Tag Archives: Grace

And so the fight begins

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The morning wasn’t that different – my alarm went off, I grabbed my phone, and the fight for my day began.

Vying for my attention are:

  • the new texts,
  • email’s,
  • Facebook,
  • and twitter status
  • not to mention G+
  • and daily work load.

But I desire to occupy my mind in the morning with God.

It’s a daily fight – sadly, sometimes I lose, or do I win – someone wins.  Sometimes, my priorities are off and I rocket into work issues, or keep up with my social networks.

Then it happens – John 14:15 races through my mind “If you love me, you will keep my commandments“.

So regularly used as the hammer of preachers to conform the dross nominal Christian into warriors of prayer, devotion, and performance.  These this is antithetical to Jesus’ purposes here.

In marriage if we love our spouse, we’ll not cheat on them.  We’ll honor them in my behavior, in our restraint, and in our thought life.  At the same time, instantiating a bodily honor, a firm restraint, and a iron clad thought life do NOT build my love for my spouse.

A brute ability to adhere to performance does not foster, love.

Jesus’ call to see our love for him lived out in our works, was a loving call for us to inspect the fruit of our works, for evidences of love.  When love isn’t found in our works we’re not to pound out the result (loving works) to create the motivator (love for Jesus)- we’re to be drawn nearer to God, we’re to commune more with Christ.

…And so, my daily struggle isn’t to pound out the devotion and to ignore the world.  Rather it is to seek Christ in a way full of desire and love.  In a way that KNOWS the fruit of our time will be a deepened love.

‘Oh, that we would desire Jesus more.

Pastor John Weathersby

It was obvious

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Sometimes the obvious thoughts are most insightful.  This one was no exception.

Today while reading through the book of Ephesians I came to see this letter more clearly to be a gross celebration of the love, mercy, and grace of God for us, in Christ.  All the while, I think it’s an expression of Paul’s amazement rather than a well packaged theological treatise designed simply for our head knowledge.

As Paul hammers into the Ephesians saints themes of Grace and Mercy bound in the person of Christ – he begs them to see the joy in it all and understand all these riches, all this love, and all this grace as being fulfilled and found, in Christ.

Ephesians 1:18 “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints”

He so longs for them to be joined together in the truth of Christ.  Bringing glory on the son in their fellowship, in Him.

Read Ephesians, this is the Transcend Church Harrisburg study, and see the lavish excitement Paul has for God in Christ bound up in the power of the Spirit of God and join him in his excitement, in Christ!
Pastor John Weathersby