In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

I love this song.  The message is so profound and clear.   In 'Christ alone', our hope is found, our salvation is sealed, and our debt is paid.  

It is so heart wrenching and sad to think that there are those who do not share this great hope and joy.  They may live everyday as if they are the ones who are working their way to earn favor with God or they wake up every morning with a great dread or uncertainty of "what if it is just not enough!" 

For the follower of Christ, we can begin each day with the confidence that if we have placed our hope and trust in Christ alone, then we shall not fear or be in want.  

I would rather live everyday in that kind of confidence, joy, and security, than wonder if I have done enough, or am doing enough to secure my way to God....because that is just a never ending battle and downward spiral.

We can NEVER work our own way to a right standing with a Holy God.  That is why it is only Through Christ that my salvation is found.  

Are you standing "In Christ Alone", or are you banking on your own deeds to get you in on a "right standing" with the King?!  

Think about it.  It is so important. 

 

~Grow in Grace~

2 Peter 3:18 

Be On Guard!

It is sometimes so easy to let down our guard.  What do I mean by this?  Well, when we begin to think, "I can handle it", or "it's no big deal", or "its not THAT bad", concerning something that eventually could lead to our downfall, then we are slowly but surely beginning to give way into letting down our guard or our even tearing down our "wall", so to speak, of defense.

The enemy has many tactics he uses to help us in this process.  He can place doubts in our mind.  He can discourage us and begin to encourage us to become unsure of God and His very promises.  We need to be so careful of this.  That is why we must be on our guard!  All the time!!

I love what Leslie Ludy says, 

"If you find that you are constantly distracted with the cares of life, bogged down with emotional or physical “fog,” or pestered with irrational thoughts and fears, there is a good chance that the enemy of your soul is attempting to create confusion and keep you from building a wall of fortification around your life. Beware of saying, “I’ll press into God once these issues are gone.” That is exactly how the enemy wants you to respond. Like Nehemiah, we must aggressively pray and fight until the enemy realizes that we will not kowtow to his bullying.

“Nevertheless we made our prayer to our God, and because of them we set a watch against them day and night…Therefore I positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I…said to…the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight…And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. (Neh. 4:9,13-15)

Christ said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). We must live in such a way that we are constantly on guard, always sober and vigilant against the cunning schemes of the enemy (see 1 Peter 5:8). We mustn’t assume the road will be easy, but let us remember that we have available to us the weapons of heaven (see Eph. 6:10-17). And above all, may we remember who fights through us! “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)."

So, continually fortify your wall of defense dear friends!  If you become discouraged and even fearful, quickly go back to the promises of scripture and cling to that!  

It is so easy to bank so much on our emotions and cause them to lead, but we can't let our feelings take over.  They should follow.  So, even if you may "feel" a certain way or are emotional about something, don't let that be your guide.  Let the Word of God be your stronghold!  

It's a daily battle but all we have to do is take one day at a time.

What will you do today?!  Live in fear and discouragement, following your feelings, or will you cling to the promises of scripture and trust in the very words of the Lord?!  BE ON GUARD!! 

Build up your walls of defense! 

~Grow in Grace~

2 Peter 3:18 

Choosing Our Mental Direction

I love to read a devotional by Jerry Bridges each morning as part of my "quite time".   If you have not read any of his material, I would highly encourage you to do so.  I have a couple of his books listed in my "favorite books" tab here on my blog that you should check out!   He is truly a wise man of God who enjoys nothing less than preaching and teaching the Word of God.

So, this morning I read a devotional by him and it really convicted and challenged me.  I want to share it with you.

~Choosing Our Mental Direction~ 

If we want to live under the influence of God's Word, our minds must be steeped in the Scriptures.  We must constantly turn our minds to His Word, continually pondering the meaning and application of its truth in our lives.  This may seem unrealistic and unattainable in our busy age when our minds need to be occupied with the various responsibilities we all have.  How can we meditate on Scripture when we have to think about our work all day long? 

