FREE FROM THE LAW, O HAPPY CONDITION

Free from the law, O happy condition,
Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Grace hath redeemed us once for all.

Now we are free, there's no condemnation,
Jesus provides a perfect salvation;
"Come unto Me," O hear His sweet call,
Come, and He saves us once for all.

"Children of God," O glorious calling,
Surely His grace will keep us from falling;
Passing from death to life at His call,
Blessed salvation once for all.

Once for all, O sinner, receive it,
Once for all, O friend, now believe it;
Cling to the cross, the burden will fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.

Philip P. Bliss.

QUOTEABLE QUOTES

When there is a feast of words there is often a famine of wisdom. [Catherine of Siena] God never meant that man should scale the heavens by strides of human wisdom. [William Cowper] The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are. [C.S. Lewis] To have a low opinion of our own merits and to think highly of others is an evidence of wisdom. [Thomas a Kempis] There is a difference between wisdom and knowledge. Knowledge is information; it has to do with intellect. Wisdom has more to do with heart and with attitude. The best definition for wisdom is viewing life from God's viewpoint. The Christian life is this: Christ living His life in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit of the living God. Knowing the truth about God's acceptance and recognizing that our security is in Him alone will lead to relationships characterized by His love. Our convictions, not our environment, determine our behavior. Mankind's love, at its best, comes nowhere near the perfection of God's; however, the indwelling Holy Spirit expresses divine love through yielded believers. Paradise is beyond our imagination, but we do know that the believer's life goes on in heaven. As citizens of that realm, we will take up the work of serving and praising God. Moreover, we will enjoy unlimited energy and perfect harmony between the Lord, ourselves, and other saints. Loneliness can cripple a person emotionally and spiritually. Human beings are not designed to walk through this world alone. We are made for relationship, which God gladly supplies. Lest we forget that the Lord is near, He gave the Bible this consistent theme: I love you and I am with you always. POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

QUOTABLE QUOTES

In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. [Dietrich Bonhoeffer]

It is the highest and holiest of the paradoxes that the man who really knows he cannot pay his debt will be forever paying it. [G.K. Chesterton]

Thou hast given so much to me, give one more thing---a grateful heart. [George Herbert]

Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. [Johnson Oatman, Jr.]

You say, if I had a little more, I should be very satisfied. You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. [Charles Haddon Spurgeon]

Saying thank you to God helps us recall how loving, caring, and faithful He is. As a result, our intimacy with Him deepens. And often, when others hear us express gratitude to Him, they are reminded that the Lord is their source for blessing as well. [Charles F. Stanley]

From David learn to give thanks for everything, every furrow in the Book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving. [Jeremy Taylor]

The Devil is pleased when people make themselves slaves to a desire that, in the proper context, the Lord intended to be enjoyed freely.

We are called to act out our faith every day. God works through us to reach those who may never otherwise open the Bible or enter a church. What's more, He borrows our voice to tell His story and uses our life to demonstrate His grace and glory. Good deeds are a believer's labor of love.

Believer's should not react to trails as the world does. We are to live by faith. When circumstances overwhelm you, shift your focus to Jesus. Read the Scriptures to find encouragement, and be reminded of what is yours in Christ. [Eph. 1: 3-8]

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

QUOTABLE QUOTES

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. [Corrie Ten Boom]

The mystery of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding. [Martin Luther]

One great power of sin is that it blinds men so that they do not recognize its true character. [Andrew Murray]

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because He said so. [C.S. Lewis]

Jesus' position as the one mediator excludes all others who claim to be a path to God.

Will power does not change men. Time does not change men. Christ does. [Henry Drummond]

A great many people are trying to make peace, but that has already been done. God has not left it for us to do; all we have to do is enter into it. [Dwight L. Moody]

But I quit (depart from) life as I would an inn, not as I would a home. [Cicero]

Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man. [D.L. Moody]

Perhaps if there were more of that intense distress for souls that leads to tears, we should more frequently see the results we desire. [Hudson Taylor]

True wealth isn't measured by your bank account or your wisdom. Believers, as joint heirs with Christ [Romans 8:17] have access to God's riches, which include unspeakable joy, unconditional love, and peace beyond understanding. Invest in your spiritual life and enjoy these blessings of grace.

Simply hearing and believing doesn't make a concept yours. A principle is yours when you explore the truth, discover its place in your life, and apply the principle so that God can make it work.

To become effective servants of God, we must let go of our self-righteousness that says, "I know what is right," our self-will that claims, "I know what is best for me," and our self-centeredness that declares, "what I want is most important."

