God – Page 23

What Does The Lord’s Prayer Look Like Under Grace? And Should You Pray It?

December 24, 2015 by Bas Rijksen

Hey there.

Let’s hit another nail in the coffin of tradition…

The Lord’s prayer is not a New Covenant prayer!

Jesus gave a model for prayer, not something to repeat.

Remember that the Lord’s Prayer was before the cross.

The New Covenant only started after the cross so we have to look at the Lord’s Prayer from a New Covenant Grace perspective.

By doing that you’ll realize that the Lord’s prayer is fulfilled by Jesus and cannot be directly applied to your life!

In this video I’ll show you that the Lord’s Prayer is not a New Covenant Prayer because of what Jesus has accomplished on the cross for you.

Plus we’ll break the Lord’s Prayer down phrase by phrase so that you’ll see what Jesus was actually saying was mostly not meant for you in the way we often think so that you won’t be praying in vain pray as the heathen do.

Click on the image below to watch the Video:

Click HERE to watch on YouTube

You might ask yourself, should we still pray the Lord’s prayer? Many people misunderstand the Lord’s Prayer to be a prayer we are supposed to recite word for word.

Some people treat the Lord’s Prayer as a magic formula, as if the words themselves have some specific power or influence with God.

The Bible teaches the opposite.

God is far more interested in our hearts when we pray than He is in the words we use.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:6-7,

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words

The Lord’s Prayer should be understood as a model, a pattern, of how you could pray. It gives us some “ingredients” that you can use.

But the Lord’s Prayer is not a formula that if you follow that particular pattern or if you strictly follow what it says that that gives your words special power or that you’ll persuade God in doing something for you faster.

So, the Lord’s Prayer is not a prayer we are to memorize and recite back to God.

Jesus gave a model for prayer, not something to repeat!

You’ve gone to far when you think you – and your children – should memorize the Lord’s Prayer.

Remember, it’s not about words you say, God looks at your heart.

He’s is far more interested in us communicating with Him and that we fellowship from heart to heart than He is in the specific words we use.

But we do want the words we use in our communication with God and others to be full of grace.

As Colossians 4:6 says,

Let your conversation be always full of grace…

And, the Lord’s prayer is, by large, NOT full of grace!

Thus, we can’t just take that prayer and recite that at the dinner table.

Just don’t do it.

You’ll be happier off and those around you too

I’d better get off the toilet now,

Bas

God’s Treasure Chest – Romans 12

December 21, 2015 by Sandra McCollom

Now that I see the Bible as a love letter from God to me as opposed to seeing it as a book of rules it seems like each time I read and study it I discover brand new treasure.

Take Romans 12:1 for instance.

Romans 12:1 says,
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. (NLT)

The way I would have read this verse with my old way of thinking, before I understood grace, was this: I better present myself as a living sacrifice to God and I better do it now…or else.

Since I now see the Bible through the lens of God’s grace, recently while reading this verse I noticed something right away that I would have missed before. The Apostle Paul was definitely pleading with us to present our bodies to God, but the motive for doing this is to be in response to what He has done for us. This time the part of the verse that says because of all He has done for you stood out to me.

Someone might ask, what’s the big deal Sandra? I may not have known how to answer that question if I had not lived out the answer these past 3.5 years, spending the moments of my days focusing on all He has done for me. This shift in focus changes everything. It changes our heart and it changes our motives. It gives us the desire to offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice! You see, when we focus on what God has done for us we are focusing on His grace. The more we see His grace the more we want to be obedient because seeing and receiving God’s grace causes us to fall in love with Him!

I like this too. I found this reference verse to Romans 12:1 in the Strong’s Exhaustive Bible Concordance online.

Romans 6:13 says,
Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time – remember, you’ve been raised from the dead! – into God’s way of doing things. (MSG)

See there, remembering that we’ve been raised from the dead – all because of Jesus – is huge. It takes us from, I have to present my body to God as a living sacrifice to I want to present my body to God as a living sacrifice.

Romans 12:2 says,
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (NLT)

Again, I love how in this verse Paul gives us a way to be able to do what he is encouraging us to do and that is to let God transform us into new people by helping us change the way we think.

I also noticed that as a result of this renewal of our mind the Apostle Paul says we will learn to know God’s will for us and that His will is good and pleasing and perfect. How many Christians are there who do not understand that God’s will for them is good and pleasing and perfect? I believe there are still lots of them. All you have to do is listen to people talk to find out what they believe about God.

