Category: Ephesians

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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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Move Your But

I am fascinated by the English language. If I knew any other languages I would probably be intrigued by them as well. Mrs. Morgan was my eighth grade English teacher. She was the one who taught us parts of speech, sentence composition and how to diagram those sentences.

The word “but” is a conjunction, a connecting word that ties one thought to another. However, it is also a word that conveys contradiction. Take this sentence for example. I like red BUT blue is my favorite color. The two thoughts are connected and yet contradictive.

Once we begin to look for it, we will find this type of sentence construction in Scripture. This morning I noticed two different instances that I would like you to look at with me.

“They told Moses, “We went to the land where you sent us. It does flow with milk and honey. This is its fruit. 28 But the people who live in the land are strong. The cities have walls and are very large. And we saw the children of Anak there. 29 Amalek is living in the land of the Negev. The Hittites and Jebusites and Amorites are living in the hill country. And the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb told the people in front of Moses to be quiet. And he said, “Let us go up at once and take the land. For we are well able to take it in battle.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go against the people. They are too strong for us.” Numbers 13:27-31 ERV

Moses had sent twelve men into Canaan to asses the land and its residents. When they came back they brought a bunch of grapes so large that two men had to carry it on a pole. The land God promised them was the most fertile and productive crop land around. However, there were also giants in the land. Instead of seeing the blessings in the land they pointed out the obstacles. There “but’s” stopped them from seeing God’s best.

The second example I saw came from the New Testament.

“When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?” 6 He said this to test Philip, since he already knew what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered, “Don’t you know that it would take almost a year’s wages[a just to buy only a little bread for each of these people?”

8 Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the disciples. He spoke up and said, 9 “There is a boy here who has five small loaves of barley bread and two fish. But what good is that with all these people?” John 6:5-9 CEV

Once again, “but” got in the way. Jesus disciples were looking at their circumstances and not at the miracle-worker who changed circumstances. Before we become to critical of the Israelites and the disciples we have to admit that many times our “but’s” get us in trouble too.

It’s time to move our but and let God have greater control.

“No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8 But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger.” Romans 5:7-9 CEV

What do you think would have happened if the men who went in to Canaan had come back and said “there are giants in the land BUT it’s a great land with wonderful crops and God said it’s ours”? I can tell you, they would not have wandered in the wilderness for forty years. They would have gone in and conquered the land the way God said.

Or perhaps Philip might have said “Lord, there are a whole lot of people BUT if you want us to feed them, tell us how”. (The Scripture says that Jesus knew what he was going to do.) It would have changed the narrative. God is looking to change the narrative in our lives. We have to move our but.

I don’t know what I’m going to do BUT I can do all things through Christ who give me the strength.

I’m not sure how I will handle this problem BUT God says if I ask for wisdom He will give it to me.

“In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. 2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn’t obey God. 3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.

4-5 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.” Ephesians 2:1-5 CEV

When we let God replace the but’s of life with His power and mercy we will see a much better outcome!

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Simple Obedience

Am I the only one who struggles with being obedient to simple instructions from time to time? If I am, you might not find this morning’s thoughts apply to you.

When we were little kids we had a myriad of instructions to follow: brush your teeth, clean your plate, bedtime at 8:30 pm, chew with your mouth closed, be home by supper, don’t hit your sister, feed the dog. I can still hear Mom giving these instructions countless times during my childhood; I don’t need her to tell me to brush my teeth or wash my hands and face any longer, I just know to do it. That’s obedience.

As we get older we have a tendency to make obedience relative. We don’t always obey the speed limit because everyone else is passing us like we are standing still. Or what could be wrong with taking a short cut across the lawn even though it’s posted “keep off the grass”? (I know no one would do this, right?) What about those signs that say absolutely no food or drink allowed, those don’t apply to the protein bar in your pocket or purse, do they?

Little disobediences like the ones above harden us to listening too and obeying the instructions we receive from God’s word. We can rationalize away our blessings by our disobedience.

“‘I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow. 19 If you listen to (obey) what I say, you will get the good things from this land.'” Isaiah 1:18-19 ERV

It all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden. Disobedience is a temptation as old as the earth itself. God says something but He has given us a free will. Obedience is up to us. If we truly are God’s children then we should obey what He says. We all know that the Bible tells us to obey our parents so, let’s take this to the next level and obey our heavenly father.

