So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work.  Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 NLT

One of the great benefits of the grace of Jesus Christ is that it gives us the ability to find joy in the everyday things of life. So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work.  Just think how much complaining, grumbling, stress and anxiety go on in our time so that we forget how to be thankful and enjoy what we do have. We were meant to enjoy the simple things such as eating, drinking and all those taste buds in our mouth that are just waiting to express themselves.  Grace can celebrate these individual moments with an attitude of thanksgiving and that changes everything from how we feel to how we think.  Today let yourself find pleasure in the smallest things along your journey.  You, your family, your friends and those you come in contact with will be renewed through your attitude of grace.  Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.  Enjoy!

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.  Galatians 5:13 NLT

We are a nation that is all about freedom. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. Yet as a nation we seem to be losing our freedom and becoming enslaved to actions, attitudes and emotions that are destructive to our families, our neighborhoods and our nation. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature.  It isn’t just alcohol, drugs, food and all forms of immorality but also violence in attitude and actions. What is ironic is the more someone asserts his or her self-centered so called freedom, the more he or she becomes enslaved to their own sin. But there is a prescription for freedom, it is the grace of God found in Jesus Christ. So if the Son of God sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36. This freedom of grace is not a belief system; it is a life that penetrates the very foundation of our emotions and it is called a new creation. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.  Today enjoy the freedom of grace that has been given to you through Jesus the Christ. Let your day to be free in grace so that you know your old habits and addiction are no longer a definition of who you are or were. Your freedom in Christ will bless you and bring delight to everyone around you.  Enjoy!

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.  I do not conceal your love and your truth from those I meet.  Psalm 40:10

What happens to the heart of a man or woman who has received the grace of God? I do not hide your righteousness in my heart. Your righteousness in my heart gives us a beautiful view of our life without condemnation in our emotions or our thinking. I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.  With that in place, our faith in our Lord brings about a joy in our journey and others are then blessed with his love through us. I do not conceal your love and your truth from those I meet. When God’s righteousness has become what we are, relationships can be rebuilt and renewed. Today let his grace and love continue to overwhelm you as you speak of God’s faithfulness and salvation.  In his grace you can say – I do not conceal your love and your truth from those I meet.  Those you meet today will be very blessed to experience God’s love for them through you. Enjoy!

Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.  And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.  And this is his commandment:  We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 1 John 3:21-23 NLT

It is amazing to think of the heartaches we go through when we have emotions of feeling guilty.  In the Word of God we can see again the power of His grace that gives us no condemnation in our heart, mind or soul, Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.  Grace gives us new life, with a joy of a relationship with the Lord that is secure, good and refreshing as each new day comes. These words are overwhelming because of grace – And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. What is it that pleases God?  We must believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.  Let your faith in Jesus Christ continue to overwhelm you in his grace.  You will experience a confidence in your life that will refresh you as well as others. Those around you will begin to feel a blessed hope and you will experience a joy that cannot be contained. Enjoy!

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.  For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.  Ephesians 5:21, 22, 25 NLT

To submit out of duty or obligation is something our nature does not enjoy and makes us feel agitated, sometimes feeling inferior and in time gets tiring.  But in Grace, submitting or loving has to do with our relationship to Jesus the Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. The nature of grace is love, which is to esteem, encourage, give honor and respect to others along their journey.  Grace gives a new nature of not being so irritated or stressed in our relationships.  When submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ has become who we are, then relationships can be built through the grace and love of Christ, we then experience great encouragement along with its cousin joy.  Today, allow the beauty of God’s grace to be living and speaking through you.  In this place you will find no burden, no guilt, and no regret. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.  You and your family will feel renewed. Enjoy!

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.  Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21-24 NLT

The grace that is given in Jesus the Christ gives the power to remove our old sinful nature as the major controller of our emotions. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life.  Marriages, neighborhoods, the work place, and our communities are in trouble not because of God's grace, but because of our old sinful nature. Your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. The grace of Jesus Christ brings about a new nature so that we can let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes. In God's grace we can find ourselves being refreshed each day in how we feel and think. Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy. Today allow yourself to experience the great joy of knowing his grace. In grace praise and thanksgiving will come naturally and you will see your life through the eyes of God. If you are willing to live in his grace, this might just be one of the best days of your life. Enjoy!

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

When God’s grace lives within a man or woman, we will find generosity and refreshment.  God's grace gives a delight in living with open hands and an open heart, which frees us up to see how to bless others along their journey. A generous man will prosper.  Being generous with kind words, a smile of encouragement and the sharing of what is in our hand will bring joy to us and unexpected refreshment to others. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.  Today enjoy the many expressions of his grace as it reveals itself through your words and your pocket book.  You will experience that life called eternal, for God so loved the world that he gave (he was generous with his gift and expected it to refresh others) his only Son. Grace works best when it is given away.  Enjoy!

God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.  But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant.  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us a right standing with  God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20, 21 NLT

Sin is universal and is found in every group of people on the earth. God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.  Sin wants no authority but itself and can express itself in many ways.  After all, what is lust, bitterness, anger, resentment, criticism, all of which bring tension to our relationships in our home, our work place, our community and our churches? But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.  God’s grace recreates our nature and gives what is known as “eternal life” which brings about kindness, encouragement and joy.  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us a right standing with God.  Today, enjoy that life that is called eternal through Jesus the Christ.  It has been given and provided for you through God’s wonderful grace. Take a breath of his grace, then relax, look up and give thanks to the Lord.  You will see, hear and respond in such a way, that you will feel like all things have become new again, it is just how a life of grace is. Enjoy!

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Matthew 27:50, 51 NIV

Just a week ago we as a nation celebrated Easter, which is the resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  The death of Jesus Christ was not a religious moment, it was God’s grace coming into contact with humanity. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. The curtain in the temple separated people from the presence of God because of their sins and only the high priest could go behind the curtain once a year for the atonement for the sins of the people.  The tearing of the curtain, from the top to the bottom was the action of God’s grace. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This declared that our sins have been atoned for and now because of his grace nothing can separate us from the love and presence of God.  Yet some who have experienced grace for salvation let their sins keep them from living life by the grace of God that tore the curtain.  Today because of the grace of God in Jesus the Christ let yourself be willing to live in the joy of his presence and love.  No matter where you have been, nothing can separate you from the life, the love, the kindness and the presence of God because of the grace found in Jesus Christ.  This is a good day to choose to celebrate God’s grace in your life.  In his presence all things live and become new.  Enjoy!

He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1Corinthians 1:8, 9

Grace brings a real relationship through the Word of God so that we may experience fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. Grace is not a religion, it is a new creation in us so that we will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Learning the joy of being overwhelmed by his grace (new life, blameless, fellowship with Jesus Christ) gives us attitudes that makes the difference in how we feel and think through the opportunities of our life.  His grace in us is as sure as the ground we stand on.  What he says is true, so today, look up, open your mouth with praise and give thanks before the day even gets started.  His grace will give you refreshment, hope and gladness of heart, He will keep you strong to the end and he is faithful. His grace today will give you what direction you are to head in and how to take each step, so relax and smile.  You will have a God story for all to see.  Enjoy!