GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

~STRENGTHENED WITH POWER~
By Pastor Robert Hanna


"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit In the inner man" Eph 3:16


To the unregenerate soul, many of the declarations of the Apostle Paul are unfathomable. Most notable among these is the statement recorded in verse 10 of 2 Corinthians, chapter 12: "I take pleasure in infirmities (weaknesses), in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

The saint of God, however, can heartily empathize with this profound affirmation. He knows that the strength here referred to by the apostle is drawn from the power of God in Christ. We who are redeemed in Jesus Christ know full well that to struggle in our own strength is to tilt at windmills. Thus, Paul declares that "(his) strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9) He is saying that he gains strength only as the power of the indwelling Christ prevails. Hence the confident statement, "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).

As members of His Body we are specifically instructed, exhorted and admonished through His Word of truth. And He assures us of our ability to comply with His requirements by HIS strength, which will enable us to resist and persist in accordance with the walk of faith. "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it" ( 1 Cor. 10: 13b).

And so Paul prays for us" ...to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man......

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
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[nChrist]

~THE ABUNDANCE OF GRACE~


Read Scripture: Ephesians 3:20-21

The grace of God is without limitation "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17)

Ever before us are the undeniable fact of our total undeservedness and the constant and consistent dispensing of God's abounding grace. God sets forth no conditional terms in order to be recipients. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). His free grace was offered to all who would believe for salvation. And after having so believed, we are provided with godly instruction in proper spiritual conduct pleasing to Him, which instruction is a further operation of His grace.

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you." (2 Cor. 9:8 ). So writes the apostle in this letter to the Corinthian church when admonishing and encouraging them to give freely of the substance which God supplies by His grace. The more receptive and responsive we are to the love and care provided by God's grace, the more freely does His grace shower upon us. Yieldedness, of course, is the key. The natural, human tendency is to become discouraged and desperate in the face of tribulation. "....But God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Pastor Robert Hanna

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

PERSONAL INFLUENCE
by M. Stanford


"I proclaim not myself, but Christ Jesus as Lord and Master, and myself your bondsman for the sake of Jesus" (2 Cor. 4:5, Cony.).

"God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shone in our hearts" (2 Cor. 4:6a).

All Christians are fit for heaven, but all too few are fit for earth. One of the true tests of one's spiritual growth is in one's influence: affecting others that they not only begin the Christian life, but "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18 ).

"We may be separated and yet not Christlike; we may be orthodox and yet not spiritual; we may be 'dead unto sin' and yet not 'alive unto God.' We may have cut ourselves loose from every form of worldliness but in so doing we have become critical and self-righteous. We may be loyal defenders of the faith, yea, ready even to lay down our lives for it and in so doing become bitter and unloving. "

"We may often have a measure of the power of the Spirit, but if there is not a large measure of the Spirit as the Spirit of grace and love, the defect will be manifest in our work. We may be made the means of conversion, but we will never help people on to a higher standard of spiritual life, and when we pass away a great deal of our work will pass away too." -A.M.
 
"One may have a great zeal in God's service, and may be used to influence many for good, and yet, when weighed in the balance of love, be found sadly wanting. In the heat of controversy or under unjust criticism, haste of temper, slowness to forgive and forget, quick words and sharp judgments, often reveal an easily wounded sensitiveness, which proves how little the Spirit of the Lord Jesus has full possession or real mastery of the life."
-A.M.


"We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

MINISTRY OF LIFE
By M. Stanford
 
"Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain" (Phil. 2:16).

Many Christians are bogged down between the nursery and the schoolroom; between the playpen and the workshop. These resist the weaning period; but the hungry-hearted are eager to have their feelings replaced by faith.

"It is true that the Father does take up those who are spiritually immature and permit them to speak His words years before they fully understand their import; but He does not wish any of us to stop there. We may go on that way for a while, but is it not true that from the time when He begins in us His work of formation through discipline and chastening, it growingly dawns on us how little in fact we know of the true meaning of what we had been saying?