Now I’m going to continue pointing out all kinds of examples throughout Romans 12 that will help you see that when the Holy Spirit gave the Apostle Paul the inspiration to write what he wrote, He always also gave the answer as to how it could be done.

Romans 12:3 says,
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. (NLT)

See, I believe when we are honest in our evaluation of ourselves we will not end up thinking we are better than we really are. I am constantly asking myself, am I trusting God in this area or am I trying to take matters into my own hands? The answer is that I am learning to trust God more and more (thankfully) and I’m also learning that when I do trust God things go good and when I place my trust in myself they don’t.

I used to think of evaluating myself differently than the way I think of it now. During my first three and a half decades as a Christian I would constantly go around talking to others about my weaknesses and would often pick myself apart. I’m thankful to say I no longer do this. This doesn’t mean I don’t recognize when I have a weakness in an area because I do, but when I do, instead of becoming self-absorbed and self-focused, if I’m really trusting in God in that moment, I immediately turn to Jesus and become focused on Him. I remind myself that although I am weak, He is strong. (see 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

It has been very freeing to me over this last 3.5 years to see that what I need to be evaluating about myself is if I am receiving God’s grace through faith in each situation that arises or not. Am I trusting God or not? Do I really believe Jesus has it covered or not?

Let me tell you something, when I was evaluating myself by a list of rules I had a huge problem with thinking more highly of myself than I should have been. I compared myself with others almost constantly. This is no longer an issue for me now that I am evaluating myself by asking one question: Sandra, are you trusting God here?

As a Christian, even when I fail, my job is to turn my eyes directly to Jesus and remember the truth that Jesus already paid for the very sin I just committed. Because of Jesus’ willingness to shed His blood for me on the cross and because I have chosen to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior I can be assured that all my sins – past, present and future sins – are completely forgiven. Do you see how it’s all about us being Jesus-focused instead of self-focused?

I understand that living in this kind of freedom makes some people very nervous. It made me nervous as well when I first began to truly learn about the truth of God’s grace (His unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor) 3.5 years ago. I thought, NO WAY, THIS HAS GOT TO BE TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE. At first I was afraid to believe that Jesus had it ALL covered.

Eventually, my husband and my kids and I decided, we’re going with this. It’s the truth. We’re totally jumping into the ocean of God’s amazing grace and we’re never turning back.

Guess what’s happened since that time?

- We’ve become more obedient because of God’s grace

- We live a holier lifestyle than ever before because of God’s grace

- We’ve been able to help more people because of God’s grace

- We have a much closer relationship with God because of His grace

- We have fallen deeply in love with Jesus because of God’s grace

- We struggle less than ever before because of God’s grace

- We live in peace the majority of the time because of God’s grace

- We’re stronger people in general because we are living our lives through God’s grace

This list could go on for a very long time but let it suffice to say, we definitely have NOT had a desire to sin more often as a result of receiving and living by God’s grace. It has been the complete opposite!

Romans 12:9 says,
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. (NLT)

It really is possible to genuinely walk in love with others, but again, this is only possible through God’s grace. The good news is, I’ve found out through personal experience that being Jesus-focused also makes us others-focused. When we are spending the moments of our day thinking about God’s great love for us and what Jesus provided for us through His finished work on the cross, we ARE going to be filled with His love to be able to genuinely love other people!

I used to think I knew that God loved me and I did in my head, but I definitely didn’t have a heart revelation of His unconditional love for me. I’m so changed in this area now. You should be inside my brain and hear what I’m thinking all throughout the day.

Yesterday I was doing dishes and I was purposely thinking about how much God loves me. I do this in some way or another on a daily basis. In fact, I’m addicted to it at this point and have developed a habit of receiving God’s love all throughout the day.

Someone recently sent us a flower arrangement for Christmas and it has a beautiful red rose in the middle of it. I imagined myself sitting on my chase with that rose and pulling one peddle off at a time while saying He Loves Me! (then another peddle) He Loves Me! (then another) He Loves Me! I imagined myself pulling off every single peddle with a big smile on my face each time I repeated, He Loves Me!

I guarantee you that if you purposely take time to receive God’s love for yourself you will find yourself being able to genuinely love others more and more. If you pay attention closely, you’ll also come to find that in those times when you are not walking in love with other people it is because you have succumbed to fear, guilt, condemnation or a whole host of other negative thoughts as opposed to remaining in God’s love for you.

Romans 12:10 says,
Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. (NLT)

See here, Paul gives a very practical tip as to how we can love each other with genuine affection. We can do this by honoring each other!

