HE’S COMING BACK

Christ rose first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will become alive again.

1 Corinthians 15:23 tlb

God has made [a] promise to us. “I will come back … ,” he assures us. Yes, the rocks will tumble. Yes, the ground will shake. But the child of God needn’t fear—for the Father has promised to take us to be with him.

But dare we believe the promise? Dare we trust his loyalty? Isn’t there a cautious part of us that wonders how reliable these words may be? …

How can we know he will do what he said? How can we believe he will move the rocks and set us free?

Because he’s already done it once.

When Christ Comes
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 236

GOD GIVES REST

The teaching I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.

Matthew 11:30

Paul had an interesting observation about the way we treat people. He said it about marriage, but the principle applies in any relationship. “The man who loves his wife loves himself” (Eph. 5:28). There is a correlation between the way you feel about yourself and the way you feel about others. If you are at peace with yourself—if you like yourself—you will get along with others.

The converse is also true. If you don’t like yourself, if you are ashamed, embarrassed, or angry, other people are going to know it.…

Which takes us to the question, “How does a person get relief?” …

“Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).… Jesus says he is the solution for weariness of soul.

When God Whispers Your Name
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 235

WHAT SIZE IS GOD?

God can do all things.

Matthew 19:26

Nature is God’s workshop. The sky is his resume. The universe is his calling card. You want to know who God is? See what he has done. You want to know his power? Take a look at his creation. Curious about his strength? Pay a visit to his home address: 1 Billion Starry Sky Avenue.

He is untainted by the atmosphere of sin, unbridled by the time line of history, unhindered by the weariness of the body.

What controls you doesn’t control him. What troubles you doesn’t trouble him. What fatigues you doesn’t fatigue him. Is an eagle disturbed by traffic? No, he rises above it. Is the whale perturbed by a hurricane? Of course not, he plunges beneath it. Is the lion flustered by the mouse standing directly in his way? No, he steps over it.

How much more is God able to soar above, plunge beneath, and step over the troubles of the earth!

The Great House of God
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 230

LIFTING HEARTS AND HANDS

To the King that rules forever, who will never die, who cannot be seen, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.

1 Timothy 1:17

The whole purpose of coming before the King is to praise him, to live in recognition of his splendor. Praise—lifting up our heart and hands, exulting with our voices, singing his praises—is the occupation of those who dwell in the kingdom.

Praise is the highest occupation of any being. What happens when we praise the Father? We reestablish the proper chain of command; we recognize that the King is on the throne and that he has saved his people.

Walking with the Savior
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 229

WE SHALL SEE HIM

Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly.

1 Corinthians 13:12

What will happen when you see Jesus?

You will see unblemished purity and unbending strength. You will feel his unending presence and know his unbridled protection. And—all that he is, you will be, for you will be like Jesus. Wasn’t that the promise of John? “We know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is” (1 John 3:2).

Since you’ll be pure as snow, you will never sin again; … you will never stumble again; … you will never feel lonely again; … you will never doubt again.

When Christ comes, you will dwell in the light of God. And you will see him as he really is.

When Christ Comes
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 225

WHY DENY?

If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:8

We do ourselves no favors in justifying our deeds or glossing over our sins. Some time ago my daughter Andrea got splinter in her finger. I took her to the restroom and set out some tweezers, ointment, and a Band-Aid.

She didn’t like what she saw. “I just want the Band-Aid, Daddy.”

Sometimes we are just like Andrea. We come to Christ with our sin, but all we want is a covering. We want to skip the treatment. We want to hide our sin. And one wonders if God, even in his great mercy, will heal what we conceal.

How can God heal what we deny? How can God touch what we cover up?

A Gentle Thunder
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 224

GOD WALKS AMONG THE SUFFERING

He took our suffering on him and carried our diseases.

Matthew 8:17

Picture a battleground strewn with wounded bodies, and you see Bethesda. Imagine a nursing home overcrowded and understaffed, and you see the pool. Call to mind the orphans in Bangladesh or the abandoned in New Delhi, and you will see what people saw when they passed Bethesda. As they passed, what did they hear? An endless wave of groans. What did they witness? A field of faceless need. What did they do? Most walked past.…

But not Jesus.…

He is alone.… The people need him—so he’s there. Can you picture it? Jesus walking among the suffering.…

Little do they know that God is walking slowly, stepping carefully between the beggars and the blind.

