“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” (Eph. 1:7-8)

When I was living in California in the 1950’s, my dad bought a three bedroom house on two acres of land for five-thousand dollars! That was a lot of money for a house back then! But not so much money now. That same place would be worth half million dollars in today's housing market. When Susan and I bought our brand new three bedroom home in Washington State in 1971, we paid seventeen-thousand dollars for it. We sold it twelve years later for forty-five thousand. We then bought our present home for fifty-five thousand dollars. We recently had it appraised and it's now worth about four-hundred-fifty thousand dollars!

It amazes me how much prices have changed over the years! Not only houses, but everything else!

The riches of God’s grace - priceless!

Prices of things often fluctuate. They go up and they go down. But, one thing that will never change is “the riches of God’s grace,” (Eph. 1:7). Its value is priceless because it is paid for by the shed blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ! There is nothing in existence, or has ever existed, more valuable, more precious! And to think, “He made it abound to us in all wisdom and prudence.” (Eph. 1:8).

Think what this means to you!!

No matter what you may have done

“The riches of His grace” has it covered! His grace towards you is above and beyond, and it more than covers any possible need!

Exceeding riches of grace!

• “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:7)

• His grace is more than abundant!

•  “And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim. 1:14)

• The riches of his kindness leads to repentance!

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4)

We all fall short and need God's grace!

“I'm not perfect. And who knows how many times I've fallen short. We all fall short. That's the amazing thing about the grace of God.” – Tim Tebow

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:12)

I didn't want to be bothered! 

I was on a plane on my way back from a speaking engagement. I was travel-worn and exhausted. Usually when I travel, I try to get a seat next to the window, then I put on my noise cancelation headphones to escape mentally from all that is around me.

But, not this time!

I was seated in a middle seat between two people. I put on my headphones as usual and started to relax into my private thoughts. But, I noticed that the man sitting in the aisle seat next to me was ordering one drink after another. He wasn't sitting still but was squirming in his seat and seemed uncomfortable. I tried to ignore him!

I hoped sincerely, that he wouldn't talk to me. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I just didn't feel like talking to, or being bothered by, anyone!

“Speak to that man!”

Then I heard the Lord gently prompt me, “Speak to that man.” And I instantly thought, “No! I don't want to!!!! I tried to ignore that still small voice and tried to think about something else.

But, I heard it again!

“Speak to that man.” So, very reluctantly, I removed my headphones, looked right at the man and said, “How are you doing?” He said, “I don't know if you’ve noticed, but I am drinking a lot.” I said, “Well, yes, I did notice that you’ve been slamming them down. What’s up?”

He said, “I have been drinking a whole lot! My wife just left me and is filing for a divorce. I can't think, I can't sleep, and I'm about to lose my job because I can't concentrate on my work anymore. My life is a mess! I need help but I don't know where to get it!”

I told Him my story

I said, “Actually, your story is very similar to mine. My life had been messed up, too, and I had also turned to alcohol.”

For the next few minutes I told him my story as he listened intensely. I told him how I had also struggled with alcohol and had one personal failure after another. Then I told him how I had prayed to receive Christ and how He had changed my life. I told Him that Jesus loved him, and had died on the cross for him, so that he could come into a personal life changing relationship with God. Then I asked him if he would like to receive that for himself. I then offered to pray with him. He said, “Yes, I would like that very much!” So, I prayed with him to received Christ.”

I was happy that I had finally obeyed God’s gentle prompting!

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim. 4:2)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

How about you?

Have you ever been in a public place such as a grocery store, airport, shopping mall, or just walking down the street, and then you saw someone obviously in pain with some sickness, injury, or other physical disability, and felt like you should pray for them? But didn't!

I have! Many times, and it bothers me that I have not been bold enough to pray for them with faith! Yes, over the years there have been a handful of times that I actually did pray for someone in need publicly, but it's been rare!

Ordinary?

