"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FROM A PRAYER OF THE APOSTLE PAUL"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FROM A PRAYER OF THE APOSTLE PAUL"

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

(Taken from today's reading in the One Year Bible, Sept 13th, 2014)

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions, and a prayer:

Paul spent many chapters in this 2nd letter to the Corinthian Church, in which he deal with a vast amount of very important issues.
But after all the issues were dealt with, he closed out his letter as he and the other apostles often would do, with a sort of prayer, or a benediction. We might tend to just read and rush through these, but upon a slower and closer look, we find they are rich with truth, and most of the time are also rich with instruction and encouragement. I believe such is the case here. May this be a blessing to your soul today.

1. Believers can farewell.

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Farewell here, means to rejoice, to be glad. To be joyful.
It's as if Paul was simply pointing them in a direction that they ought to go in, and in a direction that God would want them to go in, and live in, and that is in peace.

We not only have peace with God, but we can, as believers, enjoy the peace of God.

Php 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Col 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

2. Believers can become complete.

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Here Paul speaks of becoming complete. The word means to get ready, to prepare, to be equipped, fully trained.
All of the above meanings are very basic to a healthy normal Christian life.
Jesus often spoke this way, and so did the other apostles. Paul, Peter, and John.

Luke 12:40 “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

2nd Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching.”

1st Peter 4:7 “But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”

Revelations 3:2 “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”

3. Believers can be of good comfort.

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

This is lovely and needed. Be of good comfort. How we need comfort in this life and world. And, we can be of good comfort.
God is the God of all comfort.
He comforts His people.

Comfort means encourage.
So, he is saying, be encouraged.
If you were to take a moment and think of why you should be encouraged, I'm certain you would find many, many answers.

4. Believers ought to be of and can be of one mind.

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Believers do not have to live in division and dispute. We can, and ought to live in peace, and in harmony.
The choice is ours.
We can make the choice that leads to this harmony.
It's the choice of our hearts.

Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Php 2:2 “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

1st Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;”

5. Believers can live in peace.

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

It would seem that this part of the verse is actually the fruit of all that was said before this part of the verse.
In other words when believers choose to live in the ways described above, the outcome is peace.

Php 4:7 “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Col 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

6. Believers can expect the God of love and peace to be with them.

2nd Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

This is such a beautiful truth and promise to believers.
It's as mentioned above.
It's not just a prayer.
It's what God promises to do for and with His people.
And, it was Paul's desire for the Corinthians.
It's God desire for you also this very day.

The God of love and peace be with you.

Some Questions:

1. Isn't it good to know that you are one of the "Brethren”? You are a believer, a born again child of God.

2. And, isn't it a blessing to know that God has all of these blessing for His children?

3. When you look over this verse, is there a particular part or point that you say, "I really need that today”?

4. Do you believe that God will give these to you?

5. Will you believe God to respond to Him in whatever way He is directing you to do this day?

A Prayer:

Father, it's amazing to me how much truth and teaching can be included in just one verse. Only You Lord can do such a thing.
Thank You for allowing us to see Your heart towards us in this verse.
And, thank You that these are truths that can be part of our lives day by day.
May it be so Lord, may it be so.
In Jesus’ name, amen

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE AFRAID"

Psalm 55:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”
Psalm 55:4 “In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”å

(Taken from today's reading in the One Year Bible September 12th, 2014)

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions, and a prayer:

David was very well acquainted with life. And as a man whose heart was after the Lord, or towards the Lord, wanting to follow Him, he had many opponents who were against the rule and the reign of God through His king, King David. So David had many opportunities to look to God for help. In this he is an example to us. Because we also as people who desire to follow the Lord have a very real opponent and adversary whose sole purpose is to destroy you. But like David when we are afraid, and who is not, we can do what he did.
Let's enjoy seeing what we can do when we are afraid.

Note. In this particular Psalm David tells us why he was afraid. Here's how it reads in the NLT:

Psalm 55:1 “O God, have mercy on me. The enemy troops press in on me. My foes attack me all day long.”
Psalm 55:2 “My slanderers hound me constantly, and many are boldly attacking me.”

1. Whenever we are afraid.

Psalm 55:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

It's helpful to note here that David is not saying, that there may come a time when I'm afraid, but rather he states that when he is afraid.
He understood that he would have these times.
Trials, attacks, etc, they do come.
We can be sure of it.

And these times can make us afraid.
They can take away our comfort.
Afraid mans dreadful, astonishment, to terrify, and to shoot.

2. We can trust in God.

Psalm 55:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

So, we know that times of fear and terror will come.
And we know what we can do in those times.
In fact we can do this every time we are afraid.
We can do just what David did.
We can trust in God.

