His Grace That Saves

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

It’s Gods grace that gives us life and saves
All because Christ conquered the grave
He left His royalty to walk as a man
His message is repent and firmly stand
Stand firm in Gods Word and walk away from the flesh
To live in this world no longer to mesh

It’s Gods grace that saves us from a life of sin
He knocks at the door will you let Him come in
He wants to come in and change your heart
That’s been His plan right from the start
As he changes your heart give Him your fight
It’s Gods Spirit that is your guiding light

It’s Gods grace that saves us so we don’t have to die
We don’t live for this world and live out a lie
We can live out Gods Word and walk in His ways
Wearing His Armor we no longer have to stray
Stray from our Lord or stray from our God
Just walk in His ways and stand in His Awe

 

© Copyright By Bart Hickey, All Rights Reserved, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014

 

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY, CHRISTIAN TAGALOG BLOGS, CHRISTIAN TEENS BLOGS, CHRISTIAN URDU BLOGS, SHARING STRUGGLES , Shaping Spiritual Solutions! | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Peace of Rejoicing

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

Sweet sky palette

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5

I’ve been silent lately. I always try to wait for the Lord to lead my heart before I write. So this morning I write you this.

Continue reading →

Posted in CHRISTIAN LIFE AND THE WORD, SHARING STRUGGLES , Shaping Spiritual Solutions!, WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

SIH’s Think On These Things: Ephesians 4:16

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

SIH TOTT ICON“Reflections Of His Grace”

“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

The Grace Of Maturity: Ephesians 4:7-16

 

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) 

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

 

With this devotional, we are beginning the second division of the book of Ephesians.  Previously, we have looked at “Reflections Of His Grace Revealed” (chaps 1-3).  It that section, Paul revealed to us the gracious works of the Lord in the lives of His chosen people.

In this new section “Reflections Of His Grace Applied” (chaps 4-6) Paul will be explaining to us the practical effects of God’s grace in the lives of His people.

  1. The Grace Of Unity (4:1-6)
  2. The Grace Of Maturity (4:7-16)
  3. The Grace Of Renewal (4:17-32)
  4. The Grace Of Imitation (5:1-14)
  5. The Grace Of Wisdom (5:15-21)
  6. The Grace Of Relationships (5:22-33)
  7. The Grace Of Authority/Submission (6:1-9)
  8. The Grace Of Preparedness (6:10-21)

Continue reading →

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY, CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS OF BELIEF, CHRISTIAN LIFE AND THE WORD, SETTLED IN HEAVEN | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nuggets – The Mind of Christ

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

The Mind of Christ
“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16)

The mind of the natural man is “a reprobate mind” (Romans 1:28), a “carnal mind” (Romans 8:7), and a “defiled” mind (Titus 1:15), characterized by a daily walk “in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:17-18).

When a person is born again through faith in Christ, however, he should be “transformed by the renewing of [his] mind” (Romans 12:2) and should henceforth seek to conform to the mind of Christ in every attitude and every decision.

But what is the mind of Christ? As our text says: “Who hath known the mind of the Lord?” Paul echoed the same question to the Romans: “For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor?” (Romans 11:34).

There are many aspects to his infinite mind, of course, but the key is undoubtedly the great attribute of sacrificial love. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who . . . became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:5-6, 8).

Thus, following his example, we should “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3). We should constantly “consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest [we] be wearied and faint in [our] minds” (Hebrews 12:3). We should receive “the word with all readiness of mind” and serve “the Lord with all humility of mind” (Acts 17:11; 20:19). Herein is the mind of Christ. HMM

From Institute for Creation Research

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY, CHRISTIAN LIFE AND THE WORD, CHRISTIAN NUGGETS, CHRISTIAN TAGALOG BLOGS, CHRISTIAN TEENS BLOGS | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

HE LIFTS US UP: ABUSE AWARENESS– Bullying

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

bullying I am continuing a series on the various abuses. Now, I will proceed with the next abuse: “Bullying…”

Bullying is defined as unwanted, assertive or aggressive behavior among children, teens, and even adults that involves a power imbalance, whether real or perceived. It includes spreading rumors, making threats, excluding someone from a group on purpose, as well as attacking someone, whether physically or verbally.

There are several types of bullying: Continue reading →

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY, CHRISTIAN TAGALOG BLOGS, CHRISTIAN TEENS BLOGS, HE LIFTS US UP, SHARING STRUGGLES , Shaping Spiritual Solutions! | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moral High Ground Eroding Rapidly

Posted on April 23, 2014 by

Florida Megachurch Pastor Resigns For “Moral Failing”

Christian School Teacher Accused Of Sex With 14-Year-Old Student

From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.Luke 12:48

Both these events occurred this week in Florida. After the teacher’s arrest the judge ordered him held without bond for, what the judge called, “the abuse of a position of trust and authority.”