"Our Lord intends that we should reach the place where we can speak, with or without manifest gifts, because we are that which we share. For in Christian experience the spiritual things of God are less and less outward, that is, of gift, and more and more inward, of life. In the long run it is the depth and inwardness of a work that counts. As the Lord Jesus Himself becomes more and more to us, other things - and this must include even gifts - matter less and less. Then, though we teach the same doctrine, speak the same words, the impact on others is very different, manifesting itself in an increasing depth of the Spirit's work within them also."

"Our Father's hand is on the helm. We are being guided, even when we feel it least. The closed door is as much His Providence as the open, and equally for our good and the accomplishment of His own great ends. And one learns at last it is not what we set ourselves to do that really tells in blessing so much as what He is doing in and through us."


"Thou wilt show me the path of life" (Ps. 16: 11).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

"THE WORD OF HIS POWER"
by Russel S. Miller


God is so powerful that by simply speaking, He created "Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Ex.20:11). Yes, the Universe was brought immediately into being: "by the Word of His power" (Heb.1:3; IIPet.3:5)! And neither was His power confined to the animal creation, for He "breathed into the nostrils" of Adam, "the breath of life, and man became a living soul" (Gen.2:7). He is so powerful that He can "inspire" mere men to write exactly what He wants them to write, in a Book that we call the Bible (IITim.3:16). So powerful that to enter the stream of humanity and become a man, He was "born of a virgin" (Matt.1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35), which, with men is a total impossibility. And again, to show His mighty power, after "He [had] by the grace of God, tasted death for every man" (Heb.2:9) HE AROSE FROM THE DEAD (Rom.4:25).

God is so powerful that when we believe on Christ, He makes us one with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection; saves us for time and eternity, and nothing can separate us from His love. This is why the Apostle Paul defends the doctrine of eternal security in his Epistle to the Romans:

"FOR I AM PERSUADED, THAT NEITHER DEATH, NOR LIFE, NOR ANGELS, NOR PRINCIPALITIES, NOR POWERS, NOR THINGS PRESENT, NOR THINGS TO COME, NOR HEIGHT, NOR DEPTH, NOR ANY OTHER CREATURE, SHALL BE ABLE TO SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD, WHICH IS IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD" (Rom.8:38,39).

Some people don’t believe in the Bible and all it says about Creation, the Inspiration of the Scriptures, the Virgin Birth of Christ, His resurrection from the dead, and the Lord’s Return to catch us away to be with Him for all eternity, but those who do, can say with the Apostle Paul:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16).

By the "word" of His power He shall catch us away to be with Him eternally.

"LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE, AND THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST" (Tit.2:13; IThes.4:13-18 ).

"In whom WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

"FULFILLED AND FILLED FULL"
by Charles Wages



"That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." (CoI.4:12).

   Man never finishes anything! Only God can bring something or someone to completeness or a "full end." That fact certainly leaves "man" out of creation and the "new" creation. In other words, "man" had nothing to do with the creation of the heavens and earth  (Gen. 1 : 1), or with salvation (the "new creation") (2 Cor 5:17). Because of the "riches of His Grace," we have been forgiven. We have been completely forgiven of all our sins. Colossians 2: 13 reads,

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses:"

   Previous to being redeemed or "forgiven all sins" we were considered "dead" according to God's laws and standards. However, God has "quickened" (made alive) us together with Christ.
   He has "fulfilled" the law (Rom. 8:2) Romans 10:4 tells us that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." This means that our Lord has fulfilled every demand of the law (Old Testament). The believing sinner has been declared righteous through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24).
   What God begins He is able to finish! In the very beginning God intended for His creation to be perfect and that is exactly what it was. The garden of Eden was a perfect place. There were no sins, no struggles, no suffering. A perfect environment for perfect people. Did the entrance of sin through the Devil abrogate, destroy, and deter God's ultimate plan for His original creation? The answer is no. In His own time we will see His plan completed. In 2 Peter 3:13, we read,

"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

   Just like the first perfect "man," Adam, became imperfect through sin, the whole of God's creation has felt the detrimental effect. Yet, God's great plan was to bring the perfect "man," Christ, into the world to make "new" all who would believe in Him. This perfect man, the man Christ Jesus, by His perfect sacrifice for sin make all who believe in Him to be "new creations" ( 2 Cor. 5:17-19).
   From the human standpoint, it appears as if God's great plan for humankind and His physical creation has been dealt a death blow. Man surmises "God started something He can't finish!" What about the salvation He freely bestows upon all who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? Remember, God never begins anything He can't bring to completion, fulfillment, fruition, or "end." Please read Colossians 2:10 and then Philippians 1:6.

