An Abundance of Grace

Sin leaves a ‘stain’ on the heart, its existence makes us feel ‘dirty’ and that feeling persists. But David understood that acknowledging his transgression was key to obtaining God’s mercy. And he knew that only God could give him a clean heart and renew a right spirit.

First there was the crossing of the Jordan on dry ground, next there was the circumcising of all the men of war, next the manna, the bread from heaven stopped. You see, when God says it’s time, things can happen quickly. For Joshua, this was more change than he’d seen in, well, a long time. But it didn’t stop there. Joshua was a one step at a time guy; you try leading millions of anxious people in...

This wasn’t just the desert; it was the “far side” of the desert. And in that place, he became a shepherd, considered the lowest profession in Egypt. Consequently, the next 40 years he learned to be a real nobody. Finally, at the age of 80 God saw that he was ready for his turning point.

No one wanted to get burned so they all capitulated. Many probably thought, ‘No big deal. What’s a little bow.’ In fact, it’s the same trade that Satan offered Jesus:

You see, ever since Eden, we’ve been duped into believing that God is fundamentally mean and withholding, that He is severe in character. Unfortunately, many Christians mistakenly still see Him as such, and it hinders their ability or desire to enjoy a truly loving relationship with Him. “ According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, dru...

... opening the door is just the step in the right direction. The question remains, what will you do when Jesus enters? You indeed may ‘dine with Him’, yet what kind of relationship will emerge? This is critical not just as a new born babe in Christ but throughout your Christian life. Having encountered Jesus, having invited Him into your ‘home’, what attitude will you embrace?

What this means is that you can talk about, contemplate, ponder and discuss this Who-attribute of God forever but you won’t know it, that is know God’s attribute of Love until you know Him. You must establish an intimate relationship through His Son, Jesus. You see, grasping at least some of the ‘What-attributes’ of God like His sovereignty or His triune nature can be approached intellectually but...

The prophetic symbolism in this story is powerful for the dead religion of today, having merged with the value system of the surrounding world at large, has fostered a generation of me-oriented wanderers just like the Hebrews in the desert. It wasn’t that long ago that Jesus-people, the Jesus Revolution, emerged from ‘Egypt’ - perhaps a generation or so - but they never ‘took the land’ spiritually...

Gabriel opened with a mindblower for Zechariah, “Your prayer has been heard.” And, “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name of John” which means “God has been gracious”. He added, “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” Huges comments, “The Baptist would have a great heart. J...

"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it."

You know, the Bible says that it’s Christ Who holds the elements, the universe, together (see Col 1:17). Scientists know this as the force that literally holds the nucleus of every atom together. They acknowledge it, this awesome power, but it remains a mystery. It’s the force behind nuclear explosions. Imagine, Christ will one day, at the appointed time, simply ‘let go’ and every atom in the phys...

So, this passage in Genesis is hugely important and packed full of meaning. Though the Jewish people will mistakenly put their confidence, at least initially, in the Antichrist, they will find themselves like the dove returning to the presence of the Lord and then, under His anointing, empowered by the Holy Spirit, fulfilling their original commission to spread the Gospel all over the earth.

Noah waited a long time in the ark without hearing from God. With the ship rolling, the earth disappearing, the people outside screaming, the skies thundering— never before had such a stormy time come. Perhaps you find yourself in such times, and you think, ‘The Lord has forsaken me’, or ‘The Lord has forgotten me.’ If so, be encouraged for the Lord says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and...

It’s important to note that the Lord shut them in. Noah didn’t shut the door - it wasn’t his responsibility to deny anyone salvation. And thus, it is so today. We are told to preach the gospel to everyone. Nothing should hinder that.

Noah was a man of action and obedience. Too many folks too often claim to be “waiting on the Lord” when God has already spoken. Some are waiting for thunder in the heavens to ring out His directions while their Bibles gather dust on the nightstand. Faith without works is dead. Noah is a hero of faith because he did all God said.

Note that the Lord said His Spirit was striving with man. The Hebrew word for striving is a primary root and denotes principally to rule or to judge but the sense we have here is of contending with man - pleading a cause. There came a point when His longsuffering ended. However, I don’t think it was a matter of God getting tired of presenting the truth or convicting their hearts, because he doesn’...

In order to catch the significance here we need to understand a couple things - the name Jordan means “the descender”. As such it is a picture of sin and death, the boundary between the ‘wilderness of this world’ and the ‘promised land’ i.e. heaven. And with whom did man first begin to descend? Beginning at Adam of course. Sin and death began at Adam, and man has been in a descent ever since. But...

So an amazing display of the power and authority of God Almighty foretold 2600 years ago is about to take place in the Middle East. Keep your eyes open and be in prayer!

So, as we should expect, the prophecy of Ezekiel and the prophetic condition declared by Moses were both fulfilled precisely concerning the nation’s servitude and the desolation of Jerusalem.

We cannot pass over this quickly. It’s just so profound. Here is revealed a beautiful aspect of our God’s character. As holy and just, He issued a judgment upon Cain, but note the judgment. This is not “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” . That’s part of the Mosaic law that came later. Here, was God’s personal judgment upon an individual apart from the law. In it, we should note that the judgme...

Cain’s vain religion, like all false religions was based upon three things: human schemes, human sacrifice and human satisfaction.

You see, we’ve got to understand this. Our God is love. His motives toward us are always for our good. He’s not sitting on the throne, with belt-strap in hand, just waiting for us to mess up so He can whack us hard. When He allows difficulties, regardless of our understanding, the end is good.

Keep in mind here that God did not need information, Adam needed to confess his error. You see, temptation draws us to the precipice, sin pushes us over the side, and pride keeps us from grasping the lifeline of repentance that God throws to us. If the man had just admitted his error - what a different story we all might be living now.

“Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.” John 19:32-34In piercing the pericardium, that sack which surrounds the heart, they released the water. We now...

You may remember the story, Jonah went down to Joppa, then down to the ship, then down into the hold of the ship, then down into the stormy sea as the crew threw him overboard, and finally down into the belly of the great fish. Jonah thought he was as far from God as any man could be. Nevertheless, the Bible says , “the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.” And even as he was trying to...