It's Free.....Take It

I've been reminded a lot recently about the grace of God and His gift to us.  I've also been reminded about how it is a free gift if we simply choose to embrace it and follow Him completely.  These thoughts always come back to a couple verses that illustrate very clearly:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -

 and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -

not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-10

Remember men that this gift of salvation is free but so costly all the same.  Do not waste it.  Do not forget it.  Do not rationalize it.  Do not domesticate it.  Do not marginalize it.  Simply take it.

Take it men.

Pew

Christ the Lord

 "But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.

I bring you good news of great joy

that will be for all people.

Today in the town of David a Savior

has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10-11

"Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to men on

whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas men and may we each remember what exactly this season means.  It is not about the present under the tree but about the greatest miracle that has ever taken place.  God becoming man in order to save us and show us the way.  I pray that this will not just be another Christmas but a time where we can truly reflect on the best present of all, Jesus Christ. 

Pew

Proverbs 3:3-6

"Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:3-6

Right now I'm working on my last exam for 2010 - my take-home, administrative law exam.  I've been working on it all day, and it may have just been the fatigue but something great just happened.  I was looking through my outline to firm up my research for some points I'm going to discuss on the exam.  I was doubting myself and my ability to construct an effective outline for the test.  I thought, "Man, I'm just going to have to second-guess myself as I write this essay, because I don't think my outline will be all that helpful."

And then, it was!  In fact, every point I placed in my outline fits neatly into one of the discussion points on the test.  I realized it couldn't have been any effort of mine that made that happen.  Trust me, nobody could have anticipated the test that well.  I think that God wanted to remind me that He's in charge, and that, when the time's right, He will come through.

I know that's silly; everything in the Bible points in that direction.  But I think sometimes just being able to see it happen makes it all jump out of the page and reminds me that God is Real.

Acknowledge Him this week!  He will make your path straight for you.  Thank you, Lord Jesus.

I just read Bobby's comment from 'Jesus is Real,' below, and I encourage y'all to read it too.  I think I have a tendency to emphasize effort too much, but Bobby is faithful to remind me (and us) that listening to and abiding in Christ is what the Lord calls us to do, not over-emphasizing our role in that relationship.

Acknowledging Him may take the form of an attitude of prayerful worship.  That type of attitude helps you to recognize one of His good gifts when you see it, and helps to rest, grow, and abide in Him, which I think is the point of the passage above.

Powell

Jesus is Real

Good morning!

I want you to dwell on this truth today:  Jesus is real.

All of those stories you've heard in church are true, and He's sitting with you right now.

Don't take for granted your only chance to live how you were meant to live, how you were created to live.

Jesus is alive and real, and He is good.

Powell

"Give me Jesus"

In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise

In the morning, when I rise

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus, 

Give me Jesus.

You can have all this world,

Just give me Jesus.

When I am alone,

When I am alone, 

When I am alone,

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus, 

Give me Jesus.

You can have all this world,

Just give me Jesus.

When I come to die,

When I come to die,

When I come to die,

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus, 

Give me Jesus.

You can have all this world,

Just give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus, 

Give me Jesus.

You can have all this world,

You can have all this world, 

You can have all this world, 

Just give me Jesus.

Ephesians 4-5

"But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.  For this reason it says,
   Awake, sleeper
   And arise from the dead,
   And Christ will shine on you." - Ephesians 5:13-14 [quoting Isaiah 60:1]

These two chapters of Ephesians shotgun a whole bunch of great principles for us to live by, such as the standard of conduct for marriage, the standards of how to walk - in unity, wisdom, light and love, how to live by the New Man and leave the old man behind, and so on.  It's all great as usual.

I wanted to pull out the passage above to focus on today, just because it reveals a little how God works.

MacArthur encapsulates one of Paul's goals in his heading, "Do Not Grieve the Spirit."  Our goals as Christian men align with the goals of the Spirit.  The Spirit speaks to us, and it is easier to hear when we are willing to obey (this is in John 17, I think).  Therefore, it behooves us not to grieve that Spirit if we want to be able to hear, set, and achieve our goals.  The Lord is the source of our life!  As Rob said, let's be humble to obey so that we may have, and show, life.

It is incumbent on us to conduct ourselves such as to pave the way for the Spirit to do its work in us as one body.

One of the ways we can accomplish that endeavor is to share our struggles, bring them into the light, and pray for and encourage each other.

For example, I thought the passage above fit nicely with Rob's observation of the AA group last week.  He said that in church, they were by far the most animated, engaged group, and he speculated that the reason for their enthusiasm was that they were so open with one another about their struggles and confronted them head-on, as a body.

We are being made one in Christ.  Eph. 4:4,5.  Our struggles are not just our own, but an impediment to our growth together.  Eph. 4:15,16.  Let us follow our Savior's example and make light that which is dark in our own lives, in our own life.

Powell

Philippians 1 and 2

So much good stuff in these two chapters.

"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God." - Philippians 1:11

Paul says that through our relationship with Christ, we are transformed. The righteousness we receive in relationship with him is not only seen by God, as He sees His son in us, but our righteousness is seen by others through our character.

Our character is the "fruit of your salvation." On Monday at Man Group, I mentioned holding Christians to a higher standard than the world; here is why. For if you are in Christ, you are given character that directly correlates in the salvation you are freely given. For if you are truly in Christ--in His word, seeking His heart--He will spill out of you through your actions and demeanor.

Literally, you should be able to see something different about someone who is in Christ.

Certainly this is a challenge for me. Though I am not a jerk to everyone all the time, I can see my selfish tendencies running rampant sometimes.

That is precisely the reason why I need Jesus so much. To save me from myself and refine me through His grace.

He is so good, and Oh how he loves us.

Remember, if you aren't feeling humble

"Jesus humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal's death on a cross." - Philippians 2:8

God himself, was humble.

Walker