GraceNotes

What Counts
Galatians 6:15
Jim Stephens
11-07-09

Scripture:

It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. (Galatians 6:15 NLT)

Paul's letter to the Galatians is the definitive document on Law vs Grace, Faith vs Works, and Spirit vs Carnal Nature. Paul addresses a specific error, that of believing that it was necessary to be circumcised according to Jewish law, in addition to faith in Christ, to be right with God.

Then in Galatians 5:17 he writes some very helpful things about the conflict we live with, the daily battle we fight in all our decisions as we choose between the old selfish sinful nature and the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Galatians 5:19-23 compares the results in our lives of yielding to the sinful nature or responding to the Holy Spirit.

17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And t he Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. (Galatians 5:17 NLT)

Paul sums up the whole thing in Galatians 6:15, "What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people."

I am drawn to simple statements that sum up complex issues. This is simple. There's no question that the issues addressed in Galatians are complex. But this is simple. "What counts is whether I've been changed."
* What counts is whether I'm being changed in and by my responses to the opportunities, temptations, and challenges I face every day.
* What counts is whether I'm progressively responding more to the Holy Spirit?s leading or the pressures to yield to the old sinful nature.
* What counts is whether I am becoming more Christ-like and less me-self-ego-like in my attitude and actions. That's what counts.

Prayer:

Father, thanks for being so patient with me. I've got a long way to go, but I'm committed to finishing the journey. Holy Spirit, keep prompting me to live more your way and less my way. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

All The Promises
Galatians 3:29; 4:7
Jim Stephens
11-06-09

Scripture:

And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and now all the promises God gave to him belong to you. (Galatians 3:29 NLT)

Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child. And since you are his child, everything he has belongs to you. (Galatians 4:7 NLT)

The letter Paul wrote to the Galatians is about law and grace, faith and works, religion and relationship. The message it speaks to me year after year as I read these words is:

* The law shows me where I've gone wrong. Grace alone makes me right.
* Works tries unsuccessfully to earn rewards, to pay the ransom, to purchase a ticket for the party. Faith gratefully receives what God has freely given.
* Religion tries to work from the outside in. Relationship is from the inside out.

It seems like the bridge I've got to cross first is from trying to be good enough that God will let me come and s tay at his house with his kids over to realizing that he has adopted me into his family and he's my Dad and I am one of his kids.

The second bridge I've got to cross is between trying to struggle along with my own limited resources to wondrously realizing that everything in the palace is mine to use and enjoy.

Prayer:

Father, I'm reading Galatians again. Help me get it this time. Or at least get more of it this time! Help me rest and relax more than ever before in my relationship with you, Dad. Help me enjoy my childhood to your Fatherhood more than I ever have in my life! Help me stretch out my hands of faith to use the blessings and resources you've provided for me more freely and more effectively. And help me to help someone else start calling you Daddy. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

God's Friendship
Job 29:4
Jim Stephens
11-05-09

Scripture:

In my early years, God's friendship was felt in my home. (Job 29:4 NLT)

In this short chapter, Job describes his life as he remembers it - before all the trouble came. He uses the phrase, "God's friendship was felt in my home" to describe the blessing and harmony of his home life. Then he goes on to talk about how he carried this sense of peace and grace into his interactions with the people of his community - how the friendship of God overflowed into Job's care for the poor, his protection of the weak, and his wisdom for life's decisions.

I'm thankful that the home God has allowed Jean and me to create is a place of peace, rest, harmony, and blessing. It's my desire that our home be a place where guests feel safe and peaceful - in fact guests often comment on the peacefulness they feel when they spend time in our home. I want "God's friendship to be felt in my home."

But this morning I was thinking about how many of the people that I interact with each day don't have the benefit of living in a home where God's friendship is felt. And I thought that, like Job, perhaps I could carry the benefit of God's friendship and some of the peacefulness and "safety" into my conversations and interactions outside my home.

What if each of us Christ-followers expressed the grace and peace of our "friendship with God" in our countenance, our conversations, our care for the weak and poor, and by sowing seeds of wisdom into the workplace, marketplace, and community? Shall we give it a try?

Prayer:

Father, I'm grateful for the peaceful home atmosphere you've allowed Jean and me to create. I know it's because the friendship of God is felt in our home. Thank you for your gift of friendship and peace. May I never take it for granted. Now, as I go out into my community today, may I sow seeds of peace, of compassion, of service, and of wisdom. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

Including Peter
Mark 16:6-7
Jim Stephens
11-04-09

Scripture:

The women were startled, 6 but the angel said, "Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!" (Mark 16:6-7 NLT)

The angel that appeared to the three women that Resurrection Morning gave them great news - news that the Good News of Jesus Christ was still Good News - Jesus is no longer dead, but alive! Then the angel told them to go right away and tell Jesus' disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is alive!

The women likely needed to hear the words, "including Peter" from the angel because after Peter's behavior at Jesus' arrest and trial, they weren't feeling very proud of Peter. Peter needed those words because during Jesus' trial and torture he had denied three times that he even knew Jesus, much less followed him as a disciple.

