Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the road we walk with Christ is a long one.  It is not straight, you will not always be moving forward, and there will be times when all you can do is let the Lord carry you through.  Each of us apart from abiding in Christ are prone to our flesh, to walk away from the God we love.  In my own life, I have been hurt by others, I have hurt others, I have had periods of life where I was running well with the Lord, and periods where I would question whether I was even a Christian.  In the end, each of us is called to find our rest in the gospel of Jesus.  In the noise of life, we have to sit still and let God refresh our soul with the pure gospel of Jesus.

Jesus humbled Himself, to die the death for sin that we all deserve.  He rose in victory, His righteous love being greater than all our sin.  We were not chosen of God because of our merit.  We were not chosen of God because he looked ahead and saw that we would be “good people”.  We were chosen of God by his grace, His unmerited favor.  Each of us has a calling on our lives, every bit of sin God is redeeming us from, every bit of hurt we have endured, will be used by God in ministry of the gospel to others.  So then, as we look forward, we are not the sum total of our experiences to date good and bad, we are more.  2 Corinthians 5:16-18 – “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” 

You are a minister of reconciliation.  Your past becomes your ministry, and your future is open to pursue God, pursue loving others well, and pursuing greater holiness in your own life.  As you go, you may encounter those who want to drag you down.  They will remind you of your failings, and there will always be failings on this side of eternity where our flesh still wages war within us.  I want you to be exhorted and encouraged as I have:

1 Peter 3:8-17 – “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” 

Brothers and Sisters, none of us are righteous except in Jesus.  When we are called to such humility and love to those who revile us, it is only possible through Christ in us.  Knowing how great our own sin is, and what it means for Jesus to love us when we were enemies of Christ, our hearts should not respond in anger, but in brokenness when we see someone’s heart apart from Christ.  We should see ourselves in them, and remember that we are all broken, in need of the grace of God daily.  In the end, as we entrust ourselves to our Creator, we entrust them to the same Creator, praying for grace and peace for all people through Jesus.  There is no other path for us.  In our living each day, in our suffering, and in our dying, we have one hope in this life, and that is Jesus.  We find our rest in Him alone, and He is faithful.  All other things in this life may pass away, but our hope in Christ is a hope that endures to the end.

To close, let us all have this mind in view:  Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

1 Timothy 1:12 – “I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.”

When we read our Bibles, when we hear a preacher speak, when we hear encouragement and loving rebuke from a brother and sister in Christ – what do you see? Is Christ there?  Words heard mean nothing.  Doctrine understood and known means nothing.  Actions performed mean nothing.  Faithful gospel preaching is good, right doctrine is good, and walking in holiness and service is good, but these are only a means to the One who matters, our Lord, Jesus Christ.  Do you know Him?  Not just things about Him, but do you know Him?  This isn’t a question of judgment, but encouragement.  The is peace in resting in Jesus, because you know Him, and are known by Him.  Look above at Paul’s writing in 1 Timothy – his hope doesn’t merely rest in a saving knowledge of right doctrine about Christ and His death and resurrection, His hope is Christ Himself.  Do you have that kind of relationship with Jesus?

I can tell you that there will be times when you have struggles.  There will be times when the greatest comfort you can have is to know Jesus.  He has made an end of your sin, and remembers all your sin, past, present, and future – no more.  He is perfect righteousness for you, He is perfect love towards you, His desire is for your fullness of joy.  His rebuke is always in love. He will never leave or forsake you, but does whatever is necessary to safeguard the faith He has entrusted to you.  Do you know Him?  My hope is that you do know Him, and go to Him daily to know more.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

The core of the gospel of Jesus is that God has done what we could not, the righteous has redeemed the unrighteous, to bring us to God in holiness.  It is from that, that we have our confidence – not in ourselves, because we bring nothing to the table with God, but in Jesus who has made a full payment for our sins, past, present, and future.  He has paid the debt we owed in full.  So as we run this race of life, how are we to consider our fellow brothers and sisters who sin against us, even as we know we are sinners ourselves?  In Matthew 18, immediately following guidance on how to pursue reconciliation with your Christian brothers and sisters, we are given guidance through a parable on what it means if we do not.

