GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

In Christ-The New Man
PART SEVEN---CONCLUSION
By Pastor Joe S. Leftwich



This tells us that the believer is "in Christ." We, as spirit beings, were dead in trespasses and sin, but now have been made alive in Christ and raised up with Him and seated with Him at the right hand of God in heavenly places in Christ. This is our eternal position.

To affirm the obvious, the Scriptures say that we are right now seated at the right hand of God in heavenly places in Christ. And yet experiential we are alive in our old mortal body of flesh here on earth; here on the battlefield of this world, living our new lives in Christ as ambassadors for Christ in our old body of flesh with all its old natural desires and appetites. This, from a natural point of view, seems to be an untenable position, but from a spiritual point of view we have already been assured of the victory.

These spiritual truths cannot be proven by science and are not experienced by natural man's senses: thinking, seeing, feeling, hearing, or tasting. The things we learn from God are learned only through faith, believing what the Spirit of God has said to us through the Holy Scriptures.

I pray that you have a good grasp of this situation because it is from this description of who we are in Christ that we are going to study Paul's epistles, discovering, interpreting and implementing his instructions as to how we can and should live our lives in a manner well pleasing to God.

We are called "His workmanship": "For we are His workmanship, created in Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

Please see this: that God has made it possible for you, a believer in Christ, to partake and participate in your own spiritual growth and development. We, being who we are "in Christ," can "by the Spirit of God" be putting to death the deeds of the body, thereby "perfecting holiness"; not "PERFECT holiness" but "PERFECTING holiness." These are God's words not mine!

Paul, by the Holy Spirit has asked us to "cleanse ourselves": "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). Why would Paul ask us to do this? Do you think he really wants us to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit? Absolutely! Will we be completely successful? Absolutely not! But we can constantly be applying ourselves to the concept of putting to death the deeds of the flesh in the spirit of obedience to His Word.

Do you agree that Romans 8:13, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live," is a good verse to implement 2 Corinthians 7:1: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God"? This is an ongoing perfecting of holiness in our lives that we can and should be doing for the balance of our lives here on earth in our flesh.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND MY CIRCUMSTANCES

Scripture Reading: Psa. 91; Phil. 4:11-13

"Milk from contented cows" has been the famous slogan of the Carnation Milk Co. But what about contentment in your life? Notice how Paul confessed that he had to "learn" this "secret" of how to be content in all situations of life!

The word he uses for "content" and "contentment" is a Greek word meaning "to be possessed of sufficient strength" and thus to be "sufficient in one's self." This is not the self-sufficiency and complacency of the flesh and the world. It is one of the virtues which God alone can infuse into the personality of His redeemed ones. It comes from above: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.," Better translated, this verse reads: "I am equal to all anythings in the One who infuseth me with strength." Bless the Lord! So whether I am in trying and tough circumstances, or whether I am in easy and pleasant circumstances, I can do all that God expects of me How? "Through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Madam Guyon, after ten years spent in a dungeon far below the surface of the ground, lit only by a candle, at meal-time, wrote these words which bear out this blessed truth:

"A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
Yet in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who placed me there:
Well pleased a prisoner to be,
Because, my God, it pleases Thee.
Ah! it is good to soar
These bolts and bars above
To Him whose purpose I adore,
Whose Providence I love:
And in Thy mighty will to find
The joy, the freedom of the mind."

This is not an easy lesson for any of US to learn! Yet we can learn it when we take the sovereign God, our Savior, into view. And remember today: "He giveth MORE grace" (James 4:6). Praise the Lord!

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
By IVAN L. BURGENER, Pastor


Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:3

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ; according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world ... " (Eph. 1:3,4).

Not "all the promises in the Book are mine," but this one is! Imagine that, "Blessed with all spiritual blessings ... "! What a contrast with Israel's portion in the promised land of Canaan. Sure, it was "a good land and a large ... " God surely had picked a great place for His people. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. Who could ask for anything more?

