A Gracious and Gift Giving God

However thick or thin the bottoms of one’s shoes are; they cause one to stand too tall in the presence of God. - unknown

We are dead in our sins, which is breaking God’s law and falling short of His glory. If we confess with our mouths and acknowledge that we are sinners, repent of our sins, and we know we need a savior, if we believe in our hearts that Jesus is the LORD and Master of our lives, and He is The Savior, if we believe that Jesus is the son of God who died and rose again and is coming back again, we shall be saved!

God gives us the gifts of Grace, Faith, Repentance, and the willingness to accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

Grace= For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8 ESV);

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3 ESV);

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,(1 Corinthians 1:4 ESV);

But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God (Romans 15:15 ESV);

Faith= For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (Ephesians 2:8 ESV);

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3 ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.(Hebrews 12:2 ESV);

Repentance= I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:40-41 ESV)

correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:25-26 ESV)

God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.(Acts 5:31 ESV)

When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.” (Acts 11:18 ESV)

In our culture we say God softens our heart and mind. In the Bible the way it is said is found in Ezekiel 11 and 36 God will remove the heart of stone and put a new heart and spirit within us. Romans’ calls it the transforming of our mind. And Acts calls it opening the heart. We have a beautiful story in Acts of a women named Lydia, who was a Jew. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. (Acts 16:14 ESV) And she believed and was baptized.

Willingness to accept Christ= He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh (our own will) nor of the will of man (someone else’s force or will), but of God. (John 1:11-13 ESV)

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8 ESV)

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)

Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18 ESV)



…when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls—(Romans 9:10-11 ESV)

So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy…So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and He has compassion on whom He will have compassion. (Romans 9:16,18 ESV)

Salvation= I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul. (Jeremiah 32:40-41 ESV)

As regards the gospel, they [the Jews] are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their [the Jews] disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.(Romans 11:28-31 ESV)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV)


What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:9-12 ESV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 ESV)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit (of evil) that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV)


[Jesus was born of a virgin, as prophesied. And He is God and The Son of God]


Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures(1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV) If you believe this will all your heart and repent of your sins and put your 100% trust in Jesus you shall be saved.

I Must Preach, We Must Preach, There Are Other Sheep!

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8 ESV)

I have no idea when or where the Holy Spirit is going to move or work. I must preach the Gospel.
And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.(John 10:16 ESV)

There are other Sheep, there are other sheep, there are other sheep!! I must preach, I must preach, I must preach!! They will listen!

But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.(John 11:49-52 ESV)

There are children of God scattered abroad. I must preach.

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.(Acts 18:9-11 ESV)

I believe there are many in this city. I must preach.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:12-17 ESV)

Faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of God. I must preach the Gospel.

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 ESV)

Being filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit, with power and full conviction, I must preach.

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV)

To this God calls through the Gospel. I must preach!

I must preach,

I must preach,

I must preach,

We must preach the Gospel!!!

Who Do You Think You Are?

God is the master of all things and in control of all things. God is Sovereign. God is also a jealous God. "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Deuteronomy 4:24. God hates it when we think we are stable in our own strength. God hates it when we put other things above Him.


God is so jealous for our attention He says, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 )


Also God did say He was a Consuming Fire. God will consume, in many ways. He consumes things and destroys things in our lives that separate us from Him. God is not safe! But He is good! God is Just and Righteous! So, what does this mean for us? It means if we do not turn from our evil wicked ways God will also consume us in the same way He consumes sin. He will burn us up! For God does not only hate sin but He hates the sinner. "The LORD tests the righteous, but His soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence." (Psalm 11:5)


But if we fall to our knees, not just figuratively, but literally fall to our knees and plead to Him; God will consume us with His Holy Fire. His Holy Fire of LOVE!


"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:8-10)


If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, THEN I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)


What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the daylong;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God IN Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)


And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30 ESV)


There it is, "we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28) God is the master of all things and in control of all things. God is Sovereign. He works ALL things, ALL THINGS together for GOOD! He does not just casually work some things together or only the good things but ALL THINGS! Even the bad things in our life, He works all things for GOOD!


“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.


“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)


So we must fall on our knees FOR REAL! Cry out to God and confess that we are sinners. We must "Trust in the LORD with all our heart, and do not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) We must trust Jesus 100%!


“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us;the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah (Psalm 46:10-11 ESV)


You say, “Amen” or “Hallelujah” or “That’s right!” But our response to God when He separates us from our friends, family, and loved ones is typically like this: Doesn't He see how hard that is?! How frustrating!! Doesn't He know that hurts?!?

What have you done to deserve any of that?? How good and righteous are you to have any of that in the first place? People in the New Testament tried that with Jesus..

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62 ESV)

You have to ask yourself this question everyday "Why did God allow you to wake up this morning and give you breathe? Why didn't God kill me last night in my sleep because of my sin? He has every right to do it! NOTHING is stopping Him from doing that except His Grace and Mercy on you. He can kill you right now because of your sin and be perfectly good and just and righteous in doing so. LET ALONE let you have the friends and family you have/had.

If I am not wrong was it not GOD who gave His ONE and ONLY SON to DIE on a cross after being tortured and beaten for dead worms like us who hate Him and are enemies of Him and are Hostile to Him?

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.”