Category Archives: General

In 1864, Jules Verne penned the extremely popular science fiction novel, A Journey to the Center of the Earth. The story involves a professor who believes there are volcanic tubes going toward the center of the Earth and sets out to find them.  Along the way, he and his companions encounter prehistoric animals, natural hazards, and other dangers.  In 2008, Journey to the Center of the Earth came to life in 3D in the movies—the third time this story was dramatized in the cinema.

QUESTION: If a movie titled A Journey to the Center of Your Life was made about your life, what would the viewers find when they got to your center?

At the center of every life there are only two possible destinations: one is the self and the other is the Savior.  By nature, we all live SELF-CENTERED lives.  Our Number One goal is self-fulfillment.  With self firmly established in the center of our existence, we live for our dreams, our goals, our preferences, our agendas, our success, our pleasure, our happiness . . . and we don’t much care what effect it has on those around us.  We are convinced that it is far more blessed to receive than it is to give.

Because self is at the center of our universe, we find it incredibly difficult to love others and impossible to find contentment.  We are blind to opportunities for serving others but see opportunities for getting ahead with 20/20 vision.  And in the end, even if we get everything we think we wanted, it never delivers on its promises.  By embracing our sinful selfishness we have denied our humanity . . . and are left poor, blind, and naked.

But this is not for you!

For in him we live and move and have our being.  (Acts 17:28)

A CHRIST-CENTERED life is living for the One who is life.  We live in Him.  We move in Him.  We have our being in Him.  We find our identity, meaning, and purpose in Him.  Living a Christ-centered life means we care about the things He cares about, even when those things don’t immediately involve us or touch us personally.  With Christ at the center, we live a life that truly matters: a life lived in service to others, not at their expense.

When we journey to the center of our lives and find Christ in His rightful place, we live cross-shaped lives.  We lay our lives down for others and forgiveness flows freely, even to our enemies, because Jesus is the One who is writing our story.  When Jesus is at the center of our lives, He is the source of everything we need in order to do everything He has called us to do.  Our potential is not measured by what we can do, but by what He can do through us.  What we desire to be doing is what He has called us to do; and what He calls us to do is to incarnate His character in all that we think, do, say, and desire.

With Christ at our center we live in the light of eternity.  We live to expand His kingdom, rather than our own kingdom, by surrendering to His authority and rule in our lives.  We love what He loves and hate what He hates.  We no longer live and move and have our being in the pursuit of our own glory, but rather in the pursuit of His glory.  We live as ambassadors for the Almighty and make decisions based on what pleases Him, rather than what pleasures us.  Keeping Jesus at the center of our lives keeps our lives centered . . . and when we are living centered lives we are living lives that truly matter.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

The wisdom of the world says we are most free when we do whatever we feel like doing.  “Just follow your heart,” the world whispers seductively, “and you won’t go wrong.” That was the promise Satan made to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: essentially, “If it feels good, do it!”  You remember how that turned out!

The Word of God warns us that this kind of license does not lead to freedom, but to slavery.  It is a counterfeit freedom that erodes your mind, empties your heart, and enslaves your will.  Real freedom is a life that has been liberated from the love of the self—idolatry—and redirected to the love of our Savior—glorious, unimaginable freedom!

You were called to freedom, brothers.  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh . . .   (Galatians 5:13)

Counterfeit freedom promises a life of purpose and peace . . . control and comfort . . . affirmation and accomplishment; but it simply will not deliver the goods!  Sure, for a while you might feel good about yourself; you may believe you are truly free.  But before too long, you inevitably realize that you are locked inside a prison of idolatry, addiction, and degrees of dependence upon the very things that had glibly promised you independence.  The life these idols promised is sucked right out of you, leaving you empty, anxious, and wanting.

Only the Gospel can reorient the direction of our hearts away from self and toward our Savior.  Only the Gospel can free us from the tyranny of living for something smaller than Jesus and empower us to rise above the false promises of freedom the world dangles before us.  Only a clear view of the truths of the Gospel can make the attraction of our idols less attractive!  You see, the Gospel has already given to us everything these idols promised to give but cannot deliver:

• Approval
• Acceptance
• Meaning
• Significance
• Purpose
• Peace
• Forgiveness
• Fulfillment
• Success
• Contentment
• Comfort
• Happiness
• Joy