We can readily grasp all the goodness of Israel's promised land with its abundance, but who could have imagined that God would have given us "all spiritual blessings"? Every last one of God's spiritual blessings is made ours "in Christ".

Isaiah had every reason to say, "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." God had indeed given that prophet the sense of the grandeur of things beyond Israel's greatest glory, but just what they were, he had no idea! Paul quoted these very words to contrast Isaiah's stated ignorance with what Paul said" ... God has revealed them unto us [Paul, as a Bible writer] by His Spirit..." (I Cor. 2:9-10).

God's revelation to the Apostle Paul for this dispensation of grace shows that believers now are: one with Christ as members of His Body, seated in the heavenlies in Christ, chosen in Him for this place from before the foundation of the world and predestinated to be conformed to the "image of His Son."

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

RISEN IN CHRIST
By John Baker


Scripture I Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first"


One of the greatest hopes of the believer is the resurrection. It is the capstone of our salvation purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary. His resurrection assures that redemption's price has been paid and accepted. For He was "delivered for our offences, and was raised again for (on account of) our justification" (Romans 4:25). The resurrection of Christ not only is the assurance of our justification but also assures our resurrection. "But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept" (I Corinthians 15:20). Therein is the believer's hope, for "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable (or to be pitied)" (I Corinthians 15:19).

An important part of the message revealed through the Apostle Paul was the catching away of believers to be with Christ in glory, which we call the Rapture. "Behold I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; "for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51, 52).

At the time of the Rapture some believers will be alive and caught away without experiencing physical death. However those who have died in Christ will join them "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (I Thessalonians 4:14). This indeed is a "blessed hope" for which all believers expectantly wait with full assurance. This hope is available to all who will believe the gospel (how that Christ died for their sins, was buried and arose again) and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Freedom's Light
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians5:18.).



Some time ago I read the fascinating autobiography of Governor William Bradford, who courageously led the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620.  The Governor documents how their quest for “religious freedom” brought them face to face with many perils.  He describes how, en route to what we now know as Cape Cod, they nearly went to a watery grave when the supporting beam of the Mayflower’s mainmast snapped.  By the providence of God, one of the families on board had brought a jack, which was used to reinforce the beam.

But this was only the beginning of sorrows.  The arrival of the Pilgrims on the shores of liberty was also filled with many hazards, as nearly one-half of their number perished the first year due to disease. Nevertheless, their faith in our Lord remained unmoveable.  Throughout it all, they found much for which to be thankful that “first” Thanksgiving.  And so do we, for our “freedom of worship” was originally conceived in their sacrifice.

Today, however, this freedom is being threatened on every hand, both here and abroad.  Perhaps the greatest threat is Islam!  Christians around the world are being persecuted for sharing Christ with those who are living in darkness.  Islam, of course, is a religion of hate, which is clearly seen in the riots and recent murders of innocent Americans in Muslim countries.  The hallmark of Christianity, on the other hand, is love.

As we gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, may we be mindful of the great price that was paid to secure our liberty.

May we be mindful that Christ also died for Muslims; only He can deliver them from the brutality of their religion and set them free from a life of oppression. May we be mindful of our troops over seas who are the guardians of our nation, preserving our freedom to worship here in America without fear of persecution.  Many of these defenders of our values will be sitting in a bunker this Thanksgiving in some faraway country.  There was a popular saying at the time of our country’s founding which is as true now as it was then: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

May we all give thanks for the salvation that we enjoy in Christ, even the forgiveness of our dreadful sins that would have condemned us.  “O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever” (Psa. 107:1).  AMEN!

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

FULL PROVISION
By Miles Stanford



"Let him ask in faith and have no doubts; for he who has doubts is like the surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed into spray. A person of that sort must not expect to receive anything from the Lord - such a one is a man of two minds, undecided in every step he takes" (James 1:6-8, Wey.).


First, we are to rest in the fact that our Father has made full provision for all our needs; positionally, we are complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then it is that we can trust Him daily for His "exceeding abundantly above." "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).

