Grace That Is Greater

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)

I recall a story the evangelist Billy Graham told of his relationship with then President John F. Kennedy. Reverend Graham had presented the gospel to the president who was very attentive and interested, but never made a commitment. Graham said when he was down with a very serious case of the flu, he received a call from the president. JFK said he was ready to accept Christ and wanted to meet with him.

Graham politely begged off, saying how sick he was at the moment, and would it be alright to meet in a couple of weeks when he was better? The president graciously said, “Of course. I understand.” Graham said the president was assassinated two weeks later and he (Graham) never got to speak with him. Graham said, “That will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

God, who does not change, says, “As surely as I live, declares the LORD GOD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11, 2^nd Peter 3:9).

The thief on the cross asked for forgiveness (Luke 23:42), yet Paul told the Philippian jailer to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,” (Acts 16:31). God honors both, asking out loud and sincerely believing in the saving message of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. It comes down to a sincere heart of repentance and that’s what He sees.

If the grace of God is as true as Scripture teaches it leads me to believe John F. Kennedy had already made his decision for Christ’s salvation when he decided, it was what he wanted. In his phone call to Graham the president admitted he was ready and willing. When he decided “I’m ready,” that’s when Christ’s redemptive work could happen. God saw his heart and I believe we’ll see him in the New Kingdom. In fact, I believe we’ll see many there who we now believe are beyond the scope of Christ’s compassion and mercy. We can’t know their heart of hearts, but He does.

Grace brings forgiveness to the sincerely penitent to be sure, but grace is also pertinent to any problem or predicament you may be facing right now. Grace means He’s hearing your heart at all times and grace means He will never stop caring for you (1^st Peter 5:7). Thankfully, the grace of God remains constant for us.

Regardless of our past biases, a perfect day is coming when we will all join together in the harmony of worship and thanksgiving (Revelation 5:13). God’s fathomless grace will roll upon us throughout eternity like huge waves of the ocean. Who can know it? Thank God for Jesus Christ. Thank God for His grace, for it means He cares for each and every one of us in every second of this life and our lives to come.

 

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within

Grace, grace, God’s grace

Grace that is greater than all our sin

(Grace Greater Than Our Sin, Public Domain)

Ken

 

 

Serious Clock Watchers

O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. Habakkuk 1:2 

 

Remember how those last 30 minutes of school dragged on? Even fervent prayer couldn’t make those seconds tick one millisecond faster. Believe me, I tried. I found some of the most difficult lessons I had to learn in school were the lessons of patience and that school clocks always worked, if ever so slowly.

The Jewish prophet, Habakkuk, lived in a very dangerous time in Israel. It was a time of violence, plundering, and rejection of the commandments of the LORD, much as things seem in our day. It became so bad in Habakkuk’s day that the prophet finally cried out to God, asking him where He was and why wasn’t He fixing it. He knew the LORD was able, but had time in heaven stopped?

America is at a time of tremendous upheaval, and not only in America but all across the globe. People who have the power, and wealth to hold that power, are working to move themselves into a new and dangerous elite ruling class. Has the Clock of Heaven stopped? Habakkuk thought it had.

A lot of us may wonder at times if God’s Celestial Clock is working. Why are things getting worse? When will His promises to make all things new be realized? We must remember God’s clock doesn’t run on linear time. It’s set to Divine Time.

Jesus said He was going to His Father’s house to hetoimazō (make ready, provide) monē (abodes-mansions) for us. He said if it were not true, He would have said so (John 14:2). Another indication He wants to be true and authentic with us. That means He will truly sort everything out to His glory and honor.

In all this current world turmoil (not the Great Tribulation) Jesus wants us to rest easy and not allow anxiety to overwhelm us. Not to be driven by emotion, which can cause us to abandon truth, but to be driven by devotion to the Father, which settles our hearts, calms our fears and gives clarity to factual data and evidence.

Finally, let us remember God’s delay is always for His display, that we might see He is always at work bringing something bigger and better. His clock is always moving. If He doesn’t answer immediately, His love for us never flickers with the houselights.

We are looking with the greatest excitement for the blessed hope of His glorious appearing to become His own special people (Titus 2:13-14).

We can depend on the truth Of Jesus Christ. He alone holds all power and authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18, John 17:2), along with all wisdom and understanding to do it right. 

He is returning, and Tempus fugit, time is flying. If you’re ready He’ll be coming to take you out of this mudhole to a new and wondrous world, beyond your imagination, a world He has prepared with you in mind. He’s true to His word and be assured Eternity’s Clock is still moving. Are you watching?

Ken

The Amazing Grace of the Have-nots

Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18 (NKJV)

Have you ever wanted something so badly you could taste it, yet never received it from the hand of God, even when the desire was to serve Him? At times, that can be what I have come to call the amazing grace of the have-nots. 

I began feeling a call to pastoral ministry in my early teens but as the old saying goes, “On the way to our dreams, life happens.” Things didn’t come together as I planned. I forgot how a person’s heart plans but God guides their steps (Proverbs 16:9).

