But God...

⁴But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
     Eph. 2:4-5 NIV

picture by Linda Powell

Ever wondered what actions, disposition, or behavior is necessary for God to save you?  Even though many are familiar with "saved by Grace through Faith and not of works"; it is just very hard to understand how this could be.  An old country gospel song reads "good old boys don't always get to Heaven..."  Paul, the Apostle, submitted to the churches of Galatia that one is saved by Grace through faith and it was not necessary to become a Jew.  As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul (a Jew himself) never ceased to pray for the Gentiles to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and to experience His Resurrection power.  After that first journey through Asia Minor, Paul faced the other Apostles in Jerusalem to debate his contention of salvation.  Winning that argument became the difference in the foundation and growth of the early church as it's own entity (body of Christ) rather than a sect of Judaism.

So all who have accepted Jesus are saved apart from our works, but not only from our sins, but to a calling decided in advance by God Himself.  We were created in His image by His workmanship and reborn in Christ Jesus to do good works, not to gain our Salvation, but because of our Salvation.

Thus, "But God".  We were spiritually dead and then made alive in Christ. It's Christ in us and us in Christ.  An abiding for which Jesus gave His life to attain.  The next time we are overcome by the circumstances of this world, let us be reminded..."BUT GOD..."

10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

                                                         Eph. 2:10

Father
There is a special feeling...
O so revealing
in the early morn.
The sun so. graciously adorns
a new day
and we grasp the expanse of God's creation.
Ours is a blessed nation.
Ours is a horn’s bounty a plenty. 
Many
owe so much.
The Grace of God
The touch
of mercy surely should extend.
The only true evidence of our thankfulness
is our sharing...
a caring
beyond words.
Left unheard…
many are not encouraged
and without a blessings return…
they die in an immeasurable pool of...only thoughts.
My prayer O God
is that we put feet to the thoughts
and all you have brought
this way…
I convey
in word and deed.
Feed
us O God
and quench the thirst...
First
and foremost for a relationship with You…
and then an extension to…
the least of these…our brethren…
more than a thought.


Amen and Amen.

Simple Living

“THE SIMPLE”

in time...

the simple will be enough.

the excesses of today

will not be forgotten...

but we will marvel at our foolishness.

in time...

the friend we made...even in passing through

will be the treasure

and mark...

the measure

of our delight

It will not be the green

of the dollar or it's resulting envy..

but the times spent

with those who hold us dear to heart.

we shall part

with the things of this world...

but carry forever with us the memory of...

those we love...and we find so warm.

in time...

yes...in time.

Thoreau made a less than $20.00 hut into a famous excursion for his time and a philosophical extravaganza for folks of this day.  The sernity of the glass like pond
and surrounding fields of green.  Thoreau himself noted that "most men live lives of quiet desperation".

When in the course of this rat race we take time for an excursion into ourselves, we find a quite simple fact:  Where the darkness of evening meets dawns dampness and fog, there is a sun to burn off the unclear and a ready waiting God to make the desperation disappear.  Let not the beauty of the simple be swallowed up in the complexities of life; those that, in the end, will not deny a believer's eternity.



Lord,
We thank you for each hour...
for the power
you provide
as we collide
with the very sin you defeated...
the very loss
that you overcome
on the Cross.
Make it a peaceful day...
show us Your Way...
and comfort those in pain...
We remain...
grateful
hopeful
and in awe!
Amen

Discourse on Life's Undertakings...

“I would rather be ashes than dust!

I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze

Than it should be stifled by dry rot.

I would rather be a superb meteor,

Every atom of me in magnificent glow,

Than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.

I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.

I shall use my time”

            Jack London (1876-1916)

 Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

 

Commentary:

How many times have we heard this used in poems, songs, or sermons.  How many times have we stopped to realize who wrote it, when, under what circumstances, and to who.

The author of Ecclesiastes uses the name Qohleth which traditionally meant "The Preacher". A difference of opinion exists within the scholarly ranks as to whether Solomon wrote the book or someone using his thoughts and experiences.   Whatever, it renders the thoughts of the most wealthy man of his time and the builder of the magnificent Temple.

Immediately, Solomon introduced us to his depression over life . He calls it "vanity" or "emptiness" and directs it to a life lived out of fellowship with God and His divine will.
The orator of the book then goes about explaining the many solutions he has tried to overcome the emptiness.

There is nothing inherent in humanity to enjoy.  Enjoyment is God's personal gift.  Solomon tried wealth, wisdom, projects, political fame, looks, and other personal efforts.
He found death inevitable for both good and bad; and the ways of God are inscrutable.
Apart from God's leading, the mysteries of the work of God. It is beyond human intellect and knowledge.

So then how are we to invest our lives?

Eccl. 11:1:  Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.

Find what?
Eccl. 12:13:  The end of the matter' all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.  For God will bring every deed into judgment whether good or evil.

Conclusion:

Consider these

1. The lure of something better is always there.

2.The temptation to go for it always is stronger than the realization of the consequences.

3 Bible proof:  If you go for it without God, you will not be satisfied.

In the quiet
of another morning
we sincerely profess
our needs.
we confess
our wrongful deeds
we plant
new and unseen seeds
of hope and caring.
We ask your blessing
on each
and your hand on our search
for peace and rest.
Teach
us Your ways
and in all our days
Help us to find Your best.
Amen