In other words, we can make the choice to turn away from our fear and to turn to God.
The word trust here means, to have confidence in, to hope, to be secure to feel safe, to be careless (free from fear).

3. We can praise the Lord in His Word.

Psalm 55:4 “In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?”

Here's an additional choice and action that David took, and so can we.
He not only trusted the Lord, but also praised God.

It's interesting to see how he wrote out this action.
"In God (will praise His Word)”
What does this mean?

It would seem that David knew his position, he was "In God”.
And, in God he would praise His Word.

For us, God has given us His Word.
In David's case he had the Old Testament.

We have both the Old Testament and the New Testament
And as we are in His Word, we see the Lord and all He has done for us.
And it causes us to praise Him.

Praising God is sure a lot better than being afraid of man.

4. We can trust God, and not be afraid of what man can do to us.

Psalm 55:3 “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

We can be just like David.
We can trust the Lord
We do not have to be afraid.
What a wonderful attitude of heart we can take.

Some Questions:

1. Do you have people pressing in upon you at this time in your life?

2. Do you have foes that are attacking you?

3. Do you have slanderers who are hounding you and are boldly attacking you?

4. Do you know that by God's grace and power you can do just as David did?

5. Do you know that you can trust God and you can praise God?

A Prayer:

Father, You talk about not being afraid more than anything else in the Bible. I'm told that You telling Your people not to fear, or not to be afraid, is the most often repeated statement You make in the Bible. It's no wonder, for we are in a world ruled by Satan. We live in a Spiritual battle ground, and fear is a normal reaction to our circumstances. Thank You for this record of what David did. It's so helpful to us. We can follow his footprint, and experience Your comfort. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD"

(Taken from today's Reading in The One Year Bible 9/11/14)

2nd Corinthians 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.

Some explanatory thoughts, applications, questions and a prayer:

Paul had a problem, and God was helping with his problem. His problem was that he might get lifted up in pride because of the experience he had of being taken up into the 3rd heaven (where he saw and heard things that it was not lawful for him to talk about).
God knew that this wonderful experience might cause him to be lifted up in pride, so the Lord allowed a messenger of satan to afflict Paul with some terrible affliction. Paul asked the Lord over and over again to take this affliction away, and God's answer to him is found in the verse we are looking at today. So, let's break this verse down and see how it might apply in our lives.

1. God does speak to His people.

2nd Corinthians 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.

Paul had talked to the Lord many times about this particular affliction. He had really asked God to remove this from him. It was very, very painful for him to have this affliction.

God answered Paul's prayer. The answer is recorded in the verse,

God hears your prayers, and God will answer your prayers if you will wait upon Him.
He promises to hear and answer prayers that are prayed in His name, (according to His will).

2. God has grace for His people that is sufficient for them.

2nd Corinthians 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.

God not only hears and answers prayers, but He often does so in unexpected ways.
Such was the case with Paul.

Notice what God said to Paul. "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”.
What a wonderful fit between human affliction and divine help and comfort.

God's grace is sufficient, which means it's all we need to deal with our problems.
Here's how this reads in the NLT:
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.

3. God's grace is made perfect in our weakness.

2nd Corinthians 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.

It's interesting to note how our weakness's and God's grace match so perfectly.
We have problems and God has grace that fits our problems perfectly.

This is what Paul discovered. That rather than God removing his problem, God was going to give him grace that would work to help him in his weakness, or his affliction and problem.

4. God's people can approach their problems in a different way because of God's grace.

2nd Corinthians 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.

Paul came to realize that if it is true that God gives grace in my problem, then I can rejoice in my problems, because God is going to give me grace which will help me and be more than enough for me.

This changed Paul's entire view and reaction towards his problems. He actually boasted now in his infirmities, because he came to realize that it was during those times that God's grace and power would rest upon him.

Questions:

1. What is your response to this particular verse?

2. Do you feel you understand what Paul was saying here?

3. How would you describe what is being said?

4. Are you having infirmities and difficulties at this time?

5. Will you ask God for His grace and power to rest upon you to help you?

A Prayer:

Father, this is certainly a wonderful and very personal look into the life of the apostle Paul. We often think of these people as super saints if you will. But they were people just like the rest of us. They had blessings and they had buffetings. We have blessings and we have buffetings also. Satan will attack us just as he did Paul and others. But, You have grace that is sufficient and appropriate for us.
With that truth in mind, Lord, help us to adopt the attitude of faith that Paul had. Help us, Lord, to boast and rejoice in times of difficulties because we know that it's in those times we can expect you to really help us out. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE GOODNESS AND FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE GOODNESS AND FAITHFULNESS OF THE LORD"

(Taken from reading today in the One Year Bible 9/10/14)

Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

Psalm 54:5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.

