“… that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace …”

— Ephesians 2:7

The more I reflect upon it, the more convinced I am that we can encapsulate the whole essence of the Christian gospel in one single word—grace. What is this “amazing grace”? I have asked many people, and I have yet to meet an unconverted person who understands the concept. Only those who have experienced God’s grace know what it is, and yet many still don’t have words to describe it. Grace is beyond comprehension; it is, I am sure, the greatest thing in all the world.

So, what is grace?

Grace is not justice, because it is above fair. Grace is infinitely higher, more exalted, and more noble than fairness could ever be.

Grace isn’t the same as love. Even though grace has love within it, not all love has grace in it.

Is grace not the same as mercy? Now, we’re getting closer to the target. But grace still goes beyond extending love to someone who does not deserve it.

Grace is totally unmerited favor given to those who deserve disfavor. Grace is receiving everything good when we deserve everything bad.

We will never appreciate grace until we see our need for it … when we see ourselves as rebels against God, as breakers of His laws, as capable of all manner of evil … when we know that our hearts hold depravity … when we see ourselves as sinners in the deepest, darkest parts of our being. Then we will begin to appreciate the meaning of grace.

When the God of all grace freely and willingly forgives and accepts us on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done, then we experience grace. And after experiencing it, we want to share it freely with others. If you were a beggar and found an endless supply of bread, wouldn’t you share it with your fellow beggars? That picture gives us just a small glimpse of what it’s like when we share God’s amazing grace with others.

Can you share God’s grace with someone today?

“Grace is spelled ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.’”
Anonymous

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous spirit.”

— Psalm 51:12

Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to maintain eye contact with someone, especially someone you don’t know? Perhaps we find this so difficult because it feels so intimate. Some have said that the eye is the window of the soul, so perhaps when someone gazes into our eyes, we feel vulnerable, as if that person can see all our deepest secrets. And perhaps that’s why, when we fall into sin, we can’t maintain eye contact with others, fearing they can see the sin in our eyes. Sin clouds our souls, and we lose our inner sparkle.

Now consider King David when he had been derelict in his duty. He had failed to go with his army into battle. In his idleness, he walked atop his palace and happened across Bathsheba as she was bathing. Enticed by her beauty, he lured her to the palace and committed adultery with her. In an attempt to cover his sin, he compounded it by having her husband murdered. David had now committed two grievous sins for which the Old Testament provided no forgiveness. The king was crushed by his sinfulness. For one year, all of the joy went out of him. All of the light left him. All of the sparkle disappeared from his soul and his eyes. The sweet singer of Israel sang nothing but doleful laments. He felt as though the very bones of his body were crushed under the weight of his guilt.

No doubt about it, David was great in his sinning. But he was also great in his repenting, and for that reason Scripture calls him “a man after God’s own heart.” When God convicted David of his transgressions, David said, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” David wouldn’t let sinfulness keep him away from his Lord any longer.

Are you a great repenter? Do you truly sorrow for your sins and turn from them as David did? I encourage you to confess and repent of anything that comes between you and God so that He may restore the sparkle to your soul and grant you the joy of your salvation.

“What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Hymn

“And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness …’”

— Luke 12:15

Have you ever wanted something so badly that you put yourself in too much debt? Or have you ever fudged a little on your taxes so you could squirrel away some money to buy something for yourself?

Think for a moment: What desire fuels these actions? Could it be covetousness?

Jesus says, “Beware of covetousness,” which is defined as an “inordinate desire to have something.” It’s an easy sin to hide, but it’s sin just the same. The Pharisees put on an outward show of righteousness, yet Christ saw their hearts when he called them “whited sepulchers [graves].” Though outwardly respectable, they were inwardly full of dead men’s bones because of their covetousness.

God requires a total transformation of what, to the fallen world, seems so natural that it never even comes under question. Thousands of books will tell you how you can obtain the things of this world. But the authors and readers of these books set their affections on things, and never question whether their lives are misdirected.

