Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)
The Bible tells us that we play a vital role in deepening our faith. I call it “fitness for your faith.” Did you ever wonder why the Word of God contains so many athletic metaphors for growing and maturing in our faith? It is because our faith is like a muscle; the more we use it, the stronger it becomes. The opposite is also true; the less we exercise our faith, the weaker it becomes.
D. L. Moody, the great 19th-century evangelist and founder of the Moody Bible Institute, shared profound insight into this truth. Moody wrote, “I prayed for faith, and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, ‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ I had closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.” Spending time in God’s Word was the key that unlocked the door to Moody’s ever-increasing “faith fitness.”
Every time we read a passage of Scripture, we gain greater insight into both the Word of God and the God of the Word. As we read the Word, the Word reads us. This process strengthens our resolve to put into practice what we are learning. Never forget that faith without works is dead. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Fitness for your faith is the desire to do what Jesus wants us to do, when He wants us to do it, and how He wants us to do it. And when we mess things up, we must remember that we are secure in our relationship with Jesus — not because of our faithfulness to Him, but His unwavering, eternal faithfulness to us.
When the apostle Paul exhorted us to “work out your salvation,” he was not telling us our salvation is in jeopardy. Scripture is crystal clear on that fact; nothing can snatch us out of our Savior’s hand (John 10:28-29). Paul was encouraging us to actively pursue — to work out — our obedience by going to the supernatural Source of our salvation and our sanctification: the Word of God.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. (Deuteronomy 33:29)
I think we would all agree that everyone seeks the blessed life. Some seek it in power . . . others in fame . . . still others in the pleasures of this world. But the Scriptures make it clear that the life that is truly blessed is the life that is saved by the Lord and serving the Lord. I pray that this word encourages you mightily today!
There are those who say that Christianity is nothing more than a list of rules and regulations, a veritable ball and chain of “Thou shalts” and “Thous shalt nots” wrapped around the neck. Surely these grumblers are strangers to this great faith. To be sure, God has issued commands — call them rules and regulations if you wish — that shape the way we live the Christian life. But make no mistake, a right relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of Christianity, not rules and regulations. You see, Jesus Christ fulfilled all those rules and regulations on our behalf so that we could be, by grace through faith, adopted into the family of faith, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and given a seat at the great banquet feast. We are blessed by the Best. The Christian can echo the prophet Isaiah’s joyous exultation that “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10).
And notice that the primary blessing is not found in material things, but in our Master Himself. To be sure, our God blesses all of us materially. We have all received good gifts from His holy, helping hand; but if we limit our focus to these things, we will miss the deeper message of what it means to be blessed, and when the storm winds blow, we will be left stranded on the sandbar of suffering.
The greatest blessing we can receive is the One doing the blessing. Only when we see our relationship with God as our greatest blessing will we be able to weather the winds of challenge that our Lord has assured us will blow our way (John 16:33). Gifts are indeed the good blessings that God gives us, but the Gift Giver is infinitely better, for He is our shield, our helper, and our glorious sword, and He has promised to bring us safely home.
When Jesus left this earth, He promised to send us His Holy Spirit. Knowing that we have the guarantee of our inheritance in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14) is to know a blessing that will last forever, because we have been blessed by the Best. Be encouraged this day, and be empowered to be all God created you to be.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. (Isaiah 1:14)
I devoted attention to Isaiah 1:14 earlier this month (July 5 “God’s Burden”); I’d like to return to this verse to show that the Bible makes it clear that we are to love the things God loves and we are to hate the things God hates. To be sure, there are many things our God loves, for He is a God of love . . . and we love because He first loved us. But there are also many things our God hates, and we are to keep those things in view as well.
Let’s take a look at some of the things that the Lord hates and be challenged to live in a deeper conformity to the likeness of His beloved Son. God has told us that He hates —
Haughty eyes (a proud look)
A lying tongue
Hands that shed innocent blood
A heart that devises wicked schemes
Feet that are quick to rush into evil
A false witness who pours out lies
A person who stirs up conflict in the community.
That’s a pretty straightforward list from the sixth Proverb. And I think we would all be in agreement that we are to hate these things as God hates these things. But if you go back to Isaiah 1:14, you will find something that God hates even more, and it is often harder to detect than the things on the list from Proverbs 6. Our God particularly hates a sacrifice that comes from the head or the hand but not from the heart. The empty sacrifice is abhorrent to God, and we must guard against offering it at all costs. Think of our Lord’s stern warning to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:16 — “Because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” May such a terrifying admonition never be directed at you or me!
