Devotion: God Is Not Angry With You

One of the hardest concepts for many believers to understand is the concept of God’s grace.  Grace is this wonderful free gift that God has given to us.  And because of this wonderful gift of grace, we have been saved.  “Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ.  And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 TLB).  God’s grace is extended to us because of what Jesus Christ did.  It is not extended to us because of something that we did; it was a free gift from God.

“But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead—only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved—and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms—all because of what Christ Jesus did.  And now God can always point to us as examples of how very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-7 TLB).

All of this “amazing grace” is given to us free from God and we do not need to do anything to earn it; we just need to accept it.  Many believers are still trying to make themselves righteous with God by keeping the old Jewish law but it is actual grace that makes us right with God, not by keeping the law.

“The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).  “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.  And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law.  For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law” (Galatians 2:16 NLT).

So, trying to keep the law will not make you right with God.  Did you know, “the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is” (James 2:10 TLB)?  And, there is no amount of work a person can do to earn his or her righteousness.  It all comes through the grace of God.

“We were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, and slaves to our desires and various pleasures too.  We were spending our lives in evil behavior and jealousy.  We were disgusting, and we hated other people.  But when God our savior’s kindness and love appeared, he saved us because of his mercy, not because of righteous things we had done.  He did it through the washing of new birth and the renewing by the Holy Spirit, which God poured out upon us generously through Jesus Christ our savior.  So, since we have been made righteous by his grace, we can inherit the hope for eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7 RSV).

So it by his grace, the free gift, that we are saved through faith, faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10).

“And he guarantees right up to the end that you will be counted free from all sin and guilt on that day when he returns” (I Corinthians 1:4-9 TLB).  “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  Now we live with great expectation” (I Peter 1:3 NLT).

While this commentary may not give you the complete understanding of God’s grace, it will get you headed in the right direction.  Just remember, “God is not angry with you.”  We pray that this message will give you a different perspective as well as add to your understanding.  May this inspirational message bless you abundantly as well as inform you.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Harvest Is Coming

Most of you are familiar with the principle of “seedtime and harvest.”  You know that principle which God established that says, “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  With this principle, the words that we speak can produce a crop much like that of the farmer who planted seeds in a field and it is from this crop that we reap a harvest, be it good or be it bad.  The same applies to the things that we do, where our actions are also like seeds, producing a crop from which we reap a harvest, be it good or be it bad as well.  It is important to note that the crops we produce can be “good or bad,” depending on what we have sown.

Basically, we continually have a harvest ready to come in, always based on the things that we say and/or the things that we do.  While these crops can be good or they can be bad, it is amazing how quickly we will distance ourselves from “a bad crop,” even though we are the ones responsible.  We are the ones that planted them, but we are quick to blame others and/or even blame God for the bad crops that appear in our lives from time to time.  There is a harvest coming and it will come from the seeds that you have planted either by your words or by your actions in the past few days, weeks, months, or even years.  The question for you is “What kind of harvest will it be?”

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational message will bless you as well as inform you.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: A Member Of The Body

Many believers have been taught we are supposed to “be of one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God,” but is this truly the case?  Are the so-called believers truly “of one body?”  We, as so-called believers claim to worship the same God, follow the same Jesus, and be touched by the same Holy Spirit, yet our beliefs are so different.  And while we “politely tolerate” each other, our pride does not allow us to come together as one.  The statement, “That’s not how we do things here” instantly blocks any attempts at unification.  But aren’t we supposed to be a body of like-minded people with one common purpose and one common goal?  Apparently, we missed that memo and have missed the point as well.

Scripture records that Jesus, when he ascended upon high, he gave certain gifts to man. “Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the gift of being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping them to trust him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God (Ephesians 4:11 TLB).

But it is the purpose of these gifts that we find most intriguing and what is to be accomplished by them.  “Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best?  It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ.  Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.  Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church.  Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Ephesians 4:12-16 TLB).

So, if you be one who has been given a special ability or gift to do certain things by Christ, then you have but one job and it has been clearly spelled out; “the building up of the Church, which is the body of Christ to a position of strength and maturity.”  If you be a member of the one body, then you too have a role to play as well.  Paul begs us “to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these.  Be humble and gentle.  Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.  Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another” (Ephesians 4:1-3 TLB).  Imagine a body perfectly fitted together, with each part helping and working with all of the other parts so that the whole body is healthy, growing, and full of love.  Imagine a body where “finally we all believe alike and come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.”  Imagine that!

Again, we pray that today's message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Is Money Your God?

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Money is the root of all evil.”  Stated this way, this phrase leads us to believe that “money” itself is “the root or cause of all evil.”  According to scripture, it is “the love of money” that is “the root or cause of all evil” (I Timothy 6:10).  The actual wording brings to light a slightly different interpretation where “the love of money” is the root cause of all kinds of evil and not money itself.  It is this “love of money,” this desire in people to be rich that is the first step of a downward spiral that causes all kinds of wrongdoings just to acquire this money.  Those who covet after money, fall into temptation and do all kinds of unwise, destructive, and malicious things that eventually hurts them, all to satisfy this desire to gain access to money.  Because of their “love of money,” these same people have turned away from God, have been led astray from the faith, and have inflected themselves with countless sorrows that eventually lead to their ruin and destruction.

