Month: May 2019

A Passion for Christ

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD5 Comments

The apostle Paul had a passion for Christ.
Martyrs die in their passion for Christ.
His disciples live their passion for Christ.

To have a passion for Christ, we must know Him. To know Him, we must read, study, and hear Christ preached. We must have His Spirit within us.

Our Pastor, Chris Strevel, is preaching through the Gospel of Luke ~ with a passion for Christ that shows in his sermons. Yesterday’s was another one that touches the heart of those who love the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Chris’ father and mother’s passion for Christ was passed down to him. His father lived fifteen years with an injury as a Vietnam veteran. In and out of hospitals, he preached Christ with amazing results ~ hopefully, to be shared as his mother is in the process of documenting their story.)

Jesus Christ the Mighty Savior ~Sermon Outline:
I. His Words Come with Power (vv. 31-32)
II. He Delivers from Demons and Disease (vv. 33-39)
III. He Preaches the Kingdom of God (vv. 40-44)
IV. Is Jesus Christ Your Mighty Savior?

 

Remembering Whose We Are

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, TRUTH10 Comments

At different times in this life, we tend to forget things ~ a person’s name, an event, directions, etc. The human mind is not always under our own control. As we age, time can take its toll on our memory.

As I am nearing my eightieth birthday, losing my memory is not what I want to think about. Still vivid in my mind are those years of caring for my mother, who died at the age of 92 after suffering through years of dementia.

This experience left me with many things to consider, which we have published in our books. For this article, one thing is on my mind.

It is to remind and encourage God’s children to spend time with Him ~ quality time ~ every day, getting to know our heavenly Father through His Word, Jesus Christ,  and communion in His Spirit; and to teach your children.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful,
and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12

When we are unable to think or speak as we normally do, we naturally go into default mode ~ deferring to the things in which we are rooted and grounded.

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;
that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
 may be able to comprehend…” 
Ephesians 3:17

What has been established in our hearts and minds is our one hope that brings us through times of uncertainty. Filled with His truth and grace, we can be assured that we are in His care ~ wrapped in His glory, forever.

My prayer at this stage is that the Lord will keep me filled with His grace, surrounded by His love, caring for me. Even when I forget everyone else and my own mechanisms fail, I pray to remember whose I am as a witness to others of His grace ~ for His glory.

Dear Father, show us who you are,
that we may remember whose we are.
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Fran

Suggested Reading: First Things That Last Forever;
The Garden of God’s Word
What the Holy Bible Says about The Word of God
Child Keeping: God’s Blessing to Parents

Just When We Thought

On By francesrogersIn CONTENTMENT, GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, TRUTH11 Comments

We were beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel……

It was mid-2006. Mother had continued to decline in the four years she lived with us. Her physical condition was adding its toll to her dementia. We had done all we could since my dad died of cancer several years before.  While caring for her, we kept two of our granddaughters two days a week ~ a joy and a respite for us and Mother.

But, something had to give.

Her month in a nursing home before she died did not make life any easier. Even so, we hoped this would end our adventures with adversity. No so. Five weeks through the settling of her small estate, Jerry had emergency by-pass surgery on his left leg.

A month later, his leg had to be amputated. After three years of not healing, he had a third surgery to remove the graft inserted for the by-pass.  The stump finally healed seven months later and for a short while he used a prosthesis with a walker. But it is still painful.

For the last two years, he has not driven a car, walked, or worn a shoe because of issues with wounds that would not heal. His heart disease and diabetes are not our best friends.

Why am I rehashing these affairs? One reason is to witness of the fulness of God’s grace during trials in this life and to compare the lives of God’s children to the children of Israel as He delivers us from our bondage to self and sin and brings us through this wilderness to His promised land for us.

A Worse Scenario
God’s people had been in bondage four hundred years when the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt. Their case before Pharoah to deliver Israel only made their condition worse. Not only were they still required to make bricks, but they had to find their own straw. They could not understand how the Lord was working for their freedom.

“Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Exodus 5:20-21

Like the people of Israel, we cannot see how the Lord is working on our behalf until we get past a breaking point. Adversity is His means of proving His presence and power in the lives of His children, enabling us to live in the assurance He gives and to praise Him every day.

“My brethren, count it all joy
when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work,
that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
James 1:2-4

More and more, we are learning what Paul meant when he said, “I have learned to be content.” Jesus becomes more precious with each trial, endears us to Him and excites our hope for eternal life with Him.

