on every trip, is there for every sale and training session. He’s not a dead beat or absentee Father! He’s involved in our lives as much as we allow Him to be. He’s there!

He’s written everything down that we need to succeed. It’s not a suggestion book or an advice column. He has given us what we need to succeed in every area.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 NIV

He’s also given us a freewill. We can go out and try things on our own. We can fail, we can fall flat on our faces and He will be there to pick us up and set us on the right path once again.

Don’t we do this with our kids? How our hearts break when they try to do it on their own and don’t listen to our instruction. We know what’s best and they ignore us – and we love them anyway. We reach out to hold them, to comfort them and then to give them instruction once again. Our Father is just like that – where do you think we learned it?

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

If this year hasn’t brought a life of victory, maybe it’s because we are trying to do things on our own without reading the instruction manual, or it could be that our enemy has devised a plan against us. If it’s the former, we need to get in the book and take it to heart – “lean not to our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths”.

And if it’s the latter, get in the Word and take the authority that has been given us by the Father and put the enemy in his place. Don’t quit, don’t give up but go forward in the power and authority that the Father has made available to us.

“We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so that his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.” II Peter 1:3-5 CEV

We have been given everything we need to live a life of victory – we have been given God’s great and precious promises!

He’s cheering us on today! Listen for His voice and follow His words. 

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The Bridegroom is Coming

Tomorrow is our daughter and son-in-law’s anniversary. I remember their wedding like it was yesterday.

(this isn’t a picture of them, by the way)

I’ve often heard it said that “this life is just a dress rehearsal for what will come”. That phrase takes on new meaning when looked at through the eyes of a bride.

The wedding rehearsal is a time to make sure that everyone knows what they are doing on the day of the wedding. Where to stand, who sits where, cue the music, walk the aisle, so many things to remember. So much preparation for one day and yet a lifetime.

We as Christians should be preparing too; preparing for a lifetime of eternity in the presence of our loving Bridegroom, Jesus. Our new life in Christ is eternal life and eternal life started when we accepted Him as our Savior. It doesn’t start when we die but it is a life of living in the power and character of Almighty God. We are to be living this out each day with the same excitement and anticipation of a bride waiting for her groom.

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want. 5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:3-7

God has provided us with everything we need to be a bride without spot or wrinkle – great and precious promises. As I see it, He has bought us the dress, prepared the venue and hired the caterers. The cake is being decorated and the flowers arranged. It’s time to give Him glory and praise for all He has done.

“ You also know we did everything for you that parents would do for their own children. 12 We begged, encouraged, and urged each of you to live in a way that would honor God. He is the one who chose you to share in his own kingdom and glory. 13 We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you.” I Thessalonians 2:11-13

We have been chosen by Christ to have a new life, to enjoy the gifts and promises that the Father has provided. When I use the word chosen that doesn’t mean that some have been left out. No, God is all inclusive in His love. He has no favorites, He displays no prejudice.

“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.” John 3:16 CEV

It is  by our own freewill that we either accept or reject the precious gift of eternal life that He has provided. I want to live each day in anticipation of what a life with God means. This truly is our dress rehearsal for the great and marvelous things that God has in store for us.

The bridegroom is coming!

 

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Planting Time Ends With Harvest Time

I am attaching a picture today of the garden we are planting. Take a look at the harvest that is coming to our lives.

I  want to encourage you to continue to grow by following these Scriptures.

“Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. 2 Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. 3 So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream— a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.” Psalm 1:1-3 ERV

“The man who is right and good will grow like the palm tree. He will grow like a tall tree in Lebanon. 13 Planted in the house of the Lord, they will grow well in the home of our God. ” Psalm 92:12-13NLV

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not. 18 Those who plant seeds of peace will gather what is right and good.” James 3:17-18 NLV

“No, we will speak the truth with love. We will grow to be like Christ in every way. He is the head,  and the whole body depends on him. All the parts of the body are joined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This causes the whole body to grow and to be stronger in love.” Ephesians 4:15-16

These verses below are a prophecy about Jesus and the hope he would bring to the world. Look at the end, we are called trees, the Lord’s trees. He has planted us.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has chosen me to tell good news to the poor and to comfort those who are sad. He sent me to tell the captives and prisoners that they have been set free. 2 He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his kindness, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad, 3 those in Zion who mourn. I will take away the ashes on their head, and I will give them a crown. I will take away their sadness, and I will give them the oil of happiness. I will take away their sorrow, and I will give them celebration clothes. He sent me to name them ‘Good Trees’ and ‘The Lord’s Wonderful Plant.’” Isaiah 61:1-3 CEV

We are always to be in a place where we are growing. Growing in our knowledge and in the character that God wants us to develop.

“…Be careful that you do not fall from your strong faith. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him, now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:17-18

We still have a few more days of planting ahead but I encourage you to search out the Scriptures and find verses, seeds, that you desire to see grow in your garden and get them planted.

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