Peter had ended that day feeling like a complete failure, feeling so ashamed of his weakness, and feeling that he had forever destroyed the possibility of forgiveness and restoration. Ever felt that way? I have!

Life Lesson: God doesn't leave us in the dark about his unfailing, unconditional love for us, and his forgiveness for our weaknesses and sins. He is always willing to pick up where we left off - to pick us up where we stumbled and fell, where we left the path, where we let him down and go forward with his good plans for us.

I'm glad that the angel's message of Good News was to tell the disciples, Including Peter. I'm glad that God still sends a message of Good News to Jesus' weak and sin-prone disciples, including Jim.

Prayer:

Father, I am so thankful that my weaknesses and sins and failures don't take my name off the list of people you have Good News for. Thanks for reminding me. And thanks for reminding me not to write people off when they fail, fall, or flame-out. Let me be sensitive to the opportunities I have to give a message of hope and forgiveness to your disciples, Including Peter! Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

What She Could
Mark 14:8-9
Jim Stephens
11-03-09

Scripture:

8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory. (Mark 14:8-9 NLT)

A few days before his crucifixion, Jesus was guest of honor at a banquet at the home of Simon, in the village of Bethany. During the meal a woman who some identify as Mary Magdalene and some as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, came in and broke open a container of expensive perfume, worth a year's wages, and poured it on Jesus' head.

The room was filled with the fragrance of her act, but some of the people present began to criticize her and complain that the woman had wasted a valuable resource that could have been sold to help the poor. Jesus told them to leave her alone. Then he said some things that really spoke to me this morning:

* Don't criticize someone who gives a sacrifi cial offering differently than you think it ought to be given.
* She did what she could.
* Her story will be told throughout the world, wherever the Good News is preached. And it has been!

The primary message to me today is: She did what she could.

I want it to be said of me, "He did what he could." I want to give the substance of my life (that which, when poured out, can never be reclaimed or used in another way): My time, my abilities, my resources, my creativity, all that I am and have, to serve, honor, and please Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Father, I'm a long ways from where I want to be in this. I want to be more conscious of the fact that I get only one opportunity to use each day of my life and each resource you put in my hands. I want to be willing to sacrifice what I have in a way that pleases you even if the other people in the room think I should have done it differently. Help me to give, serve, and live for an audience of one.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

How Much Left?
Mark 12:41-44
Jim Stephens
11-02-09

Scripture:

41 Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. 43 He called his disciples to him and said, "I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." (Mark 12:41-44 NLT)

Jesus went into the Temple during the final few days of his ministry, the very week of his arrest and crucifixion, and for a while he just sat and watched people put money into the huge offering chest by the door. The crowds dropped in their money and the rich, the many rich people, put in large amounts. Their gold and silver coins must have jingled and clattered as they poured them from their leather bags into the treasury.

One poor widow shuffled by and shyly dropped in t wo copper pennies. The coins hardly made a "clink," and yet the sound of those two little coins still echoes today in this teaching of Jesus. In fact, Jesus called his disciples over to where he sat watching and told them, "This poor widow has given more than all the others, not just more than any of the others, but more than all the others combined. They all gave something and had much left over. She gave everything. She gave it all!"

Jesus is still watching people give. He's watching us give of our time, our talents, our substance and our hearts. He's still more interested in what we have left - what we have held back - than the amount we have given.

Prayer:

Father, I want to give myself to you without holding anything back. Sometimes that's easier than at other times. Sometimes when I feel I'm accomplishing something, or feel my efforts are appreciated, it's easier. When I'm struggling, or when it seems my own needs are u nmet, or when I compare what others give (and what they have left), i t's harder. Help me give what I give to you without comparison, and without holding back. Help me give without thinking about what I have left. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

Jesus Loved Him
Mark 10:21
Jim Stephens
11-01-09

Scripture:

Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. "You lack only one thing," he told him. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21 NLT)

A young man came running up to Jesus on the street and asked very respectfully and sincerely what he needed to do to get eternal life. Jesus reminded him of the commandments of God and he responded that he had been very diligent in living a moral, commandment-keeping life. The thing is, Jesus and the young man both knew there was something missing.

Jesus looked him in the eye - and loved him! So he challenged him on the one thing that would be most difficult of all for this nice young man - the one thing that hindered him from spiritual progress.

If Jesus really loved him, why did he hit him with the one thing that he just couldn't manage? Why not ease into it? Why not make an exception? Why not give him a couple of options?

I believe more confidently than at any previous time in my life that Jesus loves me - really loves me. But that doesn't mean he won't look me hard in the eye and challenge me on the one thing - or in my case the things - that stand in the way of my spiritual progress and growth.

Jesus loves me just as I am, but he loves me too much to leave me like that.

Like this nice young man that Jesus loved, I have the choice of responding in obedient faith to Jesus' hard look in the eye and challenging words or of walking away with a heavy heart. I don't want to disappoint Jesus and I don't want to miss what God has for me. But it sure seems tough some times!

