Good to Eat
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 NASB
Grace – Grace is a very familiar word to readers of the New Testament. What may not be so apparent is the fact that this word comes from the same group as the words for rejoice, joy, give freely, bestow favor, bless and gift. It is the word charis. Those of us who celebrate the Eucharist actually act out one of the derivatives of this word for Eucharist comes from a Greek word of the same root as grace, and means thanksgiving or gratitude. Eucharist is “good eating,” a meal especially for enjoyment and rejoicing.
Paul made great use of the word for grace. For him, grace was the joy of faith and the gift of the Spirit. Paul relates the word to freedom and hope, both now and in the future. Grace is the domain of God’s activity. Not only does God bestow blessings upon us, He actually removes our transgressions by means of the gift of His Son. God’s way with men is grace-full. The highest expression of grace is the self-sacrifice of the worthy for the unworthy. That is precisely what God has done for us to demonstrate once and forever His love for us.
Recovery cannot begin or continue without grace. We who have been injured and who have in turn injured others through our behavior need grace for ourselves and for our victims and malefactors. When we face ourselves apart from God, we know that there is no grace in us. It must come from outside. And even when grace does surprise us with the joy of finally being forgiven of our past, we know that we cannot go forward without the grace of daily surrender. Every moment is a gift. This verse makes it abundantly clear that God is the great grace giver. He overcomes what we could not overcome. He makes life grace-full for us.
Today is a day worthy of rejoicing. You are alive. God is in control. He has blessed you once again by inviting you to participate in His daily purpose. You may rejoice in Him. Grace to you!
Topical Index: grace, charis, Ephesians 2:8
I thank our Abba Father for grace and healing one day at a time. I am going to be vunerable and share a part of my “talk” that I had with our Almighty Father in Heaven last night. I prayed and asked Him that if I truely am only this monster of a being that people talk about behind my back and only my youngest son Steyn says to me in my face at times, then He our Creater and Father must end my life right away because then I do not deserve the life that is in me. I am still alive today to try and find Him and to try to be the person He intend me to become. He did comfort me that I am not the only guilty party and that I am indeed suffering from all forms of abuse of which spiritual abuse is something I did not even acknowledge until this morning. He is busy healing us all. I thank Him for showing me my true condition and that He will repair us all. This is the last time that I share with you all today. I will be worshipping in private.
May Abba’s love, mercy and grace be with you all. His love covers a multitude of sins. When Moshiach comes all the mess will no longer be remembered. I pray with the Jews that His coming will be soon.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow in Cape Town
Christina,
I pray that you will feel Yahweh’s presence in the midst of working out your relationship struggles and also that you will be doubly blessed by Skip’s visit and teaching.
Christina- especially as we “unzip” our armor to become ‘transparent’ we become more vulnerable to attacks from the ‘Accuser of the Brethren’. I was amazed at the sources our advesary uses! The scriptures state that our ‘enemies’ may even be of our own household! – Could we say “sleeping with the enemy?” Or have we heard -“keep your friends close and your enemies even closer?” Ahh..- but there is a “Friend who is closer than a brother” or in keeping with today’s ‘good’ (as in gospel) word: “But He gives more grace!”
Oh how I love this good word! For I too wish to become “grace-full” as my Father and Elder brother is grace-full, for “the law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus (who is the) Christ.”
G-d’s law sets the standard: “Be ye perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” There is nothing at all “wrong” with the law. What is wrong is our inability (without Him) to keep His commandments, to live according to His instructions- we must be changed from the inside-out.
Enter Christ.
How silently, how silently, the wondrous Gift is giv’n;
So G-d imparts to human hearts the blessings of His Heav’n.
No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
A Gift may be given, but it also must be received on the part of the recipient. G-d is (no doubt) the Giver-Hunter-Lover. So willing,so wanting, lusting (yes, this can be used in a good way) to give us the Life that is found in the Son.
The problem is found in the man in the mirror. “He must increase, but “I” must decrease.” So long Self. See ya- wouldn’t want to be ya! EGO- we have learned from the past- is to “edge G-d out”.
If we remember-review-recognize the life of Yeshua- we see (from His birth until His final breath) a life of humility. (A good place to interject a “Selah!”) Stop and think about it..- it is the “pause that refreshes!”
O Hallelujah for the Saving Life of Christ! G-d’s Holy Word also instructs us: “for we (you and I) have the mind of Christ! I may sin the sin of Sarah but doesn’t this cause (at the very least) a smile on your face?- It does mine! I may have the mind of Christ, but how often do I use what is available to me? I might even go as far as to say, “Carl, -mind your mind!”
