"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE"

Ephesians 1:3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.

Ephesians 1:4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

Ephesians 1:5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.

Ephesians 1:6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son.

Ephesians 1:7 He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. Paul was praising God for the fact of His blessings in the lives of the Christians in Ephesus. And these same blessings belong to each and every believer today, just as they did then. These blessings belong to those who are in Christ, ( this is the Bible's way of describing our position now that we are saved ) Here again, is what God said through Paul. Ephesians 1:3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. So, let's look at some of these blessings, and may you be blessed as you do.

2. God loves you, and He chose you to be in Christ, and has set you apart, to be without fault before Him.
Ephesians 1:4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. So, even before the world began, God loved you, and and picked you to be holy, or set apart to Himself, and that you would be without any fault before Him. Being in Christ means that there is no condemnation anymore.

3. God has adopted you into His family, as His child. See Ephesians 1:5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.
Adopting you has always been His plan, and He accomplished His plan in and through Jesus Christ. And, having You as His child has given and does give Him great pleasure.

4. God has poured out His love on you. Ephesians 1:6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. What a thought. He has actually poured out His love. Not given it in drips and drabs, or now and then, but rather poured it out. And, He has done this because You belong to Jesus Christ.

5. God has both purchased us, and He has forgiven us of our sins. Ephesians 1:7 He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. Believers belong to God. The reason we do, is that He bought us, or He redeemed us. The price was the blood of Jesus Christ. And, not only did He purchase us, but He has forgiven us of all our sins. They are gone because of Jesus Christ's death on the cross for us. Jesus paid for our sins, and now as those who belong to Him, we are clean from our sins. They are forgiven.

6. A Recap of the blessings of God. (And, this is just a small sample of the many blessings we have in Christ)

There are many of them. Paul says, blessing(s)

We are loved by God.

God has chosen us to be His children.

The Lord adopted us into His family.

Our Father poured out His love upon us.

We have been purchased by God, and now belong to Him.

Finally, our sins have been forgiven.

A prayer:

Father, we stand in awe as we truly consider what You have done for us, and what You are doing, and what You will do for us. Thank You for all of the many, many blessings that belong to us. You have given us all of these blessing through Your Son Jesus Christ. You are the great blessing dispenser, and Jesus is the way that You have dispensed them. We are the blessed ones. And, we praise You this day for them. May our lives reflect to the world around us, of all that You have given to us. May we bring glory and honor to You, for You are worthy O Lord to receive it. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HOW TO VIEW A TRIAL"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HOW TO VIEW A TRIAL"

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. The Lord tells us how to view a trial, right in the very first verse in our devotional today. James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials. In other words, the Lord is telling us that whenever trouble comes our way, let it be an opportunity for joy. Now, that sounds odd, and it does not seem to go well with our natural thinking. When trouble comes our way, let's regard it with joy, or see it as an opportunity for joy. Yes, that is what God tells us. He will explain why in the next 2 verses.

But, first of all, please notice how these trials or troubles come to us. James 1:2 ......when you fall into various trials. Or simply when troubles come your way. What James is saying, is that trials, troubles can just come upon us without any advance warning, ( although there could be some advance warning ) but, more often than not, they come in a way that is surprising, and if it's or like you were walking along, and all of a sudden you fell into a hole that you did not know was in your path. That's how they come.

2. But, now we are told why we can accept and view a trial as an opportunity for joy. James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. It's simple. It's because if we respond God's way to the trials that He allows in our lives, those trials, those times of testing, will produce patience in our lives. They will add a blessing to us. Here's how the NLT says it James 1:3 For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. How true it is. When God tests or proves our faith, the net result, or the end result is that we grow in the Lord. That's why what we were told earlier is true. "consider it all joy" or "Let it be an opportunity for joy"
It's always a blessing and a great joy when we grow in the Lord.

Here's how that trial and it's results are stated in Heb 12:11No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it is painful! But afterward there will be a quiet harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

The NKJV reads this way. Heb 12:11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

3. The final thing that is said to us about trials is this, James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Or, "So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." That's in the NLT version.

We are encouraged to cooperate with God in a trial. What does that mean? Well, it's our faith that is being tested, and what the Lord wants us to do in a trial, is to "trust HIm" To have an "active faith in Him" To simply keep believing Him, His Word, and just be patient. Being patient in trials is very important. We cannot hurry a trial to it's end, that's all in God's plan and time. But, what we can do is just believe Him, and be patient, till the Lord has accomplished what He wants to through the trial or trials that have come into our lives.

4. Let's take one final look again at what the Lord does through a trial as we patiently believe Him.
James 1:4...... that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. As you develop through the trial, you will become strong in character, and ready for anything. You will become a well rounded Christian. A maturing Christian.