Prayer:

Father, when Jesus looks me in the eye and challenges me on the one thing that I most need to let go of or take hold of, I purpose to rise to the challenge. I don't want to miss what you have for me! Pl ease don't give up on me and let me walk away with a heavy heart. I h ave decided to follow Jesus - no turning back! Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

Out Of Food Again
Mark 8:1-4
Jim Stephens
10-31-09

Scripture:

1 About this time another great crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. 3 And if I send them home without feeding them, they will faint along the road. For some of them have come a long distance." 4 "How are we supposed to find enough food for them here in the wilderness?" his disciples asked. (Mark 8:1-4 NLT)

You can probably see where I'm going with this already! Two chapters back - maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month or two earlier - these same disciples had participated in the miraculous feeding of five thousand hungry men, as well as women and children, with pieces of bread and fish that multiplied in their hands as they distributed it to the crowd. Now, once again faced with a hungry crowd and limited resources, their response is "How are w e supposed to find enough food for them here in the wilderness?"

Here is what my Father is patiently trying (again) to teach me this morning as I read this story and think about its application to my life:

* I shouldn't have to start all over from square one when I'm faced with a challenge. I should remember previous experiences of God's power and provision and let those experiences be the basis for a faith response today.

18 "You have eyes - can't you see? You have ears - can't you hear? Don't you remember anything at all? 19 What about the five thousand men I fed with five loaves of bread? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?" "Twelve," they said. (Mark 8:18-19 NLT)

* When I'm faced with a challenging need I don't have to have "enough stuff to meet the need." I only have to have something, even a little something, that I'm willing to put in Jesus' hands to get the miracle started.

5 "How many loaves of bread do you have?" he asked. "Seven," they replied. 6 So Jesus to ld all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. 7 A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to pass them out. (Mark 8:5-7 NLT)

Prayer:

Father, Thanks for being as patient with me as Jesus was with his first twelve disciples. I'm as slow a learner as they were, but I'm determined to learn the lessons of life if you will keep teaching and not give up on me. I pray for each fellow-follower who reads this today - may you grant insight for today's lesson to be learned, faith for today's challenge to be faced, and grace for today's journey to be traveled. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

He Was Amazed
Mark 6:4-6
Jim Stephens
10-30-09

Scripture:

4 Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief...  (Mark 6:4-6 NLT)

What does it take to amaze Jesus? In Nazareth, his hometown, his neighbors listened to his teaching, heard the stories of the great miracles he was doing in the towns nearby, and they said, "He's just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." In fact, they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. (Mark 6:3 NLT) Jesus was amazed at their unbelief and besides that, his power was limited there by their unbelief.

Jesus once encountered a Roman military officer who said, "You don't need to come to my home. If you simply speak the word, I know my servant will be healed!" Jesus was amazed at his faith! (Luke 7:9)

Jesus was amazed at the unbelief of the people in his own home town and he was amazed at the faith of a Roman officer. I wonder if Jesus has ever been amazed at my unbelief? Is there anything about my faith that amazes Jesus?

I've been a Christ-follower for a long time. I don't want the business and language of faith to become so common to me that it becomes "religious unbelief". I don't want to get to the point that I can think of Jesus as the Son of God, the resurrected Savior, the King of Kings, and not be stirred to active, determined, confident faith by the truth of who he is.

Prayer:

Father, Would you amaze me again by your love, amaze me by the fact that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth and lived and died to save me? Remind me of the times I've been reassured by your presence and you r touch, of the times you have spoken your word and it became real in my life. May I be amazed again by your amazing love and your amazing grace. And may it not be my unbelief but my faith that amazes you. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.

Afraid
Mark 4:40
Jim Stephens
10-29-09

Scripture:

Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?"  (Mark 4:40 NLT)

Jesus' closest followers were just coming off a season of miracles and healings and teachings that got them really excited and faith-filled. Then they faced danger in the boat in the storm and they panicked.

When the storm became fierce and the boat started to fill with water, they frantically woke Jesus from his nap, shouting. "Don't you even care that we are going to drown?" Jesus' question implied that the faith that was stirred up by the things they had already seen and experienced should carry over into the present challenge they were facing.

I need to hear Jesus' question, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?" pretty often, I'm afraid. I have a lifetime of experiences in which I've seen the faithfulness and ability of God demonstrated in large and small ways and still I find myself sayin g, "Jesus, don't you even care that we are going to drown?"

My lesson for the day: "Recalling our past experiences of God's power, protection, and provision will calm our fears and inspire faith as we face today's storm."

I know it's hard to do when the waves are high, the wind is howling, and you're bailing water out of the boat like crazy, but take a moment to quiet your racing mind, open your trusting heart, and remember how God protected you and provided for you in past storms and challenges. Then prayerfully affirm your faith in his present provision and protection.

Prayer:

Father forgive me for doubting you. I believe you have the power to do all things. I believe you have the wisdom to know what needs to be done and how and when to do it. I believe you love me with unconditional love and want the very best for me. I trust you in today's storm. As I trust you today, I know your faithful protecti on and provision will see me through. Thanks, Father. I do trust you. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
Unsubscribe from GraceNotes here if you no longer wish to receive it.

If someone sent this to you and you like it, signup to receive GraceNotes.