Abundant Grace

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Who Wins?

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Revelation 4:11 KJV

A childhood discussion about super-heroes always comes to the concluding question – if super hero A got into a fight with super hero B, who would win? In ancient pagan religion there was often conflict between the gods. When two gods go to war, which is going to win? What actually happened in these conflicts was that man always lost. But joyfully there is but one true God and He is all powerful and He wins. In His victory He offers man to win with Him.

This one true God has the power to defeat all man’s enemies. He has given us the treasure of His Son to defeat for us the enemy of death. He has given us the treasure of His Spirit to defeat in us the power of the flesh. He has given us the treasure of the promise of the resurrection from the dead and eternal life forever with Him in heaven. Who wins? Our blessed Triune God wins! And with Him, all who believe in His Son will also win. To Him be the glory forever.

Precious Father, Grant us joyful confidence in Your victory for us today. Amen.

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Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The Greatest Gift We Can Give

“Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” Psalm 145:13 KJV

What do you give as a present to a person who has everything? Whatever you may give him he may already have a dozen of already and each of better quality than your gift. No treasure that is brought to him can match the treasure he already has. We would have to think long and hard as to what treasure we could bring as a gift to such a person.

God does have everything. He is the Sovereign of earth and heaven. The psalmist said that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. What can we bring to One who has it all? We can bring Him the gift of praise. We can bring Him the gift of proclaiming to everyone His eternal honor. We can bring Him the gift of ourselves as truly humble servants of His kingdom. Our life springs from the eternal King and so we can give back to Him that which is most precious to us – ourselves.

Precious Father, Truly all things are Yours, including us. We give You this day ourselves as the greatest gift we can bring. Amen.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2016

True Security

“The Lord is my refuge and my fortress” Psalm 91:2

The wealthy and prominent often spend vast amounts of money on security. We live in an evil world and they know that they are targets. Good security is expensive. God has promised us security in Him. That is a gift of immeasurable value. We need His security because we live in an evil world with the very prince of darkness as our chief foe. Satan is described for us as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He has been described as the chief thief and the murderer of body and soul. God says our only hope against this adversary is God Himself.

I was doing a ride along with a friend of mine who was a police officer. We went on a call to a home with a vicious dog. As we approached the house I stood behind my friend. He was much bigger than I and he had a gun. It was assumed that such protection might be needed. God is much bigger than my friend. He alone can deliver us from the evil one.

Precious Father, Help me to confidently stand firmly in the shadow of Thy protection. Amen.

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Monday, February 15, 2016

Away from Temptation

“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold” Ps 19:10 NKJV

David declared that the Law of the Lord was better than fine gold. God’s Word is a rich treasure and all who seek in it will find valuable gems beyond measure. One gem of God’s grace that we find there is light. The psalmist said, “The entrance of Thy word gives light.” Lights can be used for a certain area, like a flashlight along a path, or as the beacon of a searchlight that casts its beam afar. The Law of God does both.

We can find in the Law the universal expectations of God’s rules for humanity. If we follow these precepts God will lead us not into temptation. They will be the gold standard by which a “young man will keep his ways pure.” His Word and Spirit also light our pathway day by day. They instruct us in the good will of God for daily living and away from the selfishness of sin. God has offered us both His Word and His Spirit to lead us away from temptation. He will gladly amplify its good to us as we ask Him to do so each day.

Precious Father, Help me in Your Word today to find the way that most pleases You. Amen

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Friday, February 12, 2016

Forgiving

“Forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” Eph. 4:32 NKJV

What immense treasures we find in the jewel bag of God’s grace. The incalculable value of His grace will continually amaze us. Life, the wealth of peace and joy, spring from the promises He makes and the gifts He offers. Forgiving others is one of them. It is not a natural thing to do. It is a God enabled thing. His grace makes it possible.

Consider all the wars fought and the blood feuds that have raged all because forgiveness is not in the heart of man. Think of the lives lost and the millions of dollars expended because an offence cannot be forgiven. All of that is our just debt to God for our sin, but He has forgiven it in Christ. He paid the priceless gift of His blood to forgive us and to empower us to forgive others. How often we lose the joy of life and the value of living because we do not forgive. Christ has forgiven us and we in turn can, by His grace, forgive others and find the true wealth of fulfilled joy in Him.

Precious Father, Help us to forgive those who sin against us as You have forgiven us. Amen.

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend. Amen

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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Forgiven

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” Eph. 1:7 NKJV

What is the medical value of forgiveness? The grace of God is a jewel bag of enormous worth. That worth can be seen in an area like medicine. Tens of thousands of people suffer physical symptoms related to guilt. They seek hundreds of millions of dollars a year in medical attention to heal what medicine cannot heal. The dollar cost of psychosomatic illness is astounding.

What amazing grace we find in this offer from God for forgiveness of sin. At the cross of Calvary Jesus washed our sins away. He carried them from us as far as the east is from the west. Daily He offers to cleanse us from the sin that we commit. The absolution that He offers is complete. He cleanses us from “all unrighteousness”. What an astounding measure of grace it is that states, “I declare you not guilty.” That is what God in grace offers us through the blood of His Son alone. We can receive by faith the promise of forgiveness by God and rejoice in His grace.

Precious Father, Give me calm and confident peace in Your forgiveness today. Amen.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Who Really Provides?

“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Matt 6:26 NKJV

How big would the jewel have to be to pay for all the meals you will eat in a lifetime? How about for all the food people feed to the birds? God feeds the birds, and maybe He uses caring people to help do so. Jesus said that the birds are simply confident in the provision of God for their needs. His provision for all creation is beyond measurement in cost. Am I, a bird feeder, part of God’s means of provision for them? They don’t know or care. They just eat.

God calls us to see Him as the birds see me. Daily there is food out for them in our yard. Daily God promises to provide for His children. As we pray this part of the prayer it is both a petition and recognition that God is the ultimate source of all our provision. Whether it is bread or shelter or other needs, God is the source. He gives strength for work and sun and rain for growth. Our Father cares for us more than the birds of the air and the lilies of field. We can respond by recognizing the source of all our provision.

Precious Father, You know our needs; give us confidence in Your provision. Amen.

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