I received my ordination in Pastoral Theology at age 33, with the intention of pioneering a Christian fellowship in my local community, yet God closed every door to pastoral ministry. When that didn’t come to fruition, I tried becoming a military chaplain. All those doors closed too. I prayed for God’s favor and grace to serve Him from my own drift. Instead of a church He gave me a weekly ministry on a devotional blog to what I can only term as My Faithful Fourteen. The Fourteen readers who faithfully return each week in my blog count.

Looking back on life since my teens, I have remained steadfast in my belief in God’s grace, but for reasons most do not consider. Grace is often touted in Christian circles as “Unmerited Favor.” We hear the word favor and we automatically think of benefits in the present without counting what the cost might be in the future.

God always answers; “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.” Sometimes in His grace and mercy, He withholds things that could be destructive to ourselves and to others. I see now I had a lot of stones in my sack, harboring unconfessed angers, resentments, and even grudges, sins that could have played out in disastrous ways. I am dealing with these issues while marveling at God’s grace in protecting myself from my wants while being faithful to supply my needs.

While grace can mean favor that is not merited, it can also be a favor God gives us in withholding something because He loves us. Is God smarter than us? Yes, indeed. Sometimes I’m astounded at how smart He is. I look back and can now say, “Thank You, Lord, that in Your mercy You didn’t give me what I wanted.” It is have-not grace, yet grace for which I am truly thankful and remains amazing all the same.

Ken

Found By the Father

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. John 4:23

We’ve all wondered at some time what God may look like. In our humanity it helps us relate to Him thinking of Him in some kind of visible, material form yet He has none. However it helps to imagine what God must be like, He is not corporeal, He is Spirit.

In His encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well Jesus confessed to her He was the long-awaited Messiah. He had come to deliver a new order of worship, where true worshippers are those who realize He is the Truth (Jn 3:21, 14:6), and the only Way to the Father (Acts 4:12).

I have experienced praying to Him is a freewill offering of praise, worship, thanksgiving and praying my needs. It gives Him pleasure when I pray and when anyone does so in spirit and in truth.

Jesus’ first mission was not to restore the physical kingdom of Israel, but humanity’s hearts and souls back into fellowship with the Father. This is what baffled the Pharisees of His day. Rabbinical teachings had come to put all the emphasis on the nation’s physical restoration of the Messianic promises, ignoring sin and its heart problem.

Messiah’s Second Advent will be to restore Israel as the preeminent kingdom of the earth. His First Advent was to deal with sin and unbelief and offer the gift of salvation, to the Jew first and then the Gentile (Romans 1:16). To understand that goes beyond fleshly understanding and is only reasoned through true spiritual pursuit. His Holy Spirit guides into all truth (John 16:13).

It’s not that difficult to comprehend. God is looking for those who hunger and thirst for the contentment only His Spirit can bring. He’s already desiring that for you and ready to take your hand. You are already found by the Father. You only need lift your hand. The Hour now is.

Ken

Jesus, I want to go beyond material ’things’ and into a new exciting spiritual communion with You that goes beyond religion and is relational. I know You’re desiring that for me, too. I ask You to meet me there and guide me into Your Truth to worship You in all Spirit and Truth. Amen.

How Majestic Is Our God!

He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our LORD, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:4-5)

Have you ever wondered how out of the billions of people on planet Earth God hears everyone’s thoughts and prayers at the same time and understands them individually? It would truly take a Being so Sentient He would have to be on the level of Majestic. He is that and beyond. He created the stars by command alone and calls them all by name (Genesis 1:1, 1:16). I was curious as to how many stars there are. It is estimated their number could equal 600 quadrillion! You could go to the other side of the universe and ask, “What’s that one’s name?” Out of those millions of points of light He wouldn’t need to ask which one you meant. That’s Majestic.

He knows everything about everything down to the number of cells in the bodies of everyone on earth, and down to the numbers of hairs on their heads. He’s never lost, confused or suffers a senior moment.

We all, at times, wonder if God hears us, or if He’s even listening. We might feel unimportant, or even abandoned. We can be assured of His fidelity. The stars served as a reminder to Abraham of the promise of his offspring (Genesis 26:4) and God’s faithful attention to Abraham’s every detail. Looking up into just his own Milky Way Abraham could not fully count them all.

God is not conditional in His love and interest in who you are. You mattered enough to send His only Begotten Son that if you believed on Him, you would gain salvation and eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus said no sparrow falls without the Father’s will and knowledge and you, being made in His image, how much more of value are you than those?

He never sleeps, slumbers, or dozes. He sees all and knows all. He hears your every prayer and knows your every thought. He’s aware of these things right now, and since He is eternal, He has had all your problems, worries, hopes and dreams in mind, forever. How Majestic is our God!

God counts hairs, He doesn’t split them. A God who can remember 600 quadrillion names with ease would have no problem remembering yours. In all He has going and with all He holds together by His power, He’s still got your number. He’s still got your name. You’re that special. His understanding is infinite. He’s That Majestic!