Look at it this way. We can offer our sacrifices out of duty, and we know we owe all duty to God. Or we can offer our sacrifices out of devotion. Devotion leads to delight, but duty can descend into drudgery, which can open the door to the heartless sacrifice. What we must continually do is examine the “Why” behind all the “What” we do for our Lord. When the “Why” springs out of a heart that beats with love for our God, we can be sure that our sacrifice is not a burden to our God, but a blessing which He will never weary of bearing.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. (Revelation 4:4)
There are many ways in which the Christian is to be living on earth as it is in heaven. I want to encourage you with today’s verse, which communicates the idea of nearness to your Savior. The twenty-four elders seated surrounding our Savior represent all the saints in heaven.
This glorious verse presents us with a few biblical truths: Their vision is clear, their access is constant, and their fellowship is close. Inasmuch as we shall not all be equal in the rewards we receive for faithful and fruitful service rendered during our time on earth, each saint has an equal share of their Savior, resting in His unwavering love, unending mercy, and unrelenting grace. All the saints in heaven will equally enjoy the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Should we not, as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, imitate on earth what is in heaven? Should we not joyfully embrace our proximity to the Prince of Peace? Close and constant communion is to occupy both the center and the circumference of our lives. Let us not allow anything to come between us and our Savior — not the temptation to sin nor the trials of this life. We have been made more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, who loved us so much that He took our place on a cross so that we might take our place at His table.
Let me ask you: How near have you been to your Savior lately? Have you been spending time in His Word? Have you been in daily communion with Him through prayer? Has anything come between you and your Savior? If the answer to that last question is yes, I urge you to take the necessary steps to remove it as far as the east is from the west. And if that thing is something in the past — some failure, some mistake, even some willful act of flagrant sin — remember the glorious truth presented to you by the apostle John: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Jesus will tolerate no rivals – nor should He. Keep close communion with Jesus on earth as it in heaven, and you will experience the truths of John 15:5 and 11 — “If you remain in me and I in you,” Jesus promised, “you will bear much fruit. . . . so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17)
There are many things in this life that we consider precious. Family is one of them. Friendship is another. Health would be high on the list. But there is something far more precious to ponder, and that is the Divine Omniscience that keeps us in His thoughts both day and night. In fact, from eternity past, our God thought about us in His covenant of grace, in which He secured our salvation by the blood of His precious Son (Hebrews 13:20).
Now, if the Lord thought about us in eternity past, we can be assured that He is thinking about us in the present, and He will continue thinking about us throughout all eternity. Ponder for a moment today what is truly precious and you will be greatly encouraged, knowing that God’s love for you . . .
Sought you
Caught you
Bought you
Taught you
and Keeps you!
God sought you in His thoughts before you even existed (Ephesians 1:4-5). God caught you when you were on the run from Him, intent on living the life you wanted to live for your own glory (Romans 5:8). God bought you with the precious blood of His Son on Calvary’s hill (Ephesians 1:7-8). God taught you the truths of His Gospel (Ephesians 2:8), and He continues teaching you those truths each day (John 14:26). Is it not precious to consider that regardless of what is going on in your life, God is working all of it for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28)? Is it not precious to consider that God has promised to never leave nor forsake you, no matter how many times you leave and forsake Him (Hebrews 13:5)? And is it not precious to ponder the truth that nothing – not Satan, not your sin, nor anything else in all creation – can ever separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)?
Never believe what the world tries to tell us about some impersonal force that exists in the world. Your God is not only personal, He is personally thinking about you moment by moment. As the Lord lives, He lives with you on His mind. Let that truth set you free to be all God has called you to be, regardless of cost or circumstance.
Perhaps today is a good day to ponder what is truly precious? If you do, I can promise you that your heart will be filled with joy.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:21)
Suffering is simply a fact of life after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But there is a special kind of suffering Peter is speaking about in our verse for today. This is not the suffering that results from living in a broken and sin-stained world; no, the suffering Peter had in mind comes from being a disciple of Christ and suffering for Christ’s sake. It is suffering unjustly, as Peter explained in 1 Peter 2:19. Christian, you were called to this suffering.
The darkness hates the light, so we, as children of the light, must expect to suffer when we are living for the Light of the World. When Jesus came into the world as this Light, He suffered greatly, even unto death on a cross. And that is simply the nature of the relationship between darkness and light . . . unrighteousness and righteousness . . . evil and good. It is certain that, to the degree we live out our calling as disciples of Christ, we will experience suffering.
When James wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,” he was telling us that this was indeed the pattern of Christ in His suffering in this world, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2). And what was the joy that set before Him? It was you and me and all those who are His. He took the crown of thorns, the nine-inch nails, and the condemnation of the cruel cross, all for the joy of bringing us into an eternal love-relationship with Him.
After the Sanhedrin flogged the apostles for speaking in the name of Jesus, we read that “The apostles left . . . rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41). The more the disciples spoke of Jesus, the more they suffered. And the more they suffered, the more they rejoiced, because in their suffering they were like their Savior.
And that brings you and me to an uncomfortable, unavoidable question: Have I suffered for Christ? As disciples of Christ, suffering is certain . . . but only if the darkness knows we are the children of the light. Do those you come in contact with know this truth about you? Can they see it? Many Christians — particularly American Christians — fear harsh words or sneering scorn for speaking what they believe. But do we fear hearing this? “I’ve known you for years, and I had no idea you were a Christian!” Would those not be the cruelest words of all? Or would they simply be a sad statement of fact?
Remember, whatever sufferings we endure for the glory of God are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us when we cross the Jordan (Romans 8:18). May that truth strengthen us for the certainty of suffering for our Savior.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
There is a comforting challenge contained within today’s passage of Scripture. Jesus was talking about Himself as the “True Vine” and referred to us as His branches. When He said, “Apart from me you can do nothing,” it was the same as saying “Connected to me you can do anything.”
We live in a world that is self-deceived by self-dependence. The notion of the self-dependent or self-reliant person is a myth; anyone who believes it lives in a world of make-believe. No one ever has and no one ever will live a self-dependent life. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, did not live a self-dependent life when He came into this world. No, He lived in complete dependence upon God the Father through the power of God the Holy Spirit. Our Lord freely confessed, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19).
To pursue a life of self-dependence is to pursue a life our Savior refused to live. Think about it this way: Every breath you take and every beat of your heart is dependent on the will of God. Only as God purposes life for us do we have life, and that life is totally dependent upon the will of God sustaining it, “for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Every person is God-dependent, whether they acknowledge that truth or not.
When the world speaks of “will power,” it is speaking in self-deceiving terms, because “will” has absolutely no “power” apart from God. Listen, being our own god is not only hard, it is impossible. When we attempt to do it, our vain hope that our self-dependence will mask our weaknesses actually accomplishes just the opposite. We end up appearing frail, foolish, and fearful to those around us.
So here is the question we all must ask ourselves: Are we trying to live a life of self-dependence, as branches disconnected from the True Vine? If you are sensing that there is in any area of your life where this is the case, simply turn your heart back to God and remember these words from the Sovereign Lord: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6).
Remember, self-dependence is self-deception. Stay close to Jesus through His Word, your prayers, and consistent connection to His people, and you will be living the only kind of life that truly matters: a Savior-dependence that brings glory to God and good to others.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Prayer is a powerful tool in the hands of God’s people. Why? Because there is infinite power in the name of Jesus Christ. Not only have we been invited to come boldly to the throne of grace, we have been assured that anything we ask for in the name of Jesus will be done.
But I must make something clear before we go on: To ask in Jesus’ name is to ask for Jesus’ sake.
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14)
Our prayers are to be directed at the expansion of Christ’s kingdom, not our own. Make no mistake, when God opened the way for us to come into His presence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, He was not giving us a blank check to cash for the advancement of our personal affluence and a life of ease. To ask in Jesus’ name is to ask for the things that matter most to Him. Our Lord’s High Priestly Prayer in John 17 gives us valuable insight into what matters most to Jesus: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18).
As a sent people, we are to live lives of other-orientation. Jesus has commissioned us to live in a way that brings glory to God and good to others . . . all others. We are to meet people in their place of need, acting as the hands and feet of Christ. To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray for the advancement of the Gospel; when we are praying like this, we can be assured our prayers will be answered with a resounding “Yes!”
To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray to fulfill His plans and His purposes in this life. To pray in Jesus’ name is to lay aside our personal goals, agendas, dreams, and desires. It is to abandon the self as we advance in the direction of the Savior. When Jesus prayed to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, “Yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42), He was providing us with the model of a prayer life that is rooted in Jesus’ name.