Romans 12:11 says,
Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. (NLT)

So instead of beating yourself up by telling yourself, I’m such a lazy person and I’ve gotta stop, consider seeing this verse through the lens of grace. Say to yourself, look at that, God loves me so much that He doesn’t want me to live a lazy lifestyle because He wants the best for me. Wow, He even gave me great advice as to how to keep from being lazy by working hard and purposely serving others!

Romans 12:12 says,
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. (NLT)

Seriously, this is so awesome. Right in the middle of this verse the Apostle Paul tells us to be patient in trouble, but he tells us how to be patient at the beginning and the end. First, we can be patient by being the type of people who rejoice in our confident hope and secondly, by continuing to lift up each situation to God in prayer!

The JB Philipp’s translation explains it good. Here it is!

Romans 12:12
Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer. (PHILLIPS)

Now let’s skip down to verse 20:

Romans 12:20 says,
Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” (NLT)

Andrew Wommack’s Living Commentary notes are really good on this verse.

“These coals of fire are not coals of punishment or torment, but rather conviction. If this was urging us to be kind to our enemies because that would hurt them more than anything else, then that would be violating the context of this verse. Paul was telling us to live peaceably with all people (Romans 12:18) and to render to no one evil for evil (Romans 12:17). God’s kind of love is being promoted, not some scriptural way to hurt those who hurt us.

When we walk in love toward those who hurt us, it heaps conviction on them. They know what their reaction would be if they were in our place, and to see us walk in love under adverse circumstances shows them that we have something special that they don’t have.”

Romans 12:21 says,
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. (NLT)

Even in the harsh world we live in today, there is a way we can we keep from being conquered by or being overcome by evil. How? We must conquer and overcome evil by doing good! We must love when we feel tempted to hate. We must forgive when we feel we have a right to take revenge. We must let God be our vindicator when we feel like vindicating ourself. We must walk in the way of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control; but the only way we will ever be able to carry any of this out on a consistent basis is in Christ, through Christ and by Christ alone. It’s only possible by His grace my friend. Receive it afresh today… and everyday!

Next God’s Treasure Chest post will be on Romans 13

To find all my other God’s Treasure Chest posts just click here on My Grace Journey and then scroll down to the topic that says God’s Treasure Chest!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

527. Is the Law An Expression of God’s Character?

December 13, 2015 by Mike Kapler and Joel Brueseke

It has often been taught that the law that came through Moses is an expression of God's character. We frequently begin to assume such phrases are actually found in the Bible. If this is an accurate statement, we should ask the question as to whether God went through a change or if his character went through some sort of transformation. Of course, we know God doesn't change, but with the New Covenant replacing the first one, we find there was a change of priesthood (Jesus Christ) and therefore a change of law occurred. Although the law was a reflection of God's perfection, we should avoid comparing it with God himself and realize it was Jesus (grace) who was manifested as an expression of God's character.

You Are Valuable Beyond Measure

December 9, 2015 by Bas Rijksen

You are valuable, you are loved, and someone knows you even better than you know yourself.

There is an image and likeness imprinted upon your being that is the basis of your value…a value beyond your wildest dreams.

Coins used to have the face of the person who guaranteed their value, minted onto them. Any note or coin has a guarantor, a person or institution that guarantees its value.

Even if a coin gets lost, the coin never loses it’s value.

The one who invented and designed you, stamped you with His own image and likeness.

He knows you better than you know yourself … He knew you even before you were born.

You might not know Him, but He has always known you. You might not be aware of Him, but He has always had you on His mind.

You might think ‘why’…

Why would anyone have such an obsession with me.

Well, the Creator of this universe sees a value and a beauty in you beyond anything in this natural world. He even sees a possibility of romance!

When, Where and Why you began

Whatever age you are, you have a beginning that cannot be measured in time.

You have the most awesome origin. In the beginning, before creation, before time as we experience it, before the existence of evil, there was a dynamic exchange of love, a relationship without boundaries, an enjoyment of total abandonment … a being we now call God.

It was in the very midst of this fiery love, at the core of this passion, that the idea of…you came into being!

The God who is love planned to share this love with beings created in His image and likeness.

This God, who is all-knowing and able to accomplish all of His purposes, planned a love-affair that would span over eons and conclude with a final victory in which His love conquered all – no contradiction; no evil.

This good news is not some new idea, but the ancient, original thought of God.

Let’s imagine this beginning, let’s allow the spirit of God to draw us to this place in which all things had their origin.

Although no science can explain it, although the greatest minds have tried and failed to define it, God is confident that you are able to comprehend the unsearchable; to appreciate the motivation that gave you birth; to remember where you began.

