Grace for the Race

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage!  As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” (Acts 23:11)

I have a word of great comfort for you today rooted in the passage from which our verse was taken. The apostle Paul was in harm’s way after having confronted the hypocrisy of the religious leaders. The uproar was so great that the Roman guard needed to take Paul away and put him into the barracks for his own protection. While some of the religious leaders were plotting to kill Paul, the angel of the Lord told Paul that he was in a word . . . UNTOUCHABLE . . . because God was not finished with him yet. And the same is true for you and me. 

The Bible makes it clear that we are all “immortal” until our work is done. God’s purposes will be accomplished and nothing and no one will stand in His way. It mattered not that the corrupt religious leaders had conspired to kill the apostle Paul. In fact, the narrative tells us that “more than forty men were involved in this plot” (Acts 23:13). Forty men were no match for God, because God was not finished with Paul yet. The whole world could have taken its stand against Paul, but they were impotent to do anything to Him while Omnipotence had more work for him to do. 

Make no mistake, when your work for your Lord is done, He will usher you into His eternal presence along with all the saints of God. But that will not happen one moment before you have completed your assignment here on earth. So, receive what the angel of the Lord said to Paul, “Take courage!”- because God is not finished with you yet. As an ambassador of the Almighty, your safe passage is guaranteed while you are fulfilling your service for your Savior.    

So, as a disciple of Jesus, you have been called to testify to the truth. Every child of God has been given the assignment of participating in the expansion of the kingdom of God. Is there anything keeping you from fulfilling your calling? Remember, the Lord is standing right by your side every step of the way into glory. His promise is to never leave nor forsake you. Therefore, be at peace as you participate in the greatest work on this side of the grave – witnessing for Christ. Let this truth sink in and ultimately set you free – He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion regardless of the cost or circumstances you face because greater is He who is in you than the one who is in this world. No weapon formed will keep you from finishing the work God has set before you to do because under the care of the Almighty, you are UNTOUCHABLE. 

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

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (Philippians 3:7)

Because we have been made in the image and likeness of God, we have been made to make a durable difference in the world around us. So the question before you and me today is – “Are we making a difference that is durable?” 

To be sure, there are many things that get in the way of making a durable difference in the world around us. One of those things is to be more focused on pleasing man rather than pleasing God. Make no mistake, people pleasers do not make a durable difference in the world because they are more concerned with what others think of them rather than what God thinks of them. They find their deepest satisfaction when others are pleased and accepting of them.  But this was not the life for the apostle Paul and that is why he made a durable difference.

I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.  Acts 20:24

These are the sentiments of a man who made a durable difference in the world. Now it was not that the apostle despaired of life itself. Rather, he despaired of life without Christ as the center and circumference of it. And he was willing to give it up in the faithful and fruitful service of his Lord. Paul made no account of his life apart from the life the Lord Jesus had called him to live on the road to Damascus. 

Paul’s goal was to accomplish or finish his course or race. He knew a durable difference would only be made when he crossed the finish line of life having given all he had and all he was as a testimony to the gospel of the grace of God. Paul purposed to live a life for something bigger than just his life. He lived for His Savior. He refused to shrink the size of his life down to the size of his life. Paul lived to please God, not man, and in doing so, he made a durable difference as a disciple of Jesus. 

So, can the same be said about you today? Are you making a durable difference by the life you are currently living? The answer of course is YES if you are living your life for the glory of God and the good of others. It matters not what your station in life is.  What matters is who you are living for in your current station. And when you are living for Jesus and pouring yourself out for the advancement of His kingdom, then you can know in no uncertain terms, that the life you are living is making a durable difference in the world around you. 

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

By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”  For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5)                                                                                                                                        

It is said that Enoch lived such a holy and righteous life that God Himself testified to it . . . not once, but twice in sacred Scripture.

After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years.  Genesis 5:22

Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.  Genesis 5:24

So pleased is God when we walk by faith before Him, that He is committed to testifying to it as a fact before men. In essence, this is the testimony of God to a life well lived before His face and in the presence of others. Enoch walked faithfully with God every step of the way into heaven. Can the same be said about us? Is our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ a walk that is rooted in faith or a walk that is rooted in sight . . . and what would be the testimony of God?

Look at it this way. Never do we more closely bear the image of our God than when we are walking faithfully with Him. And never is God more pleased with us than when we are bearing more of His image. To be sure, when Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, the image of God in them was stained by sin and that stain marred its perfection. Now we bear God’s image imperfectly in everything we do, but we do still bear God’s image. And never do we bear it more than when we are walking faithfully with our God. 

To walk with someone is to be in close proximity with them. As you walk, you talk, and your attention is focused on the one you are walking with. You are in step with that person and you share a time of intimate companionship with them. This is what it means to walk faithfully with your God. We are in close proximity to Him. We are focused on Him. We are sharing a time of intimate fellowship with Him and when we do, we are affirming that God is the greatest good in our life. When we do, we live at the level described by A. W. Tozer – “to live in a state of unbroken worship.” 

Walking by faith is faithfully trusting God even when we cannot trace Him. This is a life marked by walking in unwavering obedience to His Word and His will regardless of the cost or circumstance. This was the confession of the life lived by Enoch. But he was not alone in the biblical account. It is said of Noah that as “a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, he walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9). And this is God goal for every one of His children and He is committed to testifying to it. 

So, be encouraged today by the example of Enoch. Make it your hearts deepest desire to live a life marked by walking with your God, wherever He leads knowing it will ultimately be for His glory and your good. 

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

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. (Revelation 3:7)

What a word of encouragement this is for us today. Our God is the keeper of the Gate into glory. It is God who holds the key that unlocks the door leading to eternal life, and it is God who locks it keeping all those who have entered in eternally safe. This is the key of David and it is designed to both encourage and comfort you not only today, but all the way into glory. Here are some of the incredible implications:

Salvation is rooted in . . .

• God’s mercy – not our merit
• God’s grace – not our good works
• God’s good pleasure – not our posturing

The gate that allows access into eternal life is opened by God and God alone. He is the one who extends His invitation. He is the one who pours out His grace. He is the one who offers His mercy. And when we receive it by faith, we can be assured that our home in heaven is absolutely assured. In addition, that same gate that allows access into eternal life on the other side of the grave, is closed and secured by God too. What this means is eternal life is assured and judgment is certain. 

You see, today is a day of invitation for all those who are outside the gate. God in Christ has extended His invitation to everyone who will trust in Christ alone for eternal life. The promise is eternal life for those who will abandon their self-salvation project and transfer their trust to the Savior. The flip side of this truth is – tomorrow may not be a day of invitation because we have breathed our last, and the door leading to eternal life is closed forever. So, if you have acknowledged yourself to be a sinner in need of a Savior and you have transferred your trust to Jesus Christ, rejoice knowing that a banquet is being prepared for you this day, and one day soon, you will be sitting at table with Jesus Christ.     

To know that your salvation is secure is to know that there is nothing in the entire universe that can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Not your sin. Not Satan. Nothing!  The door that was opened by your Savior has also been closed and locked behind you. Does that truth not fill you with unimaginable strength for the day ahead? If Jesus has the ultimate authority as the keeper of the gate, He is absolutely sovereign over everything detail of your life. Nothing happens to you that doesn’t first pass through His nail-scarred hands. And everything happens to you for two reasons: God’s glory and your eternal good. 

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

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman . . . as surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” (2 Kings 5:20)

The story of the prophet Elisha who healed Naaman of leprosy is well known by students of the Scriptures. However, there is another story closely associated with this one that is less known and perhaps, more profound in its message (2 Kings 5). The story of Gehazi. 

Naaman was the commander of the army of the king of Syria. The Bible tells us that he was a mighty man of valor, but was a leper. One day he sought out the prophet Elisha that he may be cured of his leprosy. Naaman was not happy with the response he received from Elisha, but he did as he was instructed and went down to the Jordan, dipped himself seven times in it, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. 

Now Naaman was so grateful for his healing, he wanted to reward Elisha, but Elisha refused. Enter Elisha’s servant Gehazi, who had a leprous heart that was beating for things smaller than God. Gehazi ran after Naaman requesting the reward that Naaman had refused. When Elisha learned of his servant’s actions, the prophet rebuked Gehazi for his greed, and he became as Naaman had been, a leper, like snow.

By nature, we all have a bit of Gehazi in us. We have leprous hearts that beat for the stuff of this world rather than our Savior. On the outside Gehazi looked quite good to the watching world. He was a servant of the prophet Elisha, bringing him close to God and God’s Word continually. He was immersed in an environment of all things eternal. But his leprous heart was beating for that which was temporal, and eventually, what he loved most rose to the surface of his life. It always does!