The list of blessings, of course, is endless because the love we have been given by God in Christ is endless.   “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . .  has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3-4 NIV).  Everything we desire we already have in Jesus.  And because Jesus has secured for us everything we need, we can forsake every false god and fix our eyes upon the One who loved us more than we could ever love ourselves.  That God-sized void that yawns inside of each one of us was never designed to be filled by anything smaller than God.  God simply loves us too much to let us find soul-satisfaction in some worthless baubles that exist outside of our relationship to Him.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

(Ephesians 3:14-19)

The only real freedom is found in Jesus.  When Christ is dwelling in our hearts through faith, our lives are rightly centered.  A centered life is grounded on the Rock and will not be shaken by the winds and the waves of worldly wisdom.  Because of the love we have in Christ, we are no longer condemned for our sin . . . and when that truth sinks in, we live a freedom that truly makes us free.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

If God posted an ad on one of those career builder/jobs.com web sites, do you know what it would look like?  Do you know the kind of person He would be looking for to do the job He has for them to do?  Well, God already posted His want ad, long before these sites became popular, and He posted it in His Scriptures.

The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

In God’s want ad, we see that He identifies only one qualification for employment in His work: a heart that is blameless.  In the Old Testament, the concept of blamelessness brought with it two different but not dissimilar ideas:

1^st – Sacrificial animals without defect: “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish” (Leviticus 1:3).  Only unblemished animals were worthy of being sacrificed to the Lord.

2^nd – Blameless people who cannot be accused of wrongdoing: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart.”  (Psalm 15:2)

In the New Testament, the concept of blamelessness is rooted in the character of Christ and His followers:

1^st – Christ Himself: “It was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”  (Hebrews 7:26)

2^nd – Disciples of Christ: “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”  (Ephesians 1:4)

Those who are disciples of Christ are blameless in the sight of God because they are clothed in His righteousness.  The blamelessness of Christ has been imputed to all who have trusted in His atoning work on their behalf.  Christian, when God looks at you He sees Jesus, so He sees perfection!  Yet in everyday experience, disciples of Christ do everything imperfectly, and we still do many things that are blameworthy.  So while we are already blameless in the sight of God because of what Jesus has done on our behalf, we are being made blameless through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.  And, of course, that transformation will not be completed until we pass into glory.

So for the purposes of today’s message, a blameless heart is a heart that is sold out for God.  It is a heart that beats for the things that God’s heart beats for and is broken by the things that break God’s heart.  Notice what God’s “cosmic classified” does not identify as qualifications for employment in His work in this world:

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  (Luke 14:28)

To be sure, counting the cost when you are preparing to undertake a project is both wise and profitable.  The “tower” in this verse could be a watchtower, a farm building, or some other building project, such as a business enterprise.  Sitting down to count the cost implies a serious approach, one marked by diligence and patience.  If you have ever been involved in a building project of any kind, you undoubtedly took the time to count the cost on the front end—or you found yourself wishing you had!

But when it comes to counting the cost of building your life upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, what cost is really worth counting?  Jesus counted the cost of bringing us into His family of faith . . . and the cost was unimaginable.  He paid for us with His precious blood and did not withhold a single drop!  But that’s not all.   There was the cost of His relationship to His Father; Christ hung forsaken on the cross, while His Father poured out His wrath on Him for all our sins.  Yet God was pleased to make His precious Son the foundation-stone in Zion upon which we would build our lives.

So . . . before you get busy building God’s kingdom, is there any cost worth counting in light of the cost Jesus paid for us?  Is there any cost worth counting in light of the fact that whatever we are building for His glory we are building for eternity?  Keeping in view past grace given and future grace promised, is there any cost are we not willing to pay to keep this pearl of great price?  Let’s take a look at what we’ve received and what we’ve been promised:

Past Grace:

• Accepted in the Beloved
• Forgiveness of sins
• Adoption into the family of faith
• From slaves to sons and daughters

Future Grace:

• Perfection in the Beloved
• Promised rest
• Completed consolation
• Eternal joy

Having earned nothing and having been given everything, we are strengthened and sustained to withhold no service, fear no storm, and neglect no season—

 “He holds no parley with unmanly fears,

Where duty bids he confidently steers.

Faces a thousand dangers at her call,

And, hoping in his God, surmounts them all.”

Jesus counted the cost to redeem us and unhesitatingly paid it in full.  He was rejected by those who knew Him well.  Will the world’s disapproval keep us from paying the price?  He was betrayed by one of His disciples.  Will losing friends keep us from paying the price?  He was denied by one of His closest friends.  Will rejection keep us from paying the price?  He was scourged and nailed to a cross and died for our sins.  Will the fear of suffering or death keep us from paying the price?