It is in the “something has to give” times that He fills us with His grace and shows His mercy ~ growing us in the process to understand the truth and reality of His promises. Christ in you ~ the hope of glory is experienced in every turn of this life, bringing us closer and closer to Him, His glory and His joy.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time
are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us.”
Romans 8:18

Dear Father, as we are still learning what it means to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray your Holy Spirit to prove us to be yours. Fill us with your grace and make us know your goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives; that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Fran
Suggested Reading: TWO FULL PLATES ~ Learning to be a Caregiver

Image: Pixabay

Delight in the Sabbath

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S WORD1 Comment
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath,
    from doing your pleasure  on my holy day,
and call the Sabbath a delight
    and the holy day of the Lord honorable;
if you honor it, not going your own ways,
    or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 
  then you shall take delight in the Lord,
    and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; 
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 58:13-14

Image: Pixabay/David Mark

Hope, Hope, and More Hope

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD1 Comment

The world gives us every reason to despair.

What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life? Job 6:11

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope. Job 7:6

So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish. Job 8:13

The Lord, our God is the one reason for hope. Let us as His people flood the airwaves in our speech and all communication, with the truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
Colossians 1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Gracious and loving Father, for those who may be without hope today, I ask your mercy to be upon them. By your Spirit, draw them to your Word and to your Son. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Fran
(Please forgive any inconsistency in this format. WordPress is unsure and uncooperative today.)

Words of Life ~ AVOID

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, Words of Life A-Z3 Comments

How often do we consider the word AVOID? For a culture of “anything goes” ~ God accepts us as we are ~ we are incapable of sensing what God wants for His creation. The main focus for us as His children is our heavenly Father, who He is, and what He commands for us.

The Words of Life~ LIFE through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ ~ are revealed by His Holy Spirit through His Holy Word. His Word at intervals provides warning signs that point to the dangers that keep us from this LIFE. The enemy always waits and attempts to divert our attention and to block the paths of righteousness Christ has provided and opened for us.

Compared to the many beautiful Words of the Kingdom, there are only a few ways the word avoid are used; less in the Old Testament than the New. We do well to consider these.

The Garden had only one avoidance among all the wonders, beauty and provisions. There was only one thing that kept Adam and Eve from the Tree of Life. They did not have the ability ~ left to themselves, to their free will ~ to avoid that one thing. So too, we need Christ within us to avoid the things of this world.

Old Testament H5437
Strong’s Concordance defines AVOID; cabab sä·vav’; to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards

“And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 1 Samuel 18:11

The reference to David’s experience
with Saul is a good reference to the word avoid. The javelin missed its mark because David turned from the mark to which Saul cast. David saw it coming and moved.

This reminded me of the word repentance in the New Testament. We turn from the direction we are going (which is straight toward the javelin of the devil) from the path of the multitudes and destruction. We avoid at all costs those places, those people, and those things that are dangerous.

H6544 para`pä·rah;to let alone; to loosen; by implication, to expose, dismiss

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.”
Proverbs 4:14-15

New Testament G1578
Strong’s Concordance defines AVOID: kklinōek-klē’-nō; to turn (one’s self) away, to turn away from, keep aloof from one’s society to deviate, i.e. (absolutely) to shun (literally or figuratively), or (relatively) to decline (from piety).

Paul’s instructions to the Roman Christians is in relation to people ~ those who cause divisions and offences contrary to doctrine. They were to avoid those who were teaching false doctrine.

“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
Romans 16:17

Immorality is specifically addressed in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church.

“Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” 1 Corinthians7:2

As Paul instructed young Timothy and Titus, he included those things they should avoid ~ profane and vain babblings, oppositions of science, foolish and unlearned questions, genealogies, contentions, strivings about the law~ these were unprofitable and vain.

“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
1 Timothy 6:20

“But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” 2 Timothy 2:23

“But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” Titus 3:9

While we endure opposition from the outside, we should be careful how we as members of the body of Christ relate to each other. There are more things that we have in common than to waste our time quibbling over other things.

The multitudes look at the church and wonder how we think we are any different than they are when we are in constant opposition against each other. These strivings and contentions are to be avoided if we are to experience the true life of Christ.

Blessed Father in heaven, you are so good to fill us with your grace ~ Christ in us, the hope of glory. By your Holy Spirit, work in us the truth of the Life that is ours in Him. Teach us to see and avoid the javelins that are thrown at us every day. Enable us to move away from those areas and those people whom the enemy uses to hinder our growth and ministry in your kingdom. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Fran

When Jesus Cleans House

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, Uncategorized2 Comments

A new thought for Filled with Grace ~ Wrapped in Glory.