“Children, obey your parents the way the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do. 2 The command says, “You must respect your father and mother.” This is the first command that has a promise with it. 3 And this is the promise: “Then all will go well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1-3 ERV

I didn’t get up this morning with the intention of writing a blog on obedience. However, while I was reading in John 2 I was caught up in the simple act of obedience of some servants at a wedding. I hadn’t seen this before and I have examined Jesus first miracle at the wedding in Cana many times. (I have actually written a couple other blogs on this miracle, September 2, 2018 and June 27, 2018. You might want to re-read them.)

“There were six large stone waterpots there that were used by the Jews in their washing ceremonies. Each one held about 20 or 30 gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the waterpots with water.’ So they filled them to the top.

8 Then he said to them, ‘Now dip out some water and take it to the man in charge of the feast.’ So they did what he said.” John 2:6-8 ERV

Miracles come from simple acts of obedience. The servants obeyed Jesus instruction to fill some water pots to the brim and then they took the water to the wedding planner. It was water when it went in to the pots and it was water when it came out of the pot. The miracle happened while it was being carried, obediently, to the manager of the wedding.

The Father’s instructions to us are just as elementary as filling water pots. “Don’t worry. Pray always. Love the Lord. Love your neighbor. Be angry and sin not. Don’t complain. Do nothing for vain glory. Don’t be envious. Put God first. Forgive.” With each of these instructions I can hear the Father say “child, obey me”.

Simple obedience.

Here’s the prayer I found myself praying this morning: “Father, I want to be obedient to all you ask me to do. That really is my heart’s desire. But…many times I fail. Forgive me for my failure and remind me to be like the servants – fill the pots, dip out the water and carry it to the place where miracles happen. I chose to be obedient. I am willing. In Jesus name.”

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Out of Balance

Do you remember those days in seventh grade Science class when your teacher brought in a set of scales and weights? I do!

Mr. Fox put the scales on the front lab table. There were a set of graduated weights and there were various other objects too; an apple, a brick, a coin, salt, and feathers. We then embarked on a series of trials. One of the objects was the exact same weight as one, or a combination of, the weights. It was up to us to determine which one.

Nine times out of ten we were out-of-balance!

Have you ever felt that way? That things in your life are out-of-balance. This morning I’m going to tell you why that’s a good thing.

When it comes to our walk with the Lord we need to be top heavy. Jesus disciples came to him and asked Him to increase their faith.

“The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more faith!”6 The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant yourself in the ocean!’ And the tree will obey you.” Luke 17:5-6 ERV

Notice Jesus didn’t tell them that they needed BIG faith. No, He told them that if they had little faith, faith as little as a mustard seed, that they would be able to accomplish big things. The question was how to use the faith they had. Look at the example he gave them.

“Suppose one of you has a servant who has been working in the field, plowing or caring for the sheep. When he comes in from work, what would you say to him? Would you say, ‘Come in, sit down and eat’? 8 Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.’ 9 The servant should not get any special thanks for doing his job. He is only doing what his master told him to do. 10 It is the same with you. When you finish doing all that you are told to do, you should say, ‘We are not worthy of any special thanks. We have only done the work we should do.’” Luke 17:7-10 ERV

Here, Jesus is referring to faith as a servant. He told the disciples to put it to work. Faith is doing what the master has told you to do. Jesus had told them to go out and teach, preach, heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils. They did as he told them and they came back amazed at the results they had. But then there were other times when they let the circumstances stop them from doing what the Lord had said. He told them to get in the boat and go to the other side; they let the waves and the storm overwhelm them with fear and they almost capsized. Then there was the night that Jesus was arrested. He told them to pray with Him so they wouldn’t fall into temptation, instead they fell asleep and scattered in fear when the soldiers took Jesus away.

There are no great accolades for doing what you are told to do but there are great results. Faith is a tool that God wants us to use. Using our faith is as simple as obeying what God says. Just like a servant obeys his master.

If little faith can make great things happen then where’s the problem? It’s fear. Do you realize that fear is also a form of faith? Fear is a belief that the negative will happen. Instead of trusting God and putting faith in His word fear believes that circumstances will overwhelm and shatter God’s promises.

