July 31, 2008

Confronting Crisis

Read the Bible through:
AM – Psalm 25-30 : PM – Acts 21:17-40

WHEN BETRAYED
Genesis 37:23-28

28 “Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”

Joseph must have felt shocked, hurt, angry, and bewildered as nightmarish events unfolded around him. On his way to Egypt, did he cry out to God? Did he shake his fist at Him? Did he curse his brothers? Did he weep uncontrollably? The Bible does not tell us about that difficult journey. One thing is for certain: Joseph’s life was forever altered by his brothers’ treachery. In the course of a day he went from wearing an opulent, multicolored coat to a slave’s drab rags.

Joseph could not have foreseen how God would redeem his life in the years ahead while he lived away from his family and homeland. Betrayal was not the end of the story, for God did not abandon Joseph as his brothers did. In this story we view God’s pattern for dealing with people: out of ruin, He builds hope and purpose.

Betrayal need not ruin my life, Lord. Restore hope to my heart and peace to my soul.

July 30, 2008

Confronting Crisis

Read the Bible through:
AM – Psalm 19-24 : PM – Acts 21:1-16

WHEN PERSECUTED
Genesis 37:18-22

18 “Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.”

Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution. Jesus told His disciples, “If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Clearly then, we can expect opposition when we share Jesus with the world.

In Vietnam, police closed a church and imprisoned the pastor. His wife and children had to live on a balcony outside an apartment. In a letter to friends, this pastor’s wife described the distress and hardship; but she also expressed how richly the Lord had blessed them in spite of having lost their house and possessions. They realized they still had the Lord. These folk had learned how to confront the crisis of persecution.

God later used the persecuted Joseph for His purposes. May each of us, as did Joseph and this precious sister in Christ, trust the Lord when confronting crises.

Lord, give courage and show mercy to those who suffer for their faith.

July 29, 2008

Confronting Crisis

Read the Bible through:
AM – Psalm 13-18 : PM – Acts 20:17-38

IN FAMILY LIFE
Genesis 37:3-9

3 “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.”

Crisis never occurs in a vacuum. When a father is seriously injured on the job, his wife and children must adapt. Everyone in the family is impacted when a child runs away from home. When a mother is hospitalized for depression, family life is thrown off balance.

Relationships in Jacob’s family were strained because of his overt favoritism toward his young son, Joseph. Jacob’s family slowly unraveled.

Disagreements and struggles will happen in the family. A family can come together or fall apart under extreme pressure. However, when family members follow God’s principles and act with love and forgiveness, they can make it through any crisis.

Father, may Your grace inhabit my family so we may come together when tough times strike.

July 28, 2008

Confronting Crisis

Read the Bible through:
AM – Psalm 7-12 : PM – Acts 20:1-16

IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Genesis 37:1-2

2 “This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.”

Your car breaks down. Job pressures escalate. You argue with your best friend. The dentist says you need a root canal. You’re diagnosed with diabetes. You’re teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Your child had trouble at school – again. You have to move out of state. These are events in everyday life that can become crises.

Even normal transitions can bring stress, such as marriage, parenthood, the empty nest, and retirement.

What crisis are you facing today? Joseph had to address the problematic behaviors of his brothers. Just as Joseph had the courage to take his concerns to his father, Jacob, so we can do the same with our Heavenly father. No crisis we face is beyond God’s capacity. (John 16:33).

Give me the eyes of faith, Lord, that see Your grace at work even when events seem out of control.

July 27, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Psalm 1-6 : PM – Acts 19:21-41

REAPING THE TRANSFORMED LIFE
Galatians 6:9-10

10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

While special interest groups fighting for good causes have their places in society, we must guard our motives when doing good to others. Paul encouraged Christians to do good to all people. When the relief of our own consciences or the fulfillment of our needs becomes our motivation in doing good, we have become self-centered instead of other centered. Thus, doing good to one person may result in not doing good to another. Our good deeds must touch every person involved.

While our deeds should be good to all people, we can never meet everyone’s needs. Paul was wise to counsel Christians to do good as opportunities arise. This teaching also implies we give special attention to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

What is your reason for doing good to others? Is it for your own benefit or the benefit of all people?

Lord, as I have opportunities, help me do good to all people. May their needs be my focus.