Ken

Long Spirited

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 1^st Corinthians 13:4

The ancient Koine (common) Greek language was the perfect linguistic vehicle to communicate the Gospel. It had many words that more fully expressed the meaning of the message. It can be different in our English language. For instance, in English we can have one word to cover many emotions. One such word is love. We can love our spouse and our children, but it is also possible to say we love our car or even our favorite ice cream. There are four words in the Greek for love. Eros (er-ros)-romantic, philia (fi-lee-ah)-brotherly, agape (ah-gahp-eh)-selfless, acting in another’s best interest, and storge (store-gay), love of family.

Some will see suffering long as being a martyr, but the meaning in the Greek conveys something very different and beautiful. The words suffering long are translated long-Spirited. It goes far beyond tolerance. To tolerate simply means to have the capacity to endure pain and hardship, riding out or putting up with something or someone. The Spirit calls us to go long-to agape-in these matters.

The problem with toleration is there’s no room for forgiveness. Toleration offers only anger and bitterness as its means of action. It’s an OK, I’ll be nice but I don’t have to like it attitude, or an apology of I forgive you without spirit-led philia and agape that defines a tender and changed heart of love. With the love of Christ helping us and working through us the Spirit grows long with its own sweet fruit, love being the first one mentioned in Galatians 5:22.

Having a long-spirited heart is giving up a heart carved in stone, replacing it with a heart of flesh. It’s the same heart that brought our Lord Jesus to say, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do,” as He prayed for the ones who had just nailed Him to a cross (Luke 23:34).

Having someone grind our gears doesn’t mean we need to grind our teeth. Love goes beyond that. It is only possible through the Holy Spirit’s strength as we humble ourselves to accept His helping hand.

One may say. “Yeah, but Ken you don’t know how much damage they did to me. It’s something that I just can’t forgive at this time.” I understand. I’ve been there and have the scars to prove it. And you are certainly right-you can’t do it on your own. But before you throw your hands up in frustration read the Lord’s words on it in Matthew 18:21-22 and Luke 17:4. It can only truly happen by the power of Christ, and whose wounded heart spoke those words from the cross? It was Emmanuel (God With Us).

He wants us to ask for His help. When we ask for it, we surrender and taste the sweetness of the Fruit of the Spirit called love. It never withers-it always grows long. It is long-Spirited.

Jesus, I need relief from this pain of hurt and resentment and I can’t do it on my own. I surrender it to You, realizing it can’t be done by might or power, but only by Your Spirit. I ask You to help me do it by Your power and grace and to say with all truth and understanding, “Father, forgive them for they didn’t know what they were doing.” Amen

Ken

With Malice Aforethought

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him [Christ Jesus], that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Romans 6:6-7 (NKJV)

Today’s devotional thoughts may upset some, but in light of Scripture I offer no apologies. To God sin is so heinous in its ability to destroy us that it is the one thing we are to hate with every ounce of our being and to be ready to put it down every time it whispers rebellion in our ears. The Apostle Paul makes a valid and graphic case of how we are to deal with it. We are to crucify it with malice Aforethought.

 Malice Aforethought is a legal term that Webster defines as the intention to kill or harm, which is held to distinguish unlawful killing from murder. In other words, its violence thought of beforehand and done with deliberate and malicious intent to do harm. The 1611 King James translation of the Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13) as kill is unfortunate and has caused much confusion. It has been misunderstood to forbid all death, whether justified or not.

The Hebrew word rȃtsach (raw-tsakh’) can be translated as kill, but in this sense and context, its meaning is better translated murder. After Noah and his family were brought through the worldwide flood (Genesis chapters 6-8) God instituted capital punishment for murder as every human is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26, 9:6). 

As those of us who aspire to the laws and commandments of God we cling to the love and teachings of Christ. We know and believe murder is wrong, but Paul tells us there is one part of our Christian experience where a violent attitude toward the sin that rests in our carnal (ungodly) appetites is appropriate and to be exercised as needed. That’s the side of us that consistently gets back up from the cross after we nail him or her to it. While accepting Christ unfortunately doesn’t destroy sin, a relationship with Him frees us from remaining a slave to it. We have the choice to take those old natures and nail them to the cross when they tap us on the shoulder and say “Hey, I’m back. Let’s sin.”

We want to have a willingness to crucify them. Crucifixion is vicious and is meant to be done with malice aforethought. Put him, or her, to death! When we show those appetites mercy, they always bring us degradation. We must be willing to first die to self, with a determination toward Old Man extermination.

It’s not a one-time-fix. So, when is this old geezer gonna die? We’ll be rid of him when we draw our last breath, or our bodies are regenerated when Christ comes for His church (1^st Thessalonians 4:17). Until then it’s a daily, and sometimes hourly, struggle. We have to crucify them every time he/she shows up. We can’t white-knuckle it, but by the Power of the Holy Spirit, we can nail it! When we hear the old man say, “Hi there, guess who’s back?” we have the choice to turn our minds and our wills over to God and ask Him to empower us to resist. Pray it. “Jesus, I can only do this with Your help and power. Please help me.” He is our strength. When it’s necessary we must nail that buzzard to the cross-with the greatest of malice aforethought-every time.  

Ken