"It is true that all God requires of us we lack; but it is also true that all we need He supplies. The believer can give thanks that God has supplied all his need as to standing, and He engages to supply all his need as to walk. But while we see our Father's requirement, and recognize His provision, let us not overlook our responsibility.

"When we fail it is to this our failure may be traced. It is not because the provision has been insufficient, or unavailable, or afar off - but because the channel has been obstructed, the avenues of the soul have been closed, so that the need has remained unsupplied. Our responsibility lies in the exercise of faith." - E.H.

"I will not think of the infinities of my need, except to lead me to the divine simplicity of the infinity of His supply." - H.C.G.M.

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (1 John 5:14,15).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

TERMINAL CONDITION-ETERNAL POSITION
By Miles Stanford





"Ye have put off the old man with his deeds" (Col. 3:9).

Sometimes our Christian life and love are divided between the two Adams. It may be 60-40 in favor of the Last Adam, still it is shared. But the Lord Jesus paid it all, gave His all, deserves our all, requires all, because He is our ALL. Ours is to be total separation---death to the old, life in the New.

"Our Father has removed everything to His own satisfaction, and you learn in the first eleven verses of Romans 5 the terms He is on with you. It means much to the heart of the believer to know that he is received on the ground of another Man who perfectly glorified God.

"We are accepted in Him, the Beloved. God has changed His man, and you are never happy until you believe that and are able to say, I have, too. If you do not see that God has changed His man you will never change your man."

"The only way to freedom is to leave Adam for Christ ---- to change your man; then it is 'not I, but Christ liveth in me' (Gal. 2:20). There are two sides; one, that you are cleared from the old in the eye of God in the Cross; the other, that you are now new in Christ risen. 'For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death' (Rom. 8:2). The old is held in the place of death as you walk in newness of life in the Spirit."

"And have put on the new man, that is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him" (Col. 3:10).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

The Key To An Effective Pastorate
by Pastor C. R. Stam



 The humblest pastor, one who has had little opportunity for formal training and may have few natural endowments, may take heart in the knowledge that ultimately the key to true effectiveness in the pastorate is spirituality. And the greatest pastor, well educated and liberally endowed with natural talents, had better remember this, for a large and “successful” ministry is not necessarily blessed and honored of God, while a seemingly insignificant one may be richly blessed.

 Remember, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as “unknown, and yet well known,” as “poor, yet making many rich” (II Cor.6:9,10). He could boast no great organizational backing, yet even his co-workers were called “these who have turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). The truly spiritual pastor may know little about worldly matters, but he will give much time to the study of the Word of God and will be earnest and instant in prayer. He will not be self-satisfied,or high-minded, but will walk humbly, begging God every day to make him the pastor he ought to be.

 The truly spiritual pastor will be “crucified unto the world” and will “flee [from] youthful lusts.” He will truly love lost souls and the congregation God has entrusted to him and will toil unremittingly for their good. He will conduct himself as a servant of God and will trust God to use him for His glory.

 How can such a pastor be a total failure? The key to a truly effective pastorate, then, is not intellectual endowment, or scholastic attainment,or a well-rounded education, or a thorough training, much less wealth or fame or personal magnetism; it is spirituality, with its desire to please God and to know and obey His Word, rightly divided.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Overcoming an Identity Crisis
by Dr. Bill Gillham

Alumnae of Oklahoma State University and Texas A & M are known as Aggies, and we Aggies wear the label proudly. But someone in the course of time began making up "Aggie jokes." Take this one for example:


An Aggie alum was driving through rural Texas when he spotted a strapping young 18-year old boy trying to row a boat through a plowed field. He was bent to the oars, sweat pouring from his face. The Aggie stopped his car and strode over to the fence where he hollered, "Hey! What are you doing out there?" To which the kid replied with a grin as big as Dallas, "I'm on my way down to Texas A & M to enroll." "You idiot!" the Aggie screamed, arms windmilling. "here some of us are trying our best to create a better image for A & M, and it's idiots like you who give us a bad name! If I could swim, I'd come over there and give you a whuppin'!"

I believe Satan has millions of Christians chained to the oars of such a boat. It's bow is headed in the right direction and, although, the people are struggling to row it, the boat never moves. The name of the boat is the "Who-Am-I?" Of all people, Christians should not be the ones living in an identity crisis, overwhelmed with guilt, thinking their Heavenly Father is ashamed of them, and believing that God's acceptance is based on how they act.

Let me illustrate your identity this way: A squirrel buries a pecan, and in time a pecan sprout appears. As this sprout becomes two inches thick, four inches thick, ten inches thick, does it get pecanier and pecanier? Of course not; once a pecan, always a pecan. It doesn't undergo a change in its identity -- birth determined that. It simply becomes an increasingly more mature pecan tree until the Lord calls it home to pecan-tree heaven.

The metaphor holds a truth for you. As you set your mind on your true identity in Christ and as you act like Christ expressing His life through to accomplish His will on earth, can you become more righteous than righteous? More forgiven than forgiven? Holier than holy? Absurd, You can't get more of any of those awesome characteristics.

1 John 4:17 says, "...as [Christ] is, so also are we in this world."
1 Corinthians 3:17 says, "...for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are."
Colossians 2:9-10 says, "...for in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete."

Your spiritual nature is Christlike. You are holy! You are complete! How can you improve on perfect? That is not to say that you are a perfectly finished product in Christ, but that you are a perfectly made product. That's who you are. That's your true identity as a Christian. So quit trying to row your way out of your identity crisis field, and believe what God says about you.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE
by C. R. Stam

"...the gospel... is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth" (Col. 1:5,6).

How wonderful to see the gospel of the grace of God do its work! Paul had never even seen the Colossians. He had only sent missionaries to them from Ephesus with the good news of the grace of God, but this had produced amazing results.

Wherever the gospel of the grace of God is preached in its purity it produces results. No one hearing that message can go away the same. Either he will consider it utter foolishness and be hardened by it, or he will see its vital importance and be softened by it. Ultimately he will either be eternally condemned, or eternally saved and justified by his response to that message.

"The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (I Cor. 1:18.).

"Christ crucified... unto them which are called... the power of God and the wisdom of God" (I Cor. 1:23,24).

"The power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth" (Rom. 1:16).

Mark well: it is "the gospel of the grace of God," the "preaching of the cross," that produces such results. The law of Moses never did, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh," God sent His Son to accomplish for us (Rom. 8:3,4). This is why Paul proclaimed, at Antioch of Pisidia:

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38,39).

God’s message to us is a message of love, proclaiming to even the vilest sinner that he may be "justified freely by [God’s] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE PROPHETIC WRITINGS
Part One of Two
By James Krieg
Romans 16:25



We get many letters at Canyonview Bible Seminary from Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders concerning the differences in translations. The teacher frustration comes when the class is content to amalgamate the various translations and pronounce the majority opinion as correct. But the majority opinion is not always correct. And especially when you mix in the paraphrased versions it can be quite misleading.

Romans 16:25-26 is one passage that falls into this category; the majority opinion of translations can lead to a poor interpretation.

Rom 16:25 (KJV) Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Rom 16:26 (KJV) But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

A better translation from the Greek would read thus:

16:25 "And to the one being able  to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery having been kept silent in times eternal,  BUT NOW having been manifested and made known to all the gentiles through the prophetic writings according to the arrangement of the eternal God for the obedience of faith, to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to him is glory forever, amen."

The phrase "prophetic writings" is what we will examine in detail here.

Dropping back to verse 25 to pick up the context, Paul states that the tenants of this gospel and the preaching of Christ through him established believers today. He says this gospel is in accordance with revealed mystery truth. It is a mystery because it was kept silent in all past ages.

The great Pauline phrase "but now" begins verse 26. BUT NOW it is not kept silent any longer. His gospel has been manifested and made known through the agency of the prophetic writings.

