Episodes
Thursday Sep 26, 2013
Amazing Grace #6 - LIVE & GIVE
Thursday Sep 26, 2013
Thursday Sep 26, 2013
The Apostle Paul wraps up his letter to the Galatians with “the law of
the harvest.” He doesn’t call it that, but it’s exactly what it is.
Ultimately, whatever you plant in the ground, you will see grow. If you
plant corn, you will grow corn. If you plant a peach tree, eventually,
you will get peaches.
Using the same principle, he challenges the Galatians to keep in mind
whatever they plant in their lives, they will see that grow in their
lives. If they invest themselves in their flesh (the part of us that
actively/passively resists the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives –
see Galatians 5:19-21), they will reap/receive/grow corruption, destruction, & death.
However, if what they invest themselves in is the Spirit’s work in their lives, they will reap/receive/grow LIFE!
That, to me, is great news! God promises that our ‘keeping in step with
the Holy Spirit” will bring about His abundant, overflowing, life – we
will be being transformed in our thoughts, our hearts, & actions.
Ultimately, we will look like Jesus, & be fully equipped to live
doing what Jesus would be doing if He were in our shoes.
So don’t give up! Keep going! You will see the results of saying “Yes” to the Spirit, & “No” to the flesh. Galatians 6:9,10
I’m praying for you – be filled with faith, & live it out by grace!
Blessings, grace, & peace to you!
Louie
Sunday Sep 15, 2013
Amazing Grace #5 - LIVE FREE
Sunday Sep 15, 2013
Sunday Sep 15, 2013
In John 8, Jesus declared that His disciples will remain in, live out, & apply His words... and as a result, they will know the TRUTH & the TRUTH will set them free... Further, whomever Christ sets free, is really, truly FREE. Paul emphasizes this fact in Galatians 5 when he reminds his readers that Jesus' purpose in bringing humanity FREEDOM from sin, condemnation, separation from God, & death was that we would actually LIVE FREE, not
bound by slavery to our flesh (the part of us that actively/passively
resists the work of the Holy Spirit in & around our lives.)
So how do we do this? What could this look like lived out? What are some of the characteristics of LIVING FREE?
Paul calls it, "keeping in step with the Spirit" - in other words,
rather than depending upon our own willpower, abilities, &/or
efforts to do good, instead we embrace the fact that this happens by
grace, through faith. We trust & depend upon the Holy Spirit, the
One who lives within us, moment by moment - believing that He will lead
& guide us in whatever we give ourselves to, day by day, to the
glory of God. The characteristics of LIVING FREE & keeping in step with the Spirit are evident in us, showing up as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, & self-control... The
Spirit builds these God-family-traits into us & they get manifested
as we live everyday looking to do what Jesus would be doing if He were
walking in our shoes...
I'm praying for you today - to LIVE FREE & keep in step with the Holy Spirit!
Blessings, grace, & peace to you!
Louie
Thursday Sep 12, 2013
Amazing Grace #4 - The Love Of God
Thursday Sep 12, 2013
Thursday Sep 12, 2013
As we’ve been going through our “Amazing Grace” series in the book of
Galatians, I’ve been thinking a lot about the manner in which God has
chosen to reveal Himself to us. He sent Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:1,) motivated by His infinite, unconditional love for us (John 3:16).
Further, the purpose Christ came into the world was not to condemn us
or merely point out our sins, but rather to deliver us from them &
establish a means for us to have relationship with God, by grace,
through faith in Him. (John 3:17,18; Ephesians 2:5-8; Romans 6:23.) And it is this action of kindness (Romans 2:4, aka love in action,) that draws us to repentance (a change of mind & action, turning from wrong & turning to God).
Maybe the most amazing thing is that God extends these acts of love
& kindness, grace & mercy so that we can be adopted into His
family as sons & daughters (John 1:12-14; Galatians 4:4-7; 1John
3:1). Not servants. Not even extended family.
His sons. His daughters. Whom He loves. Forgives. Transforms. Lives with by the Holy Spirit who makes His home in us.
Thinking of God as our Father can be a little funky, especially if our
relationship with our human dad didn’t/hasn’t gone so well. However, God
revealing His heart as Father is meant to demonstrate to us His care,
His protection, His working on our behalf, & His acceptance of us as
belonging to Him.
My prayer is that this week, you will experience & know-that-you-know-that-you-know the love of God in your life, & that you walk in the FAITH, GRACE, & CONFIDENCE in Him that His love brings.
Blessings, grace, & peace to you!
Louie
Sunday Aug 25, 2013
Amazing Grace #2 - Christ In Me
Sunday Aug 25, 2013
Sunday Aug 25, 2013
In the letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul discusses the
revelation of relationship with God, by faith, through grace. He had
lived the majority of his life zealously pursuing the traditions of his
forefathers, and the attempted fulfillment of the Law of Moses. What God
showed him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9)
& beyond was that the only way for a person to be justified (made
right) in their relationship with God was by faith, through grace. No
matter how hard a person tried to be made right by their own works and
strict adherence to the Law, they would always fall short (Romans 6:23). Paul even discovered that this had been God's plan all along, as shown in God's covenant agreement with Abraham in Genesis 15, where it says, "Abraham believed (had faith) in the LORD, & He (the LORD God) counted it as righteousness (right relationship with God.) Further, in the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 10) God
challenged His people not merely to attempt the outward keeping of the
Law, (which meant going to church, praying, maintaining ritual purity,
being circumcised, etc...) but to live lives of faith & devotion to
Him, loving Him with all of their heart, soul, mind, & strength. God wanted ALL of them, not merely sacrifices & rituals. This has huge ramifications for us, as Paul points out in Galatians 2:20-21:
I have been crucified
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God...
This means when we exercise faith in Christ, we receive God's grace to
live each moment of our life being lead by the in-dwelling Holy Spirit,
by the power of Christ. Which means I'm not following God by rote, but
rather walking with Him, doing what He would be doing if He were in our
shoes! That is a beautiful thing.
Blessings, grace, & peace to you!
Louie
Tuesday Aug 20, 2013
Amazing Grace #1 - A Study in Galatians
Tuesday Aug 20, 2013
Tuesday Aug 20, 2013
The Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Galatian church with a
greeting intended to remind his readers of the basis for their
relationship & standing with God. He writes, “Grace to you and peace from
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins
to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our
God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5
God’s grace (God’s unmerited, unworked for, unearned favor) is
at the very essence & heart of the gospel – the Good News – which
declares that because of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, EVERYONE who
calls upon His Name can be forgiven of sins & restored to
relationship with God, through Christ. God’s peace (His blessing of peace, well-being, & physical/spiritual harmony)
is upon our lives as a result of grace, & is at work in, through,
& around our lives as evidence of God’s working in us. The gospel
truly is good news!
In the next portion of Galatians 1, Paul confronts the
church because they have forgotten the gospel of grace by which they
were saved, & have embraced a different ‘gospel’ – one rooted in
religion, guilt, shame which emphasized & evaluated ourrelationship
with God based on performance & deeds instead of the love/faith
relationship intended by God, begun with the victory of Christ’s work on
the cross.
Grace is a big deal - & our embracing God’s amazing grace enables
us to live lives free of the weight of sin, guilt, & condemnation –
to live full of the power of the Holy Spirit, freely embracing the great
gift of salvation, redemption, & transformation as sons &
daughters of God.