"And ye are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power."

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

   Our first parents, Adam and Eve, inherited a perfect or complete environment unspoiled by sin and degradation. Their failure, in yielding to Satan's temptation, did not mean God's great plan failed. God sees the end from the beginning and the ultimate or completion of His plan and purpose (Rom. 8:28 ).
   Difficult for our finite minds to comprehend? Yes, but not difficult for God. In fact, if we believe God's Word, it becomes understandable. However, we may never fully understand while on earth, but we can believe it! A conscientious, careful reading of Romans 8:28-29 will do wonders in opening the eyes of our understanding and allow us to praise Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.
    What privilege, what hope, what encouragement to know we have been saved to serve the Awesome, Almighty God. He is able and will finish all that He begins! We can say what the apostle Paul said of his trust in God.

"For the which cause also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

HIDDEN WITHIN, MANIFESTED WITHOUT
By Miles Stanford


"Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God" (Ps. 92:13).

Defeat reveals the flesh; testing reveals the Father.

"The inward exercise of Romans Seven and the testing of the wilderness serve the purpose of teaching us what sin in the flesh is, and what is in our hearts; while such special discipline of the Father as Paul's thorn in the flesh is rather to protect us from the unalterable tendencies of the flesh. The latter is always needed, and goes on in one form or other to the end of our course here."
 
"We belong to another sphere altogether. We have died, and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). We are like a tree that has its roots in heaven, and its branches down here. No doubt our branches are fretted and ripped by the atmosphere here, but nothing can touch the roots up there. Planted inside, they flourish outside." -J.B.S.

"No one can question the right of the Father and the Son to have and to hold the sheep; and if we see what it has cost them to secure us, it cannot fail to give us the most blessed assurance. Much yet may have to be done for us. We shall need support, preservation, discipline. If we are left here a little longer we shall need the grace, mercy, and forbearance of the Father in a thousand ways, but all that will be needed in the future to keep us from ourselves is small compared with the stupendous cost at which divine love forever secured us."-C.A.C.
By M. Sanford
"There is more in the Lord Jesus, in the Father, in the Spirit, in heaven to give us rest and peace and joy, than in the whole universe to disquiet, trouble, or grieve us." -G.V.W.

"Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

WHO'S IN COMMAND HERE?
By Pastor Paul Hume

Scripture Reading: Rom. 16:25-27; Ps. 33:6-9

The story is told about General Wainwright who was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese after the famous Bataan March in the Philippines in 1942. For the remainder of the war he barely existed in a concentration camp in Manchuria. But one day an Allied airplane flew into the camp, and an American officer delivered something to the Japanese officers in charge of the camp. It was the electric news that Japan had surrendered to the Allies. This news was relayed to the suffering General. By and by came a Japanese prison officer to order the General to his tasks and to harass him. But the weakened but victorious man turned to his tormentor and said. "I'm in command here now!"
 
So is God! But God never had to win the right of being "Commander-in-Chief!" He always was. He always shall be, and He always is in command. Did you note this in these two passages we suggest you read? "He commanded, and it stood fast"--the material creation. The blessed "revelation of the mystery" resulted from "the commandment of the everlasting God." God is in commandment -- in all things, even though to our limited and sin-stunted considerations it doesn't look like it!
 
This is where the subject of the Sovereignty of God comes in. What do we mean by this term, "the sovereignty of God?" We reply with Dr. A.W. Tozer in his excellent book, The Knowledge of the Holy, "God's sovereignty is the attribute by which He rules His entire creation, and to be sovereign, God must be all-knowing, all-powerful. and absolutely free." This is to further admit that God is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, the "Governor among the nations" (Psa. 22:28 ), the "only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (l Tim. 6:15). He is in command!

