One body, many members
When we look to spend time with God, he promises if we lean in, really he will as well. It’s our heart that is deceitful above all else. That’s why we do it with others, that’s why we have people.
God you are who you say
Been trying to upload for weeks, they really hate Rumble, these tyrant traitors in DC. You will answer to God, we all will, no matter who, how much money.
2
views
My God is with me
For me, makes a way through the wilderness, will not let me go under. Makes a way, when there isn’t one. Yes God, you do, and yes you are exactly who you say you are. Abba father, who loves me, is for me. Even though it doesn’t feel like it, that’s called faith. Believing in the unseen.
6
views
The day Jesus got mad
“And he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace.”
—Mark 11:16
If you’ve ever watched a Western, then you know that if you want to make a point, you turn over a table.
After Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, He entered the temple, looked around, and assessed the situation. Then, He returned the next day, and He began to cleanse the temple by driving out the merchants and turning over their tables.
Mark gives us these details in his Gospel: “When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves” (Mark 11:15 NLT).
Maybe you’re thinking, “Now, wait a second. I thought Jesus was meek and mild. Isn’t that how a Christian should be?”
Let’s understand what that means. Jesus did say, “I am humble and gentle at heart” (Matthew 11:29 NLT). The problem is that we sometimes equate meekness with weakness. We think that to be a Christian, we need to be soft-spoken. That’s what we think meekness is. But that isn’t meekness; that is just quietness.
The image of Jesus knocking over tables and chairs of the money changers isn’t what we’re used to. As a matter of fact, in the way artists portray Jesus in traditional religious art, He doesn’t look like He could turn over a chair, much less a table.
But the Jesus of the New Testament, the real Jesus, was a man’s man. He was strong. The merchants’ tables weren’t little temporary folding tables. Rather, they were massive tables made of heavy wood, maybe even marble. And Jesus turned them over. It was complete chaos as doves flew out of their cages, and money flew everywhere.
Meekness is not weakness. It is power under constraint. Meekness is being able to do something and choosing not to. Weakness, on the other hand, is not being able to do anything. That is the difference.
Jesus was applying meekness. He was indignant and angry because they were hurting God’s people. He told them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves” (Mark 11:17 NLT).
They were preventing people from worshipping the Lord. Instead of praying for the people, these religious leaders were preying on the people. If worshippers wanted to pay the temple tax, they had to exchange their money for special half shekels in the sanctuary, which were the only form of currency the temple accepted. But it came at a hiked-up price.
The same was true for sacrificial animals. If people brought in their own animals to sacrifice, the animals would be rejected, which forced them to buy the merchants’ more expensive animals.
The bottom line is the merchants were keeping people away from God. And that made God angry. Very angry. In the same way, we need to ask ourselves this question: Am I a bridge or a barrier to people coming to Christ?
12
views
Adopted, Welcomed, Loved
Good day, welcome to Grace Ministries USA. My name is Ryan thank you for stopping by. Here at Grace Ministries USA we try to do everything we can to help, one of the things we do is put up a daily devotional, 5 times a week to help us think clearly , feel confident in our decision-making, know what to do in every situation without hesitation or doubt, not to be afraid, do not fear, to understand the world through the lens of God’s eyes, not culture, not man, not politicians, they disappoint, let you down, lie to really know what is happening all around us currently. Today’s devotional
“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. ”
—Romans 8:5
God wants His Spirit to permeate every area of your life: your thought life, your relationships, your work, and everything that you do.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18 NLT). Another translation of the word “filled” speaks of the wind filling the sails of a boat.
Imagine being out on a lake, bobbing around in a sailboat without any wind. But then a gust comes along, you hoist your sail, and you pick up speed. In the same way, how much better our lives are when we let the Holy Spirit fill our sails and give us the strength to live the life God calls us to live.
This isn’t about trying harder. It’s about asking God to help us because we can’t do it on our own. This is not works-based righteousness; it’s working righteousness. If you don’t want to go backward, then go forward.
The best way not to walk in the flesh is to walk in the Spirit and take practical steps to do that every day. As believers, we should start each day by asking God to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
Spirit-led people are spiritually-minded people. Romans 8:5 tells us, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit” (NLT).
In other words, be preoccupied with things that preoccupy the Holy Spirit. And what are those things? The rest of Romans 8 answers that question. For instance, verse 14 says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God” (NLT). Verses 15–16 tell us that God removes the fear of rejection and assures us that we are His children.
Also, verses 26–27 tell us that the Holy Spirit gives us confidence to approach God in prayer. Therefore, God wants us to think about the fact that He adopted us, He loves us, and He welcomes us.
