Weekly Grace

It’s impossible to live in our external environment without developing a set of values and beliefs that help shape our philosophy. Philosophy has several definitions, including “the pursuit of wisdom,” or “the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group.” The trouble is that these definitions focus on our physical world and leave out God. As Christians, we need a philosophy modeled after Jesus.

Jesus is grace in human form. The irony of looking at philosophy without Him is that from an eternal perspective, this kind of philosophy doesn’t even exist. The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he asked where this truth leaves the philosophers, scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters, adding that God made the wisdom of this world look foolish.

God saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom. However, since we’re taught worldly “wisdom,” we must see to it that no one carries us off or captivates us through so-called philosophy, intellectualism, and plain nonsense that follows human tradition. These simply reinforce the teachings of the universe and disregard the teachings of Christ. For instance, grace gives us blessings that we don’t deserve; worldly philosophy says we must work to earn them. This mindset leads to wrong thinking. Wrong believing gives us the wrong results in life.

Spiritually, we should be at war with worldly beliefs and values. It’s important to be aware of our thoughts, examine each one, and discard those that contradict God’s Word. We do this by refusing to be conformed to this world and changing the way we think so that we can learn God’s will for us. This is called embracing the philosophy of grace.

There’s nothing wrong with learning, as long as we’re learning the right things. There’s no way to tell the difference without spiritual discernment from God. Setting our minds on things above, not on things on the earth, makes us students of grace.

Prayer:

Lord, it’s critical that You, not the world, teach us how to live. You warned us against the dangers of worldly philosophy that’s hostile to You. Thank You for being our heavenly Father who instructs us in grace and mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 3:19

1 Corinthians 1:20, 21, NLT

Colossians 2:8, AMPC

Romans 12:2, NLT

Colossians 3:2, NKJV

We can all recall times when we felt ashamed, either because of a particular situation or from a mistake we made. Shame is a sense of failure in someone else’s eyes. It can cause us to see ourselves as failures and make us want to run away and hide. It’s excruciating and emotionally painful; however, this isn’t God’s will for us.

Shame ties us to our past and keeps us from receiving God’s favor. Jesus went to the cross to take it away from us by taking it onto His own body. He gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to those who plucked out the hair; He didn’t hide His face from shame and spitting. God helps us so that we won’t be ashamed.

Shame is tangled up with fear; it can only control us and define who we are if we’re afraid. This evil emotion first surfaced in the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned and became afraid of God. They heard Him walking in the garden and hid themselves. When God called out to them, Adam admitted he was afraid.

The destructive nature of shame traps us in fear and holds us back from moving on in life. God commands us not to tolerate it; however, this commandment carries a promise with it: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame…” His grace in this area has real power over shame. We’re set free from it when we trust in how the finished works of Jesus destroyed it.

Shame lies to us by making us feel rejected, unloved, and unworthy. Thankfully, no matter how many mistakes we make, God will always love us and never reject us. He made us accepted in the beloved, redeemed us through His blood, and forgave us our sins, according to the riches of His grace. There’s no undoing what He did.

Prayer:

Lord, Jesus’ death destroyed the power shame had over mankind. Your grace has freed us from its devastating effects, and we’re grateful for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 50:6, 7, AMPC

Genesis 3:8, 10

Isaiah 54:4, NKJV

Ephesians 1:6, 7

Our minds are powerful tools that significantly impact our quality of life. Most of us have things about ourselves we’d like to change or improve, but any real change must be preceded by a change in thinking, first. What we believe can either put us in bondage or free us. Accepting the grace of Christ radically transforms the way we think.

During His ministry, Jesus told the Jews who believed Him that if they continued walking in His Word, they would know the truth and the truth would make them free. The specific truth He was referring to is the truth of God’s grace. Grace is unmerited, undeserved favor from God, which is what Jesus died to give us. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

For us, one of the most significant changes in our thinking is a shift in the awareness of our identity. When we get born again, we receive new identities based on who God says we are. If any man is in Christ, he’s a new creature; old things are passed away and all things are new. Our past is gone, which means we no longer have to define ourselves according to the way we used to be.

Being in Christ has multiple benefits that we could never claim through our own merits. We’re declared holy, righteous, and perfect; we’re God’s children, and therefore no longer sinners, but saints. Believing this causes our behavior to eventually line up with our belief. Studying God’s Word changes the way we see ourselves so that we’re not conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Accepting who we are in Christ frees us from our self-efforts at trying to improve ourselves. Trusting in what God says about us makes us increasingly like Him and enables us to do what others can’t. His grace puts us in a win-win situation.

Prayer:

Lord, accepting Your favor toward us allows You to change our way of thinking. Faith in Your Son makes us aware of our new identities as saints who have been made perfect. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

John 8:31, 32

John 1:17

2 Corinthians 5:17

Romans 12:2

The ability to see is a wonderful gift God gave us to enhance our lives. As great as it is to have physical eyesight, however, having spiritual vision is even more important. While being physically blind makes life challenging, being spiritually blind is a tragedy. If we’ve been born again but we’re still trying to live by the Law of Moses, we’re spiritually blind.