But the question is: "Is God in command of my life?" This you must answer soberly for yourself. He may be, that is, if  you're truly saved and yielded to Him up to the light He has given you in His Word. He may seem not to be if you're not saved, or even if you are but out of His will. Yet He has a way to gently bring you to Himself and to bring your will into harmony with His!

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT GOD?
By Pastor Paul Hume

Scripture Reading: I Chron. 29:10-13; Rom. 9:5b

What do you think about God? Is He "the Man upstairs?" Is He "the good Lord?" Is He the One who is So high and so holy that no one can approach Him except through several mediators --- e. g., Mary, the saints, and the priest? "Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, 'What comes into your mind when you think about God?' we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man." (A. W. Tozer).
 
Who rules and regulates the affairs on this earth today---God, the Devil, or man? This also is an important question because it relates vitally to what we think about God. If either Satan is in control or man is in control, then it is obvious that God isn't God at all. The atheist or humanist or agnostic might admit that man as well as the laws of nature are in control.  But what about those who say they are Christians? Many, many think that while God is God, and that He "sitteth in the heavens" and is basically running things, they also think that He is in a great degree a frustrated Deity. So many are rejecting Christ today, so many heathen have never heard the Gospel, wickedness is so rampant, and the forces of Antichrist are more and more militant, and the world is in such a terrible mess --- how can it be that God is in complete control, and that He is working all things after the counsel of His own will?
 
What a problem this is---indeed! Yet when we peruse the blessed "Word of truth," we are given the proper perspective: we see all things through the sovereignty of "the living God," Who is "exalted as Head above all, --- God over all, blessed forever." Yes, every man has a will, and everyone is morally responsible. No man is a mere puppet.  Yet God is God, and we must reverently bow with the inspired psalmist and say, "But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" ( Ps.115:3).

"0 God, how wonderful Thou art
Thy majesty how bright!
How beautiful Thy mercy-seat
In depths of burning Light!" (Frederick W. Faber, 1849)

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD AND SECURITY
 By Pastor Paul Hume

Scripture Reading: Psa.37:23~28; Col.3:1-4

Closely related to the sovereignty of God in salvation is the blessed truth of the security of the saints. This security is the portion of all who have truly been born again, for they have been given the "gift of God, which is eternal life. This life is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Since everyone who has this Life is in vital spiritual union with Christ, it follows that he "shall never, perish."
 
A lady who had been recently saved was sharing her salvation with another lady who also said she was saved. Said this other lady, "You say that you are in the hollow of His hand. But isn't it possible for you to slip through His fingers?" The newly-saved lady calmly replied, "No, for I am one of His fingers!" How true! By grace and by means of the Holy Spirit's baptizing each one of us into union with Christ, we become actual members of Christ. Thus we find the poet's words true:
 
"And this I shall find,
We two are so joined,
He'll not be in glory
And leave me behind."
 
To be sure, certain passages such as Hebrews 6:4-8 and 2 Peter 2:20-22 and some others can be 'brought forth by those who do not (or will not) understand this precious truth. Once the contextual setting of each passage is honestly studied, and the dispensational interpretation is honestly employed, it will be found that the true believer in Christ is indeed everlastingly secure. Such security when rightly understood leads to a godly life rather than to an antinomian "Let's sin and live as we please since we are forever saved!" attitude.
 
What are some of the reasons for our security in Christ? 1) We have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world; 2) We are kept by the power of God; 3) We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption; 4) We are complete in Christ; 5) We are members of Christ's body; 6) We have everlasting life; and 7) We can never be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Study Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:5; Eph. 4:30; Col. 2:9-10; Eph. 5:30; John 3:16; and Rom. 8:38-39).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

THE FAITH THAT SAVES
By Pastor Paul Hume

Scripture Reading: Mark 11:22; Gal. 2:20;     Heb. 12: 1-2
 
It has been truly said that Satan has a counterfeit for almost everything that God does (except to give Life). The Apostle Paul speaks of "another gospel" (2 Cor. 11:4a; Gal. 1:6-9), "another Jesus" (2 Cor. 11:4b: much of Christendom today worships this "Jesus!"), "another spirit" (2 Cor. 11:4c: how prevalent is this "spirit" now); "false apostles of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:13: witness, the Mormons and their chief apostle, Joseph Smith!), and "ministers of righteousness" (2 Cor. 11:15: how many priests and ministers fall into this category today!).