“In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:12 ERV

“The followers went to him and woke him. They said, “Lord, save us! We will drown!”26 Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm.27 The men were amazed. They said, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!” Matthew 8:25-27 ERV

If we have little faith and great fear we will be out-of-balance and the results will be disastrous. But if we have little faith and no fear or doubt we can move mountains.

“Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 The truth is, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, mountain, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, then God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to ask for what you want in prayer. And if you believe that you have received those things, then they will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24 ERV

Let me ask you this. What types of things cause fear in your life? It’s important to identify them. Is it cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, rebellious children, loss of employment, auto accidents? Find what God says about each and every one of these things and as you do you will begin to remove them from the fear side of the scale. The more items you remove, the greater the weight of your faith becomes. Soon, faith in what God says and will do will tip the scales and you will be out-of-balance in faith.

“We thank God for you always. And that’s what we should do, because you give us good reason to be thankful: Your faith is growing more and more. And the love that every one of you has for each other is also growing.” II Thessalonians 1:3 ERV

It’s time to tip the scales in the right direction!


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Love Lasts

This morning I found myself thinking of love, true love! Yes, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

Many people have hopes and expectations for the day and are disappointed if their “loved one” doesn’t make some grand gesture. After 46 years of celebrating Valentine’s Day with the love of my life, I can honestly say that I’m not wow-ed by flowers, jewelry, beautiful cards or a night out on the town. What sets my world spinning is being kissed each morning before my hair is combed and make up is on; having Dave fill my coffee cup because it’s empty; finding him doing the dishes or helping in some other way because he knows I’m tired and hearing him say he thinks I’m the most beautiful woman in the world for no reason at all.

Love is living everyday, looking for ways to make life brighter, more enjoyable, easing the pain and giving all! Love is seeing someone at their worst and thinking the best.

Isn’t that how God wants us to see His love?

Religion tells us we have to earn God’s love and be good enough to keep it. The Bible tells us something completely different. We can’t earn God’s love and we can’t lose it. God’s love never fails – it lasts forever.

“I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, He will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love. 18 I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is. 19 I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself.” Ephesians 3:16-19 NLV

The above verses were written by the Apostle Paul. “I pray you will KNOW the love of Christ.” As a young man, Saul, he persecuted the Christians. He had them imprisoned and even killed. Then he met the Lord, his name was changed to Paul, and he became a great missionary for Christ – telling people of God’s grace, love and forgiveness. He came to know personally the love of Christ.

I was reading Psalm 136 this morning.

“Praise the Lord because he is good. His faithful love will last forever. 2 Praise the God of gods! His faithful love will last forever. 3 Praise the Lord of lords! His faithful love will last forever. 4 Praise him who alone does wonderful miracles! His faithful love will last forever.” Psalm 136:1-4 ERV

“He took Israel out of Egypt. His faithful love will last forever.12 He used his powerful arms and strong hands. His faithful love will last forever. 13 He split the Red Sea into two parts. His faithful love will last forever. 14 He led Israel through the sea. His faithful love will last forever. 15 He drowned Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea. His faithful love will last forever. 16 He led his people through the desert. His faithful love will last forever. 17 He defeated powerful kings. His faithful love will last forever…”

Now this is how I began to read it, it’s the Kristi unauthorized version:

He gave me safety while driving on the freeway; He kept me warm during the artic vortex; He protected me when I worked with people who hated me; He provided the food I need; He heard me say those ugly things and He knew my jealous thoughts but He forgave me and His faithful love will last forever!

I encourage you to read all twenty-six verses of Psalm 136. Each verse tells us that God’s love last forever. This is the final verse in that Psalm.

“Praise God in heaven! God’s love never fails.” Psalm 136:26 CEV

God, our Father, is the very essence of love. He will never fail to reach out to us! His love for us will last forever!!

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Ham It Up

We were having dinner with friends last night and talking about old wives tales that carry forward as fact. I was reminded of a story I heard about a young bride. It was her first Easter with her new husband. She had purchased a ham for their Easter dinner. She took the ham and cut off the ends before putting it in her roasting pan.

Her husband asked her why she cut off the ends. After much prodding, she replied “I’m not sure. My mom always did it that way.” At her husband’s encouragement she called her mother and asked “why did you always cut the ends off the ham before you put it in the pan?” Her mother was silent for a moment and then replied “because your grandmother always cut the ends off her ham”.