The absence of spiritual vision causes us to drift through life aimlessly. It blinds us to the grace God offers and causes us to struggle to accomplish things Jesus has already accomplished; where there’s no vision, the people perish. Religion actually prevents us from knowing God through a personal, life-saving relationship with Jesus. This relationship prevents God’s warning, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” from coming to pass in our lives.

Setting aside religion and embracing a relationship with Christ opens our eyes to God’s goodness. The experience Paul had when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus illustrates this. Paul strictly adhered to the law until Jesus gave him a mission and the spiritual vision he needed to accomplish it. Paul’s assignment was to open the people’s eyes and turn them from darkness to light.
Jesus gave Paul the job of sharing the gospel of God’s unearned, undeserved favor. The revelation knowledge Paul received from knowing Jesus inspired him to confess that the ministry he’d received from the Lord was to testify of the Gospel of Grace. Paul became a new man with perfect spiritual vision.

If the gospel is hidden, it’s hidden from those who are lost. The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, lest the glorious gospel of Christ shine on them. As believers, we need to make sure we’re not spiritually blind as well. Our ability to open others’ eyes to Christ changes lives.

Prayer:

Lord, Your Son came to remove the veil that the Law of Moses put over our spiritual eyes. He did this so that we could see You as You are and enjoy the close, personal relationship with You that You’ve always wanted. We’re grateful for that. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Proverbs 29:18

Hosea 4:6

Acts 26:12-18

Acts 20:24

2 Corinthians 4:3, 4

Emotions are one way God blesses us. They can make our lives meaningful and satisfying, but can also cause us problems if we lose emotional control. His grace has empowered us with authority over our feelings so that we don’t fall victim to them. When we feel angry or depressed, we can go on the offensive and maintain our authority in the emotional realm.

We’re not helpless when it comes to our feelings; we have a choice in the matter. Jesus, who successfully managed His own emotions, told His disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled…” The phrase “Let not” indicates that we’re in control, not our feelings. When we find ourselves in a situation we don’t like, we must remember that we have the same authority as Christ.
God wants us to be able to rule over our emotions; He wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health, even as our souls prosper. Our souls are where our thoughts and feelings are located. To prosper is to be successful; therefore, the ability to successfully dominate our emotions gives us emotional prosperity.

What we think about affects our emotional outlook. Meditating on the spiritual things in God’s Word, instead of on the things of the world, brings us peace of mind. To be carnally-minded brings death, but to be spiritually-minded brings life and peace. The Words that God speaks to us are spirit and life.

As free moral agents, we can choose any emotion we want. However, God wants us to choose thoughts and feelings that benefit us and enhance our lives, not ones that lead to negativity and destruction. He sets before us life and death, blessing and cursing; He tells us to choose life, so that we and our descendants may live.

God spoke these words to us so that in Him we might have peace. He has already overcome the world. Aligning our emotions with His Word gives us the victory, as well.
Prayer:

God, our emotions can either lead us toward Your will, or away from it. Thank You for giving us Your Word concerning this and reminding us of the authority we have to control and harness them. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:
John 14:1
3 John 1:2
Romans 8:6
John 6:63
Deuteronomy 30:19, NKJV
John 16:33

Have you ever tried to pay attention to something wonderful, but gotten distracted by the noisy environment around you? In the world, there are plenty of things Christians can hear, but not all of them are beneficial. Hearing the wrong thing leads us in the wrong direction; hearing the right thing increases our faith in the truth. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Whatever we spend our time reading and thinking about will be the thing that stays in our minds and gets down into our hearts. If we spend our time meditating on what God says instead of on the junk we see and hear in the world, our lives will be profoundly affected. In the Old Testament, Joshua reminded the people to meditate on the law day and night, so that they could make their way prosperous and have good success. This still holds true today when we continually keep the Gospel of Grace on our minds.

Studying the Word and applying it to our lives changes our hearts and minds, keeps our peace and joy intact, and protects us from the world’s negativity. We have a choice as to what we give our attention to; God’s directions to us are crystal clear in this area. Whatsoever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and virtuous are the things we must think about. Hearing this directive preached, seeing it modeled in other believers, and subsequently doing it, allows the God of peace to be with us and in us.

God wants only the best for us; He has amazing plans for our lives. The thoughts He thinks toward us are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us a future and a hope. Agreeing with Him gives Him consent to start putting those plans in place. There’s absolutely no down side to contemplating this.

Prayer:

Lord, Your Word empowers us to fight the world’s negative influence and be victorious over it. We’re thankful that we can rise above what’s going on around us when we focus on what You say to us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Romans 10:17

Joshua 1:8

Philippians 4:8, 9

Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV