I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."  The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. Lamentations 3:24,25

 What a wonderful journey life is, even with all its highs and lows.  The awe of falling in love and finding that someone else loves you as much as you love them.  Wow, what a refreshing time that is and as wonderful as that is, it gets even better with age.  When the Lord becomes a reality to us in the journey of life instead of some kind of belief or religious system, his grace begins to overwhelm us.  Let us remember that his grace is his love expressed and given without condemnation and with his grace in our lives we now have the freedom to enjoy giving love to others the same way that he has done for us.  With grace we find the joy of giving more than receiving then our thinking and emotions can really enjoy our journey.  Today may you enjoy the Lord as your portion, knowing how much he loves you.  Let all who meet you see and hear your hope and joy in him.  Let his grace allow your life to overflow with emotions of thanksgiving.  His grace will do things through your life and speech that will blow your hair back, it will feel like you have lost weight.  Enjoy giving his grace to everyone, it will put a smile on your face and all those around you.  I told you love gets better with age.  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 journey 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.  We are reminded that we now have no condemnation, shame or at times feelings of worthlessness, all because of the blood of Christ.  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, it will bless you, those around you and refresh the direction of your life.  Enjoy!

Everything that does not come from faith is sin. Romans 14:23

This statement in the Word of God is not one of condemnation, anxiety or stress.  In reality, it is bathed in grace so that we may discover the life that has been given to us in Jesus the Christ. So what is faith?   Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.  It is not a system or belief, it is the certainty of what God has said is true and his love can be seen in Jesus Christ. It is the gift of God through his grace and it is living.  Faith therefore can see and hear.  I like to think of it this way, that grace is the river and faith is the channel along which the beauty of grace flows down to renew our souls.  Being free from condemnation lets us have thoughts and emotions that are relaxed, experiencing joy and gladness.  Today may you experience the life called faith by the grace of our Lord.  May your fears, your anxieties and your regrets find no place to express themselves because of the grace and faith of Christ in you.  Enjoy!

 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness. Psalm 130:3,4

 

Sometimes in our life, events take place that affect us in ways that overwhelm our emotions in all the wrong ways.  They can be things we have done to others, things others have done to us, or just great disappointments in relationships or hopes we thought would be outstanding.  In this place, for some reason we seem to have a difficult time with forgiving well.  It is actually in this place that grace takes its stand.  Grace in and through Jesus the Christ removes the heaviness from our broken relationships by giving to us the love of God without any condemnation to us or about us.  In this place there is a freedom that refreshes us right down to the depth of our soul. Today may you enjoy this freedom of forgiveness that is yours through the grace found in Christ.  May all who come in contact with you feel the freedom of your joy of them.  God fully intended that his grace would overwhelm you in all the right ways and joy, kindness and hope along with encouragement would become who you are.  Enjoy!

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.   1 Samuel 16:7

 One of the beautiful things along our journey through life is when we feel something with all our heart, something that touches the very fiber of our being.  The beauty of God's grace is that it takes our belief in the Lord from the academic into a relationship with him that touches the very soul of who we are.  Grace impacts our heart like nothing else can and in this place our emotions become free to express love, kindness and encouragement without the feeling of embarrassment.  Here our marriage, our children and our relationships are refreshed in ways that cause us to praise and give thanks to the Lord.  Today has been given to you as a gift from the Lord, may you enjoy this freedom of his grace.  Let your heart be refreshed and encouraged along this new journey and let him give to you the desires of your heart as you delight yourself in his grace.   Enjoy!

This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world.  It  is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace. Colossians 1:6 NLT  

What a beautiful picture of what the salvation that is given in Jesus the Christ looks like.  This is obviously not a religion or a set of standards by which we must prove ourselves to God.  God's good news is his grace that renews thoughts, emotions and desires.  Paul gave a hint of the power of God's grace in a man or woman's life when he wrote to the Galatians.  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  There is no law against these things.  Galatians 5:22,23 NLT.  This salvation which is here called - changed lives - brings freedom that makes new, you and your family.  Today may you choose to enjoy a changed life given to you by the Lord; it will bless your socks off.  There is nothing in all creation that will find fault with this new nature.  So go ahead and live in the freedom that is yours because of Grace.  Enjoy!

Praise the LORD, O my soul and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Psalm 103:2-4

  Sometimes during all the hurriedness and noise of life we forget the beauty of all the benefits that have been given to us.  When that happens thanksgiving usually leaves the room and in comes a less than stellar attitude to replace it.  Think of the rejoicing we can have over the ability to see, to hear, to feel and how about those taste buds?  How about this beautiful benefit of grace – all our sins are forgiven and there is now no condemnation for those in Jesus Christ.  Living with a heart and attitude of thanksgiving could refresh all our relationships and change the course of our home, our community and our nation.  Today rejoice, delight and praise our Lord for all that you are, all that you have and all that has been forgiven.  Then feel free to do to others what he has done for you.  Enjoy!

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

Along our journey of life we will have times that we wish were not.  Sometimes it is because of attitudes and actions we have taken and other times it is just the results of our world that is in sin and is dying.  In both cases, the words of grace have a great impact on the attitudes and emotions of people.  If our attitudes or actions have been less than gracious, grace allows us the joy and freedom of asking for forgiveness for the goodness of those around us.  Grace brings healing to relationships with pleasant words, tones and attitudes.  Everyone needs a smile and encouragement as to who they are along their journey and grace gives the freedom to make it happen with joy.  Today may you enjoy where you find yourself and allow the grace of our Lord to overwhelm you with pleasant thoughts, words and actions.  Your day will be refreshed and so will those around you.  Your relationships with God and man will be headed in the right direction and you will have the freedom from anxiety and you will be glad. Enjoy!

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!