I started listening to a sermon this morning from Chuck Swindoll about the book of Job.
Just a few thoughts:
Life is all about God and His glory.
Life is not about me.
To think that life is about me is very flawed and very not true.
We have to think vertically, we have to get perspective, we can't keep thinking horizontally.
The book of Job really isn't about suffering, it's about faith.
Job didn't do anything wrong. Job didn't deserve to lose everything.
But God allowed it so that He might be glorified.
Job got this. Job understood. Job understood because He had perspective.
Perspective is so key.
No matter where you are or what you are going through, God is in control. He is holding you in His arms. He has set boundaries around you and nothing can touch you if He doesn't allow it.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Grace That Won't Let Me Go
I'm working on starting a couple of new blogs, one about money and one about grace.
I've been having so many ideas recently. Cool ideas. New ideas. I'm excited about where life is headed and I'm excited about life today.
One of the concepts that has stuck with me today is this: "Grace won't let me go."
This concept is big but it's so simple.
I will elaborate more on this later, but everything comes down to grace.
When we are going through trials, grace gives us strength to endure.
When things don't go like we want them to, and dreams fall apart, grace is there.
When plans are shattered and life doesn't look like we thought it would, grace is sufficient.
His grace is sufficient.
I am not sufficient, I am not able on my own. End of story.
But God is, and He does.
Even when we walk through life's darkest moments, He is with us.
When we walk through the valley, He is there.
And when we don't know the answers, and when we don't even know the questions, He is the answer and He is the one that holds us.
We don't even know what to pray for - Romans says - so the Spirit intercedes for us.
Do we get that? We are NOT able on our own.
We can't even pray on our own
We have nothing apart from grace - it's all grace
And when there's nothing else to hold onto, and when we can't even hold on to God, He is there
He cares
He knows
He holds
His grace is sufficient
When we can't even hold onto Him, He is holding onto us.
Grace will never let me go
And I'm so thankful for that kind of grace
It's that kind of grace that drove Him to the cross - to die - to be broken - to be poured out
And just like He poured out Himself at Calvary for you and for me,
He still lavishly pours out His grace all over His kids
His grace really is an endless ocean
Our lives are so full of grace if we will but open our eyes to see
Even in the valley, even when the sun isn't shining, His grace will never let me go.
I've been having so many ideas recently. Cool ideas. New ideas. I'm excited about where life is headed and I'm excited about life today.
One of the concepts that has stuck with me today is this: "Grace won't let me go."
This concept is big but it's so simple.
I will elaborate more on this later, but everything comes down to grace.
When we are going through trials, grace gives us strength to endure.
When things don't go like we want them to, and dreams fall apart, grace is there.
When plans are shattered and life doesn't look like we thought it would, grace is sufficient.
His grace is sufficient.
I am not sufficient, I am not able on my own. End of story.
But God is, and He does.
Even when we walk through life's darkest moments, He is with us.
When we walk through the valley, He is there.
And when we don't know the answers, and when we don't even know the questions, He is the answer and He is the one that holds us.
We don't even know what to pray for - Romans says - so the Spirit intercedes for us.
Do we get that? We are NOT able on our own.
We can't even pray on our own
We have nothing apart from grace - it's all grace
And when there's nothing else to hold onto, and when we can't even hold on to God, He is there
He cares
He knows
He holds
His grace is sufficient
When we can't even hold onto Him, He is holding onto us.
Grace will never let me go
And I'm so thankful for that kind of grace
It's that kind of grace that drove Him to the cross - to die - to be broken - to be poured out
And just like He poured out Himself at Calvary for you and for me,
He still lavishly pours out His grace all over His kids
His grace really is an endless ocean
Our lives are so full of grace if we will but open our eyes to see
Even in the valley, even when the sun isn't shining, His grace will never let me go.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Captured By Grace
I've been absolutely floored by the concept of grace over the last several months.
To say that I've been thinking about the concept of grace a lot is a major understatement.
Grace isn't just a concept, it's a reality.
Grace is alive.
Grace is living, breathing, moving and doing.
Grace is the whole reason that we can even call Him Father.
Let me talk about one simple story of grace as we see it in the book of Acts.
In Acts 9, we are told that Saul was headed towards Damascus to capture Christians when God stopped him dead in his tracks.
Acts 9:3-6 - "Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
God miraculously reached down into Saul's life. God saved him that day on the road. God called him out of the kingdom of darkness and brought him into the kingdom of light.
Later, we see that God changed Saul's name to Paul.
God took this man that had formerly persecuted the Christians and transformed him into an apostle whom He used to build His Church.
Grace is miraculous.
Grace takes sinners and brings them into God's family.
Grace can reach anyone. Anytime. Anyplace.
Grace changes everything.
To say that I've been thinking about the concept of grace a lot is a major understatement.
Grace isn't just a concept, it's a reality.
Grace is alive.
Grace is living, breathing, moving and doing.
Grace is the whole reason that we can even call Him Father.
Let me talk about one simple story of grace as we see it in the book of Acts.
In Acts 9, we are told that Saul was headed towards Damascus to capture Christians when God stopped him dead in his tracks.
Acts 9:3-6 - "Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
God miraculously reached down into Saul's life. God saved him that day on the road. God called him out of the kingdom of darkness and brought him into the kingdom of light.
Later, we see that God changed Saul's name to Paul.
God took this man that had formerly persecuted the Christians and transformed him into an apostle whom He used to build His Church.
Grace is miraculous.
Grace takes sinners and brings them into God's family.
Grace can reach anyone. Anytime. Anyplace.
Grace changes everything.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)