EVERYONE WILL SEE HIM

After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you may be where I am.

John 14:3

Someday, according to Christ, he will set us free. He will come back.

In the blink of an eye, as fast as the lightning flashes from the east to the west, he will come back. And everyone will see him—you will, I will. Bodies will push back the dirt and break the surface of the sea. The earth will tremble, the sky will roar, and those who do not know him will shudder. But in that hour you will not fear, because you know him.

When Christ Comes
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

NOTE: When they knock at your door or ring your bell today, offer them a treat that will last for eternity. Be a witness for Jesus Christ … NOT an advocate of the evil one. Until Jesus returns, He needs to be seen in the world in you. Be His hands and feet today.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 332

LOVE IS ALL YOU’LL FIND

We know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love.

1 John 4:16

Water must be wet. A fire must be hot. You can’t take the wet out of water and still have water. You can’t take the heat out of fire and still have fire.

In the same way, you can’t take the love out of [God]… and still have him exist. For he was … and is … Love.

Probe deep within him. Explore every corner. Search every angle. Love is all you find. Go to the beginning of every decision he has made and you’ll find it. Go to the end of every story he has told and you’ll see it.

Love.

No bitterness. No evil. No cruelty. Just love. Flawless love. Passionate love. Vast and pure love. He is love.

In the Eye of the Storm
[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. 331

A PLATE OF EXPERIENCES

I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you.

Jeremiah 29:11

Last night during family devotions, I called my daughters to the table and set a plate in front of each. In the center of the table I placed a collection of food: some fruit, some raw vegetables, and some Oreo cookies. “Every day,” I explained, “God prepares for us a plate of experiences. What kind of plate do you most enjoy?”

The answer was easy. Sara put three cookies on her plate. Some days are like that, aren’t they? Some days are “three-cookie days.” Many are not. Sometimes our plate has nothing but vegetables—twenty-four hours of celery, carrots, and squash. Apparently God knows we need some strength, and though the portion may be hard to swallow, isn’t it for our own good? Most days, however, have a bit of it all.…

The next time your plate has more broccoli than apple pie, remember who prepared the meal. And the next time your plate has a portion you find hard to swallow, talk to God about it. Jesus did.

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. 330

NO SECRETS FROM GOD

If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!

2 Corinthians 5:17

Have you been there? Have you felt the ground of conviction give way beneath your feet? The ledge crumbles, your eyes widen, and down you go. Poof!

Now what do you do? … When we fall, we can dismiss it. We can deny it. We can distort it. Or we can deal with it.…

We keep no secrets from God. Confession is not telling God what we did. He already knows. Confession is simply agreeing with God that our acts were wrong.…

How can God heal what we deny? … How can God grant us pardon when we won’t admit our guilt? Ahh, there’s that word: guilt. Isn’t that what we avoid? Guilt. Isn’t that what we detest? But is guilt so bad? What does guilt imply if not that we know right from wrong, that we aspire to be better than we are.… That’s what guilt is: a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another.

A Gentle Thunder
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

NOTE: We are blessed to have the opportunity to serve on a Walk to Emmaus retreat starting this evening. Please keep all who are participating in this retreat in your prayers. If you have not experienced a Walk to Emmaus or similar format 3-day renewal weekend, jump on the opportunity when it presents itself to you. It will be God calling. You will be blessed! (There will be no Gospel Pearl tomorrow.)

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 326

WHAT HEAVEN HOLDS

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner changes his heart and life.

Luke 15:10

Why do Jesus and his angels rejoice over one repenting sinner? Can they see something we can’t? Do they know something we don’t? Absolutely. They know what heaven holds.…

Heaven is populated by those who let God change them. Arguments will cease, for jealousy won’t exist. Suspicions won’t surface, for there will be no secrets. Every sin is gone. Every insecurity is forgotten. Every fear is past. Pure wheat. No weeds. Pure gold. No alloy. Pure love. No lust. Pure hope. No fear. No wonder the angels rejoice when one sinner repents; they know another work of art will soon grace the gallery of God. They know what heaven holds.

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. 325

IN A WORD

He who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.

Revelation 2:26

Think for a moment about this question: What if God weren’t here on earth? You think people can be cruel now, imagine us without the presence of God. You think we are brutal to each other now, imagine the world without the Holy Spirit. You think there is loneliness and despair and guilt now, imagine life without the touch of Jesus. No forgiveness. No hope. No acts of kindness. No words of love. No more food given in his name. No more songs sung to his praise. No more deeds done in his honor. If God took away his angels, his grace, his promise of eternity, and his servants, what would the world be like?

In a word, hell.

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. 324

A CRISP VIEW OF GOD

Lord, even when I have trouble all around me, you will keep me alive.

Psalm 138:7

There is a window in your heart through which you can see God. Once upon a time that window was clear. Your view of God was crisp. You could see God as vividly as you could see a gentle valley or hillside.

Then, suddenly, the window cracked. A pebble broke the window. A pebble of pain.

And suddenly God was not so easy to see. The view that had been so crisp had changed.

You were puzzled. God wouldn’t allow something like this to happen, would he?

When you can’t see him, trust him.… Jesus is closer than you’ve ever dreamed.

In the Eye of the Storm
[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. 323

CONFIDENT IN THE FATHER

The Lord comforts his people and will have pity on those who suffer.

Isaiah 49:13

If you’ll celebrate a marriage anniversary alone this year, [God] speaks to you.

If your child made it to heaven before making it to kindergarten, he speaks to you.…

If your dreams were buried as they lowered the casket, God speaks to you.