He Still Moves Stones
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

Note: I heard a preacher say, “God is in the midst of our mess.” The way the preacher put it didn’t sit well with me but it is ‘our’ mess. When God created, “… it was good.” Humankind has made a mess of things and yet God loves us … God has promised to never lever us or forsake us … God walks among our suffering.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 223

GOD IS IN YOUR CORNER

The Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forget you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

When I was seven years old, I ran away from home. I’d had enough of my father’s rules and decided I could make it on my own, thank you very much. With my clothes in a paper bag, I stormed out the back gate and marched down the alley. [But] I didn’t go far. I got to the end of the alley and remembered I was hungry, so I went back home.

Though the rebellion was brief, it was rebellion nonetheless. And had you stopped me on that prodigal path … I just might have told you how I felt. I just might have said, “I don’t need a father. I’m too big for the rules of my family.”

I didn’t hear the rooster crow like Peter did. I didn’t feel the fish belch like Jonah did. I didn’t get a robe and a ring and sandals like the prodigal did. But I learned from my father on earth what those three learned from their Father in heaven. Our God is no fair-weather Father. He’s not into this love-’em-and-leave-’em stuff. I can count on him to be in my corner no matter how I perform. You can, too.

The Great House of God
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 222

ALL GOD’S CHILDREN

If they could be made God’s people by what they did, God’s gift of grace would not really be a gift.

Romans 11:6

To whom does God offer his gift? To the brightest? The most beautiful or the most charming? No. His gift is for us all—beggars and bankers, clergy and clerks, judges and janitors. All God’s children.

And he wants us so badly, he’ll take us in any condition—“as is” reads the tag on our collars. He’s not about to wait for us to reach perfection (he knows we’ll never get there!). Do you think he’s waiting for us to overcome all temptations? Hardly. When we master the Christian walk? Far from it. Remember, Christ died for us when we were still sinners. His sacrifice, then, was not dependent on our performance.

He wants us now.

No Wonder They Call Him the Savior
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context – “Israel and You” – (God’s Mercy On Israel and Where You Fit In).

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 221

KNOWING GOD’S WILL

Those who see the Son and believe in him have eternal life.… This is what my Father wants.

John 6:40

We learn God’s will by spending time in his presence. The key to knowing God’s heart is having a relationship with him. A personal relationship. God will speak to you differently than he will speak to others. Just because God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, that doesn’t mean we should all sit next to a bush waiting for God to speak. God used a fish to convict Jonah. Does that mean we should have worship services at Sea World? No. God reveals his heart personally to each person.

For that reason, your walk with God is essential. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We learn his will as we take up residence in his house every single day.…

Walk with him long enough and you come to know his heart.

The Great House of God
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 218

REPENTANCE IS A DECISION

Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives.

Romans 2:4

No one is happier than the one who has sincerely repented of wrong. Repentance is the decision to turn from selfish desires and seek God. It is a genuine, sincere regret that creates sorrow and moves us to admit wrong and desire to do better.

It’s an inward conviction that expresses itself in outward actions.

You look at the love of God and you can’t believe he’s loved you like he has, and this realization motivates you to change your life. That is the nature of repentance.

Walking with the Savior
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

Note: What is the area of your life that God is pressing on your heart for repentance? Where do you need to make that 180° turn from sin and ‘seek God’? Make the decision today and begin to experience the joy of the freedom from the bondage to that sin.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 217

A BIG VIEW OF GOD

A BIG VIEW OF GOD

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. He was, he is, and he is coming.

Revelation 4:8

Exactly what is worship? I like King David’s definition. “Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (Psalm 34:3 NASB). Worship is the act of magnifying God. Enlarging our vision of him. Stepping into the cockpit to see where he sits and observe how he works. Of course, his size doesn’t change, but our perception of him does. As we draw nearer, he seems larger. Isn’t that what we need? A big view of God? Don’t we have big problems, big worries, big questions? Of course we do. Hence we need a big view of God.

Worship offers that. How can we sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy” and not have our vision expanded?

Just Like Jesus
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 216

THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.

Matthew 22:37

Mine deep enough in every heart and you’ll find it: a longing for meaning, a quest for purpose. As surely as a child breathes, he will someday wonder, “What is the purpose of my life?”

Some search for meaning in a career. “My purpose is to be a dentist.” Fine vocation but hardly a justification for existence. They opt to be a human “doing” rather than a human “being.” Who they are is what they do; consequently they do a lot. They work many hours because if they don’t work, they don’t have an identity.

For others, who they are is what they have. They find meaning in a new car or a new house or new clothes. These people are great for the economy and rough on the budget because they are always seeking meaning in something they own.… Some try sports, entertainment, cults, sex, you name it.

All mirages in the desert of purpose.…

Shouldn’t we face the truth? If we don’t acknowledge God, we are flotsam* in the universe.