In the pastor’s case, at least he resigned before anyone discovered his failing and made a public circus and social media firestorm of his moral failing as pastor of a 20,000 member Calvary Chapel, Fort Lauderdale megachurch.

It’s easy to shake our heads and judge fallen pastors and other men and women in highly visible positions of trust and authority. It’s easy to blame Jezebel or Hollywood, or our fallen, sinful, if-it-feels-good-do-it culture.

It’s not so easy, however, to hold up a mirror and ask ourselves if our moral ground is solid. It’s not easy to examine our own hearts, or to see the plank in our own eye. But when we hear or read about moral failings of our leaders, the first place we need to look is inward.

We’ll never know what motivates pastors, priests or public officials to abuse the privileges of leadership they hold. But we know Who can keep us from sliding down the same muddy slope.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24 NASB

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY, ALL GOD'S PEOPLE, CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS OF BELIEF, DIFFERENT STROKES, Face your Feeling, SHARING STRUGGLES , Shaping Spiritual Solutions!, WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The reality of Christ

Posted on April 22, 2014 by

Jesus was a man. Jesus suffered and died but rose from the grave unlike any other man or Prophet of God. Jesus lives today in Heaven – to heal people’s diseases and to forgive the sins of a sinner. Jesus meets every need in the life of Christian. Jesus is more than a story he is a reality and the head of the Church. Jesus is exalted and very much alive today. Jesus has dominion over the power of Satan. Jesus changes hearts morally and makes men new creatures. Jesus is more than a Prophet. Jesus is God, He reigns, and is very much real today. Glory to Christ in the highest! He reigns!

Posted in CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS OF BELIEF, CHRISTIAN LIFE AND THE WORD | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The 3rd day. Women broken, lost.

Posted on April 22, 2014 by
 
I recently published a blog on the reaction of the women who visited the tomb on the 3rd day. But what if it had been different?

Before dawn, the two Marys and Solome returned to the tomb with oil to anoint the body. They were grief stricken. Jesus, the rabbi, their lord, was dead. Hope was dead. The world had turned dark.

When they arrived at the tomb, the stone was in place. It was more than they could move without assistance.

“Help us roll back the stone, so that we can anoint the body” the pleaded with the soldiers on guard.

“Begone, women. We can not allow anyone to open this tomb today. You, or someone else will steal the body to try to perpetuate this fraud. Go, go now, before we have to strike you.”

The women fell, the strength pulled from them. All the hopes, all the good things promised. Gone, he was dead. Sealed in the tomb.

The skies were dark, the world quiet. Despair ruled. Tyranny continued.

The Sanhedrin would be meeting, proclaiming the truth of what they had said. This was no son of God. He was an imposter, a disciple of the devil. And now he was just another dead man with nothing to offer, nothing to fear.

The women crawled a bit away, still keeping a vigil. But the stone stayed in place. The soldiers laughed and boasted about how the King of the Jews had been put in his place. Just another dead man.

************************

Think for a moment what this world might be like had these been the events on the first Easter…

A world in darkness. Without hope. A world ruled by tyranny…

Shalom, Art
Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY | 3 Comments

Companions of the Garden

Posted on April 22, 2014 by

We are Companions of the GardenIn ancient times, one of the greatest honors that could be bestowed on a person by a king or person of high position was to make someone a “companion of the garden.” Kings or others of high influence built magnificent, walled gardens. The greatest of these were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built by King Nebuchadnezzar. So magnificent were Nebuchadnezzar’s gardens that they are named one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

These gardens were not available to everyone. For most people in Babylon, there was only a remote view of the beauty over the walls, a waft of the fragrance of the vegetation in the air. Most of the denizens of city were probably what today we would call “lower class,” laborers, craftsmen or slaves. The Hanging Gardens were built and supported by the sweat of their labor.

Continue reading →

Posted in A CLICK A BLESSING TODAY | 1 Comment

Miracle of miracles – Dead and Alive!

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? (Luke 24:1-5. ESV)

On the third day, the women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. When they arrived, they found that the stone had been rolled away, the tomb empty. Depending on which Gospel you are reading, this would have been Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome (according to Mark). Now, various translations of the Bible use different terms for the reaction of these women. “Wondering” (NIV), “perplexed” (KJV) or others. These words have to be way too soft to express the feelings and reactions of these women. (It’s sure not like the old Pepsodent commercial, “I wonder where the yellow went?)

Continue reading →

Aside | Posted on April 22, 2014 by | Tagged , , | 1 Comment