As a child of God, you’re adopted. I got my last name, Laurie, from a man named Oscar Laurie, one of my mother’s many husbands. He adopted me and treated me as his son. He’s in Heaven now, but I still feel a great love for him.
God loves you, and He welcomes you in prayer. This is important when you’re going through something that causes you to worry. Remember, you’re God’s adopted child. He welcomes you. He wants to hear from you. He wants you to think about Him. That is what it means to be spiritually-minded and have the Holy Spirit dominate your mind.
In contrast, when the sinful nature dominates us, we “think about sinful things” (Romans 8:5). A lot can fall into this category, including lust, anger, and hatred. But it also can include empty things such as fame and fortune.
Let’s fill our minds with the things of God.
12
views
God‘s work in you, or your work for God.
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith– just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness?” Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Galatians 3:5-9
Everyone enjoys having good, friendly neighbors and coworkers who do their best to obey the law. Being a good citizen is admired by almost everyone. That admiration, however, begins to fade when that good citizen starts talking about their faith in God. Many have a negative response toward those who talk about God and their religion of good deeds to please Him.
Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia dealt with this issue of works and faith. Religious leaders within the church required Gentile believers in Jesus to hold to Jewish practice and strict obedience to the Mosaic law in order to be a convert. For them, works became a necessary component to please God.
Paul used God’s eternal covenant given to Abraham as the foundation for opposition to those false teachers. God made a covenant with Abraham based on his faith and not on obedience to the law. Paul also explained that a purpose of the law was to be a temporary guardian and a teacher to show that no one can keep the law perfectly.
God’s plan to restore the broken fellowship that was caused by our sin was never left to our own efforts. Because perfection is impossible, only God can produce the solution. God reversed the curse of sin by sending His perfect Son Jesus to become the curse and pay the penalty for sin that we all deserve. God’s plan for redemption was revealed through His promise to Abraham based on his faith in God and not in keeping the law.
When Paul came to faith in Christ, he did not have to give up a life filled with wickedness, but rather he needed to repent of his own self-righteousness. He realized his own good works were no better than evil deeds. Doing good deeds to please God only causes pride and that can lead to judgment and condemnation toward others. Religion based on works is not the good news of the gospel.
All who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord are given God’s Spirit to dwell in them. Since a Christian has the Holy Spirit, it is no longer their goodness at work, but the work of God in them and through them. Love and kindness towards others is proof that a Christian has genuine faith.
This week, let God make the change in your heart so that it is His righteousness that others see and not your own.
3
views
Is there such thing as righteous anger?
“And ‘don’t sin by letting anger control you.’ Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry.”
—Ephesians 4:26
The Bible clearly teaches that God is a triune being. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Yet it’s difficult for many of us to grasp such a concept because there’s no real parallel we can point to. Whatever analogy we try to use ultimately breaks down.
For the most part, we can wrap our minds around the idea of God the Father and God the Son. However, God the Holy Spirit is a little tough for us. Yet the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit has a distinct personality.
In fact, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as a He, not as an it. For example, in John 16:8, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment” (NLT).
This is evidenced by the fact that we are capable of quenching, resisting, blaspheming, lying to, and grieving the Holy Spirit.
One of the various ways we can grieve the Holy Spirit is by acting out in unjustified anger. The apostle Paul warned the Christians in Ephesus, “And ‘don’t sin by letting anger control you’ ” (Ephesians 4:26 NLT).
There is a difference between unjustified anger and righteous indignation. Jesus, for instance, showed anger. But let’s not misunderstand. When God is angry, His anger is not like ours. When we are upset, we might throw a tantrum. Can you imagine God doing that? I’m so glad that God doesn’t give in to the same things that we would. He isn’t capable of it. It isn’t in His nature.
So, when God does show anger, His anger is always righteous. It is there for a purpose. Jesus felt anger toward the Pharisees who misrepresented God to the people. He was angry with the money changers in the temple, so he overturned their tables and drove them out using a whip.
Of course, there are things we should be righteously indignant about as well. We should be angry when we see our country in a downward spiral both morally and spiritually. And we should be angry enough to vote for the right policies and the right candidates.
We should be angry when we see too much compromise in the church, thus making our witness ineffective. And we should be angry when we see marriages and families falling apart. This is what we would call righteous indignation.
But then there is unjustified anger in which we lose our temper, say something unkind, or do things that are outright wrong. And when we sin in anger, we need to apologize to the person or people we have offended
Paul went on to say, “Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry” (verse 26 NLT). If you’re married, you should never go to bed when you’re angry with your husband or wife because you don’t want that anger to turn into bitterness.
We need to learn how to disagree—even argue—and then forgive.