With this answer sitting hard in her thoughts, and at the prompting of her husband, she called Grandma. “Grandma, why do you always cut the ends off the ham before putting it in the roaster?” Grandma replied “Oh dearie, that’s simple. My pan was too short so I had to trim the ends to make it fit.”

The young bride and her husband laughed heartedly. For years three women had been cutting the ends off the ham because at one point the roasting pan was too short.

“So you are teaching that it is not important to do what God said. You think it is more important to follow those traditions you have, which you pass on to others. And you do many things like that.” Mark 7:13 ERV

How many things do we do religiously that have nothing to do with God’s truth but are fashioned by man’s tradition? We say that God can’t love us if we go to certain places or don’t give up certain habits. We are told that if we don’t spend so many days during the week in church or hours in prayer that God will be unhappy with us. He won’t love us.

Maybe you have been told that God won’t love you because of what you have done. You’ve been too bad or you’ve had too many failures or one too many divorces. All of these things are traditions. It is the traditions of men that make the Word of God of no effect.

As long as people are feeling condemned for not being good enough for God they will run from God instead of to Him. Jesus heard this criticism often. This was His response.

“When some teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with such bad people, they asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.” Mark 2:16-17 ERV

We will never be good enough to be acceptable to God outside of our relationship with Jesus. We can’t do enough good works. Our own efforts can’t buy us salvation. There is only one way that we can be saved.

“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. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

We don’t clean up to take a shower and we don’t try to keep enough rules to be accepted by God.

I don’t know what religious laws you are trying to keep. I do know the ones I thought were right but I never succeed in keeping them. We have to come to a point where we give up on religious tradition and accept God’s grace at face value.

“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. ” Romans 5:8-9 CEV

God has so much more for us than we are experiencing. Religious traditions keep us from receiving all God has in store.

It’s time we quit cutting off the ends of the ham and enjoy the whole thing. God’s blessings are so much greater than we imagined.

“I pray that Christ Jesus and the church will forever bring praise to God. His power at work in us can do far more than we dare ask or imagine. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 CEV

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Words, Words, Words

The last several days I have been talking to you about the importance of God’s word. We have seen that the Bible is our firm foundation and that God keeps His promises. He doesn’t say anything that isn’t true!

Today I want to talk about our words. Each day we speak hundreds, if not thousands, of words so we need to evaluate what we are saying. Do we speak words that bring encouragement and life or can our words be damning and condemning?

“A man’s stomach will be filled with the fruit of his mouth. He will be filled with what his lips speak. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20-21 NLV

Daily, we are bombarded with words. They come in the form of emails, text messages, postings on the internet, spoken words on radio and television and in the form of conversations. Our prayers are constructed of words. The question is, are they beneficial or detrimental? Are they words that heal or words that harm?

Periodically I am reminded to look at words the way the Lord does.

“Honest people can always feel secure, but lying cheaters will be caught. 10 If you fail to speak the truth, trouble will follow. If you speak openly, peace will come. 11 The words of good people are like a spring of fresh water, but the words of the wicked only hide their violent plans.” Proverbs 10:9-11 ERV

“By your teachings, Lord,  I am warned;  by obeying them, I am greatly rewarded. 12 None of us know our faults. Forgive me when I sin without knowing it. 13 Don’t let me do wrong on purpose, Lord, or let sin have control over my life. Then I will be innocent,  and not guilty of some terrible fault. 14 Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector.” Psalm 19:11-14 CEV

God, our Father, is a life-giver and One who is always looking for ways to bless His children. He hates it when actions go contrary to His nature. We are warned repeatedly not to lie, gossip or cause discord. Instead we should be like Christ in our love and encouragement of one another.

“Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. 2 Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God. 3 You are God’s people, so don’t let it be said that any of you are immoral or indecent or greedy. 4 Don’t use dirty or foolish or filthy words. Instead, say how thankful you are. ” Ephesians 5:1-4 CEV

When I was a little girl we had a song we sang that said “Be careful little eyes what you see, Be careful little ears what you hear. Be careful little lips what you say.” Those words still ring true today. We could do so much to disarm hurtful situations if we made sure our words were loving, kind and true.

