God's Cup of Grace

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Genesis 19:26

Before I started my reading of the Word of God this morning, I was enjoying a mug of Holiday Tea in my new favorite cup.  I received it from my brother and his girlfriend for Christmas this year, and I loved it the moment I laid eyes on it!  Its simple elegance and beautiful symbol of a born again believer's transformed heart and life daily touches my soul.  I can easily relate to the butterfly, and it is my favorite Christian symbol, second only to the cross.  I have always loved butterflies and the color purple, so this was an absolutely perfect gift!

Today, however, through this cup and my Scripture reading, the Lord spoke loudly to my heart.  As I enjoyed my tea and pondered the beauty of God's grace in my my life, so active every moment, and the 'butterfly' state of my spiritual life, I was struck instantly by this convicting thought:

"I am free!  Truly free!  So why do I continually climb back into the confines of my old cocoon and live like a bound worm!?"

As I contemplated the new creation that I have been since the day I recognized my need for a Savior, and how very often I live in my old flesh life, I opened the Word to read Genesis 19.  It was today's reading on a 2-year Bible reading plan.  Once again, God lined up all the pieces of my early morning 'tea thoughts' as my eyes fell upon verse 26.

"But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

Conviction filled my heart as I realized how often I do exactly what Lot's wife did.  I look back (and even walk back) to the life from which I have been set free.  It is spiritually painful for me to see  my own actions and reactions in a woman that God turned to salt!

You see, when I have been extended great grace and have been given an opportunity to live a brand new life as a butterfly, and I choose to live even a moment of my life bound up in sin, the very cocoon of my life before Christ and His grace was showered upon me, I am just like Lot's wife.  She too was being saved from the life she had been living, having been given God's grace to for a new and pure life.  And neither of us deserved it.  Her old life called to her and she turned to look back one last time.  Sadly, it cost her her life.

By grace God has saved me and made me a new creation.  Daily I must fly like a butterfly and not return to my worm-like spiritual state.  I have to choose to no longer live in the bondage of my chrysalis of sin.  By grace I have been saved and set free from sin and death.  By grace my sin need no longer bind me or entangle me in its evil web.  

Today I choose to live in the freedom from sin that Christ attained for me on the cross.  Will you?

Another cup of God's grace for me, please . . . 

The Bible, Our Eden -- Genesis 2: 15-17

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"The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'"

As we begin this new year, we all tend to look forward with a Utopian mentality.  We are looking for lives that will be peaceful and as perfect as possible.  A lack of conflict and affliction will make for that perfect kind of year.  Yet in our hearts we know that this is not possible, at least not here.

As I began reading through the Bible again this morning, I was struck by these 3 verses.  I have read them many times before, but today their words leapt off the page and caused me to sit with them for a few minutes and contemplate them.  

The only perfect place on this earth is in the Word of God.  The Bible is my garden of Eden.  I am to be in it (daily), work it (working out my salvation with fear and trembling),  and keep it (obeying all that it says to me, taking care to cultivate it in my heart in such a way as to bear fruit for God).  I am to eat of it every day for my spiritual sustenance and growth.

Interestingly, I am also suppose to NOT eat of a particular "tree" found in it -- the tree of the knowledge of good and evil -- for it represents the LAW of the first covenant God made with man.  Because I am living in a day when the Jesus has already come and made sacrifice for my life, having died for me, I have been free to believe faithfully in His sacrifice and to choose to enter into a personal relationship with Him.  I am now a partaker (eater) of the Tree of Life -- which represents GRACE.  Both trees are present in the garden, the Word, but only one of them is the tree I am to eat of.  It is the only way to a true relationship with God.  That doesn't mean I am to omit the Old Testament (LAW) from my understanding, but instead am to study it too and learn from it.  I am to LIVE BY the words in the New Testament (GRACE).

Since the world cannot offer what we truly desire,  and the Word of God is the only place where we can find the "perfect, peaceful, joy-filled, and abundant life," I am planning to spend a lot of time there this year.  Forget the "resolutions"!  Instead, why not simply purpose in your heart to to work, keep, and eat the Word of God in 2014!  Choose to live in the only perfect thing that can be found on this earth!

THE RESURRECTED LIFE -- Day 16

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Day 16:  The Thankful Leper (Luke 17: 11-19)

Again we find Jesus in today’s passage on His way to Jerusalem, to the cross on which He would die to bring salvation to the world.  His path led Him through the middle of Samaria on the north, and into Galilee.  Upon entering a village along the way, a group of men stood off in the distance, hoping to meet Jesus.  Seizing the opportunity at hand, the ten men went out to the One they had heard so much about.  By this time, Jesus had healed many people.  Word of these healings had surely reached their village.

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” they cried out, desperate to be heard over the crowd that was surrounding Him.  These ten men had been afflicted with the awful disease of leprosy, and they knew He had an authority like no one else they had ever seen.

Jesus’ attention turned to the lepers.  “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  His answer was simple, yet it begged the next question.  Why did they need to go and show their leprosy to the priests?  It had been required of them when they first contracted it. Why show the priests now?  Jesus mused, knowing their thoughts, and knowing as well that their healing was on the way!  He had sent them to show the priests that their leprosy was healed.  In just a moment it would be GONE!

Deciding that it was best to obey the Master’s words, the ten men took off to show the priests, even though it seemed to make no sense.  On the way to the temple their “mercy” came.  All ten of them were healed of their despised condition.  What had made no sense before made perfect sense now.  Their meeting with the priests would render them all clean.  Nine continued on to the temple to fulfill the Jewish law, but one of them made a clear transition from the Law to the Grace of Jesus Christ.

As fast as his feet would carry him, he turned back to Jesus.  Glorifying God loudly, he fell at the feet of Jesus and worshipped Him, giving Him thanks for the awesome miracle that had taken place in his life.  On that day ten received cleansing, but only one received the greater healing—he was saved.  His faith had made his HEART well.  How’s your heart?

Take Careful Aim

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Before Israel could enter their new land, Moses was commanded to set before them the choice for either blessing or curses, and it all hinged on their obedience to the Lord. God seeks our surrender today to Him so that we might fully obey all that He has declared to us in His Word. We, like Israel, have seen God's great favor upon our lives. Could there be a more proper response than our obedience?

Those who were now preparing to enter their new homeland, had been small children when they left Egypt, or maybe not even born yet.  But those small children had witnessed the mighty arm of God, working in their midst.  They had seen His miracles, favor, and provision.  They had also seen the death that had come to the chronically disobedient.  They had watched as their fathers failed to keep their covenant promises to their covenant-keeping God.  Now it was their generation's turn to make the same promises to obey their God.  How would they fare?  The choice was up to them, and the results of their lives, whether it be God's blessings or curses, be based on the depth of their obedience to Him.


Today, though believers are under grace (God's favor), that same grace does not mean that when we sin and disobey God's word that we are off the hook. God is our loving Father, and out of His love He will always discipline a wayward child.  Consequences are inevitable.  That is why it is critical for us to aim carefully at the right target!  That target is every word of the Word.  

What are you aiming at?  Do you start your day thinking about all the ways that you can be obedient to God, or all the ways you can "fudge" what He is really asking you to do?  Do you begin your days in a posture of surrender?  (Okay, now I really jabbed myself!)  God's is not winking at our disobedience.  It is not His will that we would claim our human nature as our justification to keep on doing what is displeasing to Him.  If the target is walking in the favor and blessing of Almighty God, are your arrows straight and true?  Is your aim?  God is looking to see where those arrows lie....on the ground, all around the target, or in the bull's eye.