Saved By Grace
EPHESIANS 2:8-9 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t
take credit for this; it is a gift from God.
9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,
so none of us can boast about it.
Being saved, and in right standing with God, is a gift! It is
something we don’t deserve, but is freely given to us anyway.
We cannot earn it no matter what we do. Deliverance from the
curse, and right standing with God, is available only as a free
gift.
ROMANS 11:6 NRSV
6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works,
otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
It is not what we have done that matters, but what Jesus did
for us. He was our Substitute, suffering what we deserved, so
we could receive what He deserved as a gift.
God Himself has done what is necessary for us to be saved and
be in right standing with Him. Now we must believe in what God
has done, and thank Him for it.
ROMANS 4:5 NLT
5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their
work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
People all over the world try to be right with God by what they
do: rituals, sacrifices, and devotion. But the Bible reveals we
cannot be right with God by our own actions — it is a gift we
must receive.
ROMANS 3:20 NLT
20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the
law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
By keeping the law it is impossible to be right with God,
because no human being can keep it by their own effort. We have
all sinned, according to the Bible.
ROMANS 3:23 NLT
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious
standard.
God does not grade on a curve. All have sinned and come short.
So we all need a Savior.
ROMANS 10:9-10 NLT
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right
with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are
saved.
So salvation is a free gift. Anyone can receive it. It comes
wrapped up in a person — the Lord Jesus Christ. Receive Jesus
– no matter who you are or what you have done — and instantly
you are saved (which means delivered) and put in perfect right
standing with God, as if you had never sinned. What a gift!
SAY THIS: I am saved by God’s wonderful grace.
Who Will Govern?
ISAIAH 9:7 NLT
7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule
with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of
Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
This is the question we must face, both as individuals and as
nations. Who, or what, will be our “king?” Who will be our
“supreme court?” (By “supreme court” I do not mean a group of
people who meet in a building, but the final authority that we
base our ideas, principles, and actions upon.)
We have a choice. We can choose Jesus Christ and His Kingdom of
Love, Light, and Life. Or we can choose selfishness and
darkness and death.
Whenever we reject Jesus and His Word from ruling over us,
whether as individuals or as a nation, we choose darkness.
I do not advocate any religious control over government. What
we need instead is people in government who know the truth and
will speak and act in truth and not out of self interest. We
need people in secular government who are submitted to Jesus as
their Lord and are willing to live and govern with His love for
mankind, instead of acting in self interest.
MATTHEW 6:10 NLT
10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
SAY THIS: Jesus, and those who have died with Him to self
interest, are qualified, and should be selected to govern.
Four Main Keys To Abundance
2 CORINTHIANS 9:8 NKJ
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that
you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an
abundance for every good work.
No matter how little you make, acting on these 4 keys will
insure a brighter financial future. Neglecting them, no matter
how much you make, will eventually cause a financial crash.
1. Believe God desires to prosper you.
True belief requires evidence. God’s Word has the evidence to
convince you: God’s will is abundance for all. The world system
constantly shouts a different message, so we must continue to
feed on the truth of God’s Word to keep our faith strong.
2. Worship God with a portion of all your income.
You need God’s blessing in your finances. Put God first. Don’t
neglect this.
3. Spend less than you make.
“If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be
your downfall.” Consume all you make and you will never have
anything.
Discipline yourself to never spend all your “seed.” Always save
some to invest for a future.
4. Invest the rest, prayerfully.
God knows the future. Let Him guide you where to put your
money. Don’t jump into things that seem like “sure things.” Be
patient and pray. If you are not sure, don’t do it.
God knows what’s best for you, and He will guide you, if you
seek Him. Over time, with God’s blessing, your investments, no
matter how small they start, will grow and be a great blessing.
Don’t make excuses. Just act on these 4 vital keys and see what
God will do. Start today.
SAY THIS: I will act on God’s wisdom and God will bless my
finances.
Love Gives
JOHN 3:16 NKJ
16 “For God so loved the world that He gave . . . .
GALATIANS 2:20 NKJ
20 “. . . I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave Himself for me.