Psalm 54:6 I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Psalm 54:7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

Some explanatory thoughts, applications, questions, and a prayer:

David was no stranger to extreme difficulties. As the King of Israel he had many enemies. The nation of Israel had many enemies.
David lived in the same world we live in. And he dealt with the same basic conflicts and challenges we do.
People often make fun of the devil, and mock those who speak of the devil, but that kind of thinking is the very greatest victory of deception Satan can have in someone's life. That is to discount the fact of the devil's reality. At any rate, behind all of the trouble that came against David was his spiritual enemy. David was a man of God who stood with God and trusted in God and found victory after victory through that trust. God was David's deliverer, and He is our deliverer today.

1. David understood that God was His helper, and the Lord is with those who uphold his life.

Psalm 54:4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

Here are two truths about God for the those who believe.
One, God is our helper.
Two, God is also with or alongside those who help us in our walk and ministry to the Lord.

So, God is personally involved in the lives of His people. He is actually with you. And, he is actually with those other members of the body of Christ also.

Simply put, God is with His people.

2. God will repay those enemies of God for their evil deeds.

Psalm 54:5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth.

Often in Scripture we are told that God is just, and that vengeance belongs to God.
In fact, we are directed by God to let Him deal with our enemies. Just as we are often directed to let the Lord take care of us in every other area of our lives.

What a comfort to know that though we have enemies, it is God who will deal with them, in His own way and in His own time.
By the way, our part as it relates to our enemies is to "pray for enemies”. That is what Jesus told us to do.

Matt 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

3. David on the other hand was worshipping God, praising God for His name is good.

Psalm 54:6 I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.

Here David tells us what he was doing in the midst of this situation. He was focused on the Lord worshipping him.
He was praising God, because God is good.

While we have battles and enemies, etc, that fact does not prevent us from being just like David. In the midst of life and all it’s troubles, David remained steady in his walk with the Lord, and enjoyed knowing the Lord, and spent time telling Him so.

4. David could look back on past deliverances by God, and David saw how the Lord took care of his enemies.

Psalm 54:7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble; And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

One of the blessings of knowing God and having walked with God for some period of time was David's ability to look backwards over his own personal history and see the delivering hand of God in his life. These past acts of God were demonstrations of God's faithfulness, and gave David courage and faith in the moment as he sought to deal with his present circumstances and challenges that lay ahead.

God is unchanging, thus what He was yesterday, He is today, and will be forever and ever.

Some Questions:

1. Don't we all need reminders from time to time that God is actually with us?

2. When you read the Bible don't you see often where God tells you to let Him take care of your enemies?

3. In the meantime, is there anything to keep you from worshipping the Lord and praising Him for His wonderful deeds towards you?

4. Hasn't God delivered you in the past? Haven't you seen the Lord do just exactly what He has promised to do for you?

A Prayer:

Father, we love the Psalms. But we love You more than the Psalms themselves. The Psalms tell us so much about You, and we are so grateful for them. Thank You for giving us 150 Psalms. That is a whole lot of blessing for us. It seems that when we read them we find something that seems to fit our lives to the tee. It's no coincidence, Lord. It's You speaking to the very needs and circumstances in our lives. Thank You for Your unceasing help in our lives Father. We truly are grateful, and love you dearly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE DANGER OF SIN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT THE DANGER OF SIN"

(Taken from Today's Reading from the One Year Bible)

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions and a prayer:

Isaiah was a prophet of God sent by God to minister to the southern kingdom of Judah. Like the other prophets God sent him to point out the sins of the people, and to call them to repentance, and back to the blessings of God. God was trying to prevent further destruction from coming into their lives. Unfortunately, they did not listen, and wound up going into captivity by the Babylonians.

These two verses are very descriptive of the depths of darkness the people had fallen into. God, through Isaiah, was warning them of what terror awaited them. The Word "Woe" used in the Bible always speaks of judgement to come. It was coming, and it did come.

1. Judgement will come upon those who call evil good, and good evil.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

It's very amazing at how powerful sin is, that it can make a person think that evil is good and good is evil. And that darkness is light, and light is darkness.

Sin corrupts the mind and reasoning of man so that he gets the truth backwards and lives a backwards misdirected unfruitful life.
God was saying to the people, this is the way you are living and judgement is coming on the heels of your activities.
Destruction is certain is another way of saying it when people have sunk this low and this far away from God's truth.

2. Judgement will come upon those who put darkness for light and light for darkness. Who put bitter for sweet.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

This is basically a repeat of what was said earlier. In the Bible, light is a symbol of truth and righteousness, and darkness is a symbol of evil and lies. God was saying when men get to the point where they are saying that light is dark, and dark is light, they are extremely twisted in their moral character and thinking.