“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Jesus here is not saying to forgive only 490 times, but he is saying that if we are Christians, believing in the hope of the gospel, that we are sinners that have been saved by grace, we should be patient, understanding, and exhibiting a heart of love and reconciliation towards others.  Jesus gives the following parable in Matthew 18:23-35 –

““Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.  When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place.  Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.  And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’  And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.  So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

It’s helpful to know that a denarii was equal then to about a days wage.  A talent was 6,000 danarii.  So it would have taken about 16 years to pay off one talent.  The first debtor owed 10,000 talents, which would have taken 160,000 years to pay off.  This corresponds to our sins against God.  God is infinitely holy, and we were created in His image to glorify Him.  Therefore when we sin, our first sin is against our Creator and it is infinitely offensive.  As Christians, we have felt the weight of our sin before our Holy God, and have plead for His mercy.  Every one of us that is saved through Jesus, have been forgiven a debt we cannot fathom – the closest we get is when we look at the cross and see the infinite wrath of God poured out on our sin on Jesus.

When someone sins against us, it is still offensive.  The second debtor, although only 100 denarii, realized His debt against the first, and likewise plead for mercy.  The first, however, did not forgive the debt, and instead poured out anger against the debtor.  What is the King’s response to this?  His judgment is based on His own forgiveness and the lack of forgiveness in the heart of the first debtor in response.  He commands that the first debtor be put in jail until he should pay all his debt – corresponding to eternity in hell.  The second debtor may be in jail for a 100 days, but he would be free again, but the first, who did not forgive, would never be free again.

What does this mean for us?  First, that we should continually remind ourselves of how great a salvation and redemption we have in Jesus.  Every morning, every day – thank you God for saving me a sinner, help me to make much of the time you’ve given me today.  Second, it gives us a guidepost to ascertain how deeply the gospel has rooted itself in our own heart.  Only forgiven people are free to forgive – if you are not desiring to forgive, to point people to the One that has forgiven us in Jesus, then our hearts are being hardened to the gospel.  In times when we struggle with this, remember that we have God with us, to ask – help us forgive as we have been forgiven.  Let our hearts lead out with the gospel towards others.  The language of how Matthew 18 ends is key – forgiveness is more than mere words.  It is not saying you forgive while still harboring resentment and speaking negatively about a person behind their back – forgiveness is rooted in the gospel, remembering that all of us are sinners, and forgiving a person as we have been forgiven in Christ in love.

My exhortation, is that if there is someone, especially a fellow brother or sister in Christ, that you have not forgiven – ask God into your heart and into that relationship as to what He would have you do.  Let God encourage you and bring peace to your soul, and free you from any anger or bitterness that would harden your heart against the gospel.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

I love the Psalms.  Sometimes we can think only of God as distant, above our emotions and circumstances, but the Psalms destroy that idea.  The Psalms cover every type of emotional circumstance that can plague our hearts and reaching out to God as a compassionate helper and friend.

Psalm 88 is unique in that while most Psalms offer encouragement at the end, Psalm 88 does not.  Psalm 88 is just a Psalm of lament – crying out to God amidst horrible circumstances, confident that God hears.  At the same time the Psalmist appeals to God’s sovereignty, acknowledging that nothing good or bad happens apart from God’s design, and so He is crying out in despair to the God who is in control of all things.  Some would see this Psalm as depressing, but it is comforting to me.  It’s comforting to know that sometimes we don’t have to put on a facade of being happy Christians, as if that is what God requires of you.  Sometimes there’s a healthy amount of just being honest with God, that you don’t understand “why”, even while you hold onto the knowledge that God is good and hears your prayers.  It’s ok just to be sad and know that God is with you in the sadness.  Even Jesus wept when he saw the crowd of people lamenting over the death of Lazarus.

Psalm 88 ends in this way – ¹³ But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.  ¹⁴ O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?  Why do you hide your face from me?  ¹⁵ Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.  ¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.  ¹⁷ They surround me like a flood all day long;  they close in on me together.  ¹⁸ You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.“

This is a person who has encountered great suffering.  Afflictions and the loss of all those close to him – to the point of despair.  Yet, the psalmist crys out to God every morning.  He knows God is in control of all things, and is helpless before Him.  Psalm 88 doesn’t give an answer from God, or even an answer from within the Psalmist’s own rememberance of God’s promises, but because it’s Friday, I can’t leave you all without this encouragement.

We may never know all the “whys” of life.  Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us – “The secret things belong to the Lord our God”  God is in control of everything.  He is in control of every good and bad thing that will ever happen – yet He is good, and His delight is in you as His Son or Daughter in Jesus.

