Tag: Free Gift

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, She, Volume 1

The Woman In the City

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Adapted from, She, Volume 1/p71-72

Read: Luke 7:36-50

We do not know with certainty who the woman of the city was or why she was referred to as “a sinner.” However, we do know that she was aware she was a sinner in need of a Savior, and she understood that Jesus, the guest of Simon the Pharisee, was the only one who could save her. Because of this knowledge, she risked much, if not everything, to reach Him – and then she humbled herself in a posture and action of worship.

We also know, as our study guide points out that:

  • She did not come to Him empty-handed
    • She brought with her an alabaster jar of perfumed oil. (Luke 7:37)

Those who understand the forgiveness of Jesus react in humility and love, not hedonism1 or arrogance.

Bibleref.com
  • She had faith in who Jesus was and what He could do for her.
    • As she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. She wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfumed oil. (Luke 7:38)
      • She wasn’t just enamored with who Jesus was, but “She wept over her sin at the feet of Jesus.” (quote from: She, Volume 1/p71)
  • She knew she was a sinner in need of a Savior.
    • We know this because of what Jesus says to her: “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.'”… 50 He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:48 & 50)
      • We do not need to know what her sins were, but we must not miss that
        • “Jesus saw her faith and forgave her of all that she had done.”2
      • And then He spoke to her the best message she would ever hear, a message that would forever change her from the inside out and free her to go in peace, no longer tortured by her sin, and no longer controlled by the judgment or acceptance of ‘man’.
        • “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48)
        • “ Your faith has saved you, go in peace.” (Luke 7:50)

Friends, I know from experience that when we truly understand the depths of our sin and lay them at the feet of Jesus, we receive the forgiveness of God. We hear Him say, “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace,“ and we are forever changed from the inside out. Paul declares that we are “New creations!” He says, “The old is gone, the new has come.”3 Like the woman in the city, we can go in peace – no longer called “sinner”… and as Matthew West sings so beautifully, we are no longer known as “too far gone” but saved by grace and called by a new name: Chosen child of God! I don’t know about you, but I’m shouting a big Hallelujah and thank You, Jesus! How about you?

If you have not placed your faith in Jesus and would like to know the way to this life-changing peace, please message me and let me tell you about my Jesus. You can also check out “Know These Truths” about the way to Jesus. We’re not guaranteed tomorrow, so let today be the day. If it is, let me know – I have a free gift I would like to send to you help you get started in your walk of faith.

The More We Know

What does Luke 7:48 mean?

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Firm Foundation, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Salvation: God’s Gift of Grace

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based on the LGG Study, Firm Foundation, w4d3

Scripture and Observation of the Journey
Read: Ephesians 2:4-10;Titus 2:11/SOAP: Ephesians.2:8-9 and Titus 2:11

Warning: What you are about to read may be very familiar- please use caution when you are reading. Do not allow your mind to only ‘hear’ “blah, blah, blah, …” Ask God to give you a clear mind and heart to hear it as though for the first time – and with fresh and clear understanding and appreciation.

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

Ephesians 2:8-9

 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.

Titus 2:11

Friends, according to Scripture, we were once dead because of our disobedience and our many sins. We used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God (I love the “but God” statements of the Bible) is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he called us out from the grave of sin and shame and placed us in Christ Jesus and put His Spirit in us. He rescued us from the death we deserved and gave us His gift of salvation, rich and free!

Application: Living out the Journey

Salvation is not by works of the past, nor the present, nor the future. It is simply and yet profoundly a gift of God’s marvelous grace. His is a grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt, a grace that was poured out on Calvary’s mountain where Jesus was crucified and His blood was spilt. His is a grace that changed everything – setting prisoners free from chains of sin and death – replacing them with life and peace and hope in the promise of forgiveness and eternity with Him! This marvelous grace of our loving Lord opened salvation’s door not just to the Jew but to Gentiles and all who would call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ1.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt

Marvelous Grace

Friends, Grace is a gift, the greatest and most powerfully loving gift we will ever receive. It is a gift to cherish and a gift to share. It is a free gift that can never be lost or taken away, and it is a gift that keeps on giving. Not only are we made right with God (saved/justified) by grace, but we are sanctified (made more like Christ) by grace, and one day, by God’s grace, we will appear with Christ in glory.2

To grow in grace is to mature as a Christian. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), and we mature and are sanctified by grace alone. We know that grace is a blessing that we don’t deserve. It is God’s grace that justifies us, sanctifies us, and eventually glorifies us in heaven. The sanctification process, becoming more like Christ, is synonymous with growing in grace.

gotquestions.org

Peter wrote that we should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,3 which does not mean that we gain more grace from God but instead that we mature as Christians. Simply put, this means “training ourselves in godliness, which Paul told Timothy is much better than physical training – because it promises benefits in this life and in the life to come4.

