Day 2 - Week 70 - Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."

A tool that I have found very useful in my personal Bible study is paraphrasing...taking a Scripture, or section of Scripture, reading it, praying over it, and then writing it in my words so that it really speaks to me.  When I do that with this verse, this is what I get...

"I am saved..by God's grace...only...my faith in God brings His grace to me.  There is nothing in me that earns this grace, it is God's free gift to me, extended out of His love, when I respond to Him in faith."

My paraphrase may not be your paraphrase.  What do you write down when you prayerfully ponder this verse?  Let it speak to you, let His Spirit guide your thoughts as you meditate on this wondrous verse of grace.

Since we are on the topic of faith, we need to look at faith's role in this verse.  It is our faith in God that brings His grace to us.  All we have to do is respond to His Spirit's prompts to our heart with the slightest amount of faith, and His hand of grace is ready to move in our lives. 

Just this week in our women's Bible study we talked about the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.  It's a parable that has always somewhat bothered me, because it just doesn't seem fair...and I know God is fair.  But when I started reading different commentaries, the view that made the most sense to me was that the talents represent the degree of faith we are given and what we do with it.  I believe everyone is given an opportunity to believe just by observing nature and the wonder of it (Romans 1), maybe that's the single talent, but obviously some are given a greater degree...those of us who were given the opportunity to be raised by Christian parents, having prayers of Christian grandparents said over us...that's a great advantage, probably a five talent gift of faith!  Now, what do we do with what we are given?  At any level, our faith is to be multiplied.  We are never to fear, we are always to act.  I think Jesus is looking for believers ready to risk it all for him, to go out on a limb, to chance it.  We are to have reckless faith!  When we do that, I think Jesus multiplies our faith, showing us more and more just how much He can be trusted.

I also think that the more our faith grows, the deeper we understand God's grace.  We have faith that He is the One who has done everything necessary to bring us to Him.  We have faith that there is nothing we can do, and nothing that we can miss doing, that will cause Him to turn away from us...as long as we have a mustard seed amount of faith.  As long as we have faith that it is He who saves us, it is He who loves us, it is He who will bring us through the valley of the shadow of death...then His grace abounds for us.  His grace bridges the gap between our sinfulness and His holiness. 

I guess my very simplest of paraphrases of this complex verse would be, "Believe God can save you, and He will---no payment required."

It's His gift...it's sitting on your porch, wrapped with your name on the card.  Faith opens the door.

Day 1 - Week 70! 70% of the trip is behind us...will we finish?

Wouldn't it be silly to get 70% of the way along a trip and stop there, never arriving at your destination?  Let's not do that!  We've got miles behind us and miles yet to go, but we are working our way to the finish!

It's been some time since we've checked our progress against the Appalachian Trail with which we've paralleled our journey.  With 70% of the trail behind us, going through Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, we would now be traveling through Massachusetts, perhaps taking in the view at sunrise from atop Mount Greylock, the highest point in the state at 3,491 feet in elevation.  From the top of the mountain we could have views into five states, up to 70 miles away!  When you look at the picture below, I'm sure you will wonder what the monument is at the top of the mountain.  That is the Mount Greylock War Memorial, "Erected by Massachusetts in grateful recognition of the loyalty and sacrifice of her sons and daughters in war."  Dedicated on June 30, 1933, it was “…intended a tribute to courage, endurance, loyalty and self-sacrifice wherever these qualities have been shown by Massachusetts men and women in the uniform of the state or nation.”  Inside the memorial there is an inscription from a poem by George Eliott that I find particularly touching..."Of those immortal dead who live again in the minds made better by their presence."

Wouldn't you like to think that after you are gone, the thought of you that lives on in some one's mind makes them a better person?  Now that's a tribute, isn't it? 

After spending the past 12 weeks (YES -12 weeks!) dwelling on the subject of joy, we now move on to 12 new verses on the subject of faith...as Robert J. Morgan titles this section, "Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word."

Does that sound as appealing to you as it does to me?  To know that for the next 12 weeks we will be assured of the confidence we can have when we place our trust in our Father and when we just allow ourselves to rest in His Word.  I need those words to just dwell in me...I'm looking forward to this next leg of our journey!

For the first time in this whole 70 weeks worth, I did not review our verses last week!  So let's do that now, and then we will drop off the section of Obedience to make room for our new section of Faith.

Obedience (10)
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by My name humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern the good, pleasing and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be persistent in prayer.
Romans 12:18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (NKJV)
Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle word turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath."

The Holy Spirit's Role in our Lives (6)
Ephesians 5:18 "And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in to the Lord in your hearts."
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."
Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
2 Timothy 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you...guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us."

Joy: God's Kind of Happiness (12)
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:5 "Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near."
Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
James 1:3-4 "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking nothing."

1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray constantly."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

and now we add....

Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)

Ephesians 2:8  "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift.

Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life!   All so freely given, wooing us to heaven...beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life!

Day 4 - Week 69 - 1 Thessalonian 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

"We can't always give thanks FOR everything, but we can always give thanks IN everything."  Ruth Bell Graham.

Does Mrs. Graham's sentence make sense to you?  Her statement includes a subtle difference, but a significant one.  Certainly there are things that we can't be thankful for...acts of evil, horribly destructive natural occurrences, fatal accidents that we never understand, horrific diseases that take the lives of loved ones...these are things that we cannot be thankful for.

But in the midst of even these terrible times, the believer in God can give thanks in these times, because they have faith in God's ultimate ability to take these hardest of times and use them for some purpose that will allow His love and His goodness to be shared. 