Lamentations 3:31-32 – “the Lord will not cast off forever, ³² but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;”

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

 

 1 John 4:10-12 – “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

When you consider the love of God towards you, that He would willingly look upon your helpless state – in bondage to a sinful nature and an enemy of God – and instead of God pouring out righteous holy wrath on you, instead takes your place in death to bear the just wrath of God in your place.  Are those words on a page only to you, or do you feel the weight of the love of God in them?

If you put a 400 pound weight on a dead person, they will feel nothing, but if you do the same to someone alive, it would be a very different experience.  So it is with the love of God in the hearts of Christians.  If you are spiritually alive – that is, if by faith in the gospel of Jesus, the Holy Spirit of God is in you – the love of God is transformative.  It changes your own heart and understanding of life around you, and it informs you as to how you ought to love others.

My exhortation today is to take 5 minutes and truly meditate on the love of God towards you in Jesus.  How has that transformed your own life?  How are you exhibiting that love towards others?  Be encouraged, as we walk our walk of faith daily, God is with us and for us – as we follow Him, His love is being perfected in us for our good and His glory.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

1 Peter 2:1-3 – “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

No one desires God for God, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  R.C. Sproul told a story a while back about a man who came to him asking if he was saved.  He asked the man a series of questions.  He said first – do you love God as you ought to love Him?  The man said no.  He then asked him if he loved God perfectly.  The man again said no, not even close.  So RC then asked Him, does He love God at all?  The man said, yes, and had his answer.

You see, people come to God for all sorts of reasons.  They come to God during times of hardship because they don’t want to be in hardship anymore.  They come to God in times of need because they don’t want to be needy anymore.  They come to God to ask for a great many things, but they never come to God simply asking God for more of Himself.  That is because they don’t love God, they love comfort and the things of the world.  If they call themselves Christian, they deceive themselves because they neither know God rightly, nor love Him for who He is.

Do you know God?  What do you know about Him?  Do you come to God ascribing to Him traits based on what seems right to you, or do you sit under His Word, and allow Him to reveal Himself to you rightly?  Do you love Him?  How do you love Him?  When you have to choose between God and comfort, who wins?  Christian, these are daily battles in the fight for faith that we all encounter.  We all would answer like the man above that none of us loves God rightly or perfectly, but my hope is that you do know Him and you do love Him, even imperfectly.

If you have come to know God and love Him; if you have tasted that the Lord is good – He is for you in every circumstance good and bad, then we are exhorted to cast off those things which draw us away from Him.  Put away anger – instead pursue peace and reconciliation.  Put away lies – and instead pursue honesty and integrity.  Put away self-righteousness – and instead be humble knowing that Jesus died for your sin, and the sin of the brother or sister you have conflict with.  Put away envy – and instead call to remembrance that this is not our home, our Treasure is in heaven, eternity with God in infinite joy in relationship with Him.  Put away slander and gossip – and instead seek to daily build up and encourage those around you.

We walk daily in repentance – quick to turn from our sin and to our God who died to make an end of sin and reconcile us to God.  None of this is possible though unless you have tasted that the Lord is good.  So look to Christ.  Who is He for you?  He has done more than save us from our sins, He has saved us to God, and He is very good.  He loves you.  He is for you, and He has plans for you.  What do you believe about God today?  Not from your head, but from your heart.  Do you want more of Him in your life, knowing that it means that He is calling you away from sin and towards Himself?  Stay encouraged and keep moving forward, knowing that in Christ you have a treasure that will never perish, and is greater than anything we can imagine.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

I’m sandwiching the last message that is rightly mean to inflict a healthy amount of respect and fear in us, before God, with two messages that remind us that we are not alone in our daily battles.  This is intentional, and ordained, as it also follows the writing in Hebrews.

Hebrews 4:14-16 – “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Each of us struggles in life.  We struggle with circumstances outside of our control, and we struggle with indwelling sin in our own hearts.  The most tragic thinking of a Christian is that they can sin their way apart from God, or that they feel like they cannot come to God because of present sin in their life.  You’re missing the whole point of Christianity and the gospel.  I say this as a reminder, because I have to remind myself of these gospel truths as much as anyone.