So, how can we train for godliness and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ?

It should be noted: “To grow in grace does not mean gaining more grace from God. God’s grace never increases; it is infinite, it cannot be more, and according to the nature of God, it could never be less.”

gotquestions.org.

We grow in grace by a number of Spiritual disciplines, including:

  • Meditating on and Reading God’s Word – letting it “dwell in us richly” (Colossians 3:16)
    • to grow in grace is to grow in our understanding of what Jesus did and to grow in our appreciation of the grace we have been given.
    • The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.
  • Being devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:2) and keeping alert in it… knowing that our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:7-8)
  • Walking/keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-26).
  • Abiding in/spending time with Christ (John 15:4-8).

The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will appreciate all He has done, and the more we appreciate His love and sacrifice for us, the more we will perceive the never-ending grace of God.

gotquestions.org

Prayer of Response to the Journey

Father, thank You for Your grace, the gift of Your Son who brought salvation to all people. By Your grace, Christ justifies us and sanctifies us – and He will one day return, and by His grace we will share in His glory! Help us to grow daily in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to live out the blessings of Your grace -by showing love, grace, and mercy to all. Help us to do and to say what pleases You – obeying You – not as though we need to win or keep our salvation but simply to please You. For – hallelujah! Our salvation is a gift that can never be earned, lost, or taken away! Oh, how sweet is the reality of this amazing grace! – Amen!

Response of Worship to the Journey
The More We Know

For More Insight on the Journey, read today’s LGG Blog

If you don’t know Jesus or want to know more about Him, I invite you to read Know These Truths, a message of answers and hope –

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, Firm Foundation, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

No Longer Ashamed

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based on the LGG Study, Firm Foundation, w2d1

Scripture and Observation

Read: Romans 6:21-23 / SOAP v23 (It is most helpful to read the entire chapter)

So, what benefit did you then reap from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life. 23 For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

WOW! Talk about. a truth that changed everything and is essential to our firm foundation. We could stop here with the reading of these three verses, soak them in and move on – but we would do ourselves an injustice. You see – the question asked in verse 21 requires us to look back to the previous verse(s) to see what Paul is talking about. I found reading the whole chapter to be most helpful, but even going back a few verses revealed that he is referring to slavery to sin, which had resulted in impurity and lawlessness.

Before believing in Christ, the people had been free from the obligation to do/live righteously, and the result of that freedom led to sin and shame. However, and a mighty HALLELUJAH! The result of believing in Christ brought freedom from sin and shame and a life with God, which leads to eternal life!

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 NLT
Application from the Journey

If you haven’t placed your faith and hope in Jesus Christ – I plead with you to do that today. – The Bible tells us the way to this salvation, this hope, and freedom from slavery to sin, and the shame sin brings is to “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”1 – If you have believed – rejoice in the freedom from sin and shame and live the holy life He has called us to by giving yourselves as slaves to righteousness, through the power of Christ and His Spirit in us. 2

I am so thankful for the freedom from sin and truly rejoice in the freedom from shame. That’s right – God didn’t just free us from the law of sin and death – He poured His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom He gave to us, and because of that hope, we do not stand in shame but rejoice in the righteousness of Christ and His blood that covers us! (please tell me this brought a hallelujah!) Friend, because of this hope: “There is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus! Scripture makes it clear that …

  • We are made right with God by faith (Rom 5:1,3, 5 and 7)
  • We have peace with God because of what Christ did for us (Rom 5:1)
  • Our sins are put out of sight (Rom 5:7-8)

“Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

(Romans 5:5)
Prayer and Worship Response to the Journey

Father, You are worthy of more praise than we can give – for You have saved us not only from our sins but from the stain and shame those sins marked us with. You have removed their power over us, and You have covered us with the righteousness of Christ and poured the love of Your Spirit out into our hearts! We are most blessed to stand before You, forgiven and cleansed – not because of anything we have done or ever could do but because of what Christ did for us on the cross. He took our sins and their shame upon Himself that we might be made right with You, have peace with You, and have our sins be put out of Your sight! Ah! Lord God – Hallelujah! How very loving and merciful You are! – May we, in turn, give ourselves fully to You, living as slaves to righteous living… being holy as You are holy, hating sin and all that is wrong, and clinging to what is good. This is my prayer in the name of Jesus who bore my sin and shame – Amen and amen!

The More We Know
Click Here for more insight from Love God Greatly

Last week’s journey led us through a lesson on the holiness of God and His instruction for His children to be holy as He is Holy. In backing up and reading the passage that led to our verses today, I found this nugget of gold. If we want to become/live the holy life, “we must give ourselves to be slaves to righteous living.3“

Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

Romans 6:19