You are Good - Bethel

Extravagant Devotion from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Grace - is there a limit to it?

Our church has recently started going through the book of Ephesians in our Sunday morning messages, so I have decided to study it in my own personal devotions alongside this.

I was looking at verses 7 & 8 of Chapter 1, which say "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (8) which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight."

The two words that stood out to me are 'riches' and 'lavished'. Both words express not a limit but an abundance! One of the dictionary definitions of 'riches' is 'abundant' or 'plentiful', the dictionary definition of 'lavished' is 'to expend or give in great amounts and without limit'.

Both of these words in context refer to God's grace (grace being the freely given, unmerited favour of God towards undeserving sinners). I have lost count of the times when I approach God, in awareness of a particular sin or sins that I have committed, reminded of my need for grace, and hoping in some part that God will give me a small amount of grace, unworthy as I am. This is wrong and sinful thinking. The words riches and lavished as used here do not express that God is going to limit the amount of grace that he gives us, but that he gives grace to us in abundance!

Psalm 84:11 says "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." He withholds no good thing! How incredible is that!

Also, Ephesians 1:3 says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places..." Note he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Praise God that he is a God who gives us abundant blessing, he doesn't withhold blessing from us, he delights to give it to us! And what greater blessing than the gift of His Son, Jesus, to give us the wonderful gift of salvation - dying in our place, for our sins, to take the punishment that we daily deserve to pay. What greater reason could there be to approach God with confidence than through Jesus' sacrifice? What a wonderful God we have, and what a wonderful God we serve!

By This We Know Love

Another great song - I love this album!

By This We Know Love from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

C.J.Mahaney sermon - "The Troubled Soul"

Thought I would post a link to this sermon, that I would recommend listening to. It's based on Psalm 42, around talking truth to yourself rather than listening to your own feelings. Here's the link:

http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/Resources/CJMahaneySermons/TheTroubledSoul.aspx

That's the audio link, or here's the video:

The Troubled Soul from Sovereign Grace Ministries on Vimeo.

Serving Christ joyfully

"Impatient spirits may fret and fume because they are not called to the highest places in ministry; but, reader, learn to rejoice that Jesus calls those He desires. If He leaves me as a doorkeeper in His house, I will cheerfully bless Him for His grace in allowing me to do anything in His service. The call of Christ's servants comes from above."

(From Alistair Begg's "Truth for Life" Daily Devotional for Thurs 10/9/09- adapted from C.H Spurgeon http://www.truthforlife.org/site/PageServer?pagename=tls_overview)

Really challenging quote for me. We are not just called to be content or put up with what Jesus calls us to do but to rejoice that he would even call any of us! Psalm 84:10 "10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Rather than complain about what we have not been called to do, we should return to God with gratefulness for his grace in allowing us to serve him at all!

God's grace and mercy - R.C.Sproul quote

"We soon forget that with our first sin we have forfeited all rights to the gift of life. That I am drawing breath this morning is an act of divine mercy. God owes me nothing. I owe Him everything. If He allows a tower to fall on my head this afternoon, I cannot claim injustice"

(R.C.Sproul - The Holiness of God, Chapter 6 - Holy Justice p126)