How to grow in grace

2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

How do I grow in grace? Grace is mercy and pardon. Perhaps by extending grace to others we can grow our “grace muscles.” Is there anyone on your heart and mind today that needs your grace, pardon, and forgiveness extended to them? Funny how the word grace is before knowledge; without learning how to extend grace to others we cannot grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ without learning how to extend grace is just an exercise in religion: dead, hollow religion. But extending grace is the real stuff, partnering with Jesus Christ, allowing Him to extend his grace and forgiveness to others through you, even when you don’t want to.

Grow in grace and the rest will follow…

What are you the father of?

In Genesis 17:5, God meets with Abram and changes his name, “No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” From then on when Abraham would introduce himself, he would introduce himself as the “father of many nations.” God changed Abraham’s destiny, calling, and giftings when he changed his name. In order for Abraham to embrace his life’s change, God changed his name to reflect the changed calling on Abraham’s life.

 What are you called to do?

Abraham was called to be a father to many nations. In fact, in Matthew 1:1, the very first chapter and verse in the Bible we find Abraham’s calling has surpassed his life, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Did you catch that, the son of Abraham? Not only was Abraham the father of many nations but his genealogy carried over into the very lineage of Jesus Christ, forty-two generations later.

Ask yourself the following questions:

 What will you do today that will outlive you?

 Which of your giftings will extend to generations to come?

 Look at your “to do list” what items will have a lasting, continual effect for generations to come?

 And finally…Are you fully engaged in your calling?

The Holy Spirit is our Guide

The Holy Spirit is our guide in life. John 17:17, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." What is a guide? A guide is someone that has been to where you need to go before you have had an opportunity to go there. A guide knows the lay of the land and can get you to your final destination safer and quicker than you could get their on your own. A guide tells you when to rest, when to move on, and when to wait out the storm. You must have complete trust in your guide in order to get to where you need to go. You must travel light and not be burdened with the cares of this world or you will be hindered on your journey. Each day with the Holy Spirit as your guide is a step closer to your final destination and destiny in God.

The power of invitation

We are a society in constant transition and busyness. Pick up the kids by five, soccer practice by five-thirty, dinner in the minivan on the way home, you get the picture. In this place of constant transition, people need a place of refuge they can go to and just be themselves.

In Jesus day it was the well in the center of town.

We find the following events in John 4:6, Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
Jesus is at a Samaritan well, alone, tired, thirsty and weary, seeking some solace from the noonday sun.

Here is the Samaritan woman, the woman with no name, getting water at noon. Pay attention to the time. Noon, who gets water at noon? At noon, I can guarantee their will not be any people to run into, no icy stares to turn away from.
The well is the local office water cooler in today’s society.

“What did you do this weekend?”
"Did you hear about Julie’s kid getting in trouble with the police this weekend?”
“Did you see what Don’s secretary was wearing today?”

But the woman, with no name I might add, is alone and that’s how she prefers it. She has purposely sought out a time when no one would be there to see her getting water, when no one would be able to talk with her. No sideways glances, no off-handed remarks.

“Is she here!”
“Isn’t she on her third marriage?”
“How many men has she shacked up with?”

Like a master fisherman, casting out his line, waiting patiently for a strike, is Jesus… “Please give me a drink.” The lady is surprised; no one has talked openly with her in quite awhile; especially at the well. Plus, this stranger doesn’t even have a bucket to get water with. Jesus and the woman continue to talk, she opens up to his questions and answers truthfully. Jesus tells the woman that He is in fact the Messiah and the woman is amazed. Amazed so much that she leaves her water jar by the well and goes back into the village. Not only does she go back to the village, but she goes back and tells everyone what Jesus has told her.

This woman that hid from the crowds due to her embarrassment is now Jesus’ messenger of hope. And more people come to Jesus, after listening to the woman, to see Jesus for themselves. Not only do they listen to Jesus, but they entrust their lives to Him.

This story closes out with Jesus telling His disciples about the harvest.

John 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

The harvest is ready!

Jesus isn’t talking about plants; He is talking about souls, about people. About people that are waiting to hear a word about Jesus, about who He is, from you. Don’t overlook the opportunities that arise in your life when you hear the Holy Spirit tugging on your heart to tell the cashier at Wal-Mart that Jesus loves her and has a plan for her life.

Like the story of Jesus in the fourth chapter of John, those moments may not come at the most opportune moment. They hardly ever do. When your children are tugging at you, when the cell phone is ringing, may be your biggest and most important opportunity to tell someone about Jesus.

Please do, it will change a life!

Jesus and a whip!

Matthew 21:12; Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.
This is the beginning of the last week of Jesus on earth; pay attention, these are the final acts and words that Jesus is about to accomplish and say. As Jesus enters the outer courts of the temple he finds disarray, greed, and stealing. He finds robbers, in cahoots with the priests of God, robbing the people by charging visitors to Jerusalem high prices for “approved” sacrificial animals and currency exchange at high, exuberant prices.
Here, the gentle, loving lamb we have come to know becomes a roaring lion! Overturning tables of the greedy robbers and their chairs; yes, even their chairs. That part is easy to miss, I’ve always envisioned Jesus just overturning the tables but he overturned their seats as well; seats that people, perhaps in authority, were sitting in. Can you imagine sitting in one of those seats as Jesus yells in your ear that you are desecrating God’s temple as He forcibly and suddenly seizes your chairs rear legs and pulls the chair out from under you as you go crashing to the ground. In John’s description of the event, Jesus makes a whip beforehand and uses it as He clears out the court. Jesus is serious about sacrifice to the Father. Jesus is serious about prayer. The outer temple courts were the designated place for people to pray before entering the temple. Giving, sacrifice, and prayer are so important to God that He makes an example out of the priests and the money-changers that are robbing His people. Visitors are being taking advantage of and Jesus will not allow his church leaders to continue robbing the people. When Jesus removes the priests and the robbers from their tables He gets to the real business of God; healing the people. Blind eyes are restored and the lame are healed to walk again.
Jesus knows about sacrifice, it’s no question why it so dear to his heart. This is the last week of Jesus’ life on earth.

Joyful Praise

Matthew 215, But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant. Jesus has recently entered Jerusalem and had just thrown out the people in the temple courts who were charging exuberant, unfair amounts of money to the people who needed their money excanged. And then the children start praising Jesus in the temple. Notice it’s not the leaders, it’s not the adults, it’s the children that are praising Jesus, not only praising Jesus, but shouting and crying out to Jesus with their praises. The children recognized Jesus and shouted joyful praise to Him. And how did the church leaders responded, they were displeased. Don’t let your busyness or adult heart turn you away from joyfully praising Jesus. Don’t let the cares of this world deter your praise to Jesus.
Matthew 18:3, And he (Jesus) said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.