Brothers, sisters, – “the thought is the father of the deed”. Don’t go thinking- “Oh, how non-Hebrew or “oh, what a Greek- thinker” he is. No, no and no. Friends, I’m not about to rob a bank today without planning the job first.. (Hey!- where did that thought originate?)- Would this action be pleasing to my ABBA? – Not hardly, for His instructions are clear: “You shall not steal.” (So much for thievery.) Oh well, I may have to resort to making money the “old-fashioned” way.. -I may have to (shudder!)- work for a living. You know.. get my hands dirty and all that.. “Six day shalt thou labor?” If any doesn’t work- neither should he eat? You mean “work” is part of G-d’s program for Adam? It sure (avad) is! What do the scriptures say? Work! Not only “whistle while you work” but “worship while you work”- Praise Him for good hands, for an able body, for breathing in and out. Praise Him for the delicious, abundant and plentiful food (consumed by we- the well-fed albeit spoiled sheep). G-d is not only good, but friends.. – (hear what I’m saying) G-d is SO good..
And it is the “goodness” (enter grace) of G-d that leads us (all) to repentance..
Is “repentance” a good thing? lol!- Oh.. yes! As we have learned “repentance” is not a one-time event but rather a lifestyle. Who convicts us of sin, of righteousness and of judgment?
We are “being conformed” into the image of the Son. The word “conformed” (thank you Skip!) is a word of heat and pressure! (Feeling the heat?) lol!- Good! So am I. Now “Who” was in the fiery furnace “with” the three Hebrew children? Who was that “fourth” Man? And did these three have a “story” to tell “after” this event?
~ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. ~ (Hebrews 12.3) And how was the “Captain of our salvation” made perfect? By (ouch) suffering.
One more thing about that “fiery furnace.” Our merciful Father knows “how hot and for how long!” That “fire” was heated seven times hotter than before. It was a “perfectly” heated furnace! (is it warm in here?) Friends,- those three didn’t even smell like smoke! Daniel slept like a baby lyin’ with the lions! Jonah spent the nite on a foam blubber mattress! Ask those who have “gone before..” Our G-d is able (Hallelujah) to deliver thee!
Though by sin oppressed.. go to Him for rest, our G-d is able to deliver thee. ~ Casting all your care on Him- for He (the Good Shepherd) cares for you..~
His grace is the only solid ground that we can build on. By grace we stand! And by this same grace we live, move, and have our being.
The Father’s love, compassion, grace, mercy, holiness, and His instructions and teachings are for us, but, are not about us. If we make them about us and not about Him, we turn them into abhorrent idols that distorts the true character of the King of the Universe.
Skip, I know this is not your representation here or what you continually write and teach about. This is something I came to realize after coming out the church body that I was in and realizing that we have made the Gospel of the Kingdom about us and not about Him. This makes the Gospel a false image of the true God and His Messiah. The Gospel has become ME centered, instead of, God and Christ-centerd. This is so subtle how this has taken place, coming to Messiah and then forsaking the Messiah’s ways, this will inevitably lead to a ME centering of extistence and bearing a false witness to the identity of the One true God and His Messiah.
Our deceitful hearts (sigh) try to be the star in everything, sometimes we want to say ‘but why it is all about Him all the time, I’m important, too’, but we can read plenty of reminders like this one all thru the Bible:
To God be all glory, it is about HIM all the time!
Deuteronomy 8:17, 18 (NASB)
17 Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’
18 But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
RW was right in his writing: “it’s not about you..!” Amen, it is not. It’s not about me, or you, or him or her, our lives are to center on and in Christ. It is Christ in you and Christ in me that it the hope (glad certainty) of glory (beauty). We are to live a Christ-centered, Christ- centric, Christ-commanded life while here on this side of the door marked “exit.” “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”- or is this possible? Would G-d give us a command we could not keep? Or are we able (as the scriptures say) to do all things through Christ who (continually) strengthens us? “He must increase, but “I” must decrease what not written just for John, – it is instruction for each of us as well..
Hallo Beloveds in Moshiach.
Have a blessed day! Thanks for caring and for the call and prayer Skip. God is good and I thank Him for His everlasting love and bringing me through the fire alive. I am working on living humble – please pray with me that I will increase in humility. Thank you for each most welcome prayer. I am also praying with you that we will increase in love for one another even though we often hurt one another unnessarily.
Christina