“Our Daily Bread” http://odb.org/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
“Homily Grits Devotional” http://www.homilygrits.com/
Ephesians 2:8-9… For bygrace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. (NKJV)
One cannot be a serious student of the Bible, and a child of God…and be able to explain how and why God does what He does… We were discussing God’s grace the other day in men’s Bible study…and all agreed that you just can’t wrap your mind around God’s grace…
Yesterday, I wrote about fear vs. peace… I used my niece Jennifer as an example of a Christian who died at the age of 39, with terminal cancer…but was able to not only accept death at her door…she was able to have absolute peace, along with a joy of knowing that she would soon be face to face with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, in heaven… The Apostle Paul had this same peace, when he penned scripture, where he couldn’t decide which was better…dying and being with the Lord, or living for Christ so that he could share the gospel of Christ with those in need…Philippians 1:21-25…
Friends, this supernatural peace beyond human reasoning is only possible because of God’s unmerited grace… And God’s grace is only possible through saving faith alone in Jesus Christ… (See link at the end for more about God’s grace)… It is the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, that God indwells His children with at the time they become a Christian (John 14:26), that provides this peace beyond our mortal understanding…
Philippians 4:6-7… Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpassesallunderstanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
To best explain saving faith, one should look at the Old Testament Book of Job… I just started reading Job this morning in my Q/T daily reading… And it was Job, who I believe gives us one of the best perspectives on what saving faith is all about…
The Book of Job is all about the tremendous pain and suffering that God allowed Satan to impose on Job… Satan was trying to prove that he could make Job denounce God…if Job was inflicted with enough hardships… God allowed Job’s 10 children to be killed by a great wind…and all of Job’s sizable livestock of 11,000 animals were lost…and well as all of his many servants… Job’s response to this tremendous loss of family, his servants, and possessions, leaving Job with nothing, was this, in…
Job 1:21-22… And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall Ireturn there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has takenaway; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” 22 Inall this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. (NKJV)
Since this wasn’t enough to make Job denounce God…Satan got permission from God to inflict painful boils on Job…from the sole of his feet to the top of his head…Job 2:6-8… Even Job’s wife told him to give up his faith in the Lord, in…Job 2:9… Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? CurseGod and die!” (NKJV)
Job’s response to her was this, in…Job 2:10… But he said to her, “Youspeak as one of the foolishwomen speaks. Shallwe indeed acceptgood from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did notsin with his lips. (NKJV)
Job went through much criticism from his friends…all posing their reasons for Job’s afflictions… But through it all, no one, (not even Job) knew why God allowed Job’s pain and suffering… In the end, God graced Job with twice what he had lost…Job 42:10-17…
Friends, Job’s epitome of saving faith in the Lord, is what is needed to become a Christian to begin with… God is sovereign…Psalm 115:3… We may never know why God allows some trials to devastate the lives of His children… But because of saving faith in the Lord, we should trust that whatever God puts His children through, will somehow be used for our good and for God’s glory…Romans 8:28… And we know that all things work together for good to those who loveGod, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (NKJV)
A prime example of God’s sovereignty can be seen in the scripture recorded in John, about the blind man from birth, who received his sight…John 9:1-3… Now as Jesus passed by, Hesaw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, thisman or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (NKJV)
Christians who are able to exhibit this unshakable faith in the Lord, just like Job…do so because of their saving faith in the Lord… Any other faith in the Lord but saving faith, might be what Dr. Charles Stanley calls intellectual faith… Check out this link by Dr. Stanley, that has a video and a write up about “A Saving Faith” @ http://www.intouch.org/resources/sermon-outlines/Content.aspx?topic=A_Saving_Faith_Sermon_Outline
Heavenly Father, Your Word tells us that Your ways are not our ways…Isaiah 55:8-9… Help all of Your children to understand Lord, that Your grace should be sufficient for us…2 Corinthians 12:9… Urge us Lord, to place our trust and faith in You, and then to get out of our own way and let the Holy Spirit direct our steps… I pray for this divine guidance for all of our lives, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
Blessings in Christ, bruce r mills
P.S. Here is a link for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…
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