July 26, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 40-42 : PM – Acts 19:1-20

REAPING THE TRANSFORMED LIFE
Galatians 6:7-8

8 “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

I’ve sometimes wondered what skydiving would be like. I’ve seen pictures of skydivers, watched television programs on skydiving and my children have done it. However, no amount of reading, listening, or thinking about skydiving will ever give me the actual experience. Only when I board an aircraft, climb to 20 thousand feet, and jump, will I experience everything about skydiving.

Reaping the experience of God’s eternal life occurs in a similar way. I can desire God’s nature within me; I can learn about His character; I can watch other people experience His life. But until I sow the seed of the Spirit’s fruit, I’ll never reap the transforming life of Christ.

Is the transforming life of Christ your experience?

Lord, You have transformed my identity from sinner to saint. Now transform my living from the flesh to Your Spirit

July 25, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 38-3 : PM – Acts 18

BEARING ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS
Galatians 6:1-6

2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

God has richly blessed me with a supportive wife and great army of volunteers. The ministry can be a burdensome task if left to do it alone. These “angels,” serve as great examples of burden bearers.

Bearing one another’s burdens requires that we recognize other people’s need for help. Then it requires a response to those needs. Sharing other people’s burdens implicated our willingness to give time, energy, and resources to people in need. As we participate in burden sharing, we are compensated with the joy of knowing that as we share one another’s burdens we are fulfilling Christ’s law of loving one another.

Do you know someone carrying a burden? How can you share that person’s load? Do it – and fulfill God’s Law!

Thank You, Lord, for those who help me. Grant that I be a faithful burden bearer to others.

July 24, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 35-37 : PM – Acts 17:16-34

SHOWING THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Galatians 5:22-26

22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

I recently purchased a portable DVD player. While I knew its purpose, learning how to actually use it was another story. In some respects, evidencing the fruit of the Spirit is similar to this situation. We know what the fruit of the Spirit is, but evidencing it in our lives can be totally different scenario.

We can take two practical steps in evidencing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. First, we must recognize and acknowledge that the fruit is not ours, but the Holy Spirit’s. They begin with Him and continue because of Him. Second, we must obey Christ’s command to imitate His nature. Evidencing the fruit of the Spirit is a matter of conforming ourselves to Christ’s lordship and character.

Are you evidencing the fruit of the Spirit? Seek God’s working presence in your life; then work with Him.

Please give me the courage each day, Lord, to join You in demonstrating the fruit of Your Spirit.

July 23, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 32-34 : PM – Acts 17:1-15

LED BY THE SPIRIT
Galatians 5:16-21

16 "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

Most golfers will agree that hitting the ball out to the right is a common problem. I often find myself laboring not to hit the ball into the woods without focusing on what I must do in order to keep the ball in the fairway. As a result, my efforts are seldom rewarded until I begin putting into practice the aspects of a golf swing that ultimately result in a straight shot.

Christians often struggle for success in rejecting sinful behavior because we center our efforts on trying not to sin instead of on living by God’s Spirit. Living consistently free from sin comes when we keep in step with God’s Spirit, when we imitate God’s character, and when we practice Godly habits.

Are you realizing your desire to be free from sin? Perhaps you find yourself in what seems a hopeless battle against the enemy of your soul. Centering your efforts on Godly living is the only way to reject sin.

Be my strength and victory each day, Lord, as I live according to Your nature within me.

July 22, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 29-31 : PM – Acts 16:16-40

LED BY THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:13-13

14 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."

During the months following the World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks, American united as we had not done in many years. Congress unanimously placed itself under the direction of the president as he declared war on terror. The nation looked to the president for leadership.

Christians have more than a capable leader in God’s Holy Spirit. But we must choose to place ourselves under His control and direction. While slaves are made subservient, God’s children choose subservience. No place exists for “lone rangers” in God’s kingdom. Placing ourselves under God’s governance requires humility and obedience on our part. This approach is our only path to victorious Christian living.

Who leads you? Do society and the desires of the flesh guide you or are you looking to God’s Spirit for leadership? Look to Him. He will lead you!

Thank You, Father, for your superior leadership. I place myself under the control of Your Holy Spirit

July 21, 2008

Good News: Controlled by the Spirit

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 25-28 : PM – Acts 16:1-15

MINDING THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:3-5

5 "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit."