Jesus came to save sinners.  Not righteous people, but jacked up sinners just like you and just like me.  As you run this race with God, there are going to be times where you are running better than others, times where you are walking in greater freedom and joy in your relationship with God, and times where you are not.  In every circumstance we have an advocate in Jesus.  He is our hope, our salvation, and He intercedes with us not as sinners, but as those who He has redeemed by His blood.  If you believe on Christ – if you love Him and want to follow His will, He is your grace and mercy daily.  What sin in your life can compare to the blood of Christ?  What sin in your life did Jesus not overcome on the cross.  The grave is empty, the battle has been won, and Jesus sits, reigning in victory as we speak.

My exhortation is the same as Hebrews 4 states plainly above.  Let us with confidence, strong confidence in the finished work of Jesus, draw near to God seeking His grace and mercy, knowing that in Christ, we will always hear an answer of “Yes”.  Don’t allow yesterday to dictate the terms of today, but look to Jesus, run to Him, and find in Him all you need.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

One of the benefits and struggles of writing through the New Testament is that at times you come to passages that are not easy.  By nature, I’m not a “hellfire and brimstone” type of teacher – I’d rather focus my time on encouraging people in the gospel.  That said, God has put passages in His Word that are meant to be a harsh warning, to safeguard our faith, and that’s where we are today in Hebrews 3.

 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

¹⁶ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ¹⁷ And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? ¹⁸ And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? ¹⁹ So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

God secured the freedom of the Jewish people from their Egyptian slavemasters.  God led the people by night as a pillar of fire, and by day as a cloud covering.  God provided food to the Jewish people.  God was their redeemer, their protector, their provision – yet they esteemed him not.  The people grumbled against God, and sought to make their own God from their own hands as a golden calf.  Because of the people’s rejection of God, God did not allow them into the land he had promised them, but instead an entire generation died in the wilderness.

What happened?  These people had seen God unleash multiple plagues against the Egyptians to secure their freedom.  These people had seen God push back the Red Sea and all them to walk on dry land until they were secure, and then crushed their enemies the Egyptians.  God had provided in every way for the Jewish people.  Everything about the salvation of the Jewish people pointed to the gospel, God’s defeat of sin and death, His provision to them now, and His promise of a better future.

Despite all that God had shown them, these people did not believe God, and that was evident by their grumbling against Him, their making a false god – a golden calf, and other sins throughout their time in the wilderness.  Here is the key – disobedience is unbelief, and unbelief leads to death.  God spoke to these people daily through His provision and through Moses His prophet, yet the people did not listen.  These were people within God’s chosen who died in the wilderness, short of the promised land, which corresponds now to those who profess God among His people the Church, yet live lives of disobedience.  These people will ultimately fall away, and fall short of the promises of God – eternal life and joy in Jesus Christ.

Brothers and Sisters, this warning was not given to a select few, it is given to us all. There is not one of us who is so rooted in God that we can let our guard down to assume that we would not fall away from Him on our own.

1 Corinthians 10:12 – “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

This is why we are encouraged “Today” – if you hear His voice not to harden our hearts.  Is God convicting you of sin in your life?  Instead of justifying or shutting out that conviction, God is calling you to repentance, restoration, and peace.  Is God convicting you of unforgiveness in your heart?  Instead of justifying or shutting out that conviction, God is calling you to repentance, restoration, and peace.  Is God convicting you of greed?  a lack of love towards your fellow Christians?  an unwillingness to enter into fellowship with believers?  an unwillingness to remove yourself from bad people/situations that will lead you away from Him?  Every day, God speaks to us, just as He spoke to the Jewish people.  How will we answer?  Will we answer in pride or humility with faith?

We are not meant to go through life, alone.  Verses 12-13 take care of the exhortation today –  ¹² Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. ¹³ But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

We are all called to exhort one another in love, to call each other out in love, to point one another away from sin and towards the God who loves us, and who offers us true rest for our souls longings.  I’ve implied this before, but I want to be explicit now, because I feel God’s Word has spoken clearly and the cost is too high to allow for misunderstandings – if your closest friends are not people that are striving after God with their own life, you should find new friends.  I realize me saying that will not make me popular with some people, but ultimately I answer to God, and it’s not loving to allow people to continue on a path that leads to destruction.  If your close friends are not hard-followers of Jesus, I’m not saying never talk to those people again, but our closest friends must be people who will exhort us away from sin, away from a hard heart, and towards God in all things.  1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.”  I’m not at all saying you should find friends without sin in their lives, because we all have sin (1 John 1:8), but surround yourself with two or three fighters for faith – people who acknowledge their sin and are trusting in the gospel and the hope of Jesus to put sin in their own life to death, and can encourage you to do the same.  At the same time, these people should remind you of the truth of the gospel, and you should be able to see the joy of Christ in them, and you may be encouraged by them, and they by you.