To call good evil, and evil good, and light darkness, and darkness light is perversity at its greatest. There is nothing worse.
This is where the Children of Judah were at.
They had abandoned the Word of God and would not listen to the men He sent to them.
In fact they killed and stoned the prophets of God.
It's not really any different today.
People can get so far away from God that they reject those whom God sends to them. It's frightening what can happen to a person.

3. Judgement will come upon those who are wise in their own eyes. And prudent in their own sight.

Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

This is another way of describing the sad condition of the people.
They were wise in their own eyes.
Or they were so filled with pride they had no room for God.
They were proud instead of humble.
They had no fear of God in their lives anymore.

They considered themselves to be prudent, or clever.
Man is not what he needs to be apart from God.
We need the wisdom and truth of God.
God calls us to not trust in ourselves, but in Him.
The Children of Judah had departed from humility, and were lifted up in pride.

Some Questions:

1. Do you realize that sin actually blinds a person to the truth of God?

2. Isn't it terribly sad that God's own people were now headed down a path of destruction?

3. Would you agree that we as Christians could stand a good dose of understanding the terribleness of sin more than we do?

4. Guess who is behind all this mixed up thinking? You probably guessed right, it's the devil himself.

5. When you look at our nation today, would you say we are similar to Judah, or do you see us as not being like them?

6. If you believe we are like the children of Judah, what do you think awaits us a nation?

A Prayer:

Father, Your Word has been given to us to reveal so many things. Your Word deals with the important issues of life, like sin, judgement, redemption, reconciliation, repentance, and forgiveness. Your Word also reveals to us how corrupt our hearts can become. Father, we know that Your son is at Your right hand interceding for us to be kept from evil and the evil one. If Jesus is praying for us in this manner, then it must be a very real danger for us to watch out for. Would You help us to be renewed in the fear of the Lord. Please help us, Lord, to be sober minded, and to be alert and watchful, guarding our hearts and watching over our families. We thank You for our church, and pray that we would follow Your leading, and that You would watch over us, and direct us into Your Word. Give us understanding, awaken us where needed. Someone once said the job of the minister is to "comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable”. May we be able ministers of Your Lord God. In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT A PROMISE AND A WARNING FROM GOD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT A PROMISE AND A WARNING FROM GOD"

(Taken from today's reading in the One Year Bible for September 8th)

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

Isaiah 1:20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Some explanatory thoughts, application, questions and a prayer:

Isaiah was a prophet of God, sent by God to minister to the nation of Israel. He ministered over a span of time that included a handful of different kings. As with most of the prophets, if not all, Isaiah's message was a plea to acknowledge their sins, and turn back to the Lord who would restore and bless them. And if they did not, He would judge them. These messages could not have been any more important for the people, and the principles of these messages still apply to us today.

1. God calls His people to come to Him, and reason together.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

Come now, or come to me, is one of God's favorite sayings. He wants His people to come to Him. In this case the people had been going away from Him, and He is inviting them to come back to Him. It's their choice, and it's God's hope and desire that they would respond to Him.

2. God promises to forgive the sins of His people.

Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

Only God can forgive sins. Man cannot forgive his own sins. God wanted to forgive His people.
Here is how this part of the verse reads in the NLT:
“No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool.”

Isn't that beautiful. God can remove our sins.

3. God also explains the blessings of obedience to Him.

Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

Here we see that God does not force His people to come to Him, but rather identifies the fact of their being able to make a choice.
If you are willing, He says, and if You are obedient. Willingness and obedience will lead to blessing, that's what God was promising his people.

In essence, God was saying, "If you will only obey me and let me help you, then you will have plenty to eat."

4. Additionally, God explains the consequences of disobedience to Him.

Isaiah 1:20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Now this is the proverbial "other side of the coin”. God is telling His people that if they do not come to Him, and are not willing and obedient to Him, and if they keep going away from Him, and refuse to listen to Him, destruction through their enemies was coming.

To try and make them know the seriousness and truth of this consequence God tells them, "For the mouth of the LORD has spoken”.
In other words, these are not empty words, but rather these are the words of God who cannot lie.

Questions/Application:

1. Do we not have a gracious and loving God?

2. Isn't it true that He loves us so and desires that we walk with Him?

3. Do you believe His promises to forgive sins?

4. Are you by any chance away from Him at this time in your life?

5. If you are away from Him, take hope, because He is calling You back to Himself, and He will receive you and wash you of your sins.

6. May God help us to be balanced in our understanding of both the goodness and the severity of the Lord.

A Prayer:

Lord God, our Father in heaven, we honor You and exalt Your name today. Who do we have in heaven like You? Who do we have on earth like You? Who can do for us what You can do? No one, no not one single person. You alone are God. You are gracious and patient, long-suffering and forgiving. Thank You for Your Word which gives us Godly wisdom on how to live our lives while we wait to be with You.
Thank You again, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.