Remember, our salvation is a free gift, but it cost Jesus everything!  There really is no cost worth counting when we keep the Gospel in our sights.  As Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he had great opposition from the likes of Tobias and Sanballat, but he kept on building.  And it did it with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.  May we be so committed to the cause of Christ that we too continue to build, no matter what disapproval or opposition or threats we face.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May.  There are many stories as to its actual beginnings; there is strong evidence pointing to organized Southern women’s groups and schoolchildren who decorated Confederate graves in various cities to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the War Between the States.  These observances quickly spread across the country, and in 1868 fallen soldiers of both the Confederate and Union armies were honored at Arlington National Cemetery.

By the 20^th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces in all wars.  Since the late 50’s, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery on the Thursday before Memorial Day.  They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing.

Sadly, the traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years.  There are still many people who visit cemeteries and memorials to honor those who have died in military service, but far too many of our countrymen have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.  At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are ignored and neglected; many towns that once held Memorial Day parades and remembrances now only celebrate a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer.

Last Saturday evening at Cross Community Church, we paid special tribute to all those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  Because of that price these men and women paid with their blood, we have the freedom to gather . . . to praise . . . and to worship in God’s house weekly without fear of persecution.  As Americans, each Memorial Day we should remember those who gave everything that we might live free.

But those of us who are also Christians should observe a memorial day each week when we gather to worship the One who gave everything that we might live eternally free.  Jesus died to set the captives free from sin and death.  He paid an unimaginable price that we might be redeemed from the tyranny of sin’s stranglehold on our lives.

After having been betrayed by one of His closest friends and denied by another, our Lord was beaten, spit upon, scourged, and given a crown of thorns for His head.  Then the Roman soldiers hurled Him down on His maimed back to nail Him to that dirty tree.  When they lifted Him up on the cross to set it into the ground, His bones were dislocated out of joint.  A crowd of onlookers stood round the cross as He hung there, naked and bleeding; many of whom had come gloat at His terrible death—to mock His ministry, ridicule His thirst, and insult His prayers.  Yet that was not the worst of it.

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.  And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)  (Mark 15:33-34)

Jesus had suffered terribly up to that point; Isaiah 52:14 records that He was beaten so badly that He was no longer recognizable as a man.  But as awful as it was, the scourging and even the tearing agony of crucifixion was little more than a pinprick compared to what Jesus endured for three interminable hours . . . the time when His Father in heaven turned His back on His beloved Son.  They had been together from all eternity in perfect community; now, for the very first time Jesus experienced something no Christian believer will ever have to endure: being forsaken by the Father!  Jesus’ anguished cry expressed a horror that those who have trusted in His atoning death will never experience: facing the righteous fury of a holy God.

What an incredible freedom Jesus won for us on that cross!  He not only conquered sin and death, but He secured for us the promise that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

So today, as you pause to remember all those soldiers who died for our liberty in this great nation, pause also to remember the One who died to set you free, nailed to wooden beams on Golgotha’s hill with your name in His heart.  His conqueror’s cry, “It is finished,” signifies the most glorious victory ever won on any battlefield—an eternal victory won for you and for me.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Those of you who have lived for a few decades—or perhaps you like to watch the “T.V. Land” channel—may be familiar with the 1950s hit sitcom that sprang out of a popular radio show, Father Knows Best, which portrayed a middle-class family living in the Midwest.  The father was played by Robert Young (you may remember him from Marcus Welby, M.D.), who was the picture of wisdom as the head of his family.  His three children would always come to their father when they needed advice on anything.

Today’s message is not about a fictional father on a television show, but it is about our true Father, who stars in the cosmic show that is unfolding before our very eyes, a show that He is writing one chapter at a time.  God our Father really does know best, and He delights when we come to Him seeking wisdom, understanding, and advice on any subject.  He also delights when we trust in Him, even when His counsel is contrary to our plans.  His understanding is limitless; His wisdom knows no bounds; His plans and purposes are perfect.

Think back over your life and consider a time when you were disappointed your plans did not come together.  At the time, perhaps you could not understand why.  But God knew why, and He kept your plans from coming together because He had something far better for you.  I simply cannot count how many times in my life has God showed up and delivered me from my agenda, only to deposit me in the middle of His.

