We are saved because God loves us, not because we loved Him. Grace is a one sided covenant that is given by God. We don't earn it, and yet we receive it. How wonderful is this gift of grace.
All in Holy Spirit
We are saved because God loves us, not because we loved Him. Grace is a one sided covenant that is given by God. We don't earn it, and yet we receive it. How wonderful is this gift of grace.
Am I working hard enough and practicing my faith with enough diligence and dedication to, at last, be called a son of God? Is my faith increasing, and my everyday life reflecting that increase by exhibiting the characteristics of Jesus? Life doesn't grow easier for the Christian but it does grow more certain.
This morning I am asking myself the same question that the resurrected Jesus asked Peter... Do I love Jesus? And, in so doing, I think about what love truly is. Then I measure the depths of my love and ask yet again, Do I love Jesus? Finally, I explore what Jesus desires of me and ask one more time... Do I love Jesus? Am I worshiping, obeying, and following what Jesus expects of me out of love? How about the love He asked Peter if he had?
Do I leave a smidgeon of discontent behind when I resolve conflict or forgive others? Am I truly a free man, unbound from sin, if the smallest speck of what brought it on in the first place remains? What does the Word say about doing God's bidding completely?
Am I reluctant to claim the grace of God in all aspects of my Christian life? Do I attempt to walk the Christian way and only call on the grace of God when I stumble or face hardship? If so, then I am not trusting in Him, and my prayers are not without ceasing.
How many times have I experienced sorrow in my life? I would be unable to count them. Sorrow is a fact and the result of caring, loving, and regret. God uses sorrow for His purposes, and we should see His hand there. In our sorrow God teaches us of Himself.
Am I a sinner? Am I leading a life of innocence, or seeking to be pure? Will God forgive me when I sin against Him? These are the questions I am asking myself as I contemplate sin in my life, and the world around me.
Who have we prayed for today? Does the heart of an intercessor live within us? Are we hoarding the atonement of Christ, or sharing its realization with others? These are the questions to ask ourselves this morning.
It's colossal, it's stupendous, it's amazing, but just not what the Lord wants you to do. Do you think you are a million dollar man of God who is too good to be doing the minimum wage work of the kingdom? Maybe you need to think twice.
Am I running the race that God has laid out before me, or am I like the horse that never left the gate when the gun sounded? Is the call of the Lord fading into the distance, or am I following His call into an exciting adventure? These are the questions to ponder today.
Working out our own salvation; this is my contemplation this morning. What is my role in salvation, and has God been working in me willfully to His good pleasure?
Today I am mulling over what it means to really know God. What should a life be like that is fully engaged with the will of God? I am considering that place in faith where the struggle is less and the comfort has settled over us.
If left to our own devices, what would we be like? If God was withdrawn from our equation what would the solution of our life be? I don't know if I really want to contemplate this or not because something tells me I won't like what I find.
Have you received the Holy Spirit? Do you really understand what this means to us? Why did the apostles have to wait for this filling and what did they do as they waited? The answers to these questions might just surprise you. So let's have a brief lesson.
Does God visit with us day and night? Do we allow Him full reign over both our waking and sleeping hours? Have you ever had a heavenly visitation while sleeping, and if so, did you consider it real? That is the subject of my thought today.