Messages From Heaven: Grace Upon Grace!

Messages From Heaven: Grace Upon Grace!: The movie character Forrest Gump became famous for saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” In i...

Grace Upon Grace!

The movie character Forrest Gump became famous for saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” In its simplicity, that statement is profound in its accuracy. It is true, like a box of chocolates that we open and try the various fillings and flavors to pick a favorite piece; we don’t know what each day of our lives will hold. But as believers in Jesus Christ, we have an assurance that He is with us, and the knowledge that all that is good comes from Him. The Bible says that He opens His hand and satisfies His children with good things (Psalm 104:28).
John 1:16 drives this home with an unusual phrase: “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” When you read that verse the first time, it sounds as though some words are missing.  But the actual Greek phrase is grace “anti” grace. The word anti is a Greek preposition that can have several meanings. The New King James Version translates it for, but most linguists prefer using the word upon. Out of the fullness of His own grace, Jesus gives us grace upon grace, grace on top of grace.
Think of the ocean surf—one wave coming after another in endless succession.  In his commentary on John, F. F. Bruce says that the followers of Christ draw from the ocean of divine fullness grace upon grace—one wave of grace being constantly replaced by a fresh one. “There is no limit to the supply of grace which God has placed at His people’s disposal in Christ,” observes Bruce.
It’s like the clouds of Noah’s day that kept pouring out rain; the granaries in Joseph’s days that held endless reserves of grain; the rock in the wilderness that kept pouring out the water; the cruise of oil in Elijah’s time that kept issuing oil; the cup in Psalm 23 that kept overflowing.
Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates can’t compare with that!
The New International Version simply says:  “From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.”
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
Psalm 68:19 says similarly, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits.”
Shame on us for moping around all day like desolate wanderers in the bleak woods or barren moors. We can’t always be happy, but a rod of joy should run down the backbone of our attitudes. Though life has its share of burdens, God has an endless variety of ways to bless us.
            We’re blessed, for example, with friendly people. Yes, there are plenty of grouches around in just about every setting; but someone is smiling right now not far from you. It might be at the corner market, in the softball bleachers, at a church function, or across the counter at Starbucks. But if you’ll look for a smile, you’ll find one pretty easily. And if you’ll smile yourself (it happens when you tell the corners of your mouth to relax and twist upward), you’ll discover a good many more smiling people.
We’re blessed with natural beauty around us. Lift your eyes from this page and glance out a window. See the clouds or sunshine; or if it’s evening, the moon and stars? The wonder of God’s creation is there for us to consider and appreciate. If there’s a houseplant nearby, take a moment to study its leaves—perhaps you will note for the first time how each one is uniquely designed for a specific purpose. Listen for a bird’s song or look for flowers along the walkways as you go about your day. They were created for you to enjoy.

This is my Father’s world,
 the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
 declare their Maker’s praise.

We also see God’s goodness in His providential alignment of life’s circumstances. How wonderfully He weaves together the good and bad—the sad and glad—into a tapestry of praise. Look back over your life and notice how seemingly bad events have worked for your good.
Let’s savor the moments we are given and thank Him for providing us with all things richly to enjoy.

Messages From Heaven: Who Do You Think You Are?

Messages From Heaven: Who Do You Think You Are?: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of ...

Who Do You Think You Are?

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9–10, esv).
If you could use just a few words to describe who you are, what words would you choose?
Some people would say, “I’m my past. My bad choices hang over my life like a dark cloud.” Others would say, “I’m my performance. My parents raised me to think I had to be perfect, and I’m still trying.” Others admit, “I’m my problems,” or “I’m alone,” or “I’m a loser.”

“The Lord wants you! He chose to set his love upon you.”

But God describes you in a whole different way. First Peter 2:9 identifies you as: “a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Do you belong to God? If so, He calls you His own! Will you let that truth bind itself to your heart? Maybe you’ve never truly felt wanted by anyone. Listen: the Lord wants you! He chose to set his love upon you, and apart from that you would not know God. That word “possession” literally means “to make around.” It’s the idea that God enclosed you for himself. He built a little jewelry box and put you in it. This one is mine. It’s an awesome thing to think about.
Now, let this truth filter down into your identity. I know that words fall immensely short of the healing you may need from years of hurt, but let your new perspective begin here. Let this truth silence the message of your past, your performance, your parents, or whatever. You are who God says you are!
The purpose of believing what 1 Peter 2:9 says about you isn’t just to feel better about yourself. The reason follows immediately in the next phrase: “that you may proclaim [his] excellencies.”
Your goal in rejecting those false identities is so you can tell people how awesome God is, not so you can tell people how awesome you are. He’s “called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Live fully in the power of who God himself has declared you to be.
God has changed your identity in His grace so you can proclaim to others the excellencies of His identity. Do it today.
Journal

• How would you describe your identity?
• What false identities do you need to exchange for who God says you are?