 

 

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
1 Corinthians 3:16

 

 

Christ in you, the hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27) ushers in a new life in which He changes everything. You are His building, His temple, His field. All belongs to Him. He cleans house ~ every nook and cranny He knows intimately. If He is to live there, He must have full reign to make things suitable for Him.

“And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;” Luke 19:45

He casts out the spirits within and takes up residence so that they cannot return. (Matthew 12:45)

“But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Hebrews 3:6

Praise the Father for His indwelling power to conform us to the image of His dear Son (Romans 8:28-29) ~ through His Word and Spirit, by His grace and for His glory. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Fran

The Muddy, Murky Waters and the Monstrous Mushroom of the Multitudes

On By francesrogersIn GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, TRUTH6 Comments

 “And we know that we are of God,
and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”
1 John 5:19 KJV

“We know that we are from God,
and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
1 John 5:19 ESV

How can we, as God’s people, endure this world’s evil environment?
We are inundated on all sides, surrounded by the pollution of wickedness and oppression that pervades this earth. More and more, we are becoming persecuted; many are dying because they follow Christ. These are the muddy, murky waters in which we live.

If this was not enough, the news of this world’s wickedness covers the airwaves. Any hope that should be ours in our Lord Jesus Christ is smothered by the cloud of despair that, if possible, would make our faith useless.

Such conditions of this world perpetuated by the masses whose only God is self has to be addressed and overcome by those whose hope is in Jesus Christ ~ the only power to live in this present world without being drowned with the multitudes or caught up and carried away in the monstrosity of repetition.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Illustration:
From a body of water looking inland, the Bible is the dock. “The muddy, murky waters” are strewn with fetuses, guns, syringes, devices, etc.
Above is a dark, “monstrous mushroom” ~ an overarching cloud reflecting the elements in the water.
Slicing through the middle of the mushroom is light from above shining on the path extending inland from the dock.
The light and brightness in the background add color in the middle of the darkness. (Kourtney, our granddaughter, is working on this.)

 It is only through God’s Word that we learn the truth about life, and by which we know our only hope of salvation in this world. Christ in us and us in Christ is the power to live through the degradation of this world victoriously and to rescue others.

 

 

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
That ye may be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,
among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life.”
Philippians 2:14-16

Such is the need for the truths of God’s Word in our newest book in progress. Filled with Grace ~ Wrapped in Glory is the presentation of the spiritual truths for which Jesus came to earth, died, arose, and ascended to heaven, sitting now at the Father’s right hand as our High Priest interceding for us.

By the power of His Holy Spirit, He is living in His followers. Not only is He living is us, but we are living in Him ~ raised with Him and made to sit together with Him in heavenly places.

Truths from God’s Word
The Holy Bible ~ God’s Holy Word ~ is filled to overflowing with the revelation of His Holy power working in and around us ~ the same power that raised Him from the dead. Although threatened at every turn by the enemy, the Holy Spirit is finishing His work on earth to bring us safely to Him.

We must understand the power that is ours in Christ if we are to overcome the conditions in which we live and endure to the end.

 “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us,
because he hath given us of his Spirit.”
“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God,
God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”
“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love;
and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
1 John 4:13,15,16

Two Books at the Same Time
A few weeks ago, I mentioned working on Focus, Balance, and Order, a book started a few years ago. As I began to see where this was going and was focusing on our heavenly Father, I was led further back to eight years ago when I started this blog.

The name God’s Grace ~ God’s Glory was not an immediate choice.  It was given after considering many others ~ an answer to my desire for this to be God-centered and only for His glory. Soon after, this title Filled with Grace ~ Wrapped in Glory came to mind without any understanding of what it meant.

It wasn’t until a few years later, through His Word, the Lord began to show me the riches of His promises to live among His people. The kingdom is within you made more sense than ever before. 1 John 5:4:13-15, together with all the references of Christ living in us and us in Christ began to germinate from the seed planted in 2011.

In the last week, His Word has been profound as these truths continue to be a reality. The more I focus on God, our heavenly Father, His Son, and His Word the easier to see His balance and order in the world for His people.

As I study and search His Word, I am in awe and know that I am not worthy to handle such precious gems of truth. I sense a deep need to experience these truths before I can write them for others to understand. I pray and trust that He will fill me with His Spirit and grace to progress in this work ~ by His grace and for His glory.

My hope along the way is to share how our Lord is completing this work in and through me. Your prayers and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Dear Father, oh, how we need you to reveal your presence among us, Christ living in us by the power of your Holy Spirit, filling us with your grace, covering us and surrounding us with your glory. Show us these truths through your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray and praise you. Amen.
Fran