Most of the nine translations I have before me, not all, translate the Greek phrase as writings of the prophets. With this translation the reader would normally think of the writings of the Old Testament prophets (cf. Acts 28:23; Rom. 1:2). But by a quick recall we see this totally contradicts verse 25. God kept silent concerning the revelation of the mystery when He communicated with the Old Testament prophets.

The problem is that "writings of the prophets" is an incorrect translation. Looking closely we first of all see the word "graphe."  We get our English word "graphics" from this and it is translated writings in scriptures.

The next word, "Prophertikos" is the one that seems to give us problems. First of all, we need to see what part of speech this is. It is an adjective. The English word "prophet" is a noun, not an adjective. To translate the adjective form we use the word "prophetic." Plain and simple, if we translate this "prophet " we use the wrong part of speech.

We can see from verse 25 that it could not be the Old Testament prophets through whom the new revelation of the mystery was made known. Therefore, who did write the "prophetic writings"?

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE PROPHETIC WRITINGS
Part Two
By James Krieg
Romans 16:25




This needs to be our first question. What is a prophet? It is a two part Greek word meaning before and meaning to speak or tell. A prophet is one who speaks before a group of listeners.

In our modem day minds we think of a prophet as one who tells the future. This is not the primary emphasis of a New Testament times prophet. We see in John chapter 4 that the woman at the well knew Jesus was a prophet because He knew something about her past. Paul tells Titus about one of the Creten's prophets (Titus 1:12), that is, one of the Creten's public speakers. This prophet spoke concerning the present condition of the people.

In First Corinthians 14:1-5 , Paul speaks of prophets edifying the people. They were not proclaiming eschatology, but, as laying a foundation of new truth for the church (Eph. 1:22), they spoke the things that would establish the believers' lives in the dispensation of Grace.

We conclude that a scriptural prophet is one who is gifted (Eph. 4:11) with the ability to interpret and proclaim God's message for the people of his time. If this man writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he would produce prophetic writings.

Was Paul a Prophet?

Paul never makes a direct claim to being a prophet. However, he does claim to be a preacher, an apostle and a teacher (2 Tim. 1:11). Acts 13:1 talks about many prophets and teachers in Antioch, Paul was there. In First Corinthians 13:9, he uses the first person pronoun "we"; we prophesy.

We Can say with confidence that Paul qualifies as at least a prophet, an interpreter or proclaimer of God's Word. And his writings should be regarded as prophetic writings.

In Conclusion, who wrote the prophetic writings in Roman 16:25? From our study we must conclude that Paul is talking about his own writings. First, he qualifies as at least a prophet, second, at the time Romans was written (56-58 AD) his writings were the only ones through which the "having been kept silent" mystery was manifested and made known.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Eden's Religion
Steve McVey


Like many Christians are, I was a religious person for many years. I'm not anymore. It shocked me years ago when, for the first time, I saw plainly from the Bible that neither was Jesus. In fact, it was religious people who were His strongest opponents.

The word "religion" finds its origin in the Latin word, religare. It means "to bind" as in the sense of placing an obligation on somebody. (World Book Dictionary) That's exactly what religion always does. It focuses on behavioral mandates that are supposedly necessary to satisfy what God expects from us, but nothing could be further from the truth.

The roots of religion go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. There were two trees in the Garden of Eden that were right in the center. One was the Tree of Life and the other was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The latter was "the religion tree." Why would I suggest that? It's because it provided knowledge about what is good and what is evil - the cornerstone of all religion. Eating from that tree brings a person into the religious world of discerning right from wrong in an attempt to do the first and avoid the latter. Isn't that what religion still does today? It tells us the things we ought to be doing and the things we ought to be avoiding? There's just one problem with the religious approach. God told us to avoid it altogether.

Note carefully in the Genesis narrative that our Creator didn't say eat from the good fruit on the tree but avoid the evil. He said not to eat from that tree at all - ever. His desire for you is that you live in union with Him, not out of religion. Morality isn't an issue at all when our actions flow from His indwelling Life. At that point, our behavior transcends morality. In fact, it is miraculous.