Believers are here to point others to the Lord whom they serve. We are a reflection of His light and glory. It is He who not only gives opportunity to shine but also equips us with the strength and gifts to work for the kingdom. As bright as we may be, we are nothing apart from the Lord.

Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all. [Augustine]

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Each believer decides who rules his life, by either actively surrendering to Christ or deliberately going his own way. Even those who try to avoid the issue by making no choice at all unknowingly opt for self-rule. Integrity and godly character await those who choose the Lord over self. Note! the degree of surrender determines the level of transformation.

God's Word is the training manual that gives instruction for discerning deception, resisting temptation, standing firm in faith, and walking in the fullness of the Spirit.

In prayer we choose to either magnify the Lord or our difficulty. Are you concentrating on the faithfulness of God or your problems and negative feelings? Lets keep our eyes on Him and wait with confidence until we see the great things He will do for us.

The main hinge on which faith turns is this: we must not imagine that the Lord's promises are true objectively but not in our experience. We must make them ours by embracing them in our hearts. [John Calvin]

God's promises are a foundation of our faith, and we have them as such, and also of our hope. On these we are to build all our expectations from God; and in all temptations and trials we have them to rest our souls upon. [Matthew Henry]

God has made so many promises---about loving us unconditionally, about caring for us, about providing all of our needs according to His riches in glory. Do you think God ever forgot even one of His promises? No! What He promises, He will provide because all of heaven's power is behind Him. [Charles F. Stanley]

Every promise God has ever made finds its fulfillment in Jesus. [Joni Eareckson Tada]

Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise.......He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous. [Romans 4:20-22] (NLT)

There is a living God; He has spoken in the Bible. He means what He says and will do all He has promised. [Hudson Taylor]

Let God's promises shine on your problems. [Corrie Ten Boom]

How to trap an atheist: Serve him a fine meal, then ask him if he believes there is a cook.

God is not silent, it is the nature of God to speak. The second person of the Holy Trinity is called The Word. [A.W. Tozer]

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

APPLYING THE WORD

When I saw that they were not following the truth of the Good News, I said to Peter in front of all the others, "Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you trying to make these Gentiles obey the Jewish laws you abandoned?" [Galatians 2:14]

Compromise can weaken our respect for truth. The Judaizers accused Paul of watering down the gospel to make it easier for Gentiles to accept, while Paul accused the Judaizers of nullifying the truth of the gospel by adding conditions to it. The basis of salvation was the issue. Is salvation through Christ alone, or does it come through Christ and obedience to the law? The argument came to a climax when Peter, Paul, the Judaizers and some Gentile Christians all gathered together in Antioch to share a meal. Peter thought that by staying away from the Gentiles, he was promoting harmony. He did not want to offend James and the Jewish Christians. James had a very prominent position and presided over the council [Acts 15]. But Paul charged that Peter's action violated the gospel. By joining the Judaizers, Peter was supporting their clam that Christ was not sufficient for salvation. Compromise is an important element in getting along with others, but we should never compromise the truth of God's Word. If we feel we have to change our Christian beliefs to mach those of our companions, we are on dangerous ground.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK

QUOTABLE QUOTES

Barriers to unshakable faith include pride [I won't admit I need God's help], arrogance [I know a better way--I don't have to ask God], and self-sufficiency [I can do it myself without His help]. Which of these is keeping you from becoming a person of strong faith? Confess it and turn toward the Lord.

A believer's identity is in his relationship with Christ, not in what he achieves for the Kingdom.

I have realized that Jesus called me not to do ministry, but to allow Him to work in me and accomplish His ministry through me. It is not my external actions that bring God glory, it is my willingness to submit to Him.

The Devil often transforms himself into an angel to tempt men, some for their instruction, some for their ruin. [Augustine of Hippo]

The deceit, the lie of the Devil consist of this, that he wishes to make man believe that he can live without God's Word. [Dietrich Bonhoeffer]

The existence of the Devil is so clearly taught in the Bible that to doubt it is to doubt the Bible itself. [Archibald G. Brown]

The Devil can counterfeit all the saving operations and graces of the Spirit of God. [Jonathan Edwards]

The Enemy will not see you vanish into God's company without an effort to reclaim you. [C.S. Lewis]

For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel. [Martin Luther]

That there is a Devil is a thing doubted by none but such as are under the influences of the Devil. [Cotton Mather]

The more God uses us, the more Satan will attempt to harass us. [Charles F. Stanley]

The Devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still. [A. W. Tozer]

The Devil does not tempt unbelievers and sinners who are already his own. [Thomas Kempis]

Abilities and achievements do not impress the Lord. Instead, He is looking for humble, willing followers through whom to reveal His glory.

POINTS OF GRACE NETWORK