18
views
Peace amongst the people
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:14
Throughout life, we are confronted with interpersonal tensions that vary from the inconvenient to the violent. These tensions can be caused by us or by others. Either way, we often find ourselves feeding into that tension either willingly or unconsciously. Peace with the people we are in conflict with can often seem so far away in those times.
Peace is something that does not come naturally to our sinful nature. Rather, we are often pushed to a selfish desire to be “right” or to “win.” However, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to strive for peace. But what does it look like to strive for peace? First, we are exhorted to seek for the holiness of God without which we will not see the Lord. This does not mean that we must earn salvation or that any act of man may coerce God into providing salvation. Rather, when we are saved, we strive towards obedience to the will of God. It is through this obedience to the will and commands of God that we find peace with Him in our lives.
As we work towards this, we will begin to find peace with those around us. This is because the commands of God include forgiving one another, loving our enemies, seeking for unity with the children of God, and caring for those in need. We are called to see others as more important than ourselves regardless of our opinion or experience with that person. If we are in obedience to the will and commands of our God, then we will love even the worst offenders. Christ died to save the worst sinners in this world. If we refuse to love that same person, then we hold ourselves to be greater than the most Holy God.
This doesn’t mean that it will be easy. However, if Christ is willing to come to earth and die on the cross for us, then peace with those around us is something we must look to achieve. Striving for peace with God means striving for peace with those around us.
This week, if you have never known peace with God or with those around you, reach out to Christ as he will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding. If you do know Christ, let’s strive with each other to find peace with those around us as we find peace with God.
9
views
Why spiritual gifts are important
However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. ”
—Ephesians 4:7
When you are born into this world, you have certain natural abilities. Some of us have a natural ability in mechanics. Some have a natural ability in music. Others have a natural ability in art. There is a skill or a talent that God has given to each of us.
However, there’s a difference between spiritual gifts and natural abilities. In the spiritual realm, after we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God places certain gifts in our lives.
Ephesians 4:7 tells us, “However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ” (NLT). God has given some gifts to you. And God is the one who decides what gift (or gifts) you will have.
The Bible also says, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Romans 12:4–6 NLT).
There are gifts that God has placed into your life, and He has chosen to whom He will give what. The choice is totally up to Him. These gifts have nothing to do with any kind of merit on our part. Rather, they’re a result of God’s grace.
Paul mentions these gifts again in the letter he wrote to the church of Corinth. He pointed out, “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT).
We can’t go out and pick and choose what gifts appeal to us. We need to recognize that God has placed these gifts in our lives, and our main objective is to use them.
Of course, whenever you bring up the gifts of the Spirit, it causes some level of discomfort for certain people because of the abuse they’ve seen. It seems that whenever we hear the phrase “gifts of the Spirit” or “the power of the Spirit,” we often see excess. We often see the gifts misused.
What we see displayed may be so bizarre and erratic that we think, “If those are the gifts of the Spirit and that is the work of the Holy Spirit, then I want nothing to do with it.”
Yet what we are often seeing is not the gifts in action but an abuse of the gifts, a misuse of them outside the parameters that the Bible gives. We are not seeing what God really wants to do. God wants to work through our lives in a powerful and wonderful way. God has given us these gifts, and we need them.
We are living in dark times. In fact, the Bible tells us that the last days would be satanically energized times. People will go from bad to worse. We need all the power that we can get to effectively live for the Lord .
https://graceministriesusa.org
If you need prayer, help, support, or just someone to listen, we’re here, reach out anytime through our website.
8
views
A witness to a divided world
“Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
—Ephesians 4:3
One of the wonderful things about a healthy church is the diversity in it. That, in itself, is a witness to a divided world. It’s a powerful testimony when someone can come into an assembly of believers and see that we have set aside our differences and there is unity.
That doesn’t mean there is uniformity. It doesn’t mean that we all dress a certain way or wear the same hairstyle. That is not what the church is about. It is about unity, but it is also about a blessed diversity as each one of us discovers the gifts that God has put into our lives.
Christians are not supposed to be like assembly line products where each unit looks exactly like the others. God can take the same gift and place it into the lives of two people, yet it might manifest itself a little differently in each individual. They’ll have certain things in common, but they also will have unique traits as the Holy Spirit works through human personalities.
In chapter 4 of Ephesians, the apostle Paul wrote, among other things, about the various gifts God has placed in the church. This chapter shows us how important our individual place in the church is and the incredible gifts of the Holy Spirit that God has made available to us as believers today.
The gift that God gives to each believer is always the right one. We never should feel that we have to return it. It’s a perfect gift, and it’s always appropriate.
