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The Word of Grace Devotion for The Week of October 27, 2014
The Grace of God Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Beloved, there are some Christians who may be confused concerning the grace of God. Confused to the extent that God’s grace does not change their lives. However, the above passage clearly illustrates that God’s grace does not give us license to sin (licentiousness) but rather God’s Grace drives us to live godly lives. Because we are saved by grace through faith; it is this grace, which trains “us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” Beloved, because God’s Grace has been lavished on us so profusely, the only response we have in gratitude is to live a godly life. Grace leads to righteousness and not to licentiousness. In fact it is God’s Grace, which trains us, like a parent trains his child, to become godly. This training is conducted all the while we wait, “for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” All of this because Jesus, “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Beloved, we need to permit the Grace of God, His unmerited favor, to lead us to live for Christ as Galatians 2:21 says, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” Beloved, the simple theme of this week’s devotion is that we need to act out God’s Grace through godly living! I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you! Look up, for your redemption draws near! In Christ, Pastor Joe
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The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of October 13, 2014
A Word Fitly Spoken: Proverbs 25:11-13, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. 12Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. 13Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.” Beloved, the old adage that, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me,” is not true. Words in fact do hurt and sometimes they hurt very much. But words also can encourage, lift up and as Proverbs 25:13 says, “Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.” Yes, words can be refreshing! So what are some keys then to a fitly spoken word? (1) It must be a word of wisdom. It must take into consideration the events, the circumstances and the timing of the spoken word. It must fit the situation. Wisdom we know begins with a fear of the Lord as Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (2) It must be a word of delicacy. It must not only fit the situation but also fit the person(s). “Like apples of gold in settings of silver,” speaks to a delicate piece of jewelry. This word then is a piece of fine art spoken with care and consideration. (3) It must be a word of truth. Beloved, the truest things about you are what the Bible says about you. When we speak the Word of God into the lives of people we can be assured that we are speaking the truth. But in order for it to be fitly spoken it must be appropriate for the circumstance. Beloved, I am certain that there are many other facets to a word fitly spoken but if we use these three we will be faithful messengers who refresh the souls of others. Remember that a word fitly spoken does not necessarily mean that it is just one word as it could be many words! This week may we speak words that are fitly spoken! I pray that you will have a blessed week! I love you and I will be praying for you! Please also pray for our men’s retreat. Pray that there would be many fitly spoken words! In Him, Pastor Joe  The Word of Grace Devotion for the Week of September 29, 2014
To live is Christ! Philippians 1:21- “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” ESV Beloved, as a young man I had many dreams, ambitions and desires in my life. I wanted to be a professional ball player, drive a big car, have loads of money and live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. I figured that is what brought happiness and contentment. I was looking for it but instead I found so much more. Like the Apostle Paul I found that there is more to life than just the temporal comforts that this world has to offer. I found Jesus Christ or should I say, Christ found me! Beloved, I find that I still want more, not more of the world, but I want more of Christ. I want to be able to say as Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But what does it mean to say, “To live is Christ and to die is gain?” To live is Christ means that our focus and our passion are on Jesus Christ, His person, His character and His message. It means that we proclaim the gospel of Christ. It means that we imitate the example of Christ. It means that we pursue the knowledge of Christ. It means that we are willing to give up anything that prevents us from having Christ. Beloved, I want my focus and my passion to be on Jesus. I know that I am certainly not there yet but I will persevere in my quest to live a life full of Jesus. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain! I pray that you will have a blessed week. I love you and I will be praying for you! In Christ, Pastor Joe |
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