No one can serve two masters.  For you will hate one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.  That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life.  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.   Matthew 6:24,25,27,33  NLT

From the beginning of creation our first parents, Adam and Eve began to reason within themselves that there logic and understanding was better than what God had said.  It was there that the battles began with God and with each other.  Men and Women all over the world are still suffering from this logic and understanding.  Many times we find ourselves much more devoted to what is in our hand than what we know the Lord has said.  It is in this condition that grace can overwhelm us, so that what is in our hand does not own our emotions or our understanding.  Grace gives a great freedom of delighting in our Lord no matter where we may be found.  Today may you know and experience the kindness of his grace, where you will find no worry, no stress, no forms of envy and no tension.  Let his grace bath your heart and mind with the freedom to rejoice right where you are.  Enjoy!

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16, 17

Over the years of my journey through life I have tried to find the words that would give people some idea of the grace of God through Jesus the Christ. At this point, what I like to say is “that grace is the power of God’s love given in and through Jesus the Christ without any condemnation, shame or guilt.” In this place faith is not a belief system; it is an assurance of the cleansing love of God so that we may live life with the freedom of joy, peace and his blessed pleasure of who we are. In his grace all our values, goals, views of ourselves and others become refreshed and renewed. Today may you be experiencing the goodness of grace and faith through all the details of your life. Let your heart, your soul and your mind find words and tones of praise to the glory of God, for you are dearly loved. In this place your delight will be full and you will discover the strength and blessing God has for you. Enjoy!

 

Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.  For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean.

Hebrews 10:22

Sometimes along our life we feel or have some kind of sense that God is not interested in the details of our lives.  That feeling or sense is real, but it is not telling us the truth.  Here again we have in God's Word a wonderful picture of his grace working in and through our lives.  We are invited to come into his presence with our full emotions and intellect, allowing the faith and grace he has given to express itself before him.  The idea of sincere hearts is the beauty of grace living within us bringing about trust, peace and a refreshed conscience. So here again we are reminded that we now have no condemnation, guilt or shame because of the blood of Christ.  So today, may you enjoy your journey of grace and go right into his presence with the details of your life.  As you do, enjoy the attitude of thanksgiving which will give you emotions that are renewed, refreshed and will let you to rejoice where you are.  Enjoy!

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Proverbs 3:3-4

Being overwhelmed by grace allows us a great freedom in our thinking, living and esteeming others as more important than ourselves. Loyalty and kindness are two beautiful parts of grace and when they are allowed to live in and express themselves through our lives, we will find the favor of our Lord as well as the favor of those we meet. That being true, we then are filled with joy and goodness. Today is another gift from our Lord, may you enjoy these attitudes and emotions of his grace in you. Let your life have situations for loyalty and kindness to be seen and heard through you. Relax, smile and let his grace refresh your soul.

This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:9-11

Pray or prayers, what awkward words these are for so many. Often people are not sure how or what to pray for and therefore they pray very little and miss much of the joy and power of our Lord. In God’s grace that is through Jesus Christ, prayer becomes a natural response from us to the Lord because of his great love and kindness. Here in prayer we find refreshment, not discouragement. When thanksgiving is our foundation in prayer, our prayers change and refresh situations and individuals. Here lives can become new through our prayers of grace. Today may you begin with a prayer of thanksgiving to our Lord. What comes next in your heart and mind, bring before him with the assurance that what you are praying is now in the process of being accomplished. Then many will give thanks and want to know the same grace that is yours.

God made him (Jesus the Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Sometimes along our journey through life we seem to be confused about Jesus Christ. We begin to live our lives as though he were some kind of religious standard or a system of beliefs by which we judge ourselves and others as to our standing with God. Well here is the beauty of God’s grace, that he took us, full of condemnation about ourselves and others, he put it all on Jesus the Christ so that we would have the freedom to live our life in the beauty, the peace and the joy of our Lord. Today may your heart and mind experience the renewal and freedom of his grace. May his rest and joy be yours in every detail of your life as you choose to rejoice before him. Let those who meet you today experience the beauty of our Lord through your words, your actions and your expressions. In him you are completely free from all your forms of condemnation. Enjoy!

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

What a refreshing thought and emotion this is. It does not say - exhaust yourself, strain yourself, worry yourself, or condemn yourself; it says delight yourself in the LORD. What is so refreshing about the grace of our Lord is that it changes the foundation of our focus about who the Lord is and therefore who we are. Today let His Grace refresh your soul by delighting in the Lord. If you will allow this grace of delighting to be who you are each new day, things will happen in your journey that will blow your hair back. You and those around you will experience that life that is called eternal. Smiling, joy and encouragement will be just who you are and each day will seem like you opened a new gift. Enjoy!

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:16,17 NLT

When we were young we began to learn the importance of who we are and what we are called. Our name and the name of our family became important. Then as we grew and went to work we found out that the people or company we worked for thought the same thing about their name or the name of the company. They wanted to know that when someone used their name or the company name that it carried significance and value. A good question to ask is - "When someone uses your name, what comes to their mind?" It is here where grace refreshes everything. There is a freedom, a richness and a joy in who you are because of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no one else just like you and every new day brings with it a new beginning. Today which has never been before, nor will come again may you enjoy who you are in the grace of our Lord. Whatever you do or say can give refreshment to those around you, be a blessing to you and reveal the beauty and thankfulness of the grace of God in you. Today is a good day for people to know your name.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:1,2

What a great way to start a new day. The journey through life has so much noise, distractions, stress, worry, broken relationships and at times even anxiety. It is good to take a deep breath each morning concerning the joy that can be ours because of the grace of Jesus the Christ. Here we have words such as "shout for joy, worship the LORD with gladness, joyful songs." Something happens to each one of us when we pause along our way to take time to be thankful for the life we have at the moment. These moments can give us such refreshment that we can see and hear the details of our journey in a new way. Today may you shout for joy to the Lord and find yourself filled with delight for the freedom that has been given in his grace. Let your continence be refreshed so that all those who meet you may see and hear what it is to live with gladness in the Lord. Your smile and expressions will be contagious. Enjoy!

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Isaiah 5:20 NLT

In the midst of such sorrow, the grace of God can be found for an individual or a nation. Billy Graham is now 93 and has prayed this prayer for our nation. 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable... We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and Set us free. Amen!' Today may you be refreshed in the power of his grace and the freedom it brings to you, your family and your work place. You are the renewing expression of his grace in all that you are.