THE WATERFALL OF GRACE

MATTHEW 9:29  Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." Have you ever wondered why God blessed someone -- when it was obvious they did not deserve it? Do you wonder why you are not more blessed -- even though you are doing your best to be a good Christian? The answer is faith. We do not receive from God based on what we deserve, but on what we believe.  GALATIANS 3:9  Abraham believed this, and because he believed, he was blessed.  It is the same today. All who believe today are blessed just as Abraham was blessed. Our receiving from God is not based on our works, but on God's grace. We have access to God's grace by our faith -- not through our merit. ROMANS 5:2  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand . . . . Many try to earn something from God when He has already given us all things through Christ. Now by faith we must appropriate what God has provided. Don't despai...

JAMES 1:19  My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, Personally, I have a  big struggle with this. I am a very reactive person and seldom pause before I speak. I am praying for change in this area.  How many times have you said something and later regretted it? Too often we practice: Speak now and think later. What would happen if you silently consulted with God before speaking? If you thought about, and prayed about, everything you said -- before you said it -- outcomes would be different. 1 PETER 3:10  If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies. Words are powerful and should be used to accomplish a purpose. Don't just talk for no reason. PROVERBS 17:28 Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. Remember, you can always learn more by listening than you can by talking. Be slow to...

Where do joyful people get off? Don't they have troubles like me? How can somebody STAY JOYFUL?   James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,.. what!? 1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice... How does that work? Okay, so the word JOY is used 165 times in the bible (KJV) and I have heard this word used to describe the christian experience in sermons and even in twelve step groups. We are told to have JOY while we are suffering or grieving or being crushed by injustice. I don't know about you but trials and  hardships produce feelings in me that are quite the opposite of joy. Life hurts and is often unfair so how or why am I to find joy in the middle of a firestorm? How can someone who is in acute physical pain be joyful? Who can rejoice at a death of a loved one or loss of a job? Where is Joy to be found? Do I understand what I am looking for? I struggle with this as I...

  Who did the Son of God reach out to and be-friend in the Gospels? MATTHEW 11:19  "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'. . . . Jesus had trouble with the religious leaders of His day, because He was a friend of sinners. Jesus is the same today. He never changes. Jesus is your friend.  LUKE 19:7 But when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Religious people couldn't understand how Jesus could love a sinner -- they certainly did not. But Jesus did, and He still does. Notice what Jesus said to the woman caught in the act of adultery. JOHN 8:11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Jesus does not condemn you for your sin. He understands. He came to earth and lived in a human body just as you do. Jesus knows t...

PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14  ...one thing I do -- forgetting everything which is past and stretching forward to what lies in front of me, 14 with my eyes fixed on the goal I push on to secure the prize of God's heavenward call in Christ Jesus. We Believers face many difficulties. Trials. Adversaries. Doubts. At times we're all tempted to quit. The struggle seems too much, and we wonder if it's worth it to continue, to hold on to our faith when there seems to be no hope left. But there is a goal -- supremely worthwhile: life with our wonderful Lord. Not just existence, but intimate fellowship. Fix your eyes on the goal -- God Himself -- and press on! 1 CORINTHIANS 1:9  God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. Please read the following verses slowly and thoughtfully. 1 PETER 5:7-10 7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you. 8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a ro...

MATTHEW 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, "Love your enemies? What kind of advice is that? How can you have enemies, if you act in love toward them?" Good point. Why would anyone want to have enemies? Do you? God's instructions, if acted upon, will make friends out of enemies. Think how much better the world would be then. God can, and does, love His enemies. He proved it. No matter what they did to Jesus, He never quit walking in love. But it may be impossible for a normal human to love their enemies -- without God's help. Fortunately, God's help is available! No matter how hard it seems, you can love those who have hurt you. If it was not possible, God would not command us to do it. Of course, to be successful at it, we need to call on the Lord and receive His help. "But why should I love my enemies?...