Grow in Grace

“. . . grow in the grace and knowledge of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory

both now and forever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

Children of God should grow each day. Our new growth strengthens our beliefs. Even when we have times of questioning we come out stronger.

In 1996, my husband, our son and I helped move my dad and stepmother into a nice brick home from a mobile home. They had lived in the country for about 25 years. Both of them had developed major health issues and Dad wanted them to be located where help could get to them quickly if needed.

Two months later, my stepmother and her sister stopped by our home. They had just come from the doctor’s office at the hospital down the street. My stepmother, Ginny, had been told she had Breast Cancer again. In 1989, she had a mastectomy. With this reoccurrence, she knew she couldn’t have surgery. They asked me to take her to her appointments-doctor and treatment. Dad could not drive at that time.

I agreed to help them. Margaret, her sister would be in town over each weekend and on Mondays and would take her to those appointments. I was to take her Tuesday through Friday.

 I was angry with God. Every question I had for Him started with the word, “WHY?” She had been seven months from the seven year mark-the time when a Cancer patient was deemed “cured.”

They had just moved into a beautiful house. My dad was right at one year post-op from heart bypass surgery. WHY? WHY HER? WHY AGAIN? WHY NOW?

 One day, I sat on our bed and looked out the open window onto our backyard. The grass was green. Our Locust tree nearest our house was all leafed out and shaded half the yard. A gentle breeze came in the window. I found myself asking those same questions yet again.

 I sat there for quite a while. I rose and went back to what I had been doing. I didn’t receive any answers to those questions. Because of having that talk with God, I managed to be there for Ginny.

Each day I drove to their home I passed the Christian Family bookstore. On their electronic sign was this scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you. . . plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

 If I hadn’t been going to Dad and Ginny’s, I might not have seen that message. As I made each trip, I found myself looking forward to seeing those words. They gave me courage to do what I had to do for my family.

God doesn’t always answer our questions. Instead, He chooses to walk beside us, to strengthen us, to teach us as we travel through this life. He makes our lives richer when we honestly seek Him. He does this as we grow in His  great love.

Approach with Confidence

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)

“. . . approach the throne of grace . . .”

God is not someone we have to worship from afar. We don’t have to cower behind someone else. He tells us to come to Him and lay our burdens at His feet.

“. . . with confidence . . .” We don’t have to bite our nails or stammer about why we have come to Him. He expects us. He knows our need but He wants us to express it so that we realize our lack.

“. . . so that we may receive mercy . . .” We desire mercy. We approach Him humbly. We seek His forgiveness, His healing, or His comfort. We receive what we what we don’t ask for.

“. . . find grace to help us. . .” God grants us grace by not giving us what we deserve. He does this because of His great love for us. Where would any of us be without God’s grace?

“. . . in our time of need.” We all go through times of stress, hardship, and struggle

Moses told the Israelites, “For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut.31:6, NIV)

As I understand it, when a foreign dignitary goes to Britain, the highest honor that person can receive is an audience with the Queen. When we go before the throne of God, he grants us a chance to be heard, a time to present our case. Not to offend the British people or anyone who has been presented to the Queen of England, we present ourselves to the Lord of All. He takes time for us. He listens to our pleas. He responds with mercy and grace.

My Faith Needs to Grow RJD # 16

I have times when I discover that my faith is not what it needs to be. I have doubts about certain paths I have taken and consider throwing in the towel, so to speak. I recently went through a time where I had to seek the Lord’s guidance and teaching on what He wants for me and from me.

The following journal entry explores the fact of faith in our lives.

  4/22/2010

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see.”

Hebrews 11:1(NIV)

Faith carries the definition of reliance on something or someone.

 Do we rely on God as we should?

             We have times when events are so big that trusting God is the only thing we can do.

             But faith seems to be a daily exercise. We have certain areas of our lives in which we practice our reliance on our heavenly Father.

            In practicing our faith, we have to let God work in the need. In essence, each believer has to step aside, turn the problem over to Jesus and let Him deal with it.

            As Americans, we sometime find ourselves misunderstanding the basic working of faith. Trust is one main factor. We have to give our fears to Him and allow God to walk us through the situation.

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A defining Acrostic- I love acrostic words. The following one is something I heard in a worship service several years ago.

Forsaking All In Trusting Him

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All-Sufficient Grace

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

But he said to me,

‘my grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NIV)

            The Apostle Paul had a bothersome health problem. We are not told what it was but we do know it was something that perplexed him. He even called it “a thorn in my side.”  

            We have this scriptural account of him pleading with Jesus to remove it. Christ’s response tells us that He had a purpose in allowing Paul to have this condition. 

            As I was choosing scriptures for this month’s topic, I found this passage speaking to me. I have fibromyalgia. The muscle aches sometimes appear in cycles. This particular day, the weather was very cool-over night the temperature might have fallen into the 40’s. This is not usual weather for June. I found myself in the dull overall pain that I have come to recognize. I wanted to sleep rather than start my day on time.