When we planted Cross Community Church back in February of this year, our plan was not to launch a service until sometime in the fall.  God had a different plan!  In His perfect providence, God shut down a ministry we had founded and led for a decade, a ministry that had gathered every spring on Saturday evenings.  We had been hoping that this ministry would help create awareness for our new church in the Deerfield Beach community . . . but God had a different plan.

Not sure what to do with our Saturday evenings now, Kim and I began earnestly praying and seeking His face.  In only a few days, God directed our steps to begin looking for Saturday evening times in existing church buildings where we could gather for fellowship, worship, and ministry planning.  We had never considered this possibility until God closed one door and opened another.  On March 1, 2012, we launched.  Once again, God was making it crystal clear who was in charge and who was going to be growing His church.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord established his steps.  (Proverbs 16:9)

Looking back now over the past three months, it is both astonishing and humbling to see what God has done.  It never ceases to amaze me what God can and will do when I get out of the way!

So . . . where in your life today is God establishing your steps in a direction you had not planned?  No doubt it makes you uncomfortable.  It can even be a little scary!  But your heavenly Father knows best and He will not stop short of giving you His best.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  (Proverbs 16:3)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.  (Proverbs 19:25)

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.”  Only in following God’s plan for our lives will we ever figure out the why.  And that means we will be living surrendered lives.  We surrender to the One who created us and what He created us for, following obediently wherever that leads, regardless of the cost or circumstance . . . even when it leads us in a direction we could never have imagined.

God led the Israelites to the Red Sea after freeing them from bondage.  With the Egyptian chariots thundering up behind them, the situation looked absolutely hopeless.  But God the Father knew best, and He displayed His power for all the world to see.  The Israelites walked across the Red Sea on dry ground, but the pursuing Egyptians were swallowed up by it.

When God is leading the way, the way is good when it seems bad . . . right when it seems wrong . . . best when it seems the absolute worst.  Sometimes the long road is the best way; at other times the rocky road is the best way.  Our Father in heaven is calling us into the adventure of a lifetime in following His plans for our lives.

Are you willing to let go of the reigns and allow God to direct your steps?  Only the power of the Gospel frees you to live for something bigger than yourself . . . or more accurately, Someone . . . and that Someone is Jesus.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  (Isaiah 43:2)

Father knows best, and He has your best interest in mind, regardless of what you are going through.  And you will actually get through what you are going through and come out the other side!  Your heavenly Father will not forget you . . . He will not forsake you . . . and He will always be faithful to you.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

You might be wondering, “When in the world does adversity turn into advantage?  All of the adversity I am currently facing is absolutely killing me!  From my failing health to my faltering business . . . from distress in my marriage to disconnection with my children . . . you have to be kidding when you suggest there is a time when adversity turns into advantage!”

Well, I didn’t say it; the Book did!

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.  (Psalm 50:15)

Here we find light in our darkness and calm in our storm.  God says that we can turn every adversity into advantage when we turn toward Him.  We have a tendency to aggravate our problems by turning to countless things smaller than God . . . things that promise deliverance but simply cannot deliver on their promise.  God tells us in the day of trouble that we are to call on Him.

The second half of the passage gives the reason for crying out to God.  He not only wants to hear our cry, He can actually do something about it!  God accepts our plea for help and He answers it with His omnipotent determination to deliver us from adversity.  When we call on the Lord for deliverance, we are doing what every child of God must do: we are to look away from self and toward our Savior.  You see, in times of adversity God is bringing us to the end of ourselves.  He is making us decrease so He can increase.  Adversity turns into advantage when we take our eyes off ourselves and turn to God.

Regardless of the trouble you are facing, call on Jesus.  Not only has He promised to deliver you, He assures you that in your desperation and deliverance, He shall receive the glory.  God is glorified when we cry out to Him, because our cry is a testimony to the sufficiency of the One in whom we trust.

There is something we all need to be reminded of regarding our deliverance: God is not in the business of delivering those who believe they are in no need of it!  Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12).  If you are not sick, you don’t need healing.  If you are not down, you don’t need to be raised up.  The watching world catches a glimpse of the true composition of our character when we are facing adversity.  As James Allen once said, “Circumstance doesn’t make the man, it reveals him.”

To be sure, adversity turns into advantage when we turn toward Jesus.  Speak this prayer from days of old and prepare for your deliverance.

Lord, thou hast bid me seek thy face,

and shall I seek in vain?

And shall the ear of sovereign grace

be deaf when I complain?