In the Grip of Grace
[1]
* (ship-wreaked cargo, afloat at sea)

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 215

A FATHER’S PRIDE

God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.

2 Peter 3:9

[To those who embrace Christ as Savior,] he has promised a new birth.

Does that mean the old nature will never rear its ugly head? Does that mean you will instantly be able to resist any temptation?

To answer that question, compare your new birth in Christ to a newborn baby. Can a newborn walk? Can he feed himself? Can he sing or read or speak? No, not yet. But someday he will.

It takes time to grow. But is the parent in the delivery room ashamed of the baby? Is the mom embarrassed that the infant can’t spell … that the baby can’t walk … that the newborn can’t give a speech?

Of course not. The parents aren’t ashamed; they are proud. They know that growth will come with time. So does God.

A Gentle Thunder
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 214

THE PERFECT PRIEST

On the day when the Lord Jesus comes, … all the people who have believed will be amazed at Jesus.

2 Thessalonians 1:10

When we see Christ, what will we see?

We will see the perfect priest. “He was dressed in a long robe and had a gold band around his chest” (Rev 1:13). The first readers of this message knew the significance of the robe and band. Jesus is wearing the clothing of a priest. A priest presents people to God and God to people.

You have known other priests. There have been others in your life, whether clergy or not, who sought to bring you to God. But they, too, needed a priest. Some needed a priest more than you did. They, like you, were sinful. Not so with Jesus. “Jesus is the kind of high priest we need. He is holy, sinless, pure, not influenced by sinners, and he is raised above the heavens” (Heb 7:26).

Jesus is the perfect priest.

When Christ Comes
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 211

THE DUNGEON OF BITTERNESS

If you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins.

Matthew 6:14

Bitterness is its own prison.

The sides are slippery with resentment. A floor of muddy anger stills the feet. The stench of betrayal fills the air and stings the eyes. A cloud of self-pity blocks the view of the tiny exit above.

Step in and look at the prisoners. Victims are chained to the walls. Victims of betrayal. Victims of abuse.

The dungeon, deep and dark, is beckoning you to enter.… You can, you know. You’ve experienced enough hurt.… You can choose, like many, to chain yourself to your hurt.… Or you can choose, like some, to put away your hurts before they become hates.…

How does God deal with your bitter heart? He reminds you that what you have is more important than what you don’t have. You still have your relationship with God. No one can take that.

He Still Moves Stones
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 210

FINDING GOD’S GRACE

Happy 4th of July!

You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your care you watched over my life.

Job 10:12

Discipline is easy for me to swallow. Logical to assimilate. Manageable and appropriate. But God’s grace? Anything but. Examples? How much time do you have?

David the psalmist becomes David the voyeur, but by God’s grace becomes David the psalmist again.

Peter denied Christ before he preached Christ.

Zacchaeus, the crook. The cleanest part of his life was the money he’d laundered. But Jesus still had time for him.

The thief on the cross: hell-bent and hung-out-to-die one minute, heaven-bound and smiling the next.

Story after story. Prayer after prayer. Surprise after surprise. Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it.

When God Whispers Your Name
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 209

GOD CHANGES OUR FACES

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.

Psalm 40:3

God invites us to see his face so he can change ours. He uses our uncovered faces to display his glory. The transformation isn’t easy. The sculptor of Mount Rushmore faced a lesser challenge than does God. But our Lord is up to the task. He loves to change the faces of his children. By his fingers, wrinkles of worry are rubbed away. Shadows of shame and doubt become portraits of grace and trust. He relaxes clenched jaws and smoothes furrowed brows. His touch can remove the bags of exhaustion from beneath the eyes and turn tears of despair into tears of peace.

How? Through worship.

We’d expect something more complicated, more demanding. A forty-day fast or the memorization of Leviticus perhaps. No. God’s plan is simpler. He changes our faces through worship.

Just Like Jesus
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

Question: Have you stood in the morning mirror today and put on the ‘make-up’ of worship?

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 208

YOUR WHISPERING THOUGHTS

God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my nervous thoughts.

Psalm 139:23

Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God. By the time your life is over, you will have spent six months at stoplights, eight months opening junk mail, a year and a half looking for lost stuff (double that number in my case), and a whopping five years standing in various lines.

Why don’t you give these moments to God? By giving God your whispering thoughts, the common becomes uncommon. Simple phrases such as “Thank you, Father,” “Be sovereign in this hour, O Lord,” “You are my resting place, Jesus” can turn a commute into a pilgrimage. You needn’t leave your office or kneel in your kitchen. Just pray where you are. Let the kitchen become a cathedral or the classroom a chapel. Give God your whispering thoughts.

Just Like Jesus
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 207