Grace 809

No moment, event, or detail falls outside of God’s supervision. God is the one who “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45 NIV). He isn’t making up this plan as he goes along. Daniel 5:21 (NKJV) says, “The most high God rules the kingdom of men, and sets over it whom he will.”

So if God is in charge, why does he permit challenges to come our way? Wouldn’t an almighty God prevent them? Not if they serve his higher purpose. The ultimate example is the death of Christ on the cross. Everyone thought the life of Jesus was over. Jesus was dead and buried, but God raised Him from the dead. God took the crucifixion of Friday and turned it into the celebration of Sunday. Can he not do a similar reversal for you?

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Supporters who make donations totaling $1000 (or the equivalent value of satoshi) or more will receive the honored title of Berean.

We read of the Bereans in Acts 17:10-15. The key verse for our purposes here is verse 11b, which says, ”The Bereans were eager to hear what Paul and Silas said and studied the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true.”

Our second Value-for-Value supporter to attain this level is Brother Paul of Seattle. Thank you, Brother Paul of Seattle for your emails of encouragement and your generous donations!

Today is poetry Thursday so we’ll read Proverbs 28.  I’ll have an introduction for each chapter, and then some comments after the reading. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode “The Symptom and the Cause.”

When a nation sins, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and much learning, it will last a long time.

Proverbs 28:2 NLV

To paraphrase the first part of that verse, big government is a symptom of a sinful nation!

John Adams, America’s second president famously said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Alexis de Toqueville is credited with saying, “In a democracy, people get the government they deserve.”

A big government is necessary when the people do not have their eyes on God. Why? Because without a standard, without a belief in an absolute morality, chaos eventually results. 

And there is an Arabic curse which says, “May God make your sheiks many.”

Adams also said, “Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.”

Remember, every time the children of Israel turned away from God, He brought them great hardship until they repented. 

And now I will say it again, we need to pray for our nation. We need to pray for revival. We need to seek God’s forgiveness and invite Him back into the public square. Until that happens, I don’t think we can expect Him to bless our nation.

Daniel 2:21 says, “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.”<

Lysa Terkeurst reminds us that while love is unconditional, trust is not.
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Connecting with another person is a unique and special blessing. And when you come to know that person and rely on them, you place trust in them. So what do you do when that trust is shattered? Lysa TerKeurst shares her personal stories of her divorce and friendships lost due to broken trust. She’ll help you learn how to have healthy and godly perspectives about trust and relationships so you can get on a path toward healing.
Receive a copy of I Want to Trust You, But I Don’t and an audio download of "When Trust is Hard: Overcoming Betrayal and Broken Relationships" for your donation of any amount! Plus, receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today. Your monthly support helps families thrive.
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Paul urges us to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). Not just on paydays, good days, or birthdays, but rejoice in the Lord always.

Rejoice in the Lord always? “Yeah, right,” mumbles the person from the hospital bed. “How?” sighs the unemployed dad. “Always?” questions the mother of the baby born with a disability. It’s one thing to rejoice in the Lord when life is good, but when the odds are against you? It’s not easy, but it is possible.

Lay claim to the promise of God in Colossians 1:17. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Rejoice in the sovereignty of God. His throne is still occupied, his will is still perfect. Rejoice in the Lord always. God uses everything to accomplish his will.

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is Wednesday, so we’ll read from the Psalms, chapters 117-118.  I’ll have an introduction for each chapter, and then some comments after the reading. And of course I’ll have an “On This Date In Church History” segment for you, too. I’m calling today’s episode “God’s Enduring Love.”

The four aspects of Psalm 117 that Martin Luther addressed in his thirty-six page commentary of this chapter are:

1-Prophecy: the Gentiles will be included in God’s plan of redemption!

2-Revelation: the Messiah’s kingdom is heavenly and eternal, not earthly

3-Instruction: we are saved by grace alone, not by works, holiness or wisdom

4-Admonition: because of these things we should praise the Lord! 

Psalms chapter 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, and it’s smack dab in the center. 

You know what is really amazing about this psalm? The writer wrote something that could not have been accepted by the Jews! Why? Because it says, “Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise Him, all people!”

You see, unless you were circumcised, you could not join in praising the Lord when this psalm was written. 

This chapter at the very heart of the Bible, revealed the heart of God. This was a peek at the Gospel message. Paul, in the book of Romans, chapter 15, even used this short chapter as a proof to the Jews that God’s love was for the Gentiles as much as it was for the Jews. That is indeed Good News.

But the message of Psalm 117 doesn’t end there. It says, “For His loving-kindness toward us is great. And the truth of the Lord lasts forever.” I like the way the KJV says it, “For his merciful kindness is great toward us…” We should praise Him because his merciful loving kindness is great toward us. Do we deserve it? No. But His merciful kindness is great toward us. That is the truth. “And the truth of the Lord lasts forever.” It will never change. It will never waver. He won’t change His mind. Forever is a long, long time. 

And then the psalm ends with the only response we should have to this life changing truth: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! He deserves our praise. He who created all that is, He who holds your life and mine in his strong right hand loves you and He loves me. And that will never change. Praise the Lord!

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 117-118 NLV

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People skills are essential for building meaningful relationships. Debra Fileta explores the different levels of communication that determine how we care for others, even through hard times. By looking at how we show up in conversation, Debra encourages us to walk in our relationships with greater humility and awareness, no matter the social temperature.
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Debra Fileta explains how emotional wounds are indicators to rely on God for healing.
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In one of Henri Nouwen’s books, he tells about the lesson of trust he learned from a great trapeze artist. The acrobat said, “The flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. I have simply to reach out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron.” The flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.

In the great trapeze act of salvation, God is the catcher, and we are the flyers. We trust. Period. We rely solely upon God’s ability to catch us. As we do trust him, a wonderful thing happens—we fly!

Your Father has never dropped anyone. He will not drop you. His grip is sturdy and his hands are open. Place yourself entirely in his care. As you do, you will find it is possible—yes, possible—to be anxious for nothing.

Read more Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

Transcript

Today is history Tuesday, and we’ll read 2 Chronicles 11-15. I have an on this date in church history segment that I think you’ll find interesting, and related to that, I have a song for you at the end of the show today. I’m calling today’s episode  “Correction.”

King Rehoboam was a mixed bag. There were times where he followed the Lord, and times where he turned his back on God. And in chapter 11, verses 16 and 17, we read some very important words.

16Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam son of Solomon three years, following the ways of David and Solomon during this time.

Chapter 12 tells us that Rehoboam reigned for 17 years, but those three years were his best, because he and the people sought the Lord and followed the examples of David and Solomon.

Beloved, when things are not going well with us, it’s a really good idea to take a spiritual inventory. How is our relationship with God? Are we seeking the Lord? Is there unconfessed sin in our life? Are we spending time with Him in prayer and in the Word? Of course, being right with God is no guarantee that life will be a bed of roses, because we live in a fallen world. But sometimes our loving Heavenly Father uses difficulties and hardships to get our attention if we are straying off the path. 

Yes, we are secure in God’s grace because of the shed blood of Christ. He paid the price for all of our sins, if we have been born again. I’m not saying that we are in danger of losing our salvation if we have a time of rebellion. But God loves us too much to not correct us if we need it. 

If you want to have God’s blessing, the place you want to be is in harmony with God, seeking to know Him better each and every day. 

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 11 NIV; Ch. 12-13 CEB; Ch. 14-15 NLT