Finally, praying in Jesus’ name protects you from the warning James delivered to the people of God: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:3). When you pray in Jesus’ name, you are reminded to rely on His wisdom, His power, His strength, and His guidance.
Be encouraged today, and take some time to pray in Jesus’ name, being confident that whatever you ask for in His name, He has promised to do for you.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.” (Ezekiel 34:11)
Let’s begin our week with this most astonishing truth: Our Lord Jesus Christ does not send someone out in His place to search for and look after His sheep. No, the prophet Ezekiel tells us that God Himself, the Sovereign Lord of all the universe, is our Seeking, Searching, Shepherd Savior. And He is all that for you. Is that not a word of cosmic comfort to you today, regardless of where this message finds you?
Notice something else contained within today’s text. Our salvation not only begins because of our Searching Savior, but it continues and is sustained because of our Shepherd Savior. No matter where or how often we wander away from our Savior, He searches for us and returns us to His sheepfold. And this does not happen after a certain number of His flock wander away. The parable of the lost sheep makes it gloriously clear that our Great Shepherd leaves the herd to go off and find that one, single lost sheep and brings him or her back to the fold. You matter that much to Jesus!
One final point: To be looked after by our Shepherd is to be locked into our salvation. Jesus said quite plainly, “This is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (John 6:39). Jesus will not lose a single sheep; nothing can take you out of His hand (John 10:28-30). Is this not a powerful promise to plead if you find yourself feeling far off from the sheepfold and strayed from your Shepherd?
Peter felt the power of that promise. When he had denied Jesus three times on the night our Lord was betrayed and Peter heard the rooster crow (it must have sounded like a crushing thunderclap of despair to him), Peter’s heart was broken for having walked away from his Savior. But after the Resurrection, Jesus restored Peter by asking a simple question — not once, but three times: “Do you love Me?”
If your answer is the same as Peter’s — “Yes Lord, you know that I love You” — then be assured that nothing can or will ever separate you from your Shepherd Savior. Let that truth set you free today and every day until you cross the Jordan and enter into your eternal rest.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. (James 2:23)
Have you ever considered the difference between being a follower of Jesus and being a friend of Jesus? I assure you, the difference is as profound as it is personal. Let’s take a look and see if you are not greatly encouraged.
First, we must understand the order of things from a biblical perspective. You cannot be a friend of Jesus until you are first a follower of Jesus.
He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
Jesus makes the first move in our relationship with Him. That first move, of course is that he died for us while we were still sinners, alienated from Him (Romans 5:8; Colossians 1:21). Then He comes to us and calls us to follow Him. In order to follow Jesus, we must be willing to first put down our own nets and pick up His. Jesus wants us to leave our old life behind and begin walking in the newness of our life in Christ.
This means we begin to live for something bigger than the life we are currently living in the flesh; we are to walk by faith in following Jesus. This is a wonderful place to be living as a follower of Jesus, a place where we are more concerned about expanding the cause of His kingdom than building our own little kingdom.
But there is so much more for the Christian! Jesus tells us, “I no longer call you servants . . . Instead, I have called you friends” (John 15:15). The disciples were still followers of Jesus, but now they followed Him as friends, a term which conveys the understanding of deep intimacy. Friendship with God is a place of the highest honor, as the Lord told the prophet Isaiah:
“You, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend . . .” (Isaiah 41:8)
Israel was God’s “servant,” Jacob was God’s “chosen one,” but Abraham was God’s friend. Here we see clearly that the difference is not found at the level of relationship; all were all in relationship with God, and they all followed their God wherever He led them. The difference is found in the level of intimacy. There was something deeper going on at a heart level between Abraham and God; that is the key to understanding the difference between being a follower and being a friend of God. Moses also enjoyed this kind of intimacy with God; “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11).
How is it with you? Are God’s desires your desires? Are God’s goals your goals in life? Are you able to echo Jesus from your heart and say, “Not my will, but thy will be done”? If your answer is yes, then be encouraged today, for you have entered into the intimate circle of friendship with your God.
And if you are tempted to hand your head and sorrowfully admit, “No, I’m not there,” I have a word of encouragement for you too! Actually, it is God’s Word of encouragement:
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:8 ESV)
God does not reserve His friendship only for “super saints” . . . the promise is for all who will draw near to Him with a hunger to know Him more. Start by following Him, loving Him, asking Him to help you know Him more, and you will find yourself engaged in the most incredible friendship!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 