Will I remember to fan the flame?

Some times, ok, many times, I need to be reminded to fan the flame. So the reminder comes. It is now. The Spirit of God gives us power. This is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead. Why be timid? No reason at all.

I just need to fan the flame. The Spirit is in me. It is in us. No need to be timid at all.

 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:6 TNIV Bible

What fruit am I bearing?

There is my way and God’s way. What happens when we live God’s way? Imagine an orchard and the fruit that it produces. That is what God does for us. It is a gift because He loves us so much and is so very good. His gifts are like fruit just showing up one day. Bam!!!

So what are some of the gifts he gives us so freely? A real affection for others. Nothing fake at all. How about that amazing exuberance for living every day for Him? Remember the serenity that comes from knowing that He is so great? How about that compassion we sensed one day when normally we wouldn’t even care? And that conviction that we have never experienced before. A sense of being set apart for God and His purpose.

Now here is a gift worth receiving. Finding ourselves involved in loyal commitments we have never imagined before.

May we marshal our energy wisely taking full advantage of His gifts.

Related articles

• What fruit am I bearing? (mww1954.wordpress.com)

What is my give to get ratio?

I live in a culture where there is always something else to get. Today is a day to think about my give to get ratio.

So, what did I give? What did I get?

Jesus is about giving. He came and continues to serve.

Jesus challenges us to give. He is all about love. My evaluation of the day should be based on how much did I give.

Related articles

• Give Your Life To Jesus Let Him Fill Your Soul! (lynleahz.com)
• Practice Pure Religion! (trinityspeaks.wordpress.com)
• Church Growth: Rearranging the Furniture (delugeop.wordpress.com)

Want a present? Focus on today as a gift of God.

We worry about tomorrow. We regret yesterday.

What can I do?

Some days it is hard to describe. And, if the Apostle Paul couldn’t do it some days, I guess it is OK if I can’t either.

But … I can be thankful. And so, I am!!!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

Related articles

• Are you an expert but clueless? (mww1954.wordpress.com)
• Here a Fork, There a Fork… (jtgn.wordpress.com)
• Doing Good Deeds (idkh.org)
• Your Grace and Mercy Brought me Through (enoughtribulations.com)

What is the scope of reconciliation?

I am a case study in what God can do. I had turned my back on Him. I had rebellious thoughts. I gave Him trouble at every turn, blaming Him for my problems. But, oh what a gift He made to me. It gave God great pleasure to let everything He had dwell in Jesus. It just filled Him up and it flowed out to all of us. Through Jesus’ great sacrifice I now have peace with my Father.

I can’t walk away from a gift like that!!! No way.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19

Related articles

• The Colossian “Hymn” (gentlereformation.org)
• Relationship with God (Study 3 – Colossians 1:21-2:3) (ising4god.com)
• The Body Of Christ’s Fear Of Perfection (jamesbli.wordpress.com)

“He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.” ~~Jesus

God’s generosity extends to everyone. He includes the evil, the bad and the nasty in His plans to redeem and restore. He is not like us, good to those who are good to us but vindictive to those who hurt us.

He gives his best to everyone. Think about that. In our world, we dole things out in a hierarchical way. Average things to most people and the best for a few. Not our Father. He gives his best to everyone. No distinctions.

“He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 5 The Message)

Related articles

• Matthew 5:1-12 You’re Blessed (writedownthesewords.com)
• “God is not a secret to be kept.” ~~Jesus (mww1954.wordpress.com)

Being “religious” carries some weight with God doesn’t it?

Being “religious” carries some weight with God doesn’t it? Unfortunately, not a bit. Not even a little. Being Jewish or Baptist or Muslim doesn’t do it.

There is nothing we can do, even being religious, to get in right standing with God.  Out of sheer generosity God put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus the Messiah.

“And where does that leave our proud religious claim of having a corner on God? Also canceled.” ~~Apostle Paul (Romans 3:29 The Message)

Related articles

• Is condemning the fallen bad for the Church? (prhayz.com)
• Are You Maintaining Your Vehicle? (inspirationalchristiansfortoday.com)
• Great in the World and Great in the Kingdom of God (deprofundisclamaviadtedomine.wordpress.com)
• The Life that Truly is Life! (todaysfreshmanna.wordpress.com)

Will I grow?

What a gift it is to know our Master Jesus. It isn’t anything I have earned. Our Father just loves me so much that He gives me this amazing opportunity. That is His grace (gift).

May I grow in knowing Jesus today.  To know Him is to love Him. And to be able, because of that love, to love others. I am not there yet. I can grow in knowledge of Him. That is the focus.

Grow is the charge.  Grow. Grow in grace. Grow in knowledge. That is the glory I must focus on.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.  2 Peter 3:18

 

Related articles

• Repentance (samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com)
• Morning Prayer for Friday (deprofundisclamaviadtedomine.wordpress.com)
• 15 Days in the Word with John Piper: “THE SECRET OF INVINCIBLE JOY” (christlikeministriesnwa.wordpress.com)
• Grace, Love, and Fellowship – You’ve Touched Me (courageousjane.com)

Should I go back to “rule keeping” religion?

I grew up in a “rule keeping” church. It was pretty clear that if I didn’t do certain things I could find favor with GOD. So I tried. And tried. But …

I can’t do anything to “win” GOD’s love. It is free. Jesus, our Master, paid the price to win it for me. It is that straightforward.

My relationship with GOD is a gift. I can’t earn it. No amount of Church attendance will get me right with GOD.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.  Galatians 2:21

For the sheer joy of it

We get many gifts in life. Do I see tests and challenges as one of them? That is how I should see them. Challenges come at us from all sides. When they do, they are great gifts. They develop my faith life and give me supernatural courage as I see Him establish His peace. I should treasure tests as I would a prized possession.

More importantly, they mature me and help me grow in His ways. Our life in Him is not to be static. It is a life of growth and development. The develop me so that I don’t lack anything in my character. I should be joyful in my trials.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:2-4

May I be joyful in the challenges that come my way.

Every day is my birthday

This is both prophecy about Jesus and also a message to us as God’s children. Our God is a living, today kind of God. What is His message to us today. See today like you would your birthday. Today is a day of celebration. What gift do we want from our Heavenly Dad? He will give us anything. Nations? Continents? Dancing in the street?

I also think this is in the physical as well as spiritual world. He has promised it is all ours. Supernatural courage and His powerful Spirit make it so.

Let me tell you what God said next. He said, “You’re my son, And today is your birthday. What do you want? Name it: Nations as a present? continents as a
prize? You can command them all to dance for you, Or throw them out with tomorrow’s trash.” Psalms 2:7-9

May I seek and ask for His power today. What gift do I want from my Heavenly Dad? May I live like today is my birthday in Him.