We should not think of the concept of continually as meaning every moment, but rather as consistently and habitually.   When you can think about anything you want, what do you think about?  Is it your problems or a mental argument with someone else?  Do you allow your mind to drift into the wasteland of impure thoughts?  Or do you begin to meditate on Scripture?  

Thinking is our most constant activity.  Our thoughts are our constant occupation.  We're never without them.  But we can choose the direction and content of those thoughts. 

Mediation on Scripture is a discipline.  We must commit ourselves to be proactive.  We must memorize key passages  (or carry them on cards) so we can think about them.  We must be alert for those times during the day when we can turn our minds to the Word of God, and then we must do it.  Event he practice of daily Bible reading is insufficient if we go the rest of the day without meditating on some truths of Scripture.  We must choose to mediate instead of thinking about other things or listening to the radio watching television.  We simply have to decide what we want our minds to be influenced by, and take steps accordingly. 

                  -Jerry Bridges

Did you feel a twinge of conviction after reading that?!  I sure did.  It really forced me to examine what I think upon the majority of the time.   Am I thinking upon the Truths of scripture or are my thoughts selfish, worldly, or even just "empty"?!  It's really good to examine our own hearts and thoughts.  We need to meditate on Scripture as Christians and let that be what our minds drift to because when we train ourselves to think rightly and upon Truth, we then will be equipped to fight those "mental battles" and focus on what is good, right, and pure verses giving way to what is wrong and unhealthy in our thinking.   

So, I challenge you today, dear friends, to meditate on Scripture, memorize certain passages of God's Word, and choose the mental direction that would honor and please our Savior!  

Have a good start to your week! 

~Grow in Grace~ 

2 Peter 3:18 

Making all Things New!

"Jesus is in the rehab business.  When He takes a broken thing into His hands, it begins to work again...

Obviously, this does not mean instant, complete change right now, in the twinkling of an eye.  It's a lifelong process--until the day when we see Jesus.  Then He will wrap it all up in a twinkling (1 John 3:1-3; Rev. 20-21). 

It's less obvious that we don't become as good as new.  We don't go back to just the way things were before.  Instead, we are qualitatively (describing the quality of something in size, appearance, value, etc.) changed in this process of repair.  We are not 'restored', brought back to a previous condition, but we are 'redeemed', turned into something new, something better and different than we ever were." 

~David Powlison~ 

  This was in a book I read this morning and it was so convicting and just insightful to read!  When you think about it dear friends, for those of us who are in Christ, we are continually in the process of being made new.  

   When we become a child of God, we give up our old ways and are committing now to a knew way of life.  

   I like to think of it in the way of clothes!  I love shopping and buying new things, especially a new shirt or dress.  

   How would it be if I was wearing an old, dirty shirt.  It smelled, and was in desperate need of a wash.  What if I had a dear friend who wanted to give me a new, fresh, clean shirt?!  And to add to it...it was for FREE!  Think of that, a brand new shirt to replace my old, smelly, dirty one, and it was given to me of no charge!  I would be a fool not to take it!  

   That is how it is with our Savior, Christ!  He is cleansing us from our sin and giving us a new life!  It means that we rid ourselves of our old way of things and choose to walk in newness of life, in the way that is righteous and everlasting!  

   Now, in order for Christ to change us, we must be rid of our old "clothes".  It would not make sense for me to accept the free gift of God and yet not "put on" the gift of salvation.  NO! 

    It's like me being so excited about getting a new, clean, shirt, but I just stuff it into my drawer and don't actually put it on.  I am still wearing my disgusting, old shirt.  What a fool I would be! 

   We must first "take off" our old shirt and "put on" our brand new one!  That is what salvation is all about.  

   We are made new!!!   What a beautiful picture!  We no longer have to wear that yucky, old piece of clothing, but instead we can wear our new article of clothing that is beautiful, fresh, and clean! 

   As Christians, we are being made new and whole in Christ!  We must live each day learning more about our gracious Savior and live transformed lives, by the grace and power of Christ! 

   Take that brand new shirt, put it on, and proudly wear it!! :) 

Have a blessed day! 

~Grow in Grace~ 

2 Peter 3:18