At this point you may be wondering, “If God commands us not to covet things, can I not desire anything or have any ambition?” Let me give you a word picture that might help you answer that question. Abraham Kuyper compares our lives to a magnificent sailing vessel. He says a ship may have beautiful masts and billowing sails filled with ocean breezes. Its banners may flutter in the wind, and its hull may be loaded with all manner of wonderful cargo. Yet the entire destiny of that ship rests on something tiny and unseen: the rudder. That small rudder, beneath the surface of the ocean, determines whether that great ship ends up resting peacefully in the harbor or lying scattered among rocks on some barren shore.

The same is true of our lives. We may have tremendous ambitions and the power to make them realities. Our lives may be laden with treasures, talents, and successes. Yet the final destination of our lives, whether in the glorious harbor of Heaven or scattered among the rocks of Hell, is determined by an unseen rudder—our motives—that turns us toward ourselves or toward God. When we do everything solely for God’s glory, it does not matter how rich or accomplished we are. We can be fulfilled and obedient with much or with little.

Today, assess the direction of your rudder. Are your aspirations pointing you toward the harbor or toward the rocks? Remember Christ’s admonishment—“Beware of covetousness”— and pursue possessions and ambitions only when they draw you in His direction.

“Let my world be centered not in myself but in Thee.”
John Baillie

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

— Psalm 116:15

Have you ever considered the great contrast between how the unbeliever faces death and how the Christian does? Read these last words of several unbelievers, and contrast them with those of Christians.

Mirabeau, unbeliever: “Give me laudanum [a narcotic painkiller used in past centuries] that I may not think of eternity.”

David Brainerd, missionary: “I am going into eternity, and it is sweet to me to think of eternity.”

Voltaire, caustic unbeliever: “I am abandoned by God and man! I shall go to hell!”

William Pitt, British statesman and Christian: “I throw myself on the mercy of God through the merits of Jesus Christ.”

William Randolph Hearst, newspaper magnate: “Death is not to be discussed in my presence.” (Though he could forbid the discussion, he could not forbid the reality.)

Michelangelo, Christian artist: “I die in the faith of Jesus Christ, and in the firm hope of a better life.”

Talleyrand, leader during the French Revolution: “I am suffering the pangs of the damned.”

Dwight L. Moody, evangelist: “Earth is receding, and heaven is opening, and this is my coronation day.”

Why does the Christian not fear death? Because Jesus says that we who believe in Him should live, even though we die. Through Him, we can have the assurance that we shall join Him forever in Paradise after we leave this earth. He tasted death for us so that we don’t have to.

Will you pray with me today for the world to know Jesus Christ? Will you do your part to share the Good News with those around you? No one need fear death. Let’s spread the wealth of eternal life in Heaven.

“We go to the grave of a friend, saying, ‘A man is dead.’
But angels throng about him saying, ‘A man is born.’”
Anonymous

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

— Jeremiah 33:3

God is a great and wondrous God who delights in great and marvelous things. He wants to do great and mighty things through you and through me. However, many of us never quite grasp God’s glory and greatness; thus, we miss spiritual growth and tremendous adventures.

Do you know that God can and wants to do great things, using you as His instrument?

God tells us to attempt great things for Him by faith. And only through faith can we accomplish what He calls us to do—not in our own strength, not by our own power, but by God’s might. Most of the great accomplishments of this world are done by faith. The great missionary William Carey initiated the modern world missionary movement by faith. His motto? “Attempt great things for God. Expect great things from God.” We need to trust God if we’re to make any difference in the world for His kingdom.

Even though God will give us all we need to accomplish His goals, He won’t necessarily make our missions easy. We’ll have to make sacrifices if we’re to achieve great things for God’s sake. Reflect on what the Pilgrims did in the settling of this great nation. Nearly half of them lost their lives during their first winter in this land.

And as we pursue great accomplishments for Christ’s kingdom, we must keep in mind our motives. Everything we undertake, big or small, we must do for God’s glory and not for our own. Whether we do something for our glory or for Christ’s ultimately determines the value of anything that we do. Generally, the great doers of history have been great because they kept their sights on God. They trusted in Him rather than in themselves. They realized their own limitations, but understood that “with God, all things are possible.”