            Once I pulled myself out of bed, had my devotions and checked on laundry, I sat down to complete some writing craft tasks. I had begun searching scripture for appropriate passages for July- the topic being grace.           

            I came upon the reference in my concordance. GRACE, Described as, All-sufficient . . . 2Cor 12:9

            I turned in my Bible and read the verse and the one before it. It spoke to me. I had new understanding of the Lord’s words.

            In the past when I had a ‘fibro day’ I would not be active. The end of the day came and I wouldn’t have done anything productive in taking care of our home or in the writing craft. My outside activities became limited to what I had to do. A related condition to the fibro causes me to continue to monitor my outside appointments and social engagements. But, after reading these two verses, I have discovered I need to rely on God’s grace for these disorders.

            Paul chose to share this part of his life with his readers. He also conveyed the Lord’s message to him.
         

            “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Rejoice In the Lord RJD # 15

               I am slowly getting back into the swing of things with this new computer. Please continue to bear with me.

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4/20/2010

Rejoice Always—

            At a new birth—a new life

            When a believer dies—a new home in heaven

            At a graduation—a new phase of life

            At a salvation experience—a new heart

            At a wedding—a new life together

            At a promotion—a step forward in a career

            When a neighbor moves—a bigger home, a place closer to work

            When we celebrate any of the above events we are happy for the ones who receive these things. The one exception is when a believer dies. Friends and family miss their loved one but they know the absent one is with God.

           As believers, we should look for the hand of God in all events. It may take a lot of studying of circumstances to learn to rejoice in the Lord always.

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 As I transcribed this entry into my NEO, I realized I am not always to the point of rejoicing always. I have a friend who is having health issues. She has a history that causes her to fear having anything done surgically. I understand her concern. I also am aware how serious it would be for her if she doesn’t get these issues seen about. I want to rejoice with her when she makes the decision that God deems best for her.

When our son relocated because he found work, many people asked me how I felt about it. I rejoiced he found work. Jobs are scarce where we live. God heard our prayers and found him the best job for him. 

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Book Review: Mondays with My Old Pastor by Jose Luis Navajo

The author, Mr. Navajo, didn’t feel well. He couldn’t come out from under this ‘cloud.’ He visited his physician. The doctor listened and diagnosed the patient as being burnt out. His recovery came as a result of a series of meetings with his old pastor. The elderly man takes Mr. Navajo through some stories, each having a point on which to reflect.

This advice the elderly gentleman passes onto Mr. Navajo breaks into the conditions that seem to have contributed to his downheartedness. Simple stories from ancient times cause the young pastor to view his position in a different light.

I learned from this book. My Navajo and his mentor taught me principles of the Christian walk that apply to believers who strive to grow in the Lord as well as to those in the pastorate.

Some of the principles Mr. Navajo learned were:

           
           *Don’t work for the church of God; serve the God of the church.

           *Watch over and preserve the health of your family.

            *Spend quality time with the Bible. Any other book informs; the Bible                                  transforms.            

            *Be willing to forgive. It is impossible to move forward under the weight of                         resentment.

            Mr. Navajo made a total of thirteen visits to his old pastor’s home. Each time, he came away refreshed. One message that stands out is expressed by both the author and his wife:

“When the slope seems too steep and the weight too much, we will remember everything is by grace, which will sustain us forever.”

FTC Compliance:

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Booksneeze.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I expressed are my own. I disclose this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

Consider: Mercy, Grace, and Justice (RJD# 14)

I have been absent from the blogosphere because my computer crashed. I am now the owner of a laptop.This has put me on a learning curve. I am still learning the intricacies of  Word 2010. Please bear with me while I learn.

Several years ago, I embarked on a study of the New Testament; actually I completed a study of the Gospels. The title of each entry began with the word, “consider.” This is a raw effort to share my thoughts with you.

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March 3, 2004

Passage: Luke 1:57-80

God has several attributes; among them are justice, mercy, and grace. Justice happens when one gets what he or she deserves. Grace is getting what that person does NOT deserve. Mercy is when one does NOT get what he or she deserves.

            When we are involved in disputes, we, in our humanity, want justice-what the other fellow deserves. At the same time, we want mercy- what we do not deserve –for ourselves.

            God is a just being; He’s also a merciful being. We all deserve death, which would be justice. But God has given us Jesus because of His love for us. We don’t deserve to be with God in heaven; we deserve to be separated fro Him in Hades Jesus’ dying for our sins was ultimately an act of mercy.

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The above is the entry as I wrote it in 2004, if I may add the following, here is the rest of the story.

All the many things God gives us and does for us fall under His grace. I’m not sure who said it but I am reminded of the phrase, “It’s all grace.”   

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