Sometimes, we may see the gift that another believer has received and feel envious. As a result, we’re not thankful for the gift that God has given to us. But we must realize that the gifts God has placed in our lives are always the best for us.
Sadly, many of us are not using these gifts. We don’t understand what our role in the church is, and we don’t even realize what we’re supposed to do when we come to church.
So, why does the church exist? The purpose of the church is threefold: the exaltation of God, the edification of the saints, and the evangelization of the world. We’re here to worship God, to build up one another, and to reach out to a lost world. We could sum it up in three words: upward, inward, and outward.
However, a lot of Christians drag their feet when it comes to going to church every week. The same excuses they make for skipping church don’t keep them from going to a movie or to the mall. Their excuses simply show their lack of desire to go.
The problem is that we think of church as something we attend merely as spectators. Yet Ephesians 4 shows us that God wants us to participate. He wants us to be involved in what He is doing, not just as observers but as laborers in the work that He has called us to do.
https://graceministriesusa.org
If you need help, someone to talk to, a helping hand, please reach out. I will do everything I can to help, anything and everything.
7
views
To truly know God
“In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. ”
—Hebrews 9:22
The classic hymn by Robert Lowry says, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Sometimes, even people who are Christians say things like, “I think that other people may find their own path to God. Who am I to say they can’t know God if they haven’t come through Christ? I found my way to God through Christ. But maybe someone else has found their way through another path.”
That may sound sweet and touching, but it is not biblical thinking. The Bible clearly teaches that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (see Hebrews 9:22). This is God’s order. He set it up.
In the Old Testament, a priest sacrificed an animal for a person’s sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ fulfilled all that the Old Testament pointed to. He became the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (see John 1:29).
Now, the only way that we can know God is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We can only come to God through Jesus Christ. And if we are not coming to Him through the blood of Christ, then we cannot know God.
We don’t come to God because we seek to follow the example of Jesus alone. No one can do that. If anything, if we were to take an honest look at Jesus’ life, it would show us how far we fall short. We don’t gain access to God because we try to live by the teachings of Jesus, as wonderful and profound as they are as the words of God to us.
It isn’t following His teaching alone that does it. If we honestly look at the teaching of Jesus, it will make us aware of our own sinful condition.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, among other things, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 NLT). He also said that God looks at our hearts as well as our actions.
His teaching drives us to Him. So, can we approach God because we’re worthy? No. It is built upon a relationship that stands, no matter what our state may be.
Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins. We put our complete trust in Him because it is only through His blood that we can approach God.
It is one thing to know that God has done this for us and to say that we believe it’s true. But we need to ask ourselves these questions: Have we applied it in our lives? Are we applying it to the situations that we’re facing?
We have open access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
If you need help, support, prayer or just someone to talk to, we’re here for you: “In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. ”
—Hebrews 9:22
The classic hymn by Robert Lowry says, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Sometimes, even people who are Christians say things like, “I think that other people may find their own path to God. Who am I to say they can’t know God if they haven’t come through Christ? I found my way to God through Christ. But maybe someone else has found their way through another path.”
That may sound sweet and touching, but it is not biblical thinking. The Bible clearly teaches that without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (see Hebrews 9:22). This is God’s order. He set it up.
In the Old Testament, a priest sacrificed an animal for a person’s sin. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ fulfilled all that the Old Testament pointed to. He became the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world (see John 1:29).
Now, the only way that we can know God is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We can only come to God through Jesus Christ. And if we are not coming to Him through the blood of Christ, then we cannot know God.
We don’t come to God because we seek to follow the example of Jesus alone. No one can do that. If anything, if we were to take an honest look at Jesus’ life, it would show us how far we fall short. We don’t gain access to God because we try to live by the teachings of Jesus, as wonderful and profound as they are as the words of God to us.
It isn’t following His teaching alone that does it. If we honestly look at the teaching of Jesus, it will make us aware of our own sinful condition.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, among other things, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48 NLT). He also said that God looks at our hearts as well as our actions.
His teaching drives us to Him. So, can we approach God because we’re worthy? No. It is built upon a relationship that stands, no matter what our state may be.
Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for us so that we could be forgiven of our sins. We put our complete trust in Him because it is only through His blood that we can approach God.
It is one thing to know that God has done this for us and to say that we believe it’s true. But we need to ask ourselves these questions: Have we applied it in our lives? Are we applying it to the situations that we’re facing?
We have open access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way.
https://graceministriesusa.org
23
views
Forgiveness, equals freedom
“They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.”
Nehemiah 9:17
Sometimes readers of the Old Testament focus on the wrath of God, but when they get to the New Testament, they see Jesus and focus on his forgiveness, kindness, and love. We see someone who is willing to die for our sins. However, both the Old and New Testaments show the same God as seen in Nehemiah.