Are you ready to do great things for God? Then trust Him to come through for you, even as you make the sacrifices, and give the glory to Him for the results.

“We can never have too big a conception of God.”
J.B. Phillips

“… baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

— Matthew 28:19

Have you ever tried to explain the Trinity to someone unfamiliar with the idea? If you have, then you probably know how difficult it is to define. Not even a rocket scientist could plumb its depths and comprehend it. In fact, we humans won’t fully understand it until we meet God in Heaven.

Recently, a lady said to me, “We really shouldn’t talk about Jesus being God, because when He was on earth, God was in Heaven, don’t you know?” As a matter of fact, I did know that. But her statement reminded me that we need to develop a clear understanding of the Trinity, the foundation of all Christian doctrine. Many have denied the concept of the Trinity and rejected it as absurd. The Jehovah’s Witnesses will remind us that 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, and by such an argument, they discount the Trinity. But 1 x 1 x 1 = 1, not 3. Three persons in one is just a concept beyond our comprehension.

But we can understand a few things about the Trinity. We know the Father is the first person, the Son the second, the Holy Spirit the third. And in many Bible texts, we see how the Trinity works. When Christ was baptized, the Father spoke from Heaven, and the Spirit as a dove descended upon Jesus (Matthew 3:16–17). When Jesus set forth the Great Commission, He told the disciples to baptize in the name (one name) of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). In the upper-room discourse (John 13–17), Jesus foretold the coming of the Spirit that He and His Father would send.

The Trinity is a critical doctrine because it lies at the heart of the Gospel. If there is no Trinity, then Christ is not God. And if Christ is not divine, then we have no hope of salvation, for only a divine Savior could accomplish that monumental task.

“Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will
show you a man that can comprehend the triune God!”
John Wesley

“My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.”

— Proverbs 3:1–2

Solomon admonishes us to never forget God’s law and to keep it safely in our hearts. However, so many of us, creatures of the divine Creator, brashly ignore God’s commandments. Do you know that half of the people in this country cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments?

Are you one of those people?

God wants us to know His law, but He doesn’t want us just to memorize it so we can recite it by rote. He wants us to have it in our hearts. “Let your heart keep my commands.” God wants us to love His law so much that we keep it in the treasure chest of our hearts where we store everything most dear to us. If we love God, we will treasure His Word in this way.

If, like David, we delight ourselves in the Law of the Lord, God promises us “long life and peace.” Not only is this promise a spiritual law, it’s a principle with natural consequences. If a person lives according to God’s commandments, that person will live longer because he or she takes fewer life-threatening risks. Even insurance companies know this. A person of good moral character, who does not indulge in many worldly habits and sins, gets preferred rates. Why? Because statistics show that a moral person tends to live longer. By acknowledging this, insurance companies endorse the Word of God.

Today, ask God to hide His law in your heart. Choose a few special verses, and commit them to memory. Then meditate on them throughout the day. As you keep God’s Word close to your heart, God will grant you peace and length of days.

“Live blameless; God is near.”
Carl Von Linne

“The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.”

— Jeremiah 18:7–8

Do you ever stop and think about the freedom you enjoy in this country? Have you ever thanked someone who has fought for that freedom? We owe a tremendous debt to those men and women who have served in our armed forces so that we might remain free in this country. And yet we so often forget their sacrifices. All have sacrificed time. Some have sacrificed limbs or eyesight or hearing. Just walk around a veterans’ hospital one day, and look at the permanent wounds of those who have made some kind of sacrifice for this country.

But we so often take those sacrifices—and the reason they were made—for granted. Tragically, our country has forsaken, bit by bit, its original calling. Consequently, those who have served—including those who died in battle—might be dismayed at how far we’ve drifted from being one nation under God. One writer asked a disturbing question in a letter to the editor: “What would the veterans who died in World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and Korea [and the Gulf, we might add]—by the hundreds of thousands—say if they could see the lifestyle in the United States today? Would they say, ‘Is this what I gave my life for? Was it worth it?’” So many in our country have taken liberty too far, using the term to justify whatever they want to do.

Today on Veterans Day, let’s remember those who served this country. Telephone or jot a note to a veteran, thanking that person for serving our country. Also, I ask you today to pray earnestly for our nation, that we would turn around and repent so that we may not lose our freedom, so that all those who have fought will not have done so in vain. God promises clemency for the nation that repents.

“No people ever lost their liberties unless
they themselves first became corrupt.”
Andrew Jackson

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

— Matthew 16:13-17

The central tenet of Christianity is that Jesus Christ is God. However, some doubt this truth. If you run into someone who questions Jesus Christ’s divinity, Scriptures can help you prove it. First, let’s consider some Scriptures which tell us plainly that Jesus Christ is God. In Matthew 1:23 we read that Mary and Joseph were to call Him Immanuel, which means “God with us.” John 1:1, 3, and 14 tell us that Jesus existed in the beginning, that He cocreated the world, and that He is God. Colossians 2:9 says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Isaiah 9:6 says, “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Another group of Scriptures ascribes all of God’s attributes to Jesus (except “invisibility” because Jesus came in the flesh): He is unchangeable (Hebrews 13:8), almighty (Colossians 1:17), all-knowing (John 21:17), searcher of hearts (Revelation 2:23), and judge of all (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Also, the New Testament indicates many times that Jesus fulfilled prophecies about Himself from the Old Testament, proving His deity. Isaiah 40:3 was fulfilled in Matthew 3:3—“a voice crying in the wilderness.” Zechariah 12:10 was fulfilled in John 19:37—“they will look on Me, whom they have pierced.” The Bible also says repeatedly that we must worship God only, and Jesus openly received worship. The shepherds, the Magi, the rich young ruler, and the disciples all worshiped Jesus.

As we read these passages, I think that our response to Jesus should echo that of Thomas when he acknowledged Christ’s deity: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

“We know what God is like because we
know the character of Jesus Christ.”
George Hodges

“Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ And immediately the leprosy left him.”

— Luke 5:13

Have you ever felt lonely or low on energy, aching for some rejuvenation, then someone came to you and patted you on the back or gave you a hug? If so, how did that simple touch affect you?

A touch can work magic. Touch is like a rainbow arcing up and over the distance between two people, drawing them nearer emotionally and spiritually. This happens in friendships; as we hug or shake hands, we feel a deeper connection and intimacy with our friends. Touching between married people rekindles love and stokes the fire of romance. God commanded man and woman to cleave to each other and become “one flesh,” knowing that oneness of mind and spirit begins with a touch.

Unfortunately, our society doesn’t allow much touching these days. We talk about staying in touch, about being in touch, about getting in touch, but these are figurative phrases, not physical realities. Children learn touching at a young age in their families, but as they grow, the rules of society teach them to keep their hands to themselves.

This is such a shame, because a touch can minister to the soul. Dr. Frederick Treves brought a young man to London who was suffering from a disease so hideous he was called “the elephant man.” One day a beautiful lady smiled at the elephant man and shook his hand. Because of this simple gesture, the elephant man burst into tears. No one had touched him or smiled at him since his mother’s death many years before.

Jesus touched people regularly, in many cases to minister healing. In the Gospels there are thirty-one occurrences of the term “touch,” as well as other terms indicating that Jesus held or touched people. He placed His hands upon blind eyes and dumb tongues; He placed his fingers on deaf ears; He touched the dead; He even touched a leper. And because of Jesus’ touch, people’s lives were forever changed.

Do you know someone who needs a simple touch today? All it takes is a simple handshake or a pat on the shoulder. Let us reach out, as Christ did, to touch and heal and restore.

“Nothing can build or rebuild an intense feeling
of love in a marriage as responsive touching,
reaching out to a responding partner.”
Dr. Ed Wheat