Scripture tells us “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” (Luke 10:27), but this is one commandment that is hard to obey if you have a “love for money.”  You see, if you have this “love of money,” then you cannot love the Lord God with all of your heart, soul, strength, or mind.  Jesus told us that no man can serve two masters, because he will either love the one and hate the other or he will keep or hold on to one and have no respect for the other (Matthew 6:24).  God tells us that we are “to have no other gods before him” (Exodus 20:3), but this “love of money” is like having another god before God, where you love something else with all of your being instead of loving God, which is a very big “no-no.”  It is important to note that money, in and of itself, is not the root or cause of all evil, but it is this “love of money” that ends in man’s ruin and destruction.

So, we have to ask, “Do you serve money or does money serve you?”  As always, we forever pray that our message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Trust In God

“Faith” is defined as “trust in somebody or something, especially without logical proof; trust in somebody that you consider worthwhile and truthful; and accepting that something exists when there is no physical proof of its existence or of its reality.”  We can honestly say that having faith in somebody or something is the same as having trust in the same.

“And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).  Jesus is telling us to have faith in God, which is the same as him telling us to have “trust in God.”  We know that God is a god of faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6).  Therefore, if we trust in God then it is possible for us to please God.  Imagine that, a little trust can go a long way to pleasing God.

Faith or should we say trust is required in order to have a relationship with God.  Faith or trust is necessary for anyone who wants to know God.  Scripture tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and in all of our ways submit to God and he will direct us, making our path straight and crowning our efforts with success.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.  And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday” (Psalm 37:3-6).

Faith is a choice.  Believing is a choice.  Trust is definitely a choice.  You can choose to believe or you can choose not to believe; that choice is yours.  As for us, we choose to believe and we choose to place our faith or our “trust in God.”

We pray that today’s inspirational message will bless you and inform you.  If you are blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Don't Judge By Appearance

So often we hear people, believers and non-believers alike, using the phrase “Judge not, lest ye be judged” or a similar phrase because either, they don’t want to pass judgment on someone or they do not want judgment passed on them.  We find in scripture, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again” (Matthew 7:1-2), but has this passage been misinterpreted?

The passage appears to be a warning to us to be careful how we pass judgment on others and not a commandment to never pass judgment.  The passage clearly warns us that with whatever judgment we use, the same judgment will be used against us and with whatever measure we use, the same will be measured to us.  In Leviticus, we find that “we are to do no unrighteousness in judgment but in righteousness, we are to judge our neighbor” (Leviticus 19:15), which is a little contrary to the meaning of the popular misinterpreted “judge not, lest ye be judged.”

In passing judgment, we are to have no respect of person, meaning we treat all the same regardless of power, wealth, or position.  Scripture tells us, “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor” (Leviticus 19:15).  “Ye shall not respect persons (show partiality) in judgment; but ye shall hear the small as well as the great; ye shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause (case) that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it” (Deuteronomy 1:17).

Scripture tells us that it is not good nor is it wise that we have respect of person or that we show partiality in our judgment towards anyone (Proverbs 24:23; Proverbs 28:21).  God told Samuel not to look on a man’s countenance or on the height of his stature, for God does not see man as man sees man.  While man looks at the outward appearance of man, God looks at the heart of man (I Samuel 16:7).  This means that we too must look at the heart of man.  Scripture tells us, “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person” (Proverbs 27:19).  Scripture also tells us that “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).  So, by looking at the heart and not at the appearance, we will certainly “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).  The whole point of the passage appears to be that when we judge others, we need to make sure that we “judge them in righteousness and not in unrighteousness.”  The story of Jesus and the prostitute comes to mind (Luke 7:36-50).  You should check this story out; you just might see things in a different light.

We forever pray that our inspirational messages abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you are the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.   Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Because we have had so many questions about “the will of God,” we now attribute everything that happens to it being “God’s will” as to the reason things happen the way that they do.  If there is a tragedy, a disaster, or a catastrophic event we are quick to say that, “it was God’s will” that these events happened, but are these true statements.  The sovereignty of God is one of the most misrepresented concepts in religious teachings and it has greatly contributed to our misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and confusion about “the will of God.”  While it is true, that God is sovereign, with supreme authority and supreme power, able to operate totally independent of any part of his creation, everything that happens does not happen because it is “God’s will” that such things should happen.

For example, most Christians believe, know, understand, or have concluded that hell is the future home to the wicked.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

According to this passage, it is not God's will that any should perish.  However, it is God’s will that all should come to repentance and avoid going to hell.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NIV).

We pray for God’s will to be done here on earth as it is done in heaven.  In heaven there is nothing bad; no bad things to overcome; none of the things that trouble us here on earth.  So, we need to pray that the will of God be done here in the earth as it is done in heaven because even though God is sovereign, his will is not an automatic thing.  If God’s will be an automatic thing, then no one would go to hell, since it is not his will that any should perish.  But we know that people will be in hell, not because God did not want them, but because they did not want God.

Hopefully, today’s message will definitely offer you a different viewpoint on “the will of God.”  As always, we pray that this message will bless you, as well as inform you.  Please share this message if you are blessed by it so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW