THE WATERFALL OF GRACE

HEBREWS 2:10a NLT  God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. If you want to understand life, and the Bible, then you need to understand God's plan and purpose. We're here because God wants a family. This is what life is all about. The best description and summary of what is going on is that God is raising a family. It is happening in a realm where there is free choice and temptation to do wrong, but God has provided everything necessary for our complete victory and maturity. If you keep this perspective clearly in view, it will give you the right framework for your thinking about God. Every thing God does has this purpose in mind.  2 CORINTHIANS 6:18 NLT 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." We are in preparation for eternity, and this life on earth is just first grade in our learning experience.  MATTHEW 5:45 NLT 45 In that way, you will be acting...

Deuteronomy 28:4  “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Would you want to buy a chair that Jesus made? I would, even if it cost $1,000 because it would be of superb quality. Whatever Jesus did, He did it with perfect excellence. And because Christ is in you, the things which you produce will be of exceptional quality too. That includes your children, who will be champions.  Deuteronomy 28:4 says, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks”. God was using terms that the Israelites understood since they were farmers and shepherds. Today, “your ground” is the place of your work. This means that “the produce” of your work shall be of excellent quality. That is not all. God promises that quantity will always follow quality becaus...

LUKE 12:4 NKJ 4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. Since Jesus defeated death and removed its sting, believers should no longer be motivated by fear of death.  1 CORINTHIANS 15:55,57 NLT 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? " 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Death has been defeated by Jesus. Now the death of a Christian believer is just a transition from this lower reality to a higher, more perfect, and lasting reality. For anyone trusting in Jesus, there is no reason to be afraid. I believe that death is now like birth: just an entry into an unknown but better place, a place of more freedom and consciousness, where we will continue to learn and grow, as we enjoy the goodness of God.  LUKE 20:38 NLT 38 So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him." Death is not t...

Ruth 4:15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age… Famine impoverished the life of Naomi, an Israelite. But it was the deaths of her husband and two sons that left her completely destitute. (Ruth 1:1–5) Or so she thought, until Boaz, who was a wealthy and close relative, entered her life. As her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz married Ruth, Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law. And through that union, Naomi had a grandson. The birth of her grandson gave her a new lease of life, causing the womenfolk in her village to declare that the restorer of life and the nourisher of her old age had come into her life. (Ruth 4:14–16)  Boaz is a picture of Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer. Jesus became our kinsman when He was born into this world as one like us. And He became our Redeemer when He paid with His life and blood at the cross to redeem us. Jesus gave Himself to us as our restorer of life and nourisher of our old age. When the restorer of life is in our lives, w...

Creation Can’t But Redemption Can!   John 9:7  7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. When Adam sinned and fell, everything about creation fell. Yet, people today are still putting their trust in creation. For example, they try to become healthy by eating what is called the “Eden diet” — vegetables and no meat. They are acting as if creation did not fall. They also forget that there are people who eat well and exercise regularly, and still drop dead in the prime of their lives! Thank God that what creation cannot do, redemption can and did. Jesus demonstrated this when He spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva and put it on a blind man’s eyes.  (John 9:6–7) Now, it is certainly unusual to put clay on a blind man’s eyes because he would become doubly blind! So why did Jesus do that? He was demonstrating to us that all our body parts come from the ground and that be...

MATTHEW 6:19-20 NLT 19 "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. When I was young my family had a wall plaque which said: "Only one life, will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." 1 CORINTHIANS 3:13 NLT 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If I buy a vehicle for myself it will last only a few years. Then it will rust, wear out, and break down. But if I buy a vehicle for someone that will enable them to preach the Gospel to more people, the blessing and memory of that purchase will last for eternity.  This is not to say it is wrong to have nice things for ourselves. (For it does not bring glory to God for us to be in lack.) But we should n...

Philippians 4:6 6    Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  You would probably have read this verse before, but would you like to know how to apply it in your everyday life? Let me give you an illustration to help you. Let’s say that you are one of those in your company eligible for a promotion and you will know tomorrow whether you get it. You want the promotion badly because it means more income for your family. So you lie in bed at night tossing and turning. You pray, “Father, please take away all my worries about this promotion. Give me faith.” One hour later, you are more anxious than ever. It seems like God is not answering your prayer! How come? Because you are not doing it God’s way.  Pray like this instead: “Father, I cast all my worries about the promotion into Your loving hands because You care for me and love me.” The Bible tells us to cast all ou...