What controls our behavior? Driving to a youth camp late one night on a dark winding road, I found myself thinking negative scenarios about my possible fate. The more anxious I felt, the faster I drove to reach my destination. My negative thinking led to some very irresponsible driving.

Our thoughts impact our lifestyles. Paul was not merely encouraging his readers to think positively or give a cursory glance at the Spirit. He was admonishing Christians to diligently and habitually think about the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. We should set our minds on the Spirit, dwelling on His nature, and allow His character to permeate the deepest recesses of our thinking.

On what does your mind dwell? Contemplate the Spirit, and you’ll behave like the Spirit.

Lord, as I set my mind on You, please conform my behavior to that of Jesus.

July 20, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 22-24 : PM – Acts 15

THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE
Romans 8:2


2 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Someone once gave me a book entitled God’s Big Little Words. The theme of the book is that the most important words in the Bible are the short words. The book dealt with five of these: life, love, hope, joy, and peace. Each of these is found numerous times in the Bible, and each represents something all people seek.

Everyone is interested in life and in living. The world’s definition of the good life differs from the Bible definition. In the Bible the word “life” clusters around Jesus Christ and His Spirit. It is the real life, abundant life, and eternal life. The Bible warns that what many people consider to be the way to life is actually the way to death. This is “the law of sin and death.”

The good news is that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” has liberated us from this deadly cycle of sin.

Lord, I praise You for freeing me from the way of sin and death and into the way of life.

July 19, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 18-21 : PM – Acts 14

WALKING BY THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:1

1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Many health experts say walking is one of the best forms of physical exercise. The Bible often uses the word for “walk” to describe how a person lives day by day. Romans 8:1 contrasts two ways of life. One way is walking “after the flesh”; the other way is walking “after the Spirit.”

When Paul used the word “flesh” in this way, he was referring to the sinful way of living of people who do not know Christ or His Spirit. Their sins included sensual sins but also sins such as envy and anger.

Living after the Spirit means living in relationship and obedience to the Spirit of the Lord. One word is repeated over and over in Romans 7:14-24. It is the word “I.” This is the way of the flesh. The word “Spirit” is predominant in Romans 8.

The Spirit of the crucified risen Lord assures us He has set us free from condemnation by sin.

Spirit of God, fill me with Your presence and power so that I may walk in Your ways.

July 18, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 15-17 : PM – Acts 13:14-52

FULFILLING THE LAW OF LOVE
Galatians 5:14-15

14 "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Paul’s legalistic critics claimed that salvation by grace would lead to a life of sin. They insisted that only the law would motivate people to live godly lives. Paul’s answer was that the law of love fulfills the law and that love demands more than law. Love has a higher demand because love grows out of relationships.

Law can only define minimum behavior below which we must not sink, but love expects and enables much more. For example, law can make stealing a sin and a crime; but law cannot motivate and empower me to love my neighbor. Law can forbid adultery as a serious sin, but only love provides the way of self-giving that enables marriage to last and to grow.

The law can condemn acts of prejudice, but it cannot change attitudes. Only love can do that. Each of us must ask, “Am I living by the limited demands of law or by the higher expectations of love?”

Father, help me to drink so deeply of Your love that my life overflows with love.

July 17, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 11-14 : PM – Acts 13:1-13

ONE ANOTHER BY LOVE
Galatians 5:9-13

13 "For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

In a Supreme Court decision, Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, “The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”

Many people believe freedom means the right to do whatever they want without regard for the will of God or the needs of others. This leads not to freedom, but to slavery.

Paul was confronted by two opposite distortions of liberty and freedom. Legalism enslaved people by burdening life with laws, and libertinism enslaved people in selfish indulgence. He pointed to the Christian way for a life of freedom – love. Christian love frees from legalism and license, and frees us to love others. The word translated “serve” literally means “serve as a slave.” The paradox is that we are never freer than when we serve God and others.

Lord, I thank You that You have set me free from slavery which condemns, and freed me for service to You and to others.