In this place there is no space, yet no limit; no creation, yet no emptiness – there is only God in all His fullness.

He is not lonely or in lack.

It is out of His fulness, out of the overflow of love that you are conceived.

God did not imagine a pet that would simply entertain Him!

This God-dream is about a being who has the capacity to intelligently appreciate, to receive, to produce and to exchange the same quality of love that flows within God.

His plan is not vague or speculative philosophy, but clear and specific…so clear, that He uniquely identifies and names the individuals who would form part of the plan and become part of creation.

And so before the foundation of this world, He saw you in Christ.

At this point, He made up His mind about you!

No matter what detours, no matter what contradictions would come, He determined that you would be His treasure – blameless and innocent before Him in love.

When did you begin?

Before creation, before time itself.

Where did you begin?

In the very heart of love, a love relationship we call God.

Why did you begin?

To be loved, adored…and ultimately for that love to be awakened in you.

Click HERE to watch on YouTube

The Word made flesh

The original, authentic Word was face to face with God from the very beginning.

God Himself is the content of this communication – revealing His personal presence and unique expression in all that exists.

In fact there is nothing original or innovative outside of Him!

He is the only Creator and the source of all inspiration and creativity.

Everything that is, has ‘Made by God’ stamped on its existence.

The very life of God is what ignited the existence of man. This original light still shines even in darkness and no amount of darkness can put this light out. (John 1:1-5 Breath of Life)

The time lapse between the original thought of God and now is obviously vast.

Has this original thought not been lost through time?

No, this authentic dream began before time and was preserved, set apart, in a person called Jesus Christ.

In Him the logic of God was kept until the right time when it was made visible in flesh.

He came and demonstrated in human form, the kind of life God had in mind from the very beginning…a life where God and man is so fully united that we cannot even tell them apart.

Man began in God.

No matter how far man has fallen from his original place of innocence, God has never been confused about the true identity of man.

Jesus Christ is the place, the event and the person in which God and man meet once again.

In Christ Jesus, God has taken the initiative to reconcile man back to Himself – to restore man to blameless innocence.

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, and as such does not only represent God’s initiative, He also represents man’s perfect response of faith to God’s initiative.

Jesus reveals the heart of God more than any other story ever told or any scripture ever written.

In Him God reveals that He does not want to be God apart from us. He does not want to be a distant or unknowable God.

The only way in which He wants to be God, is with man, in man, and as a man.

Jesus reveals the truth about man more accurately than any other story, or even the factual history of man.

In Him we see that the only way to be fully man, the only way to be fully free, is in union with God.

This passion of God to restore man to that place of union, would drive Him to pay any price, to go to any depth to see it accomplished.

And so in the act of becoming man, He places Himself in a position of conflict.

Everything that has ever stood between God and man, every obstacle and every form of separation (called sin in the Bible) would meet and come to a final conclusion in this God-man, Christ Jesus.

When your timeless Creator became a man, He mystically united Himself with you, so that He could bring an end to everything that stood between you and release you to be fully and truly yourself again.

In this unity He faced everything you faced…and conquered!

In His death, you died!

That old state of being, separated from Him and united with sin, was brought to a final end in Him.

He has wiped your slate clean, forgiven you of every wrongdoing.

In His resurrection, you were resurrected to newness of life – that original life that God imagined for you from the beginning.

In His ascension, you were raised to the most glorious place of honour – a place where God delights in you!

The only thing that has ever kept you from enjoying these realities, is blindness.

Not seeing what He sees, keeps us from enjoying what He enjoys.

But these very words you are reading now, are reminding you of your union with Him.

As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake in thy likeness (Psalm 17:15)

What should I do?

You might ask, what should I do…how does one respond to such news?

Well the good news is that the hard work has already been done for you!

Jesus defeated everything that stood between you!

Gratitude…love awakened, is all that’s left to do.

Some call it faith.

Here’s a simple suggestion to give expression to this faith.

Turn your focus inward.

Become aware of the One who made you and united Himself with you…within you.

In your own thoughts and words respond…something like: Thank you for who You are and what You have done for me. As You gave yourself in love to me, in Jesus Christ, I give myself in love to You. You made me in Your image and likeness, I acknowledge Your ownership. You made me to be loved … here I am, love me!

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Take Care, Comb your hair,

Bas

You Are Valuable Beyond Measure

December 9, 2015 by Bas Rijksen

You are valuable, you are loved, and someone knows you even better than you know yourself.

There is an image and likeness imprinted upon your being that is the basis of your value…a value beyond your wildest dreams.