The sad reality in the modern church world is that the religious world of "Christianity" is unwittingly promoting the fruit of the forbidden tree as though it were the answer to our needs. We may say that we are defenders and proclaimers of the gospel, but in reality we are often peddling the poisonous, albeit good fruit the Serpent himself deceived Eve into eating.

The answer for us all isn't to improve our behavior. It's not to stop doing bad things and start doing good things. The fact is that even if we could eliminate all evil behavior and replace it with nothing but good behavior, we'd still have the same problem. We would still be up the wrong tree. Our Father is calling us to abandon the fruit from the poisonous tree of religious behavioral modification. He is inviting us to partake from the Fruit of the Tree of Life every day. He invites us to find our Sustenance in the living Christ, who said, "Take, eat. This is my body which is broken for you." Because of His grace we are able to freely eat from the finished work on another tree that stood on Golgotha two thousand years ago. Eating from that tree, we will never hunger again.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

MY FATHER CARES!
By M. Stanford




"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear" (Job 42:5)

The heart that is hungry to have God's purpose worked out in his life is going to be neither disappointed, nor pampered. When it comes to seeing self for what it is, there can be no pampering; when it comes to seeing the Lord Jesus Christ for who He is, there can be no disappointment.

"Why are the people of God suffering? - that they may be conformed to the image of His Son. Of course, we may not need a world upheaval to do this, but God is going to use all conditions to that end, and, tragically enough, there are multitudes of the Lord's people who do need a world shaking.

"They are so bound up with the externalities of Christianity, with its whole structure and system, that nothing but that which will overthrow, disintegrate, destroy, and raise tremendous questions about the whole business, will bring them to the place where the Spirit of God can begin really to do the work He has come to do in them."
- T.A-S.

"Job was a true servant of God; but he needed to learn himself, as we all do. He needed to have the roots of his moral being laid bare in his own sight so that he might really abhor himself, and repent in dust and ashes. And furthermore, he needed a truer and deeper sense of what God was, so that he might trust Him and justify Him under all circumstances." - C.H.M.

"But now mine eye seeth Thee" (Job 42:5).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

The Great Deceiver
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler



“Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken.” —Habakkuk2:15



There are many passages in the Word of God, such as the above reference, that are timeless principles. While the alcohol industry goes to great lengths to get people to believe that drinking is a harmless way to have a good time, the facts are otherwise. It is very careful never to advertise the alcoholic who is dying of cirrhosis of the liver or the homes that have been destroyed by strong drink. And of course, there’s always a voice in the crowd that says a few social drinks will never hurt anyone. Most recovering alcoholics, however, tell a much different story of how their slide into a life of drunkenness all started with social drinking.

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1).

Many years ago, I was driving through Apollo, Pennsylvania, where I saw a mangled piece of wreckage alongside of the road. Upon slowing down, I discovered it was an automobile, or at least what was left of it. Apparently someone survived the crash because there were beer cans strategically placed beside the car with a sign, which read, “And they told us we were going to have fun!” Someone lied.

Contrary to the world’s view that alcoholism is a disease, the Word of God calls drunkenness a sin (Gal. 5:19-21). Excessive drinking is not  a disease; it is a matter of choice. Although some drunkards overcome their addiction through programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, apart from faith, all too often they return to their drinking ways when confronted with a crisis. The world’s answer to the problems of this life is, “I need a drink.” However, the answer is not found in the bottom of a bottle. The answer is a personal relationship with Christ!

Everyone reading these lines has a family member, a dear friend, or a neighbor who struggles with this temptation. Yes, even believers wrestle with this sin, as Paul makes very clear:

“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness….But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:12-14).

The best thing we can do for those who grapple with this addiction is to show them our love and support. It is important to share with them that they are dead to this sin in Christ and therefore, it doesn’t have to control their life any longer. Since alcoholism is such a deeply seated problem, encourage them to search out a godly pastor or Christian counselor who can assist them in a better understanding of Romans, Chapter 6.