July 16, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 8-10 : PM – Acts 12

LIBERATED BY CHRIST
Galatians 5:1-8

1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

This is the 145th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. These are two of the documents that show why Abraham Lincoln is sometimes called the Great Emancipator. He is justly honored for his role in preserving the union and in freeing the slaves. But Lincoln and other famous liberators in history are examples that point to the Ultimate Liberator. Jesus Christ came to see people free from sin and death.

Jesus said, “I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). He also claimed, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Galatians 5:2 is a key verse in the Letter to the churches of Galatia. It is the pinnacle of the theme of freedom in the Letter. It magnifies Jesus as the One who has made us free. Christians stand fast in the freedom that Jesus gives.

Lord, thank You for setting me free from sin and death. Help me to stand fast in this freedom

July 15, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 4-7 : PM – Acts 11

CHILDREN OF PROMISE
Galatians 4:28-31

28 "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise."

Adoniram Judson was a Baptist missionary to Burma in the early 19th century. His life is a story of the price he paid in seeking to take the good news to a hostile land. He was imprisoned in deplorable conditions. His wife and children died. Years passed without a single convert. The mission board members wrote deploring the lack of converts and inquiring about the prospects for the future. Judson replied, “The prospects are as bright as the promises of God.”

Isaac was a child of promise. Paul used him as a representative of all people whose assurance is based solely on the promises of God. Faith is believing and living on the basis of God’s promises. Judson’s ministry resulted in great numbers of people being saved. As with Judson the prospects are as bright as the promises of God’s Word.

What promises of God are most precious to you?

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your precious promises. Let me live in light of these promises.

July 14, 2008

GOOD NEWS! FREE TO SERVE

Read the Bible through:
AM – Job 1-3 : PM – Acts 10:24-28

FORMER SLAVES
Galatians 4:8-11

9 "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?"

Slavery is the plight of people under the control of something or someone from which they cannot set themselves free. In Paul’s day many people were slaves who belonged to human masters. In the moral and spiritual realm, people were slaves of sin. The Galatians had been slaves of paganism and of legalism. Then by faith in Christ, He set them free. These former slaves, however, were considering going back to their old slavery.

Why would sane people consider returning to the chains and misery of their old slavery? The modern counterpart of slavery in our land is some form of addiction. Sometimes the seduction of an old addiction lures someone back into its deadly grasp. Sin has an addictive power. The tempter is constantly at work to lure former slaves of sin back into the clutches of slavery.

Christians celebrate their liberation in Christ but also are to resist any temptation to turn back to their former slavery.

Lord, help me to remain free in you

June 13, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law

Read the Bible through:
AM – Esther 7-10 : PM – Acts 10:1-23

HEIRS OF God through Christ
Galatians 4:6-7

7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Some people fantasize about receiving large inheritances from wealthy relatives. Many of them, however, are missing the largest of all inheritances – children of the God of heaven and earth. God’s children are His heirs. God of course never will die, but He shares bountifully with all His children. We have already received much of our legacy, and we have confident hope of sharing in His eternal kingdom.

The father in Jesus’ parable said to the angry elder son: “Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.” (Luke 15:31). A word learned early by children is “mine.” When we selfishly grasp something and lay exclusive claim to it, we miss the rich legacy that the Father wants to give to all His heirs. Children of God recognize that the best things in life are from the Father.

Father, enlarge my vision of what it means to be an heir of the King of the universe.

June 12, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law

Read the Bible through:
AM – Esther 3-6 : PM – Acts 9:23-43

ADOPTED AS SONS
Galatians 4:1-5

5 To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons

I have friends who were adopted, and others who adopted children. In most cases when the adoption takes place early in life, adopted children consider the adoptive parents as their parents.

Paul used adoption as a way to describe one of two ways people become children of God. The other is the new birth (see John 3:1-8). We are not born into the world as children of God. We are His creations, and His love makes us potential children. However, only God’s grace and power can make us His children. Sometimes this is described as a new birth by God’s Spirit. At other times, the picture is of orphans who are loved by God and adopted as His children through faith. This new relationship is made possible because God sent His Son to redeem sinners from the curse of the law.

Adopted children under Roman law had all the privileges and responsibilities of children born into the family. What a privilege it is to be able to call God our Father.

Father, I praise You for enabling me to be one of Your children.

June 11, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law

Read the Bible through:
AM – Esther 1-2 : PM – Acts 9:1-22

FAITH HAS COME
Galatians 3:23-25

25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The word “adolescence” describes the stage of life between the dependence of childhood and the independence of adulthood. Paul was writing about the stages in the history of God’s dealings with his people

He referred to the years under the law as being like their moral and spiritual adolescence. During those years, God gave them the law to guide them. The law could not save them. To the contrary, the law showed them their sins. In a well-to-do Roman family, the care of children and youth was assigned to a slave who disciplined and guided the children. This task ended when the son reached adult status. This was comparable to the age of faith in how people relate to the Lord.

How does this apply to individuals? Because we live in the age of faith, not law, we need to examine how we relate to God. Is your religion mostly a matter of keeping laws and rules, or is it a personal relationship of faith?

Lord, free me from legalism and help me to walk by faith in fellowship with You.

June 10, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law

Read the Bible through:
AM – Nehemiah 12-13 : PM – Acts 8:26-40

ALL WERE CONDEMNED
Galatians 3:19-22

22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

The three hardest words in the English language may be “I have sinned.” These stick in the throats of many people. Some people refuse to make this confession because they think “sin” is an old-fashioned, outmoded concept. Others confine the term to criminals and hard moral cases. But they refuse to admit that they personally are sinners. Neither of these groups realizes what Paul spelled out in Galatians 3:22 – the Scriptures clearly teach that all have sinned and that confessing sin is necessary to know Jesus Christ.

Jesus told about two men who went to the place of worship. One went through the motions of praying, but all he did was congratulate God on having such a righteous person as he. The other prayed, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Jesus taught us to pray daily for God’s forgiveness of our sins. Is honest confession part of your daily praying?

Father, I have sinned; continue to forgive me of my sins.

June 9, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law

Read the Bible through:
AM – Nehemiah 10-11 : PM – Acts 8:1-25

REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE
Galatians 3:10-14

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")

The word “redeemed” was often used in the slave markets of the ancient world. The word had two main ideas. One emphasis was on liberation; the other was the price paid in order to liberate the slave. When we apply this to ourselves, we recognize that those who live in sin are slaves of sin. Jesus Christ paid the ransom price to liberate sinners.
Paul used the Old Testament’s references to a curse on anyone who fails to keep the whole law (10) and to the curse on a condemned criminal who died hanging on a tree or stake. Because all have sinned, all are under the curse of sin. Jesus, the innocent Son of God, died the death of a criminal on a cross. He became accursed so that we might be freed from the curse of sin.

Lord, I praise and thank You for taking the curse of sin that I deserved.

June 8, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law


Read the Bible through:
AM – Nehemiah 7-9 : PM – Acts 7

BLESSED WITH FAITHFUL ABRAHAM
Galatians 3:7-9

9 "So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham."

I know a man who had an ancestor that marched in the Lexington alarm on April 19, 1775. That was the day a small band was overwhelmed at Lexington, the British were repulsed at Concord, and snipers harassed them all the way back to Boston. I don’t know what part his ancestor played in the stirring events of that day, but the old records, indicate he fought for freedom throughout the American Revolution. My friend realizes, however, that more important for him than having an ancestor who fought for freedom is that he have in his life a commitment like his ancestor’s.

Some first –century Jews boasted that they were children of Abraham because they were descended from him physically. Paul said the true children of Abraham are people – Jews or Gentiles – who have a faith like Abraham’s.

What a privilege to be among the true children of Abraham!

Lord, help me to have a faith like Abraham’s faith.

June7, 2008

Good News! No Longer Under the Law

Read the Bible through:
AM – Nehemiah 4-6 : PM – Acts 6

RECEIVING THE SPIRIT BY FAITH
Galatians 3:1-6

2 "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"

The familiar words of the hymn “Just As I Am” make clear that the only way anyone can come to the Lord is as a sinner relying on God’s grace. When we receive Christ by faith, His Spirit comes into our lives.

A seriously ill pastor asked himself, “On what basis do I hope, to be accepted when I meet the Lord?” He realized he would come into the presence of God just as he had first come to Him – as a sinner relying on God’s grace.

Some of the Galatian believers were tempted to turn from reliance on God’s grace to keeping the works of the Law. Paul asked them to recall how they first received the Spirit of God. Why were they changing from reliance on God’s grace to reliance on their own merit? Christians can ask, “On what did I trust when I was saved? Is my reliance still the same?

