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Amazing Grace

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by John Doyle "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift" 2 Corinthians 9:15. What is that Gift - His Amazing GRACE. The revelation of God's Love to man centers on the Cross. Its full significance cannot be described; pen cannot portray the enormity of His Love; the mind of man cannot comprehend the extent of Gods Grace, Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high and is now "sat down at the right hand of God Interceding for us" - AMAZING GRACE. [Jesus], being in very nature God,     did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing     by taking the very nature of a servant,     being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,     he humbled himself     by becoming obedient to death—         even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8) It is through the gift of Christ that we receive every blessing. Through that gift there comes to us day by day the unfailing flow of God's Goodness and Grace. Every time I go into my garden I can smell the sweet fragrance of the flowers. Barbara and I watched the sun set and moon arise last night and it was so beautiful. There is not a star that beautifies the Heavens which He did not make. There is not an article of food upon our tables that He has not provided for us. The GRACE of God is upon us all. Everything is supplied to man through the one unspeakable Gift, the only begotten Son of God. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that Love him” -1 Corinthians 2:9. Surely there are none that, beholding the riches of His GRACE, can fully explain the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Church: “Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift” 2 Cor. 9:15 Let me give you my Description of this priceless Gift: G OD'S R ICHES A T C HRIST's E XPENSE What Priceless Riches did we gain from the Expense of our Savior's death on the Cross: 1. Complete Salvation - Eph. 2: 8-9 2. Complete Forgiveness - 2 Chronicles 7:14 3. Complete Reconciliation - Romans 5:10 4. Complete Eternal Life - John 10: 27 - 28 We have not earned any of these riches, they have been given to us because of Gods AMAZING GRACE. We can't end the devotional without singing the song together: AMAZING GRACE, HOW SWEET THE SOUND THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME, I ONCE WAS LOST BUT NOW AM FOUND, WAS BLIND BUT NOW I SEE 'TWAS GRACE THAT TAUGHT MY HEART TO FEAR AND GRACE MY FEARS RELIEVED, HOW PRECIOUS DID THAT GRACE APPEAR, THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED THROUGH MANY DANGERS, TOILS AND SNARES WE HAVE ALREADY COME, 'TWAS GRACE THAT BROUGHT US SAFE THUS FAR, AND GRACE WILL LEAD US HOME, Please let…

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The Quest for Peace (Part 2)

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by Calven Celliers In my blog post last week, we considered how Romans 12 is one of those really challenging passages of Scripture because it goes against our very human nature, particularly when it comes to “keeping the peace” with people who are stubborn and defensive and who harden their hearts and resist our efforts to be reconciled. The apostle Paul introduces us to a principle that applies to every situation where we are dealing with such people – never pay back evil with more evil, rise above this tit for tat philosophy. In other words when someone does something bad to us, we are not to do something bad back to them.  Instead, he says, “21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” (Romans 12: 21NLT) “When he was subjected to intense and repeated personal attacks Paul realised that a true peacemaker is guided, motivated and empowered by their identity in Christ. This identity is based on faith in the most amazing promise we could ever hear: God has forgiven all our sins and made peace with us through the death and resurrection of His Son. And He has given us freedom and power to turn from sin (and conflict), to be conformed to the likeness of Christ, and to be His ambassadors of reconciliation. It is the realization of who we are in Christ that inspires us to do the unnatural work of dying to self, confessing sin, addressing others’ wrongs graciously, laying down rights, and forgiving deep hurts – even with people who persist in opposing or mistreating us.” (The Peace Maker – Ken Sande) God has given us divine weapons to use in this quest. These weapons include Scripture, prayer, truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Too many people, these resources and qualities seem feeble and useless when dealing with ‘real problems’, but these are the very weapons Jesus Christ Himself used to defeat Satan. In Romans 12 Paul describes five basic principles that contribute to a victorious offensive and how we can use them with people who we are at loggerheads with. [1] Control your tongue – When you are involved in conflict, you may be tempted to indulge in gossip, slander and reckless words, especially when the other person is saying the same kind of things about you. But if you react with harsh words, you only make matters worse. The challenge for us is to respond in grace by saying only what is true, necessary and helpful. [2] Seek godly advisors – I’ve come to see that if in you’re in a prolonged conflict with a lack of any noticeable progress, one of the best ways to try resolve the issue is to surround yourself with wise and spiritually mature people who will encourage you to stay on a biblical course. Don’t fight these battles in isolation. [3] Keep doing what is right – We as Christians are to continue doing…