So . . . what is your adversity revealing about you lately?  If in it you are turning to Jesus, then you are turning your adversity into your advantage; and along the way, God is getting all the glory!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

No doubt you’ve been told, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”  Not bad advice.  Yet frequently we overlook the rich, God-ordained blessings in the lemons prior to turning them into lemonade.

If you are a disciple of Christ, you will be no stranger to storms and suffering.  God has ordained them for your good and His glory.  Far too many in the church today miss the blessing in the storm because they are so busily engaged doing everything in their power to get out of it!  Paul penned a word of encouragement to believers who were in the middle of the storm.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  (1 Peter 1:6-8)

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.  (1 Peter 5:10)

As hard as it is to see when we are in the middle of it, Peter reminds us that our suffering—all of our suffering—is only temporary and for just a little while.  He also reminds us to view our temporary suffering in light of the eternal glory that awaits us on the other side.  In order to get lemonade, you must squeeze the lemons!  In order to receive the promised eternal glory, we have to go through some storms.

Notice that some of the greatest blessings can only be received through the storms of life.  Peter tells us that God Himself will perfect us, which is a great comfort for struggling saints.  We are continually making progress toward that day when we shall be perfected in Jesus.  To be sure, there are many times when our progress feels like one step forward and two, three, or even five steps backwards.  But Scripture assure us that what the God of all grace began in us He will one day complete (Philippians 1:6); and the workshop God often uses is the fiery furnace of affliction.

To be confirmed, strengthened, and established is to be partakers of the infinite grace of the God of all grace.  We shall be preserved.  We shall be protected.  We shall make progress.  And all of this will be worked out to perfection through the storms that we must endure on this side of His finished work and faithful reign.  So let us not be so quick to turn lemons into lemonade!

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.  (2 Corinthians 4:17)

You see, the storms of life are not simply to be endured, they are to be embraced.  The eternal weight of glory we are being prepared for simply cannot be compared to the momentary and light affliction we must pass through for a season.  The refiner’s fire is, in fact, producing character in us that more and more each day reflects the character of the Beloved Son.  Who of you reading this right now would not gladly embrace the storm winds if it means coming out on the other side more like Jesus?

Our God of all grace will give us all the grace we need to receive and respond to every trial we face and every storm we must pass through.  As Paul assured us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).  His grace is not only pardoning, it is empowering; it is not only cleansing, it is character-building; it is not only sustaining, it is strengthening.  Because His grace is as abundant as it is amazing, let us take the lemons of life and lean into the lessons they are designed to teach us.  Do that first, before you work to turn those lemons into lemonade!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Are you facing anything in life right now that seems insurmountable?  Trouble at the office?  Loneliness in your single life?  Difficulties in your marriage?  Prodigal child?  Unfaithful friend?  Negative bank balance?  Bad news from the doctor?  I pray that today’s message will be a source of comfort and encouragement to you, making it clear that no rescue is beyond the reach of your Redeemer.

Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.  (2 Kings 6:1-7)

Can you imagine a situation more hopeless?  The borrowed axe head had fallen into the water, plummeting down to settle on the bottom.  Gone was the axe head, and likely the trust granted to the borrower by the tool’s owner was gone with it.  Or was it?  Once again we see that “with God all things are possible” . . . even making steel swim!

If God can make steel swim, He can turn any situation in your life around in an instant.  He delights in blessing His people and blessing them in ways that make it crystal clear that it was God who did the blessing.

So . . . what steel in your life do you need to swim?  With God on your side you can live with hope, even in the face of what seems hopeless.  The impossible becomes possible in the hands of the Almighty.  God can raise you out of the ashes of defeat and bring you into a new season of success.  He can meet you in your place of darkness and make it so bright that you gotta wear shades!

Now, it’s important to note that God had the man reach out his hand and take back the lost axe head.  Yes, the steel did swim because of the grace of God, but even in that grace God had the man reach out to receive it.  You are not a passive bystander in the life you are living.  You are called to do your part, to get involved, and to play your role.  Yes, the race you are running you run by grace . . . but you are still running it.

Paul questioned the Christians at Corinth, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize?” And then he added this exhortation: “So run that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Other than our Lord Himself, no one taught the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone more clearly than the apostle Paul. And yet he too stressed our active role in living the Christian life.

Reach where God instructs you to reach.  Grow where God instructs you to grow.  Stretch where God instructs you to stretch.  Stand still where God instructs you to stand still.  Remember, God will only ask you to do what He has given you the strength to do.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Every promise God has made to us finds its “Yes!” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20) and that includes the promise to make whatever steel you are facing today . . . swim!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!