Recently, I watched a YouTube video showing some “ordinary street Christians,” as they called themselves, praying for folks on a city street. They would just walk along and then see someone who was in obvious pain, and would stop and offer to pray that God would heal them on the spot. What was especially interesting, was how people reacted to their offer. Most agreed to be prayed for, although they looked a little surprised. The person about to pray would first ask them to tell him the details of what was wrong and where the pain was. And then he prayed specifically according to the person's need, a very simple, straight forward kind of prayer. One person, obviously walking with a painful limp, told of the severe pain he was having in his swollen foot. The street Christian then prayed for him, “In the Name of Jesus, I demand that all injury, swelling, and pain, leave this foot right now! Be completely healed!” The person being prayed for then looked startled, then amazed. Then moved his foot around, walked on it, then started jumping around, and was obviously healed. He then burst into tears, threw his arms around the person who had just prayed for him, and said, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" The praying person quickly said, “Don't thank me! You were healed today by Jesus! Thank Him!”

Does this story sound familiar?

“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, ‘Look at us!’ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:1-10)

Should we be noticing and praying for people in pain around us? The answer is yes!

We are as He is in the world!

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17)

We are to imitate Him!

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:1-2)

We can do far more than we ask or think through the power within us!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” (Eph 3:20)

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)

Knowing that God has given me “all sufficiency in all things for every good work” makes my life function a whole lot better without unnecessary stress, or worries.

The family business and CEO

I think of myself as one of God's kids, as one of Jesus' little brothers. A joint heir with Him and a worker in the “family business”. And, my Heavenly Father, the creator of “the business”, and Jesus, the CEO of it, will continually guide me to do what is needed to make it thrive and prosper.

Therefore

I expect Him to, and he does, give me exactly what is needed at the right time, according to the exact specifications needed, to get the right things done at exactly the right times. (Eph. 2:10).

Things work much better!

Looking at things this way makes me successful and happier because, if any problems do arise, personally or business-wise, and they do occasionally, I let the CEO of “the family business” handle it!

And, He of course, does!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3)

Eight spiritual blessings

Ephesians 1:3 says that God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing! How wonderful is that! If you want to know what these spiritual blessings are, then read the rest of the chapter where eight of them are listed for you.

·      The first spiritual blessing is the election as saints. Eph. 1:4, which says that He has “chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”

·      The second spiritual blessing is found in verse 5—our adoption as His children. Not only has God chosen us to be made holy, but He grants us full status as His children, with all the benefits thereof.

·      The third spiritual blessing is in verse 6, where we are made “accepted in the beloved.” The word is related to grace and gives the idea of making us favorable through Christ, the beloved of God.

·      The fourth spiritual blessing is in verse 7, the redemption through His blood. Redemption speaks of buying one's freedom, paying a ransom. The price for our sins was fully paid by the blood of Christ.

·      The fifth spiritual blessing is also found in verse 7, the forgiveness of sins. It is closely related to redemption, but looks at the other side of the coin. In paying the ransom for our sins, the debt of sin was canceled, and we were forgiven. We no longer have the burden of guilt for violating God's holy laws.

·      The sixth spiritual blessing is knowing the mystery of His will, verses 8-10. God has given us wisdom and insight through His Word and has shown us His desire to bring all things together to glorify Christ.

·      The seventh spiritual blessing, verse 11 says, is the inheritance that is given to us through Christ. What is included in that inheritance? Simply put, everything that Jesus has, you now have as a “joint heir” with Jesus!

·      The eighth spiritual blessing is found in verse 13, which is the sealing of the Holy Spirit. When we become God's children, He places His seal of ownership on us, guaranteeing our eternal security. This is spoken of as the down-payment of our full redemption, to hold us until the day Christ brings us to Him.

All these spiritual blessings are for you and have been completely bought and paid for, by the blood of Jesus!

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Rom. 12:11-12 NIV)

This verse uses two words, zeal and fervor, to describe how your relationship with the Lord should be. According to the dictionary, “zeal” is defined as great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective; and “Fervor” is defined as intense and passionate feeling, eagerness, enthusiasm, fire. 

Are you lacking in zeal and fervor?

Many people are excited and even on fire for God when they first get saved. But, over time they cool off, lose their fresh enthusiasm for the Lord, and even fall away. Jesus spoke about this in Rev. 2:3-4, “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

How to know you have left your first love

1. Your heart toward Christ is cold and indifferent; not tender as it once was, not easily moved by the Word, talk of spiritual things, etc.

2. You can go hours or days without having more than a passing thought of Him.

3. “Little” things that used to disturb your conscience, no longer do.