God’s judgment does not mean He is an unloving God. The Israelites, His own people, saw God’s miracles and wonders and still wanted to go back to a life of slavery in Egypt. The verse in Nehemiah talks about how God forgave his people, even when they disobeyed him. God’s mercy is demonstrated through his restoration of them through the Promised Land. It means he still loves them and is working to perfect them.
That same God who showed love to the Israelites in the Old Testament is the same God we see in Jesus in the New Testament. God continually showed forgiveness and mercy to His people consistently throughout scripture and it was when Jesus died on the cross for our sins that he ultimately displayed that love for His people. God has always looked out for His people since the beginning. All we have to do is recognize that and believe.
Because of Jesus, we no longer have to endure the wrath of God, but we can bask in his glorious salvation. God used Nehemiah to show restoration to the Israelites. They were people who were lost, but now are found. Just like we are in Christ. The Israelites were restored to the Promised Land. Jesus saved us, so we can be restored and have a loving relationship with God. We can now belong to him as sons and daughters in Christ because of his grace and mercy.
This week, meditate on God’s word, both the Old and New Testament. Look at the similarities between the God who created the universe and the God who sent his one and only Son to save it.
3
views
A radical situation
If you need prayer, help, or just someone to talk to, please feel free to reach out anytime: https://graceministriesusa.org/
5
views
Prepared in advance for good works
“Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ”
—Ephesians 2:9
No one has ever achieved salvation through human effort. But if you really have found salvation, then people should be able to see visible results of that in your life.
A lot of people today claim to be Christians, yet there is absolutely no evidence in their lives to confirm it.
Paul clearly devastated any argument that works can produce salvation when he wrote, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT).
But he also was saying that salvation must produce works when he said, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (verse 10 NLT).
Works don’t save a person, but they are good evidence that a person is saved.
However, someone might say, “Hey, don’t judge me! It is not by works that we are saved; it’s by faith.”
While it is true that we are saved by faith, it is also true that if we are really saved, then there will be good works.
God has His plan for your life. He has a purpose for you to fulfill. Are you finding it? Are you moving in that direction, saying, “I have salvation, and because of that, Lord, what do You want me to do? What is Your plan for me?”
Or, are you wandering through life, saying, “I have salvation, so that takes care of that. Now, let’s move on to what I want to do.”
God has created you as His masterwork, His poem, His work of art so that you can do the good things that He planned for you long ago. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. He has work for you to do. And He is going ahead of you, preparing the way. God is manipulating all the resources of the universe so that the work you do will fulfill the plan He has for you.
And even when you face setbacks or crises in life, remember that God is working through, in, and around you.
Years after his brothers sold him into slavery, Joseph came face to face with them again and said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NLT).
Did it just dawn on Joseph at that very moment, or did he see this earlier? Whatever the case, it was an amazing statement. Think of Joseph’s exile, his betrayal, and the false accusations against him. Still, he could say, “God sent me here. God was in this.”
Maybe you’re facing a setback today. Maybe there’s a crisis going on in your life. Remember, you are a work in progress. You are under construction.
https://graceministriesusa.org
9
views
Better off but not better
Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. ”
—Philippians 3:8
If ever there was a man who had a spiritual pedigree, it was the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul. He was someone who had done it all.
In his own words, he said, “Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law” (Philippians 3:4–5 NLT).
Then, a few verses later, he made an amazing statement: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (verses 7–8 NLT).
Paul was saying, “I know all about self-righteousness. In fact, I obeyed the law so carefully, there was no one who could claim that I broke God’s commandments.” Yet Paul was saying that the things that he once considered valuable were worthless to him. They no longer meant anything.
We shouldn’t feel arrogant as believers. Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT).
Christians are not better than non-Christians. Are we better off? Yes. But are we better? No. I’ve often described myself as one beggar telling another beggar where to find food. We need to be humble because it wasn’t that long ago that we, too, were separated from God.
Sometimes people who were raised in a Christian environment or in a home where Christian values were honored develop a resistance to the gospel. There can be boasting in a spiritual pedigree.
Sometimes, we feel so proud of ourselves as Christians. We might sit in church and think, “Here I am at church while my children are in Sunday school, learning the Word of God. Right next to me is my spouse of twelve years. We’ve never had any problems in our marriage to speak of. Everything is going well in our lives. We’re very spiritual people.”
But we’d better be careful because the Bible says that pride goes before a fall (see Proverbs 16:18). And 1 John 2:16 warns, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world” (NLT).
The devil is cunning. If he doesn’t catch you in other sins, he might get you through pride. You might just slip and fall. So don’t boast.