EPHESIANS 5:25 NLT
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ
loved the church. He gave up his life for her
Love is only expressed through giving. If there is no giving,
there is no evidence that love exists. The only proof of love
is giving. Giving is the action that demonstrates love.
So, the measure of your giving is the measure of your love. The
more you give — of yourself, your time, your attention, your
affection, your patience, your treasure — the more you love.
This is what Jesus meant in John 15:13.
JOHN 15:13 NKJ
13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s
life for his friends.
Why did Jesus say there was no greater love than to give your
life? Because you can’t give any more. That’s total commitment!
So, whenever you see “love” in a sentence, you may substitute
“giving” and express essentially the same meaning.
JOHN 13:35 NKJ
35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you
have love for one another.”
By understanding that love results in giving, we see that Jesus
indicated His disciples would be known for their giving. We are
to be famous for our giving! This is the way Jesus indicated
people would know His true followers: by their giving. (Not our
fighting, our preaching, or even our correct doctrine.)
We see in the early days of the church, this is exactly what
happened.
ACTS 4:34-35 NKJ
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were
possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the
proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to
each as anyone had need.
Don’t think that your gifts should only go to churches and
preachers. Jesus made it clear that giving to any believer was
the same as giving to Him.
MATTHEW 25:40 NKJ
40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say
to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My
brethren, you did it to Me.’
But God has not called us to give to others just so we could
end up poor, also. NO! God has promised to multiply what we
give, so we will have more to give in the future.
LUKE 6:38 NKJ
38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed
down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you.”
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8 NLT
6 Remember this — a farmer who plants only a few seeds will
get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a
generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And
don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God
loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will
always have everything you need and plenty left over to share
with others.
So, based on God’s promises, we can give to others in faith,
with confidence that God will continue to supply all we need.
EPHESIANS 4:28 NKJ
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor,
working with his hands what is good, that he may have something
to give him who has need.
(This verse gives us an idea of how giving was paramount in the
thinking of early Christians.)
JOHN 15:12 NKJ
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have
loved you.
If you desire to follow Jesus, love (giving) is not optional.
SAY THIS: As a disciple of Jesus, I will be a giver.
Let The Joy Flow
NEHEMIAH 8:10b GWN
10 Don’t be sad because the joy you have in the LORD is your
strength.”
As children of God we have joy in our spirit. But we must allow
it to flow out into our minds, bodies, and circumstances.
GALATIANS 5:22 GWN
22 But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Joy is part of the “fruit” produced by the Holy Spirit through
our human spirits.
But we must choose to let the joy out. We must open our mouth
and release words of joy, thanking and praising God. We must
choose to let the joy flow!
But don’t expect this to always be easy. It’s when things seem
the worst that you need to act on this the most.
JOHN 15:11 NLT
11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with
my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
Not only did Jesus tell us we should be filled with His joy,
but it should overflow — like a river of life flowing from our
innermost being (John 7:38).
One way to keep our focus on the Lord is to rejoice in Him. As
children of God, we have joy and peace in our spirits. But our
minds may be blocking the flow by keeping our focus on
circumstances and our reasoning.
Sometimes it’s good for us to just let loose and force
ourselves to really praise God and rejoice. Just go ahead and
make a fool of yourself praising God. God won’t mind.
2 SAMUEL 6:14-16,21 NLT
14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing
a priestly garment.
15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of
the LORD with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
16 But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David,
Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When
she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was
filled with contempt for him.
21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the LORD,
who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed
me as the leader of Israel, the people of the LORD, so I
celebrate before the LORD.
If it was not wrong for King David, it’s not wrong for us! It’s
okay to jump for joy!
PHILIPPIANS 4:4 NKJ
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
To rejoice means to re-joy or to have joy again. In the Lord,
we can experience joy again and again and again!
Circumstances in your life may not be perfect, but you can
always rejoice in the Lord, because He is always perfect. God
is perfect in goodness and greatness and love! There is no
fault in Him!
SAY THIS: I will let God’s joy flow out of my spirit by
rejoicing in the Lord.