Humility, no grounds to Boast

The nature of grace is that it free. God expects nothing and asks for nothing in return.

The reality of grace is that it is a gift. The nature of a gift is that it is given freely with no conditions of reciprocity.

The nature of grace is such that we cannot and it is not good for us to try to repay God.

A lot of theologies fear making grace so free in that it will lead to a life of debauchery in their opinion. The reality is that a true grace from God comes with the power of God to live a changed life.

Only a counterfeit grace upon receiving it would wish to continue a life of sin. Of course surely we sin as Christians and fall frequently, but the nature of it is that it pains us and is not the orientation of our life.

Blessed Living

Jesus said that it is, "More blessed to give than to receive." We all enjoy receiving good gifts. How great is the greater joy of giving by faith!

Many people often say they must choose between this or that and giving. This may be true, but the call of the bible is to judge rightly.

We can choose to live by faith or by reason. Faith values what God's word values, reason what the human mind values.

Suffering - The Beautiful Gift form God

Suffering - The beautiful gift form God.

Anyone who denies that suffering is a beautiful gift from God denies many parts of scripture.  Consider when Paul had the thorn of his side.  He asked God for it to be removed three times.  God's answer was that his grace was sufficient and his power is made perfect in you in weakness.  God was not causing Paul something bad, he was giving him something good as "All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose."  God was increasing his power and grace in Paul.  So what did Paul do to accord with this divine work in him.  He did this (2 Corinthians 12:9-10): "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

John Piper Quote on How It's Possible to Waste Your Life

A bit from John Piper well worth reading:

It is possible to waste your life. Few things make me tremble more than the possibility of taking this onetime gift of life and wasting it. Every morning when I walked into the kitchen as a boy I saw hanging on the wall the plaque that now hangs in my living room: “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.” And now I am almost 58, and the river of life is spilling over the falls of my days with tremendous speed. More and more I smell eternity. And oh, how I want to use my life well. It is so short and so fragile and so final. You get one chance to live your life. And then the judgment. I speak as a father who has children your age, and I am jealous with Jesus that they and you not waste your life.

One of the great tragedies of American culture is the way billions of dollars are invested to persuade people my age to waste the rest of their lives. It goes by the name of retirement, and the entire message is: you've worked for it, now enjoy it. And what is the “it”? Twenty years of play and leisure. While the world sinks under the weight of millions of healthy older people fishing, cruising, puttering, playing golf, bridge, bingo, shuffle board, and collecting shells. All of this in preparation for meeting Jesus Christ face to face with nail scars in his hands.

And that is exactly the way you will waste your life in 50 years if you do not make some radical decisions now, and set your face like flint to walk another way. Oh, that you might all come to age 65 with fire in your bones, and say, “Now! Now! With my simple pension and my remaining energy and my new freedom I will pour out my life for Christ and his kingdom, so that when I meet him—which I will do any day now—I will smile at his words, ‘well done, good and faithful servant,' instead of those awful words, “Fool! How did all that pointless play put my glory on display?"