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Food for the Journey: Worship

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The following blog post is an extract taken from our Food for the Journey booklet which covers seven disciplines for Christian living. If you would like to download a digital copy of the booklet and work through the daily devotions please click here: FOOD FOR THE JOURNEYDISCIPLINE 3THE DISCIPLINE OF WORSHIPRESPECTThe purpose of this discipline is to help us maintain a deep respect for who the Lord is. It also helps us to honour the Lord consistently in what we say to Him and how we express our high regard for Him. WORSHIP is evaluating God properly – acknowledging all His attributes and affirming His incredible worth. God is infinite. His qualities are not measureable by any standard we know. We cannot understand infinity, but we can stand in awe of God who is infinite. God is above and beyond everything we know. God is the source of all holiness, all strength, all authority, full power in creation. His worth stands alone, we can value nothing on a par with Him. He is completely perfect.When we worship God, our worship springs from a sense of awe and wonder: “Who is like Him?” Worship takes place out of hearts that are thrilled by God, there just does not seem to be enough to say about Him – one is caught up in a sense of someone far greater, far more perfect, far more beautiful than any other person one has known. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds to the wonder of God, so the Holy Spirit is a vital part of worship. Jesus said, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). From our perspective, worshipping in the spirit is: our response to the Spirit; our dependence on the Spirit; and our sensitivity to the Spirit’s leadership. True worship is not a religious action that produces pride, or a human effort to satisfy a human desire, but rather an expressive outpouring of a deeply grateful heart, seeking to acknowledge all that God is and does.When we meet together as a body on a Sunday, it is glorious to worship the Lord together, and unite in our praises of Him and our thankfulness to Him. In worship He is our focus, the one we want to bless and so when we worship; it should be done with the intention of delighting Him. Some find it easy to be demonstrative and raise their hands in praise of the Lord, this is precious but it is not a cardinal rule. What is essential is what is going on in the heart. Worship rejoices in God and longs to seek Him further – we love whom we worship so we long to know Him more.The most expressive act of worship is to sing to the Lord and wouldn’t we all love splendid voices, yet somehow every single voice singing praise to God delights Him.Worship not only helps us to see the Lord clearly but it…

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Our Confidence

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by Graham MolA young boy makes his way down into the dusty valley. Before him stands a mountain of a man, tall and thick as an oak, and as fierce as a rabid dog. Thousands of eyes are turned upon this remarkable sight. One stands in gleaming armour too heavy for most men to carry, a broad imposing javelin strung to his back, an intimidating colossus. The other in simple shepherd boy clothes, unarmed except for a leather sling. The wager on the upcoming battle was the lives of each army, and the odds looked to be unfairly stacked. This iconic battle is familiar to many of us. The battle of David and Goliath. A young shepherd boy versus the towering Philistine giant. Knowing the outcome we sometimes lose sight of how incredible David's victory was over his foe, and just how bizarre it must have been to see a humble shepherd boy step forward as the chosen champion to fight for Israel. At that moment, before the battle was decided, which army would you have preferred to be in? The boy did not even have any armour on, it looked like a futile fight.Despite this David approached the giant with confidence. How on earth could he not be quailing in fear? We find the answer in his reply to Goliath's taunts:45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47 NIV)Over a thousand years later we would come across a similar placing of confidence, as the Apostle Paul wrote that those who trust in Jesus "put no confidence in the flesh". Many trust in their resources, their own strength and competence, just as Goliath was secure in his vast size and power, and shining armour and weapons and yet have fallen before some plucky believer, who had no right to win the battle and yet did because of the unlimited strength and power of the One to whom he prayed.28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,    the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary,    and his understanding no one can fathom.29 He gives strength to the weary    and increases the power of the weak.30 Even youths grow tired and weary,    and young men stumble and fall;31 but those who hope in the Lord    will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;    they will run and not grow weary,    they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)There is tremendous encouragement in the story of David…

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