Obviously, therefore, there must be a counterfeit faith. We know there are many false "faiths" today .. the apostate Protestant "faith," the Roman Catholic "faith," and the Jehovah's Witnesses "faith" (and the like). Yes, many of the people involved in these false systems have "faith." I heard a liberal preacher on the radio only yesterday broadcasting from a popular church which is only four blocks from our church and exhorting his hearers that the way to keep one's life from being empty is to "have faith in God." This sounds real good. It even sounds Biblical!

Did not our Lord exhort his wondering disciples in Mark 11:22, "Have faith in God?" But a more accurate rendering of this command makes the meaning clearer: "Hold to the faith of God!" True, saving faith is not naturally generated. All of us have a "natural faith:" e.g., we believe that the cooks in the restaurant where we are eating haven't put poison in our food; we trust the car in which we ride; we believe what history tells us about our great country, and etc. But the kind of faith which our Lord speaks of is identical to that which Paul speaks of: " ... justified by the faith of Christ" (Gal. 2:16); " ... I live by (or in) the faith of the Son of God" (Gal 2:20); " ... boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him" (Eph. 3:12).

We have a blessed truth in Hebrews 12:2: "Look away (from all else) unto Jesus, the Author (that is, the Originator) and Finisher (that is, the Completer) of faith." True, saving faith comes from God in Christ Jesus. This faith saves. This faith sanctifies. This faith sustains. This faith pleases God. Does this faith operate in you?

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

~THE CROSS AND THE SPIRIT~
By M. Stanford




"But God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).


The Lord Jesus carried out the work of the Cross as to our eternal position. The Holy Spirit carries out the work of the Cross as to our present condition. "He will take the things that are Mine and will transmit them to you" (John 16:15, Amp.).

"We cannot separate the Cross from the Holy Spirit. We can have no Easter and no Pentecost, until we have first had a Good Friday. Through the Cross alone we are prepared for life in the fulness of God; only he who is crucified with Christ can be a vessel unto honor. Our 'old man' must be crucified with Christ, and in His resurrection we find the roots of our new life. Whosoever loses his life, shall find it. We must learn the lesson of the Cross, as condemned and rejected ones, who have been crucified with Christ.

"Then the door will be open for a life of power and blessing. All that belongs to death must be turned over to the death of the Cross, even as the body is laid away in the earth, because it belongs to the earth. The Holy Spirit, the Eternal Spirit, is unchangeable. He brought Christ our Head to the Cross, and us His children with Him. For this work in us is twofold. On the one hand, it leads us to death; and on the other hand, to that life which God has placed within us, and which leads from glory to glory." - A.M.

"And all of us, with faces uncovered, because we continue to reflect like mirrors the splendor of the Lord, are being transformed into likeness to Him, from one degree of splendor to another, since it comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18, Wms.).

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

~CONSTANT CARE~
By M. Stanford




"The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust" (Ruth 2:12).


The Lord Jesus not only died for every sin in our life, but He lives for every second of our life. We cannot rest in Him until we realize that there is never an instant that He is not caring for us. It is as though each of His own were His only one.

"So many saints are disturbed, so many are restless, because they are not living in the knowledge that they are under the care of the Lord; and then there is no power to walk. Why have you so little power in walk or service? It is because you are not yet clear that the Lord is caring for you, that He is in all watchfulness over you, that He has let down the strong pinions of His protecting care till they sweep the ground around you, and, if you are wise, you will creep up close under His wings, into the very down."- J.B.S.