“All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body…Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. 17 But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18 When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice.” James 3:2, 16-18 CEV

The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to be maliciously lied about, ridiculed, and he was often at the center of mean-spirited conversation. In spite all of that, he gave us this instruction.

“Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9 You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 CEV

Let’s be like Paul. Let’s keep focused on the things that are pure, right and true. When we do, we will be surrounded by God’s peace.

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Using Your Talents

Starting this new year, I am taking inventory of what the Lord has given me; health, a wonderful family, dear friends, a strong mind, creative thoughts, a friendly smile, the ability to communicate through the written word, my home, organizational skills and I’m a good cook. I would consider these things my “talents”.

Jesus tells the story of a master who had three servants and the master left each of the servants some “talents”. He went on a journey and when he returned, the master called each of the servants in to give an accounting of what they had done with their talents.

“Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money. 20 The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, “Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more.”

21 “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”

22 Next, the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, “Sir, you gave me two thousand coins, and I have earned two thousand more.”

23 “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!” Matthew 25:19-23 CEV

The first two servants had used their talents wisely and had brought an increase. The third servant, however, had buried his talent and all he had to give the master was the original amount with no increase. Jesus said the master called this servant wicked and slothful because he hadn’t used what he had been given.

The first two servants were called “good and faithful” and they were given more responsibility and authority from the master. So many times this story is taught in regard to money but to me it’s more than that.

In the book of James, we are told that every good and perfect gift we have comes from the Father. And in Ephesians we are told that whatever we do, if it’s a spoken word or physical action, we should do all to the glory of God.

These words of Jesus about giving are recorded in the book of Luke.

“If you love only those who love you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners love those who love them! 33 If you do good only to those who do good to you, should you get any special praise for doing that? No, even sinners do that! 34 If you lend things to people, always expecting to get something back, should you get any special praise for that? No, even sinners lend to other sinners so that they can get back the same amount!
35 “I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.
37 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” Luke 6:32-38 ERV

So I encourage you today to take those things that you have, your talents, and share them with others – a smile, a helping hand, a meal, your love and friendship – watch them multiply.

It will be such a joy to hear “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:21

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Responding to “If”

Have you ever gotten trapped in the maze of “what if”? At one point or another I think we all have. There are all sorts of “if” questions; some are personal, others are intellectual or career oriented and others are more philosophical.

What if: I were taller, smarter, my nose were smaller…What if: I had continued with college, become a doctor instead of a plumber…What if: there is life in outer space. And then there are the what if’s that are related to Scripture.

In yesterday’s blog, we saw how Satan used one of those what if’s in the garden with Adam and Eve. He introduced an element of doubt into Eve’s thinking. Did God really say? What if He doesn’t want you to be as smart as He is?

“4 But the snake said to the woman, “You will not die. 5 God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree you will learn about good and evil, and then you will be like God!” Genesis 3:4-5 ERV

When we begin to study the Bible and see what God says to us Satan will try to use the same tactic on us.

What if: God isn’t real, He’s just a myth, His Word isn’t true, there is no heaven or hell, you don’t need faith. All of these are doubting thoughts that I have had at one point or another.

When these thoughts occur the first thing we should do is realize we aren’t the only ones having them. Christians who came before us and millions who come after us will all be plagued with thoughts of doubt.

How do we deal with doubt? I’m glad you asked. As always, Jesus is our perfect example.

“ Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to a desert. There He was tempted by the devil. 2 Jesus went without food for forty days and forty nights. After that He was hungry. 3 The devil came tempting Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to be made into bread.” 4 But Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man is not to live on bread only. Man is to live by every word that God speaks.’”

5 Then the devil took Jesus up to Jerusalem, the holy city. He had Jesus stand on the highest part of the house of God. 6 The devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. It is written, ‘He has told His angels to look after You. In their hands they will hold You up. Then Your foot will not hit against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to the devil, “It is written also, ‘You must not tempt the Lord your God.’”

8 Again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain. He had Jesus look at all the nations of the world to see how great they were. 9 He said to Jesus, “I will give You all these nations if You will get down at my feet and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to the devil, “Get away, Satan. It is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. You must obey Him only.’” 11 Then the devil went away from Jesus. Angels came and cared for Him.” Matthew 4:1-11 NLV

There are three important “if” issues in these verses. Satan questions the deity of Christ, “If you are the Son of God”. Satan is a crafty enemy, one we are incapable of defeating on our own. He came to Jesus when He was at one of his weakest moments. Jesus had been fasting for forty days and now He had begun to hunger.