4. Private prayer and worship are almost non-existent, cold and dry.

5. Your service for Christ and others is motivated by a sense of duty or obligation.

6. You spend more time and effort on your physical appearance than on cultivating inner spiritual beauty to please Christ.

7. You are more concerned about what others think and pleasing them, than about pleasing Christ.

8. You prefer secular songs, movies, and books more than songs or reading material that point you to Christ.

9. You prefer the company of people who don’t love Christ, to the company and fellowship of those who do.

Jesus said what to do

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” (Rev. 2:5)

In the above passage, He said to do three things:

·      Remember from where you have fallen. Think back to when you had first received Christ. Remember the details of what first brought you to Him, what you prayed, and how your life was changed.

·      Repent. The word “repent” means to turn around, change direction, or to turn away from something. So, make a sincere decision to turn back to God with your whole heart.

·      Do the works you did at first. Go back to doing the things you did at first. Those things were probably basic, such as praying, reading your Bible, going to church, singing worship songs, and sharing your faith.

“Therefore tell the people: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.” (Zech. 1:3)

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18)

There are divisions all around us these days

It’s very obvious in things like politics, race, and religion. Our country was deeply divided once again in the last presidential election, and truth is, no matter who had won, the other half would have been unhappy about it.

A divided anything is weaker!

The way to weaken anything is to divide it. In fact, an often used battle strategy is called, “divide and conquer.”

Patrick Henry said in his famous last speech of 1799, “Let us trust God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs."

Jesus said it this way

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:24-25)

God wants us to bring the message of reconciliation to the world!

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:18-19)

And here’s how!

“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. (Col. 3:12-15)

“The number one problem in our world is alienation, rich versus poor, black versus white, labor versus management, conservative versus liberal, East versus West . . . But Christ came to bring about reconciliation and peace.” – Billy Graham

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3)

I attended a business seminar a while back and the speaker emphasized over and over again the importance of asking questions because, as he said passionately, “You don't know what you don't know!”

By asking questions from experienced business people who have important knowledge about things, you can avoid serious mistakes and move ahead faster and with fewer problems.

He was certainly right about that! It is important to ask questions in business matters! But, it is also important to seek knowledge in other areas of your life!

God’s people can get in trouble for lack of knowledge!

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6a)

Wise people seek knowledge from God!

“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Prov. 18:15)

God gives knowledge to those who ask

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Prov. 2:6)

Fools reject knowledge

It's crazy not to ask God for wisdom and knowledge about things!

“Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” (Prov. 1:29-31)

Knowledge is pleasant and will guard you

“For wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you.” (Prov. 2:10-11)

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” –  Benjamin Franklin

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Phil. 4:6)

This verse is a four-step formula for success for any and every situation

No matter what you are dealing with at home, at work, or in every and any situation, apply these four steps.

Step one - “Don’t worry”. Worry is the opposite of faith and is a tool of the devil to stop you. But, don't let it! DECIDE NOT to worry! That’s right! It's a decision. Take control of it! Make it your conscious decision immediately at the very start of anything, no matter how it looks, not to worry! Use God’s Word as your weapon to fight it (it’s the sword of the spirit). "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

Step two - “Pray about everything.” Most of the time we don't use the biggest resource we have in our hand, prayer! If you don't use it, you lose it! As a child of God, you can come boldly to Him at any moment and instantly discuss anything with Him. And, you must do so immediately and boldly, in the time of need.  “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

Step three - “Tell God what you need.” Come right out with it! Be specific and tell God exactly what you need! He cares about you and wants to help you but you must ask! “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)

Step four -  "Thank Him for all that He has done.” Thank Him for the many times He has helped you in the past. Thank Him, too, for the thousands of promises He has already provided for you in the Bible. They cover virtually every possible need you could ever encounter! God has already thought of everything and provided for it. Many times, we ask God for things he’s already provided for us in the Bible. When problems or challenges come along, find specific promises in the Bible that already apply and then thank Him for them! “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises.” (2 Peter 1:4). “All the promises of God are, 'yes' through Jesus.” (2 Cor. 1:20). “And God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19)

So, do it!

“Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John R. Wooden

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no help at all." -Dale Carnegie