Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
[Galatians 3:21-28]
Under New Guard!
Good Morning Beloved,
This verse is not telling us to disobey the law. It is saying that there is a greater law that supersedes the old one… the law of faith in Jesus. When we operate in faith, no one has to tell you that lying, cheating, stealing, and killing, etc is wrong. The Spirit of God residing in our spirit will convict our heart to the point that, if we sin, we will not be able to rest, until we have done something to try and fix it. It is a higher law, from a higher Authority. This is an answer for those who believe that they are OK with God because they are “good” people. In the light of the perfect Holiness of God only one such Person ever existed and that is Jesus. There have been blameless people, innocent, upright individuals who had no trickery in their mouths, but as Jesus said there is only One who is Good and that is God (and remember Jesus told His disciples that He and the Father are One). Another reason that “I’m a good person” statement doesn’t hold water is that, we were all born carrying the sin nature of Adam and Eve. It’s like a stain that has been passed down to every human child that was ever born. The sin-less blood of Jesus was the only thing that could cleanse that stain. When someone rejects Jesus, they have rejected their only lifeline. Not a popular statement nowadays… people want to get to heaven on their own terms. They have made up their own rules and what they ‘think’ is acceptable to God, instead of what He actually said. His ways are far beyond our ways, yet He made the plan of salvation simple enough for a small child to understand — confess Jesus with our mouth, believe in Him with our heart (Romans 10:9&10). That is His Grace and Mercy… He doesn’t want anyone to perish. He invited us to come and reason with Him. He welcomes a dialog with us. We are free and with freedom comes responsibility. Our liberty is not license to ‘act a fool’. On the contrary, it gives us the power we did not have before to make better choices, which will have more positive outcomes. The law was designed to protect us, but now we have the Ultimate Protector and Guide…
… and that Beloved is Good News!
U Blessed!
Have A Fabulous Day
Regina
“The Power of One”, Israel Houghton & New Breed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlmOzJ4rGck
“No Limits”, Israel Houghton & New Breed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY3eMHwIaFk
“He Reigns”, Kevin LaVar and One Sound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPDUvrKIRtY
“You Are God Alone”, Marvin Sapp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccpdk2bQF9M
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Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters
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Rescue Copter
-Psalm 89:14
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1 of 128
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Our God is a God of justice, but also a God of mercy. Through the blood of Jesus, God’s mercy is available to us now. It is up to us to decide to accept it. We don’t want to be camping out in “Sin Forest” when judgment time comes.
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Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters
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Bread of Life
-2 Corinthians 2:14
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Jesus said in John 6:36 “I am the bread of life”. It is up to the believers to take the Bread of Life (Jesus) out of the Bakery (the church building), to where the hungry people are. After eating “Satan’s Garbage”, the aroma of the Bread of Life will certainly smell good.
January 1, 2007
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Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters
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Grace Cafe
-2 Corinthians 1:20
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3 of 128
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All of God’s promises throughout the Bible are fulfilled in Jesus. The grace of God has been made freely available to us through the blood of Jesus.
January 1, 2007
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Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters
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Highway Exit
-Matthew 7:13
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8 of 128
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The Hebrew word translated repent is nacham, which means to turn around, or change one’s mind. On the highway of sin, there is only one destination. Repentance takes us in the opposite direction, to the road that leads to life.
January 1, 2007
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Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters
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Desert Oasis
-Isaiah 55:2
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9 of 128
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The Kingdom of God, the Church, is an oasis in the middle of the dry desert of the world. God invites those who are thirsty to come and partake of His bounteous table..
January 1, 2007
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Copyright 2009 Michael D. Waters
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Bus Stop
-Colossians 1:13
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17 of 128
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We were all on the “bus to hell”, at some point in our lives. Thank God for the “bus stop”, Jesus, who allowed us to get off of that bus.
February 17, 2007
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