The important thing to see is that Jesus didn’t react rashly in His weakness, instead He let God’s word answer for Him. The power to resist temptation came from God’s word. We will overcome our temptations the same way.

“So anyone who thinks they are standing strong should be careful that they don’t fall. 13 The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it.” I Corinthians 10:12-13 ERV

In the second temptation the devil quoted Scripture to give his argument validity. Jesus didn’t take the bait; he didn’t need to prove who He was. He left that up to God, the Father. And He countered with Scripture.

Satan had been cast from heaven because he wanted to be greater than God. He coveted a position of honor. He wanted God’s Son to bow down at his feet.

” 13 You said in your heart, ‘I will go up to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. And I will sit on the mount of meeting in the far north. 14 I will go much higher than the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 But you will be brought down to the place of the dead, to the bottom of the grave.” Isaiah 14:13-15 NLV

One more time Jesus used God’s word as a weapon and landed blows of defeat on His enemy. This time it was too much for the devil and he fled. This is what we need to do each and every time temptation comes.

” 4 We do not use those things to fight with that the world uses. We use the things God gives to fight with and they have power. Those things God gives to fight with destroy the strong-places of the devil. 5 We break down every thought and proud thing that puts itself up against the wisdom of God. We take hold of every thought and make it obey Christ.” II Corinthians 10:4-5 NLV

And here is what God gives us to fight with.

” 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks…13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:11-18 ERV

Our sword in this battle is the word of God. It is sharp enough to cut all the “what if’s” out of our lives. We will be able to stand strong and never give up when we are standing on God’s word!

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Rich in Mercy

I am grateful for God’s mercy. The Bible tells us that we are given new mercy every morning.

“The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed. 23 The Lord can always be trusted to show mercy each morning. 24 Deep in my heart I say, ‘The Lord is all I need; I can depend on him!'” Lamentations 3:22-24 CEV

Have you ever felt like people judged you wrongly? They misunderstood or misconstrued a situtation or an action and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion. You were branded, judged and even convicted.

Have you ever done that to someone? That’s the harder question to answer honestly. I have and it’s something I am ashamed to admit. When we judge and assess a situation our reasons are so self-righteous. We have so many excuses for our actions and why others are wrong.

” But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)” Ephesians 2:4-5 ERV

If anyone has a right to judge it’s God. He is perfect in everyway and so His judgements are pure but He chooses to show mercy. Another term for mercy is “loving-kindness”. The Bible tells us that His loving-kindness, His mercy, goes on forever.

“Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever.” Psalm 106:1 NLV

Thank you Lord for always showing mercy. Since God is both just and merciful it’s necessary to see how both work in harmony. God cannot let His mercy override His justice. We have all sinned and sin needs to be judged. That’s where Jesus steps in.

“God has shown His love to us by sending His only Son into the world. God did this so we might have life through Christ. 10 This is love! It is not that we loved God but that He loved us. For God sent His Son to pay for our sins with His own blood. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us that much, then we should love each other. ” I John 4:9-11 NLV

Since God lavished His love on us we are expected to act accordingly and show love to others. There should be no place in our lives for condemning attitudes.

“Treat others just as you want to be treated. 32 If you love only someone who loves you, will God praise you for that? Even sinners love people who love them. 33 If you are kind only to someone who is kind to you, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners are kind to people who are kind to them. 34 If you lend money only to someone you think will pay you back, will God be pleased with you for that? Even sinners lend to sinners because they think they will get it all back.

35 But love your enemies and be good to them. Lend without expecting to be paid back. Then you will get a great reward, and you will be the true children of God in heaven. He is good even to people who are unthankful and cruel. 36 Have pity on others, just as your Father has pity on you.” Luke 6:31-36 CEV

These are the words of Jesus. There are no exceptions like it’s ok to judge people who cut you off in traffic, are rude to you in the grocery store, don’t share your same political view, or who are antagonistic. NO EXCEPTIONS!

I’m working on making this my daily goal in the upcoming year. If I say I want to be more like the Father then I need to be less judgmental. There’s no room in His life for it and so there should be none in mine!

Here’s to a Happy & Mercy-Rich 2019!

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