So what has your heart been beating for – things above or things below? What have you been running after lately? Do not be deceived like Gehazi was and think everything is ok inwardly, simply because of your outward environment. As a servant of the prophet Elisha, he was close to God outwardly, but deep inside his heart was far from Him. Remember, it is not your religion rooted in your church attendance, prayer life, daily devotions, and service to God that protects you from a leprous heart. It is always, and in every way, your right relationship with your Redeemer because the ultimate reward in both life and death is Jesus.      

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

You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. (Jeremiah 20:7)                                        

Over the decades as a coach and a trainer, I have been able to tell the athletes if they did certain things, they could expect certain results. For example, for those who had the goal of getting stronger, participating in a consistent weight training program would produce the desired result. For the goal of increasing speed, a systematic running and sprinting program would be the way to go. However, inasmuch as this principle is at work for the Christian who desires a closer walk with Jesus (Bible Study, Prayer, Corporate Worship, Service, etc.), often God will deliver to us something totally unexpected, perhaps even unwanted. 

Today’s verse is an example of the unexpected. The prophet Jeremiah had not foreseen, nor did he expect, the trials he would have to experience and endure when God called him into his prophetic ministry. To be sure, Jeremiah’s preaching ministry did not return the results expected. His call from God was met with beatings and prison. I think you would agree, very often we find ourselves in the same situation as Jeremiah . . . experiencing the exact opposite of what we had expected God to do in our lives. Sadly, as a result of the “UNEXPECTED,” a root of bitterness can grow, robbing God of His glory and us of the good God intended.   

Yet, our God is in the business of delivering the unexpected. Because God sees the beginning from the end, He knows what is best and He orchestrates events to produce His desired results, which are often, unexpected. Like Jeremiah, we did certain things and expected certain results. Unknowingly, we had put our God in a box. And once we put God in a box, we began serving the god we wanted, rather than the God who is. Here are three things we must remember if we are going to have any measure of peace and joy in this life:

1. There is a God
2. It is not me
3. And I don’t get a vote

So, regardless of where this finds you today, remember, God is in the business of delivering the unexpected. We all need to take a lesson from the psalmist and keep these powerful words before us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). The better we get at “being still” the better we will get at receiving the unexpected and the freedom, joy, and faithfulness it is designed to deliver.

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

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?  I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13:37)                                                                                                                                                                             

We have a tendency to prepare ourselves for the attacks of the evil one where we are the weakest. Yet, experience has taught me on more than one occasion, Satan often attacks where we are seemingly the strongest. Today’s word is designed as both a comfort and a caution as you go throughout your day.

In our verse today we read of Peter’s sold-out commitment and service to his Savior.  Peter was confident in his commitment to Christ. But his confidence was in himself. Peter was boasting of his strength and this is exactly where the devil found his foothold. Peter was unaware of the weakness of his strengths. What we all need to remember is attacks will not only assault us at our weak or low points, but also at the heights of what we consider to be our strengths. Peter was secure in his strength to withstand any attack that would come his way, and that is exactly the place where Satan tripped him up, exposing Peter for his true natural condition – poor, blind, and naked.

What was true for Peter is true for all of us. Our strength is also our weakness when we are trusting in our strength rather than in the One who has given it to us. We have all been tripped up by the devil in the places we felt the strongest. Like Samson, we were counting on our gift of strength rather than on the One who had given us that gift. We must never think we are safe in our strengths. We are only safe in the strength of our Savior that is at work within us. To be sure, the devil looks for chinks in our armor and will launch his attack. But we must also be ready to do battle with the evil one where we feel we are fully armored up. 

When we find ourselves in the cross-hairs of the world, the flesh, and the devil, let us remember we can do all things . . . but only those things in which Christ has strengthened us. The best way to keep the weakness of our strengths from witnessing to the watching world is to keep our eye of faith fixed on Jesus, the One who has promised us victory in Him and Him alone. It is in His strength, nor our strength, where we will stand firm against every attack the devil sends our way. As James said, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).  Remember, where we are weak, there He is strong.

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

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (John 20:24-25)                                                                                                                                                                     

In the passage above, the apostle Thomas would not believe Jesus had been raised from the dead until he saw it for himself. For Thomas, seeing was believing. This is often the case in the natural world. But what about the supernatural world. Well Jesus gives us the answer at the end of this encounter, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Is seeing believing or is believing seeing? And the answer, of course, is YES to both.

To be sure, we believe in the blessings of God because we have seen more than we could ever count. And on this Thanksgiving Day, let us give thanks and praise for them all. But what about those blessings we have not seen yet, but are praying daily for them to show up. Let us use the Master’s Model and begin thanking God IN ADVANCE . . .

Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven laves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples and thousands had more than they could eat that day (Matthew 15).

Jesus thanked His Father in heaven, before the blessing. And this is the way we go from Giving Thanks to Living Thanks in our lives. Gratitude is thanking God after the blessing. Faith is thanking God before the blessing.

• Gratitude before the gift
• Praise before the present
• Devotion before the deliverance
• Thanksgiving before the triumph

I learned a long time ago the power of thanking God IN ADVANCE and exchanging praise for petition. Instead of begging, bargaining, and even bribing God, I have learned to believe God for the desires of my heart. So, on this Thanksgiving Day, as you gather around your table with family and friends, take a moment to thank God IN ADVANCE for the blessings you are praying for – thank God for your victory and vindication – your healing and health – your dream fulfilled and goal accomplished – for that friend or family member to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. May believing is seeing be the confession of your prayer life from this day forward!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen          you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

I have two dear friends I have the privilege of pastoring at our church, Nate, who is a tremendous encourager just like Barnabas in the Bible, and his beloved wife Christy. Having moved to South Florida, they absolutely love the ocean and spend much of their free time there in the presence of the Almighty. So I thought let us all consider the ocean and be encouraged at the beginning of this Thanksgiving week.

Until you can drain dry this immense body of water, know this – God’s ocean of omnipotence is available for you to meet you in your place of deepest need. So fear not, God has given to you everything you need to do everything He is calling you to do. Make no mistake, no weapon formed can ever come up against you and overcome the power of the Most-High God that is at work within you.   

Think about it this way. The Creator of the universe – the One who made the earth and hung it on nothing and directs it in its orbit – the One who continually fuels the burning furnace of the sun – the One who commanded the morning to begin and the day to dawn – the One who closed the flood gates as the sea gushed from the womb and set its limits – is the One who has promised to strengthen you for the work He has set before you.

You are swimming in the ocean of His omnipotence. With every stroke you are strengthened by His righteous right hand. God is not like man for He cannot lie. When He said, “I will strengthen you and help you,” He meant what He said. It is impossible that God could fail you regardless of what it is you are facing today. God cannot out-promise Himself for every promise is ‘Yes’ and “Amen” in Christ Jesus. 

So, regardless of where this finds you today, fear not and be not dismayed. You may be facing mountainous obstacles, but what is that to Omnipotence? Keep these words of the prophet Isaiah with you today and everyday God gives to you. Your ocean of Omnipotence is overflowing and available to you if you will but dip your toe in it and believe this undeniable and unwavering truth –

Greater is the power that is in you than any power that comes up against you!

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

And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.  (Joshua 2:21)

Do you remember the story of the two spies Joshua sent to look over the land of Jericho? It was the prostitute Rahab who took them in and protected them when the king of Jericho sent this message to her, “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.” She said the men came and already left the city, but in fact, had taken them up to the roof and hid them. Why would this pagan woman, outside of the covenant community of Israel, do such a thing? She heard about the God of Israel and the amazing things he did in freeing His people from Egypt . . . and believed!

Before the spies left, Rahab asked that she and her family be protected from the Israelite army that would come and conquer the city because of the kindness she showed to them. They agreed, with one simply stipulation.

Now the men said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window” (Joshua 2:17-18).         

The spies promised preservation was rooted in a simply yet firm act of faith. The scarlet cord in the window would be the sign of her personal protection. A trivial act to be sure, but an act that was absolutely necessary if Rahab and her family were to survive the invasion of the Israelite army into her city. The angel of death was on his way to Jericho, but he passed over Rahab’s home when he saw the scarlet cord hanging in the window.    

There are many lessons in this story, but one we must not miss is this: the spies represented God to this pagan woman and Rahab trusted in their promise and was obedient to their plan.  Can the same be said about us? Do we trust in the promises of God and are we obedient to His plan . . . even in the seemingly insignificant details of the Christian life? Do we render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s? Do we forgive as we have been forgiven?  Do we do unto others what we would have others do unto us? Do we walk by faith and not by sight? Do we trust God’s heart even when we cannot trace His hand?

Remember, Rahab’s house was on the wall in Jericho and the walls came tumbling down. But she and her family were preserved because she believed in the promise of God and demonstrated it by tying the scarlet cord in the window. Let that be the confession of our lives as we live as “SCARLET CORD SAINTS” for the glory of the One who has promised to preserve us all the way into glory.

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