Grace, Mercy and Peace: 2 Timothy 1:2

To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 

2 Timothy 1:2 NIV

I find it interesting that the Apostle Paul started this letter to Timothy with three very specific truths concerning our relationship with God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Three things we need, three truths foundational to our faith, that’s what Paul greets Timothy with. 

He reminds Timothy that from God's grace he reaches to us.

He reminds Timothy that God shows mercy to us though we don't deserve it. 

He reminds Timothy that peace from God with Him, with others, and with ourselves has been provided in Christ for us. 

Father, thank you for your grace, mercy and peace. Thank you that in your grace you open that way back to you, in your mercy you draw me back to you and in peace I can truly live. 

Know the Will of God: 2 Timothy 1:1

”Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 1:1

I’ve been kind of having a little inner crisis lately, just feeling a bit off within myself. Sometimes it’s easy to forget what’s really important, what we’re supposed to be aiming at. I believe that knowing and doing God’s will is what will center me and aim me in the right direction and that there is always a peace that comes with knowing I am doing what God wants me to do.

The following verses remind me of what God’s will is...

• 1 Thessalonians 4:3 NIV It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV Rejoice always, pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. …

• 1 Peter 2:15 NIV For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

• 1 Peter 3:17 NIV For it is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

• 1 Peter 4:19 NIV So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

You and I may not be apostles, but, God does have his will for us and that is to live in the knowledge of his promise of life that is in Christ Jesus. He has us where he wants us, and if we’re not where he wants us he can move us to where he wants us to be, just like Jonah. 

Father, help us to live in you where you have us. Remind us of the promise of life in Christ Jesus.

I am reminded that The LORD has been my hope since I can remember.

Since I was in high school when he called me out from a life in darkness, seeking fulfillment in pleasure.

Since as a little child praying with my mother to ask Jesus to come into my heart.

Before I was born...

Thank you, Father, for always being my hope.

Monday's Strength

Find Your Refuge

Have a blessed an fruitful day. Whatever is in store for you remember that God is with you. May the Lord guard you and rescue in the battle. May he keep you from as you seek his kilometers an his glory.

Good choice, my son.

I thank the Lord for my youngest son, who chose this verse at camp last week as his life verse.

May Your Love Abound

How better to pray? for yourself, for you spouse, for you children, for your friends...

Lord, open our eyes to see your love in our lives. May our insight into the depth of your loves for us grow and grow. Grant us abounding knowledge of your work in our lives. Thank you and praise you for providing for us today. 

All Day, Every Day

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 

2 Thessalonians 1:3

I'm not much of a farmer and I don't have a green thumb, but, I do know that if I put a seeds for tomatoes in the ground I should see tomatoes, not lettuce, grow in that spot. What about our faith, what should I see as a result of my faith?

Well, there are a few things that faith may produce and one of them is love. Paul speaks of the Thessalonians observable love as the expected result of their growing faith. This is not a warm fuzzy, romantic love, rather it is a selfless, giving love. The demonstration of their love was lived out in what was not the easiest circumstances to be loving in. The Thessalonians were living out their faith in the midst of persecutions and trials. 

Sometimes God uses adverse circumstances to produce acts of faith that will bear eternal fruit. We are occasionally confronted with the choice to do something for someone else. That may "cost" us something we might like to have. It may be money, time or some thing we have. The Spirit of God will gently lead you in that moment to trust Him with the results. 

A long time ago I used to take the Blue Line Metro Rail to work. Every morning in between the station and my work a man would be sweeping his steps and the sidewalk in front of his home. As soon as he saw me he would begin to cuss me out like you wouldn't believe! "You *@#$ing, #@$%*, I'll kick your @##$%ing @#$*..."  He would continue yelling obscenities at me until I was at least out of earshot. One day I caught him just as he was looking up and I said, "Good morning, sir. How are you doing today?" He replied, "Good morning, how are you?" And every day after that he would say, "Good morning, how are you?" and I would reply, "Fine thanks, how are you?" Sometimes just being nice, which I believe is definitely godly, will produce the fruit of our faith. 

Opportunities to act in faith happen every day, all day long. Whatever you do, do in faith that God will use it to bring his kingdom into other peoples lives.  

It's All About Pleasing God

I guess that's the long and the short of it; it's all about pleasing God because he is our Rock and he is our Redeemer. We look to some many other things to please us and fulfill us yet, only God can heal our broken hearts and mend our minds. So, I pray that today we will please the Lord in all we think, say and do.

Get in the Word, Get Refreshed

The battle is rough. The world is fighting against God and seeking destroy all those who believe. That's you and me. But, when we get weary we seek the Lord. We seek the Lord in his Word. The Bible tells us the truth when we need it most, wether we want it or not. When the Word tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us when we may want to destroy our enemies and curse them. 

That's a hard pill to swallow sometimes. Maybe it's because God wants us to trust him with our battles. The great men and women of faith knew that the Lord was the one who fought their battles. We must be great men and women of faith and allow God to fight our battles as we seek him and serve others.

Help in the Battles

Lord, help us in the battles we face today. Grant us strength and courage get over the things that block and confront us. Praise be to you, our ever present help!

Did you come to remind me of my sin?

Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

1 Kings 17:17-18

The "widow" knew. Probably everybody knew. This boy was the fruit of her sin. Her guilt was real and deserved. She knew it. Yet God had sent his prophet Elijah and provided for her and her son. She was given a little hope that things might get better. Then, the boy becomes sick and stops breathing. The pain, the guilt, the condemnation all just hit her again. There was no one to blame but her, her sin. 

Elijah didn't ask her if she was repentant. He didn't try to explain why bad things happen. He just took the boy and asked God to let life return to him. And God did. Then the widow believed. The jar of flour and jug of oil not running out didn't convince her. But, bringing her son back to life did. You see, God knows how to reach us. He knows our self-inflicted wounds of sin. 

Are you a little like the widow, carrying around some guilt, thinking that every time someone looks at you they only think of your sin? In Christ you are forgiven. You are not condemned. God wants to raise up new life in you. Rest in the truth...

Can you follow the Lord completely?

"So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done." 1 Kings 11:6

Reading this chapter is sort of a little flick on the forehead to me because Solomon didn't accidentally not follow the Lord completely, he made some very specific choices that led him away from the Lord. For Solomon it was his many foreign wives that worshipped other gods.  

My question for myself is: what might I be allowing in my life that is leading me away from the Lord? Am I following the Lord completely? 

Before we get totally condemned let's remember the words "as David his father had done." Was David sinless? No, and I am sure that Solomon had heard the story of how his parents had gotten together. Solomon knew that his father, David, was far from perfect, but, he did love the Lord, in God's eyes, completely. 

I encourage you to, like David, follow the Lord completely. When you sin, seek God. When you struggle, seek God. When you feel trapped, attacked, helpless, hopeless, and hapless, seek God. 

Good Things

Lord, open my eyes to see all that you provide for me each and everyday. Grant me a heart of thankfulness. Help me to serve others and be the blessing someone else needs. 

Trust & Rejoice

Take Refuge in the Lord

What are you going through? Where are you? Find your refuge in the Lord. Sometimes he takes us through a desert to get us alone with him...

Find Your Refuge

Lord, You alone know what we each battle. We call out to You to be our Refuge in this world. Be our Stronghold as we fight the good fight and seek to glorify you today.

Remember Who You Are

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 

1 Thessalonians 5:5 NIV 

The apostle John reminds us, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Each day we face the darkness of this world. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). How we value others, how we treat others and how we act even when no one is watching is guided by the light we find in Christ. 

Lord, open our hearts and minds to see the world in your light. Use us to shine your love to this dying and dark world today. Praise be to you in us today.

Come Rest Secure

I read this last night while studying for a Sunday School class I participate. It spoke to me and I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will comfort and encourage you with these words. 

Shield Up

Lord God Most High, be our shield today. Preserve and protect us as we seek to serve you in our homes, jobs and school. Praise be to you in us today.