A prayer:

Father, You have not only brought us into life through faith in Christ who died for our sins, and rose again from the dead, but You are now seeking to grow us up in Christ into mature men and women of God. Trials are not easy Lord, but, in the end, they are so good for us. We pray, that You would help us to respond to trials the way You have taught us here in James. May we thank You in advance for what You will do in us. We love You Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S STRENGTH IN YOUR WEAKNESS'S"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S STRENGTH IN YOUR WEAKNESS'S"

2nd Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2nd Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Some explanatory throughs/application, and a prayer:

1. Paul is telling us about a great lesson he learned from the Lord, and it's a lesson, or truth about God that He wants for each of us to understand, and apply in our lives. If we do, we will be very encouraged during our own times of weakness's and needs.

2. First of all, Paul tells us what God told Him, when he had asked to take away this very painful thorn in the flesh. It's believed that Paul had a very serious and painful medical issue. He had pleaded with God to take it away from him. ( by the way, God has allowed this painful "thorn in the flesh" to be in Paul's life, to help keep him humble, in light of the revelations he had received from the Lord. See 2nd Cor 12:1-8

3. Here's what the Lord said in response to Paul's many requests and pleadings with the Lord. 2nd Cor 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

In other words, God was telling Paul that "His grace would be sufficient" for Paul in his weakness and need. God went on to tell Paul, "for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Or as it's stated in the NLT "Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.”

4. So, Paul had come to learn this very, very, and important lesson. It's contained in these two verses, let's just take one more look at the both of them in the NLT Version.

2nd Cor 12:9 Each time he said, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.

2nd Cor 12:10 Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You see, Paul came to find out, and so can you and I, that when we have weakness's difficulties, trials, hardships etc, etc, that God will give us His strength to get us through. Someone has said, that God is attracted to weakness. He loves to come and help us. And, Paul was figuring this out.

5. So, from then on as Paul faced, infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, He would take great pleasure in also finding God's strength to help him through. So, Paul had become content in the difficult times of his life, and so can you and I as we realize this wonderful truth about God. God's power works best in weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. As Paul said, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." And the same can be said of us, as trust the Lord.

A prayer:

Father, Your ways are not our ways. And, it's not true that "You help those who help themselves" But, rather, You help those who cannot help themselves. Thank You for Your grace, it is indeed sufficient to get us through whatever we are going through. These would be good verses Lord for us to commit to memory. Help us to learn them in our minds, and then, let them sink deep into our hearts, and become a regular part of our lives. Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier.
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER"

Hebrews 10:24 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. NLT.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. This chapter is filled with various encouragements and teachings about the many blessings that we have in Jesus Christ, and these verses are encouraging us to be a blessing and encouragement to one another.

2. First of all, we are asked, to Hebrews 10:24 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. This is something God calls us to do, and we can do it, and it's a sure fire way of helping one another out. Imagine that, to "think of ways to encourage one another" The NKJV says it this way, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,"

3. The idea in this text is that we would think of ways to stir one another up to love and good works. So, our focus is to help each other to walk in love, and to do the good works that God has put before them. How great is our God that He would direct us to minister to one another in this way. Usually, when we hear about "stirring up someone" it's in the negative, but here, is very positive and loving.

4. The other verse, is actually a warning. Hebrews 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. Notice, it's telling us "let us not neglect meeting together as some people do" So, there can be this tendency to not make fellowship with other believers one of our Godly priorities. The Bible places great emphasis on fellowship, because, it has such great benefits for us. We can make each other stronger in Christ when we are together, so, the Lord says, "don't neglect this"

5. Also, there is a final part to this warning/encouragement. Hebrews 10:25b "but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." So, instead of neglecting fellowship, we are encouraged to "fellowship" and to warn each other. That is, we are to help protect each other, to warn each other of the dangers we face in our walks, and we are to do this all the more, now that we are closer to the coming of Christ. Jesus is in heaven today, but He is not going to stay there forever. He is waiting to come back to the earth. He is going to come and take His church to heaven, and then bring the great tribulation on the earth, and when that is over, He is going to come back with His church, to reign and to rule on the earth for 1000 years.

6. So, in the meantime, here again is what God says to us.

Hebrews 10:24 Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.

Hebrews 10:25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near. NLT.

A prayer:

Father, thank You for making loving You, and loving each other the two most important commandments we have from You. You want to share Your love with us, and then through us with one another. You want us to enjoy Your love. Thank You that You have a plan for each of us, good works to walk in. And, thank You for our church bodies, that we can enjoy, that we can be encouraged by, and be an encouragement to. Jesus is coming back, and we are all the closer now, then when we first believed. So, Lord, help us to take Your Word to heart, to stay in close fellowship with one another, and to encourage each other to love and to good works, In Jesus name. Amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT KNOWING GOD'S WILL FOR LIFE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT KNOWING GOD'S WILL FOR LIFE"

Rom 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

Rom 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer to our God:

1. This part of Romans, begins the application part. The first 11 chapters have been explaining to us what God has done for us in saving us by His grace through faith, it's called, "Justification" Now Paul begins to explain what the believer is to do. And, as we you can see from the 2 Scriptures above, it's a call to being right in God's will for your life. What Paul does here, is to explain what the process is for a Christian to be in God's will for their lives.