6
views
The brilliant of God’s grace
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ”
—Ephesians 2:1
I am amazed by anyone who actually believes that people are basically good. I have to say that in many ways, they have more faith than I do to believe that.
As I see the depravity that humanity is capable of, I become more convinced of the fact that people are not basically good. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. And that is clearly what the Scriptures teach.
Ephesians 2:1–2 says, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (NLT).
In these verses, the apostle Paul paints a very dark background so that we might better appreciate the brilliance of God’s grace. Just as jewelers display beautiful gems on dark velvet so we can appreciate their splendor, so God, against a very dark background, shows us how bad we once were. But He also shows us what He can make us into.
It is this balanced understanding of humanity that gives the Christian the only logical and satisfactory answer as to why the world is the way it is.
Make no mistake about it: We are sinners to the core. We don’t have to teach our children how to sin. It comes quite naturally to them, just as it came naturally to us. We aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. It is in our nature.
Maybe you’ve heard the story of the scorpion and the turtle. The scorpion was thinking about how to cross a river when he saw a turtle sunning himself on the riverbank. So, he went over to the turtle and said, “My dear sir, I was wondering if you might give me a lift across this river here.”
“If I were to do that,” the turtle replied, “I think that you might sting me.”
“What would be the logic in doing such a thing?” the scorpion asked.
“Well, you have a point there,” said the turtle. “Climb on.” So, the scorpion climbed on the turtle’s back, and they started making their way across the river. But suddenly the scorpion lifted his tail and stuck it into the turtle, giving him everything that he had.
The turtle, knowing that they were both about to die, said, “I have just one question: Why did you sting me? Where is the logic in that?”
“There is no logic in it, dear turtle,” the scorpion said. “It is just my nature.”
We sin because it’s our nature. We do what we do because we are wired to do it. It’s the way we are built. It is not that we are products of our environment, although that can affect us to some degree. We can be in a perfect environment or a horrible environment and still sin.
It is just our nature. Yet God shows us what we can become by His grace.
7
views
A reason to rejoice
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
—Ephesians 1:5
If you knew the outcome of something before it took place, would you choose the option that would work in your favor or against it?
To put it another way, if you knew ahead of time what the winning lottery numbers would be, would you choose the right ones or the wrong ones?
God knew exactly how each of us would turn out. And He chose us from the foundation of the world. Maybe you’re saying, “I think the Lord made a mistake here because I’m a loser.”
No, God chose you to win. He chose you to become something that He will make you into. You might look at yourself and see only your flaws and shortcomings. But just remember that you are still a work in progress. God is not finished with you yet. And He will complete what He has begun in your life.
We might say that we “found the Lord,” but in reality, God wasn’t lost. We were. And, one day, we made the discovery that God loves us. We saw our need for Him, and so we chose Him. But God chose us first. Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit” (John 15:16 NLT).
God didn’t choose us because of any inherent merit or goodness on our part. It’s clear that, despite our best intentions and the high opinion we may hold of ourselves, God’s choice had nothing to do with that. Before God made the world, before sin even entered into it, God predestined us and chose us to be His children.
In fact, I believe that God has predestined every person to be saved. God wants us to be saved. He wants us to be forgiven. But the Bible also teaches that God gave us free will. Our choice does play into the matter, and I believe that we cast the deciding vote.
The doctrine of predestination is not something that we will understand, necessarily. Yet Jesus Christ shed His blood for everyone. Jesus said, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT).
Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “For this is how God loved the elect.” What He did say, however, is that God loved the world.
Romans 5:6–8 says, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (NLT).
Jesus died for all of us so that we might know Him. We may not understand why God chose us, and that’s okay. But let’s rejoice in the fact that He did.
http://graceministriesusa.org
If you need prayer, please feel free to reach out, even if you don’t believe, even if you don’t want to, specially when you don’t want to. God never left, we did.
18
views
Contentment is learned
Good day, welcome to Grace Ministries USA. My name is Ryan thank you for stopping by. Here at Grace Ministries USA we do lot, one of the things we do is put up a daily devotional, 5 times a week to help us think better, feel confident in our decision-making, know what to do in every situation without hesitation or doubt, not to be afraid, do not fear, to understand clearly the world through God’s eyes, not culture, not man they disappoint , to really know what is happening all around us currently. Today’s devotional
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ ”
—Hebrews 13:5
Often we think that contentment comes from what we have. We might even say, “If I just had this, then I would be content.” Or “If I were a bit more intelligent” or “If I were a bit better looking” or “If I were a little more successful” or “If I had a bit more money, then . . .” It’s a never-ending pursuit of something that is always just beyond our grasp.
Yet in Philippians 4, the apostle Paul revealed the secret of contentment. He said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (verses 12–13 NIV).
Paul was in prison when he made that statement. He didn’t receive his contentment from a theory in a classroom; it was from the school of life. He had experienced pleasure and pain, health and sickness, strength and weakness, wealth and poverty. To some he was a hero, and to others he was a villain. But he was someone who had found complete contentment.
Interestingly, Paul used the word “learned.” He had “learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” In the original language, it was a word the pagans generally used at the time to refer to some special attainment or an initiation into some hidden truth.
He used their word to essentially say, “I’ve found the hidden truth. I’ve found the secret of contentment.”
What’s more, the word Paul used for “content” means “self-sufficient.” Therefore, in the context of this epistle, Paul was speaking of sufficiency in Christ. He was saying, “It doesn’t matter where I am. I am content. I can be at the bottom of the bottom and be content there, because it is all about my relationship with God.”
Contentment isn’t based on what we have; it’s is based on who we know. Hebrews 13:5 says, “Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you’ ” (NLT).
We often will quote the latter part of that verse, but let’s also consider the entire statement. God is saying, “Be satisfied with what you have because I never will fail you or abandon you.”
God will be with us, no matter what we face in life. That is a great assurance. That is where we find our contentment.
As the psalmist David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need” (Psalm 23:1 NLT). If the Lord really is your Shepherd, then you will find satisfaction and fulfillment in Him. Therefore, if God blesses you with a lot, thank Him. And if you don’t have as much as you would like, recognize that your contentment comes from a relationship with Him.
Paul’s contentment came because of his close and intimate fellowship with Jesus. This lifted him above his circumstances and gave him the strength to deal with whatever came his way.
17
views
A sweet smelling sacrifice
At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. ”
—Philippians 4:18
We can talk all day about walking with God and relying on His strength, but if it doesn’t affect the way that we live and the way that we give, it means nothing.
There is perhaps no clearer evidence of spiritual maturity than financial generosity. Martin Luther, speaking of the Christian life, pointed out, “There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind, and the purse [or wallet].”
Writing to the Christians in Philippi, the apostle Paul said, “As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once” (Philippians 4:15–16 NLT).
Our finances are often the last area that we’re willing to turn over to God. We want to retain complete control. In fact, we are uncomfortable when someone brings up the topic. It may be that our discomfort is an indication that this area is not in its proper order in our lives as Christians.
The Bible does address it quite frequently. Not only does Paul address it in this passage, but it’s worth noting that money is the main subject of nearly half the parables that Jesus told. In addition, one in every seven verses in the New Testament deal with this subject.
How does that compare with other topics? The Bible offers about 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, and 2,000 verses on money. God wants this area to be in balance in our lives.
Paul continued, “At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (verse 18).
Epaphroditus had brought a special offering from the believers in Philippi. This deeply touched the apostle because it was a sacrificial gift. These believers gave sacrificially and cheerfully when others who were more able to give weren’t giving at all. That meant a lot to Paul because there were others who could have helped him but didn’t.
Paul was saying, “God bless you for this. It is a sweet-smelling aroma to God that you have given in such a way.”
Today most churches are supported financially by a relatively small percentage of people who give their tithes and offerings on a weekly basis.
Others, at best, give sporadically, while some don’t give at all. However, there is a core group that understands what the Bible teaches about giving, and they faithfully engage. And it’s because of their faithfulness that we have a ministry today.
God knows who they are. And through their faithfulness to Him, they make it possible for a lot of other people to be ministered to. They have discovered the joy of giving. And we might even venture to say that as a result, they have probably discovered the secret of contentment as well.
If you need prayer, please reach out: http://graceministriesusa.org
5
views
Fullness of Joy
“You make known to me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11
Joy is something that we all seek in our lives. We try to find joy in our jobs, relationships, hobbies, and possessions. We find peace in these areas or we find escapes from the stresses of life. However, the joy that we find is often fleeting. Moments of depression, loss, or heartache can make joy seem like a friend who never visits. Someone who we used to know but can no longer find. This can exacerbate the very feelings that lead to our loss of joy.
In this Psalm, David praises God for his care. He thanks God for not abandoning him and prays that God would care and preserve him. In this, David realizes that our joy cannot originate from the temporary pleasures of this world. Rather, our hope, joy, and safety only lie in God. There is no other source in this world that can match the unlimited generosity of God. While some sources of joy, such as relationships, can last a lifetime, the amount of satisfaction that we find in those things ebb and flow. It is dependent on the actions and attitudes of you and the person with whom you have a relationship. However, God’s love and care are not dependent on our feelings. It is there regardless of what we feel.