My hope for my own life and all of yours is that none of us would be counted among those whose hearts were hardened by sin and fell away from God.  If any of this message was harsh, know that it is the love of God that wounds us for our own good.  Better a little pain now, than devastation later.  God is always with us and for us, even in His discipline.  Pragmatically, if you don’t know where to start – join a small group or recovery group at your church.  Be the person who encourages others, and find two or three there that you can encourage as well.  In all things remember that God has provided for us in Christ, and will provide grace to you day by day as you listen to His voice and follow Him.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

 

We do not follow a God who is far off, who does not understand us or our temptations and struggles daily.  Our God knows us, and sympathizes with us in our weakness.  Psalm 103:13-14 – “As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” 

Sometimes I wonder how much of our failures lie simply in being too prideful to be honest with ourselves and God.  If you want to follow God, but you find yourself saying, I don’t have the strength or the will to do what God calls me to do – that’s exactly where you should be!  The encouragement then is to call out to God who will supply you daily with grace to do what you cannot do on your own.  Jesus is the foundation and the fulfillment of this compassionate grace towards us.

Hebrews 2:14-18 – “ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵ and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. ¹⁶ For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Apart from Christ, we would life selfishly, for our own interests, because at some point you are going to die, and you might as well live it up as much as you can now.  That life is a life of slavery – you want more of life, knowing that at some point you will die.  You strive after happiness, knowing it is outside your control.  That is bondage.  If we stop and actually think about it, that is a crazy, depressing way to live.

For the “offspring of Abraham” (Christian believers according to the promise of God – Rom 9:7), Jesus has defeated the power of death and bondage to sin.  We know that our life doesn’t end.  We’re never going to die.  What are these 70, 80, 90 years compared to the eternity in Heaven that awaits us.  That is the freedom with have in Christ – to be free to pursue our eternal joy in knowing, worshiping, and experiencing God now.  Moreover, when we are suffering and tempted, we are no longer alone in that.  We know that our God has experienced it all, and therefore is able to be compassionate and walk with us in our difficult times.

Brothers and Sisters, if you are in Christ, you are a new creation.  If Jesus is your hope in all things, and you love Him, and are following after Him, know that He can sympathize with your every temptation, hurt, and failing.  Nothing is a suprise to Him, He is for you every moment of every day.  His mercies are new each morning, and you are free to right now, pursue joy in your relationship with him.  Let go of pursuing joy apart from Him, joy you cannot control and that will never ultimately satisfy the longings of your heart.  Trust Him, lean on Him, and remember He loves you enough to die for you.  He will never leave or forsake you.  His heart is for your joy, and He cannot give a greater source of joy than Himself as God to you.  Run to living water, rest in Christ.

Grace and Peace,

Adam

Titus 2:11-14 – “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Jesus is God’s grace for us.  He is the unmerited, undeserved, free gift of God, who gave His life, that we would have it.  If Christ is in you, then the grace of God is at work in you.  My question to myself and to us all, is can you see Christ at work in you in the ways described above?  Are you renouncing ungodliness and worldly passions or are you walking in them?  Is your life marked by self control, where you are submitting your life to Christ, or are you going about your life in whatever way seems best to you?

No one coasts as a Christian.  We are always moving towards or away from God.  What good works are you pursuing for God?  What is something you’re passionate about that God has put on your heart to do as a ministry?  Christianity is never meant to be boring, nor stale – God has a unique call on each of our lives to minister in ways only we can.  Here’s the great part, you don’t have to have everything figured out – just take a step in some area of your life, asking God to give you more grace as you pursue Him.

The Word of God is not a suggestion for Christians.  God’s Word is eternal.  We submit our lives to God, knowing that God is for us and will walk with us through whatever struggles we encounter in this life.  When we are 80 years old, looking back on our life, will we regret the times we followed God or the times where we did not?  God is our portion forever.  Whatever is right, whatever is good, whatever is done out of a love for God and a love for others, these are the things that bring glory to God, and consequently also what will bring us into closer fellowship and joy with God.  What is God calling you to do today?  Whatever step that is today, embrace it with boldness, knowing that it is Christ at work in you.  That is my prayer for us all today, that we would be bold in Christ, to focus on hearts and lives on Him.

Grace and Peace,

Adam