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Touching lives with the truth of God's Word.

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Location: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

As Events Unfold

Then the man bowed down his head and worshipped the Lord. (Genesis 24:26)
In Genesis 24, Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac. After asking God for help, the servant set out on his journey to find a wife for Abraham's son. When it became obvious that God was answering his prayer and leading him to the right girl, he didn't wait for the final outcome, he thanked God as the events unfolded.
May I say, our lives are constantly in process, and our prayers are always in the process of being answered, according to the Lord's will and time table. Note! not our will or time table but His. So why wait to thank God? If you have started praying over a concern, pray with thanksgiving. If you begin to wonder why God delays His answer, thank Him for His timing. If you sense Him answering your prayers, thank Him for the first fruits of His grace. And when the answer is fully apparent, rejoice in His goodness and thank Him for His providence and provision.
E. M. Bonds said, "Giving thanks is the very life of prayer. It is its fragrance and music, its poetry and its crown." Are you praying with thanksgiving, when making your request known to Him? Are you praising Him while praying? Are you believing Him for answered prayer? Is your heart fully devoted to Him alone? You think about that child of God, I know that I need to think about it as well. "Neither prayer, nor praise, nor the hearing of the Word will be pleasant or profitable to persons who have left their hearts behind them." (C. H. Spurgeon)


It's not what you do...it's who you are in Christ.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Gospel of Freedom

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:20-21)
Jesus does more than simply save people from the penalty of past, present, and future sins; He frees men and women from sin's power every day. When Christ died on the cross, God saw each believer crucified with Him so that sin's power was broken. May I say the focus of the Christian faith is not dying, but living. Note! Because we have been crucified with Christ, we have also been raised with Him (Romans 6:5). This means we can say no to those things that enslave others. Most unbelievers are trying to live smarter, find a purpose, and be happy. On the other hand, believers have the secret of life from Jesus Himself: "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me...and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Child of God, this is too big a secret to keep quite. Open your Bible and pray that God would reveal a truth you can share with someone today. The Gospel message we are called to declare frees the enslaved and teaches victorious living. Let us be faithful to our call. Amen.