This doesn’t mean that we will always feel God’s peace and joy. If we turn from God or if we push away his gifts, we may not feel as David describes. However, unlike our human relationships, God will not abandon us if we turn from him. Rather, God will bring us back to himself like he did with Israel in the book of Hosea or as he did with our salvation as Paul describes in Romans 5:8 in that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is what is so glorious about the joy that comes from God. This joy is not dependent on us to work towards it or earn it. God gives these gifts freely to his people.
This week, seek after the joy that comes from God instead of the things of this world as only He can bring true satisfaction.
http://graceministriesusa.org
5
views
Give it your all
“You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? ”
—Galatians 5:7
The Bible is an honest book. It gives us its heroes, warts and all. It tells us the truth so that we can find hope and comfort from people just like us.
Just think of some of the individuals in the Bible who had so much potential but self-destructed in the end. Take Saul, for example. God had anointed him as the first king of Israel. God’s Spirit came upon Saul, the Bible tells us, and he prophesied.
King Saul had tremendous potential to do good things for his nation. But he disobeyed God and allowed pride and paranoia to destroy him, and he met a tragic end on the battlefield. Ultimately Saul had no one to blame but himself. He had everything he needed to make a difference, but he threw it away.
Then there was Samson, whom God had blessed with superhuman strength. He was able to vanquish his enemies with relative ease, yet he squandered his potential in continual compromise, culminating in his own death.
Samson had his moments of greatness, his moments when God worked through him. But it was Samson’s fault that he never fully realized his potential.
Gideon came from humble origins, but God chose him to lead the children of Israel into battle. God used him mightily to vanquish Israel’s enemies. But in the end, Gideon lowered his standards, and he fell into immorality and pride. His beginnings were good. He had his great moments. But everything came crashing down in the end.
Lifted like Gideon from humble origins, King David became beloved of God as the man after His own heart (see 1 Samuel 13:14). He was a good king, and God did use him. But like his persecutor Saul, David also played the fool and almost threw his entire life away. And to some degree, he undid some of the great good he had done.
Fortunately, in the end, David came to his senses. He repented, and God restored him. But it was not without facing the continual repercussions of sin in his own life. Here was someone who started well, who faltered and was almost destroyed, and in the last moment, he began walking with God again. Yet he still paid a price for it.
These people started out with great potential, but they didn’t all find their way across the finish line. Maybe you can relate to them. Maybe you’ve been sidetracked. Maybe there was a time when you had an intense commitment to Jesus Christ, but other things have begun to crowd Him out. It isn’t too late. Don’t let your life be wasted.
Maybe as you look at your spiritual life today, you realize that you’re not doing well. You realize that you’re easing up and slowing down. Or maybe you’ve even walked off the track, so to speak.
Now is the time to get back into the race and give it your all so that one day, you won’t wake up and realize that you’ve wasted the resources and potential God has given you.
http://graceministriesusa.org
9
views
1
comment
How to take on giants in your life
“And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
—1 Samuel 17:47
Sometimes as Christians we forget that we’re fighting a spiritual battle. A lot of the things that we’re facing in life have a spiritual element to them.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (NLT).
And when David went out to face the giant Goliath in battle, he said, “Everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:47 NLT).
In a spiritual battle, we must use spiritual weapons. The Bible tells us, “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:3–4 NLT).
What are spiritual weapons? Prayer is one of them. Have you ever noticed how big your problems can seem when you haven’t prayed? Worry overtakes you. It’s like a force all on its own. You can worry yourself into a frenzy.
Here’s what the Bible says about worry: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7 NLT).
When was the last time that you prayed about the problem you’re facing? Prayer puts things into perspective.
The next time you’re tempted to worry, pray instead. Pray about that problem. Pray about that issue. And ask other people to pray with you.
If you tolerate a Goliath in your life, he will take over your territory. For instance, maybe you think you’re going to go ahead and play around with a so-called little sin. You tell yourself that you know when to stop, that you won’t go too far.
Then one day you have a bona fide giant in your life, and you want it to go away.
You don’t reason with a giant or yell at a giant. You kill him. That is what David did. The Bible tells us that “as Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him” (1 Samuel 17:48 NLT). That’s the only way to take on a giant.
And remember, the battle is the Lord’s. Sometimes God will allow us to hit rock bottom, where we don’t have any human solutions. If you’re in this situation, you may think, “This is too difficult. I have tried everything. The only thing I can do now is trust God.”
That’s good. Then God will show you what He’s capable of. When you see God for who He is, you will see your giants for what they are. He is bigger than anyone or anything else.
15
views