Father, help me not to turn from reliance on Your grace to a reliance on my own merit.

July 6, 2008

Good News! Saved by Grace

Read the Bible through:
AM – Nehemiah 1-3 : PM – Acts 5

THE PRICE OF GRACE
Galatians 2:21

21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain

She was a good person. She was good to us and our children when we lived in Oklahoma. She had high moral values. Her family was close knit. When we first met her she was a high school student. She allowed us to tell her about Jesus and God’s plan of salvation, but she was not ready or willing to leave the faith of her ancestors to become a Christian.

We have not seen her for some time now. We can only hope that the truth she heard about Jesus and the stories she had read in the Bible will bear spiritual fruit one day.

She was a good person, but not a righteous person. Righteousness does not come by the law, whether Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. It comes by a right relationship with Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Father, may I never be guilty of thinking I am righteous just because I am a good person.

July 5, 2008

Good News! Saved by Grace


Read the Bible through:
AM – Ezra 9-10 : PM – Acts 4:23-37

LIVING THROUGH FAITH
Galatians 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Jameel was a fine Christian and a teacher at a Christian boys’ school in the middle-east. One day he disappeared. He had been witnessing for Jesus, but extremists of another faith took him to the basement of an abandoned building. They tied dynamite around his neck in such a way that if he tried to take it off it would explode. Then they left him. He prayed fervently as he weighed his options. He decided to try to remove it. If it exploded, it would just promote him to heaven. His headless body was found some weeks later.

Jameel died for Christ, but he had been crucified with Christ long before. When he accepted Jesus as his Savior, his old sinful nature was crucified; but he was more alive than ever. He was alive with Christ. So are we if we live by faith in Jesus as our Lord.

Father, please grant that I may consider myself dead to sin and alive to Christ.

July 4, 2008

Good News! Saved by Grace

Read the Bible through:
AM – Ezra 7-8 : PM – Acts 4:1-22

DEAD TO THE LAW
Galatians 2:17-19

19 For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.
Today is our Independence Day! We celebrate our country’s freedom with flags and fireworks.

When I go to the prison about 20 miles from here to teach “The Bible and Life,” the men often talk about how long it will be until they get out so they can enjoy their freedom again.

We are all spiritually dead because of our sin nature and our choices, but we who have accepted Jesus as our Savior have been made alive and set free from our bondage to sin. The day of our salvation is our “Independence Day” making us ready to “live unto God.”

Father, grant me grace to live for You every day of my life, free from the penalty and power of sin.

July3, 2008

Good News! Saved by Grace

Read the Bible through:
AM – Ezra 5-6 : PM – Acts 3

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH
Galatians 2:15-16

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

I once heard of a man who had never flown in an airplane. As the pilot revved the engine for takeoff, he began to flap his arms up and down as if trying to fly. He somehow had the idea that it was necessary for him to help the pilot keep the plane in the air. Finally one of the cabin crew assured him the plane would fly under its own power without his help.

We can no more be saved from sin by our own effort than that man could fly the airplane by flapping his arms! Just as it was necessary for him to cease his own effort and let the plane and the pilot take him to his destination, so it is necessary that we simply trust in the power of Jesus to justify us before God.

Father, give me the grace to rest in You.

July 2, 2008

Good News! Saved by Grace

Read the Bible through:
AM – Ezra 3-4 : PM – Acts 2

REVEALED BY JESUS CHRIST
Galations 1:8-12

12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it,

but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ

Where do we find fullness of life? What course can we take in a university to teach us that? Is there a guru who can guide us into it?

Sources of information are multiplying in our world. Now, through the Internet, it is possible to access information on just about any subject. Some subjects are evil, and some are good. Most of the information has come from personal experience, or through research, or from history. Not all of it is accurate.

Knowledge of God, however, comes only through revelation. God has revealed Himself through creation, through people, and through events in the past (Heb. 1:1-2), but especially through Jesus (John 1:18). God reveals Himself now through His Word, through other believers, and through prayer.

You may not find God on the Internet, but you can know Him and experience His love and salvation by obedience to His Word. A personal relationship with Him – that is fullness of life!

Father, reveal Yourself to me so I may know fullness of life.