The picture of Mother Teresa caring for the poorest of the poor in the ghettos of India...would anyone give thanks for that level of poverty?  Never!  But do we give thanks for a woman who set aside her life to dedicate every moment to those who would never be able to offer her anything?  Do we thank God for allowing us to see a portion of the amount of love that He has for people through this woman of absolute humility?  Yes, I thank Him in the middle of that poverty that He shared this picture of pure love with the world of our time.  I thank Him for bringing light to the darkest of places.

The picture of thousands of Christians who have gone to Haiti in the aftermath of the horrific earthquake of 2010...would anyone give thanks for a natural disaster of that magnitude.  Absolutely not!  But do we give thanks for people willing to postpone their lives in order to spend a year or more helping a country without any financial resources to rebuild homes for its people, to bring some sense of normalcy to a state of utter chaos?  Yes, I thank God that He shows Himself in the middle of despair through lives of self-sacrifice, sharing His love with other children of His.

In times of crises, in times of catastrophe, it seems that there are always those who are willing to stop and help, or to assist financially, to offset the darkness with light.  I thank God for that.

I understand that some will say there are many who do these things without proclaiming to be a Christian, that it is just human kindness.  But I would argue that even without knowing it, they are moving at the direction of God.  That all goodness comes from the source of goodness, our God above.  Just as Jesus said in John 3:21, "But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."  I think Jesus is telling us that people with hearts that are turned toward goodness will eventually know that their good works were not done without God's involvement.  I love the way the Bible in Basic English translates this verse, "But he whose life is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his acts have been done by the help of God." 

As a believer in an ever present, omnipotent, loving God, I believe that this is another way that the Holy Spirit works on the heart of those who have not yet acknowledged His presence.  In times of dire need by others, He prompts their hearts to acts of goodness, of self-sacrifice, of going beyond what they would normally offer of themselves.  And when they reflect on these moments, I believe the Holy Spirit is there, ready to reveal to them that what they experienced was not of themselves, but it was God's love ready to be expressed through them.  And with the slightest acknowledgement of the possibility of God's movement in their lives, His gift of increased awareness and understanding of His ways is put into action.

I thank God that He is there, in the middle of it all, working toward the good of those oppressed, and toward the good of those able to physically help.  His Spirit is moving.  I thank Him for His wonderful ability to use all things to draw people to Him through His Spirit of pure love.

I'm thanking God in everything...for I know that He is always at work!

Day 3 - Week 69 - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Giving thanks in everything...are you?  Do you find yourself giving thanks in the middle of times of trouble?  That's a tough directive, isn't it?  As with so many other issues of faith, I believe it comes down to the depth of our trust in the God that we place our faith in.  If we have, through study and prayer, come to the understanding that God is a Father of love, that He will spare nothing, not even His own Son, to bring His children home to Him; that He is the source of all goodness, every good and perfect gift; that He is the Creator of this universe, perfectly designed to sustain human life for this time of His eternal plan...then I think it is much easier to give thanks to Him for what He is bring us to as we go through the times of sadness, trial, or, as many Christians worldwide now face, even persecution. 

Today, I want to give God thanks for the time that I live in.  Now that is contrary to many expressions of pessimism and doubt that I often find myself saying. I look at our world that so often appears to have totally forgotten God and His commandments to us for good living, and think, "I wish I could have lived 100 years ago when life was better."

But for some reason or another that I will not know until I am in the presence of God my Father, He chose for me to live in this time, in this place.

Acts 17:24 - "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples built by hands.  And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

And I will give thanks for that.  Knowing that God placed me here, now for His purpose, is encouraging to me.  I know that our world has many problems, I know that there are things going on now that were not transpiring 100 years ago, but there are many good things that we get to enjoy in 2012 that were not available 100 years ago as well.  And those are the things we should give thanks for and use to God's glory.

I'm thankful right now for the gift of the internet.  Yes, it can be used for many things that are detrimental to people, but I am thankful for the fact that multitudes of people have access to good, godly materials that enable them to learn more of God, of the story of His Word, and of Jesus, His Son.  What an incredible tool we've been given to be united in Him throughout the world.  I know that there are people who read this simple blog from all areas of the world, and that is a source of joy to me...knowing that in very small way, I am encouraging someone, some where, to "seek Him and perhaps reach out to Him and find Him", reminding that "He is not far from each one of us."  This type of ministry would have been totally inconceivable 100 years ago, but not for me, where I have been placed.

I am thankful right now for the ability for many to travel to foreign places to share God's love through ministries of assistance and care, meeting the physical needs of people who have undergone devastation of various sources.  Travel of this type would have never been able to be accomplished 100 years ago, but for many of my friends who bravely set out for places where their hearts have been called, it is now very possible in the time that they have been placed.

I am thankful right now for the fact that He placed others that I hold near and dear to my heart in this same time and place, to walk along side me during our earthly lives...my dear husband, my wonderful children, my other family and friends...they are such wonderful gifts from God that He determined to include in my time and place.

I guess what it comes down to is that I am thankful for God's sovereignty over my life, from start to finish.  I will no longer wish for another time and place for my earthly life...I will trust that this time and place is set for me to bring glory to Him, and to be thankful in everything that He allows me to experience during my time here. 

Help me to more fully trust Your will over my life, Lord Father.  You have a good and perfect plan for me, for my life.  Let me live it fully, giving thanks to You for everything.  But especially, my Father, I am thankful for my Savior, Lord Jesus, who came for me to show me just how much I am truly loved.  It is in His holy name I pray... Amen.