"It belongs to the nature of our pilgrimage and life of faith, that we cannot see the land for which we are bound. If only thou hast bid farewell to thy past, have confidence in thy God; trust Him to bring thee into a better land than the one thou art leaving. Should we find that Divine things do not at present correspond with our hopes, we may be quite sure they will eventually exceed our expectations; we shall realize above all we ask or comprehend." - ---O.S.

"And a man shall be like an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; like rivers of water in a dry place, like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" (Isa. 32:2).

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
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[nChrist]

THE SOVEREIGN GOD AND HIS WORD
By Pastor Paul Hume

Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Psa. 68:11

"Prove to me in one word that the Bible is the inspired Word of God!" demanded King Frederick of Prussia of a Christian minister one time. After a few moments of thought the, answer came clear, "The Jew, Sir, the remarkable Jew is one, evidence that the Bible is the inspired Word of God!"
 
Yes! The, Bible IS the very Word of our sovereign God even though He chose to use some forty human authors through which to give His Word. Yet the truth still stands, "The Lord (the Master) gave the Word" (Psa. 68:11). "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God"--that is, "all Scripture, is God-breathed." By His Spirit He brought the Word of God into being! No wonder we, read in Hebrews 4:12 that it is "living and active.." "His Word, said the Psalmist, 'runneth very swiftly' (Psa. 147:15). According to both Isaiah 55:11 and Matthew 4:4 it came forth from the very mouth of God! Blessed Book! It is "forever settled in heaven!"
 
Can men ever destroy this Book? They may burn Bibles by the thousands, pass laws preventing the propagation of that Book, jail or even slay the preachers of it, yet "heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). Men may cry that it is out-dated and not relevant to our times, yet it still abides and is changing the lives of millions who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! Why! Because God has sworn to stand by His Word: "I will hasten my word to perform it" (Jer. 1:12).
 

"The Bible stands like a rock undaunted
'Mid the raging storms of time;
Its pages burn with the truth eternal,
And they glow with a light sublime.
The Bible, stands ev'ry test we give it,
For its Author is divine;
By grace alone I expect to live it,
And prove it and make it mine,"

Now we may say a hearty "Amen" to these blessed truths--and rightly should we. But the acid test is this: "Does this Book have authority over my life?" If not, then you are in rebellion against its blessed Author! I trust you are not, but if you are, remember that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry!"

_____________________________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________

[nChrist]

~EPHESIANS 1:21~
"Far above all principality, and power, and might,
and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come"


In the book of Ephesians, Paul has much to say about the "powers" in heavenly places. The Greek word translated "powers" in Ephesians 1:21 and 3:10, speak of DELEGATED AUTHORITY and refers to political authority like that of a magistrate. Thus, in these passages, Paul is speaking of the delegated authority of magistrates who are ruling in the heavenlies. These "powers" are the same "powers" with whom we "WRESTLE" (Ephesians 6:12). These "powers" are the fallen angels to whom Satan has delegated authority to rule over God's creation. Today, Satan, as the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4) and as the "Prince of the power of the air" Ephesians 2:2), has usurped the positions predetermined by God to be filled by the Body of Christ, the Church of this dispensation (Ephesians 1:22,23).

Even though Satan has his magistrates ruling over God' s creation today, he has not won the victory, for Ephesians 1:20 and 21 states that Christ has been raised into heaven "far above all principalities, and powers." 0ne day, very soon I believe, Christ will call an end to this dispensation of the Grace of God and will call the saints of his age up unto Himself in the heaven-lies. At that time, Satan and his host of fallen angels will be removed from those  "seats" of authority and these "seats" will be given to the members of the Body of Christ, for we have been promised that if we suffer with Him we will also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).

Today, the ministry of the Body of Christ is to "make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery" (Ephesians 3:9) "to the intent that ---the powers in heavenly places" (Ephesians 3:10) might know the manifold wisdom of God. They will know this "wisdom" by the position that has been given to the Church, the Body of Christ.

By Pastor M. Duncan,

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
If this devotion has been a blessing to you,
please share it with others.
The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
_______________________________________________________