Pray
Lord, there’s great security and rich assurance of identity found in 1 Peter 2:9. I belong to You! Will You help me to see myself the way You see me, and to live out of the strength of that reality? I pray that as I rest in my true identity as Your child, You would empower me to proclaim the excellencies of You who called me out of darkness. Thank You for Your marvelous light! Thank You for Your mercy! I pray this in the redeeming name of Jesus, amen.

Messages From Heaven: Possessions and Affections!

Messages From Heaven: Possessions and Affections!: Since the beginning of time, people have made excuses. We can trace this behavior all the way to the Garden of Eden, where Adam made the...

Possessions and Affections!

Since the beginning of time, people have made excuses. We can trace this behavior all the way to the Garden of Eden, where Adam made the first known excuse. After Adam sinned, the Lord demanded an explanation. He simply said, "It is the woman You gave me." We're not really sure whether he was blaming the woman, God, or both. But essentially he was saying, "Lord, I was taking a nap, I woke up, I'm a rib short, and she is here. She got me into this trouble. I am not responsible."
Then God turned to Eve and also demanded an explanation. She said, "The serpent beguiled me." A modern translation would be, "The devil made me do it. I bear no responsibility in the matter. He just overcame me."
Luke 14 records a story Jesus told about three men who offered excuses for not attending a wedding feast. Here we find an example of the excuses people make as to why they will not follow God and obey His plan for their lives. But first, we need to understand something about the culture of that day. When a great feast was thrown, it was customary to extend two invitations. The first was given months beforehand. Later, a second invitation would remind guests of their commitment and the host's expectation that they would attend.
This was important, because the feast was given at a considerable expense, with a great deal of time and effort. It was a great honor to be invited. To decline would be considered offensive and could cause an international incident — a legitimate reason to wage war. We need to understand this as we look at the three men who turned down invitations to such a feast. It wasn't that they had other things to do. Rather, they had been invited, had agreed to come, and then made lame excuses at the last minute.
The first said, "I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused" (Luke 14:18 NKJV). In that day, purchasing property was a long and complicated process. This was a ridiculous excuse, because this man would have had many opportunities to examine the land before he bought it. Basically, he allowed his possessions to hold him back.
The next person said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them" (v. 19). Like the one before him, this man was either a complete idiot or a blatant liar. Buying animals without testing them first would be like purchasing a car without test-driving it.
While the first guy was held back by possessions, this man was held back by his career. He would plow a field with those oxen. That's how he would make his living. Pursuing a career isn't wrong, but in this man's case, it kept him back from the Lord.
Let's look at the third and final excuse. "Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come' " (verse 20). He was saying, "I'm married. Life is over. That is it." I am sure he could have pulled a few strings and brought his wife along. Obviously, this too was an excuse.
The first two excuses related to material possessions, while the third had to do with affections. Possessions and affections cover virtually every reason given by men and women who will not put their faith in Christ.
Jesus is offering His kingdom — a perpetual feast of peace, help, guidance, friendship, forgiveness, joy, certainty in the midst of uncertainty, and the hope of heaven. Yet people turn their backs on this, preferring a visit with their possessions or affections instead.
This parable isn't a put-down of things and relationships. What it is simply saying is this: If good things keep you from enjoying the best things, then they become bad things. They are shallow excuses people hide behind.
To go back to the original context of this parable, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, essentially saying, "You had an engraved invitation to God's wedding feast, but because you have so missed the point, you are not going to get in."
Maybe excuses have kept you from coming to Jesus. In reality, it's an issue of what you will or will not do. My prayer is that you will come to Him today.

Messages From Heaven: The Nucleus of Civilization!

Messages From Heaven: The Nucleus of Civilization!: According to the Bible, God himself ordained the family as the basic building block of human society, because He deemed it "not good...