2. Right off the bat, here's what we are told. Rom 12:1a "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept" This is not a command, but rather a plea, Paul is actually begging the Christians in Rome to give themselves to God as living sacrifices.

One of the truths about the will of God, is that it's up to us to move toward God, and we are promised that He will move toward us, and we will experience His will in our lives. But, the first thing that we must do, is to "place ourselves at His disposal"

3. Paul helps us understand what it means to give ourselves to God when he says in Rom 12:1b "Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?" He is saying that in the giving of our bodies to the Lord, we are actually to let them be "living and holy sacrifices" And, please note, "the kind he will accept" In other words, God has saved you, and now God will accept you, as you give yourself to Him. Isn't that wonderful and encouraging.

Paul asks this one question about our giving ourselves to God in Rom 12:1c "When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?" How would you answer that.? Of course not. He has saved You by sending Jesus to die on the cross for your sins, and now, He is asking if it's too much to give yourself to God.
It's really your reasonable service. It's the only logical thing to do in light of what He has done for us.

4. Now, here's the last but, very important truth about a Christian knowing the will of God.

Rom 12:2 "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."

There are a few things here.

(1) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world. Or don't let the world squeeze you into its mold.

(2)  But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Or "but be transformed by the renewing of your mind," Let God change your life, by the renewing of Your mind. That happens by letting Christ and His Word into your life, and taking Him, and His Word to heart. God will renew Your mind, and thus your life will be changed.

(3) Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. This is the result of giving yourself to God and letting Him renew your mind. You will know what God wants you to do. And, You will find out how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is for your life.

5. So, as you can see, God does have a will for your life. But, as you can also see, He calls you to make yourself available to Him, and in turn, He will bring you right into what is pleasing to Him for you, and that is His will for your life. But, you must act, you must yield Yourself to Him. And if you do, He promises to reveal Himself to you.

It cannot be said enough, but how important His Word is in all of this. Look again at what is said. Rom 12:2b "but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."

God's Word and God's Will cannot be separated. They must be joined together by you. And, it's a simple act really. And, it's the most reasonable and logical thing to do. "Place Yourself at God's Disposal, and avoid letting the world around you mold You, but instead, let God renew your mind, and transform your life"

A prayer:

Father, You have saved us by Your mercy. You sent Jesus, and He died to pay for our sins. You called us to repentance, You gave us faith to believe, and we have become Your children. You have done it all for us. And, now You invite us into the most blessed life a person can have, and that is to walk in the will of a loving, and a wise God. Who knows better what is best for us? Us or You? Lord, it's You. And this day, we would like to act upon Your Word, and place ourselves at Your disposal. And, thank You in advance for what You are going to do in our lives. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER IN OUR LIVES"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT'S POWER IN OUR LIVES"

Col 1:11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy;

Some explanatory thoughts/application, and a prayer:

1. This verse is part of a prayer by Paul for the Christians in the city of Colosse.

2. The primary thing that Paul is praying for is that they would be given strength from the Holy Spirit. He actually says, Col 1:11 "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power,"

3. This is also something that you can pray for day by day. I pray this prayer often for myself and others. God will answer this prayer, because, we know it's according to His will. He will give you strength.

4. Please notice with me, the three reasons why, or the three benefits, or the three effects of being strengthened by the Holy Spirit. This is not an exhaustive list, but it's sure a very primary one.

(1) For all patience

(2) And long-suffering.

(3) With joy.

5. What do these things mean?. Well, first of all, Patience means steadfastness, or constancy. In the Bible, it's the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings. It's the idea of "sustaining perseverance" or just simply being able to "hang in there" Sometimes, it's said, that it's being patient with difficult circumstances.

6. Long-suffering is often used when speaking of dealing with difficult people in your life. It's very similar to patience, and means, a patient endurance, a forbearance, a slowness to avenge wrongs. It's the idea of the temper which does not easily succumb under suffering. It's the self restraint that does not hastily retaliate a wrong.

7. Finally, Joy. This is one of the purposes of God through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Joy, means gladness, or delight. God will give us this in spite of our circumstances. It's been said that happiness is dependent on our having favorable circumstances, whereas Joy, is not. We are happy when things go well.
But, Joy is something we can have from God even when nothing is going well.

A prayer:

Father, You are the God of patience, You are long-suffering, and You give us joy. Thank You that we can ask for You to make us strong through Your Holy Spirit. And, we do that this day. "Lord, would you please "strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy;"
We need this, and we thank You in advance for answering our prayer, in Jesus name. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia