Grace and Mercy

Last night at bible study, we were looking at God’s grace.  As we were looking up different verses about grace, i noticed that there was a whole lot of verses of mercy as well.  So i started wondering, what exactly is the difference?  I knew that you couldn’t interchange them in a sentence.  For example:  You could say God had mercy on me and forgave my sins, but you couldn’t say God had grace on me and forgave my sins.

Because my friend wasn’t exactly sure how to explain this to me, we went to ask her brother.  Her brother explained that grace is God holding a jacket out to us and that mercy is us accepting God’s grace and allowing God to put that jacket on us.  WOW.  What a distinct difference.  I didn’t think i would ever forget that, but i wanted to record it, just in case….

Rooted in Christ

In youth the other night we had the topic “Rooted in Christ”.

By identifying winds of our christian walk, we could find ways to deal with them.  Winds such as worldly influences, doubts, temptations, peer pressure, seeing others blown over and not getting up, media, consumerism and other discouragements.

These winds can destroy our roots in Christ, namely our faith.  We need to be mindful of our doctrine. (“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.”-Ephesians 4:14)  We are constantly bombarded with information, theories and ideas.  We need to sift through what is true.  (“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” – Colossians 2:6-8 )

What can i do to become more rooted and established in the faith??  I can excersize applying what i believe.  I can know my Bible, grow in knowledge of God’s word.  I can spend time with other christians.  I can be watchful, be careful who teaches me, what i read, and go back to the standard of God’s word.  I can learn from mistakes.  I can read and pray.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. -James 1:6

Complaining while serving God?

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. – Ephesians 6:7-8

This something that i need to be reminded of daily.  Whether it is cleaning up the dishes, or doing school work, it is so easy to complain.  But why complain, when what i do is all for God?  How can i complain to the God who sent his only Son to die so that i could live eternally with Him?

If we realized that absolutely everything we do is for the Lord, would we do it differently?  Would our attitude change?  Even while singing congregational hymns and when working with people we don’t like?

God will reward us.  God can’t reward us for more than we do.  Not only can we do good, but we can do it with all of our hearts only for God.

Redeem the time

When life gets busy it is easy to waste time on things that don’t really matter.  Wasting time is when nothing beneficial comes from the time spent, and in our christian walk, anything that doesn’t get us in the direction of our Goal.

Among many time wasters, the worst would be surfing the Internet without purpose (facebook…), electronics (TV, Movies, & Video games), media  (texting…), pointless conversations, lounging and daydreaming/worrying.  Some of these past times don’t interest me, some do.  By identifying what tempts me most, i can have the power the fight the temptation of wasting time when i could be focusing on growing closer to God.

I can’t expect to use my time wisely if i don’t prioritize.  If i make myself a schedule, i can make conscience decisions on how to spend my time.  I also need to practise self-control, so that i can limit my time.  By concentrating on what i do and multi-tasking at the same time, i will have more time for God.  When i have time to wait, I have time to pray.

I can redeem the time of my youth years by doing as much as possible for the ministry.  That is something that i will never forget.  I can also make wise decisions for the future such as health, education, career,  and who i am friends with.

Therefore He says:  “ Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. –Ephesians 5: 14-17

My Motto – Pleasing God

In a sermon today, I was reminded of what my motto is.  Sometimes distractions are appealing, and the focus starts sliding off of the motive.  If the only life that with fulfillment and true joy is one that pleases God, how do we know what pleases Him?  By reading the Bible.  The more we read, the more we know.

Areas in my life where i need to please God:

• In my personal life.  With my priorities and past times.
• In my family life.  Me and my house will serve the Lord.
• In my school life.  Serve as serving the Lord, not men.
• In my church life.  In all, to please you only.

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.  (Colossians 1:10)

We were not worthy of the lamb that was sacrificed for us, but God is worthy enough that we should please Him in everything that we do.

that Saturday-night feeling.

Have you ever had a feeling on a Saturday-night, a feeling of excitment and longing for Sunday?  I can really feel the difference as it gets later and later on a Saturday-night.  I am excited because i get to go to the House of the Lord and worship with all my adopted brothers and sisters.  I long to learn something new that will challenge me to grow closer to my Daddy in Heaven.

I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord! ~Psalm 122:1

Spiritual Beauty

God gave us a desire for beauty.  The world emphasizes on the outward appearance, but the bible puts it on the inner being.  Before we can  put on the clothes of character, we need to take off the old clothes.  As christians, we are to wear tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing and forgiving.  Why do we need to but these on?  Because if we were born with them, we wouldn’t need to put them on.  We need spiritual beauty.  We need to strive to become more beautiful.  We need to find more ways to become prettier spiritually.

When we think back and remember people from years ago, we don’t remember their outfits, but their personality.  Our spiritual clothing is real because it comes from the heart.  Why do we want to clothe ourselves spiritually?  It is out of gratitude for what God did for us.  We need to be as similar to Jesus Christ as possible.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering;  bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.  But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.  Colossians 3:12-14

Heaven’s Treasures

God saved our house and our belongings.  Why?  He could taught us something through losing everything, but He decided to teach us something through keeping everything.  I don’t know the purpose all our material possessions have.  I just pray that somehow God might use them to the growth of His Kingdom.  At the time of the fire, I felt as though i was ready to give up everything.   I was expecting to lose everything and suddenly these earthly things completely lost their value.

The miracle that God did reminded me that we need to store as many treasures in Heaven as we can.  The earth will perish, but God’s home up above is what lasts.  Lord, help me to fully give all my time and efforts to the growth of your Kingdom.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21 – “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Where could i go?

Where could I go oh where could I go
Seeking the refuge for my soul
Needing a friend to save me in the end
Where could I go but to the lord

These are the words of comfort that came to me just now as the firetrucks came to check on the fire.  No where could i go that would be as comforting as to the Lord.

It seems as though when i need Him the most, the Lord puts lyrics in my thoughts that are comforting.  I sing these words over and over again, keeping my faith in the Lord.  I memorize scripture, but it doesn’t seem as though that comes back to me.  It’s mostly those lyrics from church hymns, gospel CD’s, songs from Youth Choir and songs from childhood, such as the ones my parents used to sing to me, or from Sunday School.  Music has made a huge difference in my pilgrimage to Heaven.

I can’t feel at home in this world anymore!

This morning, early, when i had to pack up after the doorbell rang, i paniked.  I asked God why.  I didn’t understand why, but i did know that unlike some friends of ours, we had time to pack some things before the fire caption would ask us to leave.  I thanked God for the time we were blessed  with and told God that even if we would loose everything like our friends did, that He would help us through.  Help us to trust Him that we would completely rely on Him.  That He would be number one, not our possessions.

Thank you God for waking the neighbours, and that they could wake us.  Thanks for watching over the men handling the fire until the trucks took over.  Thanks for the garden hose that was just long enough.  Thanks for giving me a new perspective on all that we own.  Thanks for showing me how to trust you completely.

After the fire was out and just a few trees were damaged, i thanked God.   I couldn’t stop.  It has now given me a new joy in the Lord.  A song that my mother sometimes sings came to me,

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home then Lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore

(Is there any recorded version that i can listen to?  I can’t find it in any of our song books)