May 2018 - GraceAndWorks

Some will say, “I’m doing what God wants.” Some will say, “I think I’m doing what God wants.” Some will say, “I’m trying to do what God wants.” Some will say, “It doesn’t matter because God will save me anyway.” Some will say, “I don’t want to!” We use excuses and not reasons, when we do things our way and not God’s way. Maybe you don’t know what God wants. Reading and studying the Bible will fix that. Maybe you’re just lazy and think I’ll start tomorrow.

I believe it comes down to two factors” 1) Disobedience. Many don’t want to be obedient to anything or anyone. They want it their own way and nobody, even God, can change them. 2) Faith. A lack of Faith will come from a lack of knowledge and with that we have a lack of Wisdom and understanding. Studying and prayer are the answers to this.

Hebrews 11:1-3 says, “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the Elders obtained a good testimony. By Faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

Matthew chapter 17:13-19 tells a story of a man coming to Jesus and asks for help because his son is epileptic. He had taken him to Jesus’s disciples and they couldn’t cure his son. Jesus rebuked the demon and the child was cured. The disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast the demon out and Jesus answered them saying, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have Faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” A mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds there are and Jesus tells us if we just have that much Faith, we can move the mountains out of our lives. A mustard seed, just like our Faith, has to be watered, fertilized, and tended to, in order to grow to an adult plant. We need to study and learn to do what God wants so we can become mature Christians (Our watering, fertilizing, and tended to). There are a lot of good people doing many good things that are not obedient to what God wants done. God says, “Obey my commands and I will prepare for you a place (Heaven).”  Disobedient, and you will have no place with God.

Lastly in Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I NEVER KNEW YOU, DEPART FROM ME , you who practice lawlessness.” That, my friends, is one of the scariest passages in the entire Bible.

The Bible is VERY clear that there are two places: The one God has promised to us for being obedient and the one Satan dwells in for those who don’t want to do what God wants you to do. The choice is yours to make. Make the right one!!

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

The story , in Luke Chapter 15, of the prodigal son has three different characters. Which one are you?

The younger son asked, and received, his inheritance early from his father. After a few days, he gathered his things and left. He had what he wanted–money and no cares. We refer to it as “Wine, Women, and Song.” He was living the “Life.” Eventually he spent all he had, and there came a famine in the country where he was residing, and found himself wanting. He found a job feeding a man’s swine out in the field, yet no one would give him anything. He thought to himself that even his fathers servants had more to eat than they needed, so he decided to go home and apologize to his father. As he was nearing home, the father saw him, ran to meet him, and called for a welcome home party.

The father showed his undying love for his son and welcomed him back with open arms. The kind of love that we wish we all had.

The older son, who stayed home, worked with his father, and did what he was expected to do, got angry when he found out what was going on. He was so angry that he wouldn’t even go inside to join the party. His father came outside and pleaded with him to come inside. Then the older son said, “I’ve stayed home with you and followed your every command and yet you never gave me a young goat that I might party with my friends.” The father told him, You never left my side and what I have you also have.”

The point of this story, as Jesus told it is this, our Father, God, will show us the love that the father showed and forgive us as the father forgave his son. All we have to do is say, “I have sinned and I need to repent.” I’m thankful that I have a forgiving, loving, and merciful Father.

So…..the question is this–Are you the mess up that the younger son was, the angry son that didn’t understand, or the father with happiness, love, and forgiveness for his son?

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.

Parents taken for granted. Kids think they will be around forever, then, one day they are gone. I hear people say, “I wish I would have…………”

Kids are taken for granted. Parents think they will always be OK. Then something goes wrong and the parents ask, “Where did we go wrong?”

Jobs are taken for granted. We think we can’t be replaced and everything is going to be OK forever. Then we come to work and find something has happened and we no longer have a job.

Everyday things are taken for granted.We turn the hot water on and expect it to be hot. Then one day it isn’t. When we touch the on button for the remote we expect the TV to come on. Then one day it doesn’t. We turn the light switch on and expect the room to light up.Then one day it doesn’t. We go to the car and put the key in the ignition and expect the car to start. Then one day it doesn’t.

We take marriage for granted. We think we’ll always get along and there will be no problems.Then one day there are problems.

We take our health for granted. We think we are invincible and nothing can go wrong. Then one day we have to see the Doctor and there are problems.

We take God for granted. Life is going along smooth. The road becomes bumpy and it’s full of curves. Then we find ourselves off course and in the “Ditch.”

Most of the things I have listed, we can fix by ourselves. Except when life derails. Then we  talk to God and ask for His help. He gives the help and we go on like nothing happened until the next time we need His help. I wonder what has happened in between “happenings.” Do we still talk to God? Do we thank Him for all the good we have? Or do we take Him for granted that He will always be there for help. This reminds me of the story about the Israelites when they came out of Egyptian captivity and were in the middle of the desert. Things would be going along just fine and they would forget about God. Suddenly things would go sideways and then they would bow down and ask God for help. This type of behavior cycles over and over.

Don’t get yourself in a position where you take God for granted.

SMILE God loves YOU!! Have a good day all.