His Inexpressible Gift

2 Cor.9:15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
Definition of inexpressible: incapable of being uttered or described in words.

Do you ever really think about it? The selfless thing God did! He sent his only Son to die a shameful death that he did not deserve. All because we, the sinners of the world, could not be reconciled to Him any other way!! That is a very deep thought to have, and the fact that Jesus was obedient to His Father, even unto death is amazing to me and oh so very humbling.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Eph.2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Father God does not need us, but we desperately need Him! When you read His glorious word and began to know Him, you will see the magnitude of His grace towards us. We deserve punishment but He gives us Jesus. I can not grasp this our God, our creator, but am ever mindful of His new mercies everyday.
1Peter1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him.Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Father, you know all hearts. You alone open hearts, minds and eyes or keep them closed. For Your glory, write Your words on their hearts, open the eyes of the ones who are perishing and refresh their minds with Your inexpressible gift. Amen

Mystery and Victory

1 Cor. 15:50-58 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1Thess.4:15-17  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
It is indeed a mystery! At the coming of our Lord, the dead in Christ shall rise first and then the alive in Christ will be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord. Doesn't that make you want to shout???
Precious Lord God, how can we understand the wonder of You? Only by Jesus' blood can we be found worthy! The spotless Lamb shed His blood for our sin and we are accounted as righteous! Amen
The mystery is explained.

Whatever You Do, Do It All To The Glory Of God

1 Cor.10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
We tend to look down on people who are less fortunate than we are or someone who has a job we think is beneath us. Take for example, the garbage man, we think, oh that job is so gross. But did you ever stop to think where we would be without the garbage man? It would not be pretty! They serve us very well!! And what about people who live in a house that is disrepair? Instead of turning our nose up in disgust maybe we should volunteer to help do repairs on their home and buy the materials if we can afford it. I guess we really should do all things to glorify God and stop passing judgements. Lord, open our eyes to the hurting around us and pour out Your blessings on the helpless. For Your glory, open our hearts and minds to the joy of being a servant. Amen

Week 16 Charles Stanley’s Intercession for America/Killing the Unborn

Ps.139:13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.


This is one of the most touching and heart wrenching set of bible verses that I know. It tells us that God knew us even before we were created! Beware lest you buy into the worlds’ lie that a fetus is not a human being, God’s word just said different. O Lord God, how can we kill what You have made? Open hearts and minds to Your truth by Your Spirit. Forgive us for allowing the killing of the unborn. Amen

The Moment You Are Born, You Begin To Die

We don't want to think about it, but it is true. We all will die except the ones who are living when Christ comes for His bride. Are you facing death right now? Did you get a terminal diagnosis from your doctor? Let me tell you this now, God is the one who has the right to take your life. He is your creator and your judge. His word says: Ps.139:13-18 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Did you catch that? Your days were numbered before you ever came to  be! God is in control. He knows everything! Trust in Him and Him alone! If you are His, then you will be well taken care of. Believe on Him and have everlasting peace. John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her,"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" God sends us comfort with His word. READ IT! Hold it in your heart! Romans 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
1 Thess.5: 9-10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
I guess what I am trying to say is, live for Christ every day He graciously gives you. Don't worry about the number of them, worry about the way you live them for Him!!

The Temptation of Jesus

I recently read an article by a professor who teaches the bible. He stated that although his students came from church backgrounds that they did not have biblical literacy. When asked how many had been taught to read and study the bible, few raised their hands. He asked a few simple questions, like what were the temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness, which books were from the old testament, and what person was released during Jesus' trial? Some of these I knew and some I did not. His name is George H. Guthrie and he has written a book called, Read the Bible for Life. It will be for sale in January. I plan to read this so I may have a better insight on how to study God's word. Lord,  for Your glory, help us to study Your word and take it to the nations. Amen
Matt.4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,"'He will command his angels concerning you,' and
"'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not  put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

For Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing

Gal.6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
1 Cor.3:7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Luke 18:19 And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
John 15:4-5  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
1Chr.29:11-12  Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
Lord, mark our hearts with these, Your words, that we may know You are King, Creator, and Lord, and apart from You, we can do nothing. Amen