He speaks to all of us who have stood or will stand in the soft dirt near an open grave. And to us he gives this confident word: “I want you to know what happens to a Christian when he dies so that when it happens, you will not be full of sorrow, as those are who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and then came back to life again, we can also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him all the Christians who have died” (1st Thessalonians 4:13-14 TLB).

When Christ Comes
[1]

Today's Scripture

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 320

THE GIFT OF GOD’S SMILE

We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

Daniel 9:18 NIV

If only, when God smiles and says we are saved, we’d salute him, thank him, and live like those who have just received a gift from the commander in chief.

We seldom do that, though. We prefer to get salvation the old-fashioned way: We earn it. To accept grace is to admit failure, a step we are hesitant to take. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is. We dizzy ourselves with doctrine. Burden ourselves with rules. Think that God will smile on our efforts.

He doesn’t.

God’s smile is not for the healthy hiker who boasts that he made the journey alone. It is, instead, for the crippled leper who begs God for a back on which to ride.

In the Eye of the Storm
[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. 319

SALVATION CELEBRATION

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Luke 10:20 NIV

According to Jesus our decisions have a thermostatic impact on the unseen world. Our actions on the keyboard of earth trigger hammers on the piano strings of heaven. Our obedience pulls the ropes which ring the bells in heaven’s belfries. Let a child call and the ear of the Father inclines.… And, most important, let a sinner repent, and every other activity ceases, and every heavenly being celebrates.…

We don’t always share such enthusiasm, do we? When you hear of a soul saved, do you drop everything and celebrate? Is your good day made better or your bad day salvaged? We may be pleased—but exuberant? … When a soul is saved, the heart of Jesus becomes the night sky on the Fourth of July, radiant with explosions of cheer.

Can the same be said about us?

Just Like Jesus
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

NOTE: Kids Across America is a place where this kind of rejoicing takes place. This Christian, sports themed summer camp delivers the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ to urban youth from across the U.S. When a young person confesses Christ as Lord, they are given the opportunity to announce this to the camp by ‘ringing the bell’. When the bell is heard, rejoicing breaks out across the camp. We will be taking another group of kids to camp in June of 2008. The registration and planning has already begun. Please pray in advance for these kids and that the bell will toll often. (We sometimes have families who can’t come up with the full cost of the trip. If God speaks to your heart about KAA and helping these kids go to camp, contact me.)

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 318

A TREASURE MAP

In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

The Bible has been banned, burned, scoffed, and ridiculed. Scholars have mocked it as foolish. Kings have branded it as illegal. A thousand times over it the grave has been dug, and the dirge has begun, but somehow the Bible never stays in the grave. Not only has it survived, it has thrived. It is the single most popular book in all of history. It has been the best-selling book in the world for years!

There is no way on earth to explain it. Which perhaps is the only explanation. The answer? The Bible’s durability is not found on earth; it is found in heaven. For the millions who have tested its claims and claimed its promises there is but one answer—the Bible is God’s book and God’s voice .…

The purpose of the Bible is to proclaim God’s plan and passion to save his children. That is the reason this book has endured through the centuries.… It is the treasure map that leads us to God’s highest treasure, eternal life.

The Inspirational Study Bible
[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. 317

GOD IS YOUR HOME

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

John 4:24

Don’t think you are separated from God, he at the top end of a great ladder, you at the other. Dismiss any thought that God is on Venus while you are on earth. Since God is Spirit (John 4:24), he is next to you: God himself is our roof. God himself is our wall. And God himself is our foundation.

Moses knew this. “Lord,” he prayed, “you have been our home since the beginning” (Psalm 90:1). What a powerful thought: God as your home. Your home is the place where you can kick off your shoes and eat pickles and crackers and not worry about what people think when they see you in your bathrobe.

Your home is familiar to you. No one has to tell you how to locate your bedroom.… God can be equally familiar to you. With time you can learn where to go for nourishment, where to hide for protection, where to turn for guidance. Just as your earthly house is a place of refuge, so God’s house is a place of peace. God’s house has never been plundered, his walls have never been breached.

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. 316

A FAITHFUL FATHER

He is a faithful God who does no wrong, who is right and fair.

Deuteronomy 32:4

To recognize God as Lord is to acknowledge that he is sovereign and supreme in the universe. To accept him as Savior is to accept his gift of salvation offered on the cross. To regard him as Father is to go a step further. Ideally, a father is the one in your life who provides and protects. This is exactly what God has done.

He has provided for your needs (Matthew 6:25-34).

He has protected you from harm (Psalm 139:5).

He has adopted you (Ephesians 1:5). And he has given you his name (1st John 3:1).

God has proven himself as a faithful father. Now it falls to us to be trusting children.

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. 313

FINDING GOOD IN THE BAD

Wish good for those who harm you; wish them well and do not curse them.

Romans 12:14

It would be hard to find someone worse than Judas. Some say he was a good man with a backfired strategy. I don’t buy that. The Bible says, “Judas … was a thief” (John 12:6). The man was a crook. Somehow he was able to live in the presence of God and experience the miracles of Christ and remain unchanged. In the end he decided he’d rather have money than a friend, so he sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.… Judas was a scoundrel, a cheat, and a bum. How could anyone see him any other way?

I don’t know, but Jesus did. Only inches from the face of his betrayer, Jesus looked at him and said, “Friend, do what you came to do” (Matthew 26:50). What Jesus saw in Judas as worthy of being called a friend, I can’t imagine. But I do know that Jesus doesn’t lie, and in that moment he saw something good in a very bad man.…

He can help us do the same with those who hurt us.

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. 312

WAITING FORWARDLY

The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise.… So what kind of people should you be?

2 Peter 3:10–11

Great question. What kind of people should we be? Peter tells us: “You should live holy lives and serve God, as you wait for and look forward to the coming of the day of God” (vv. 11–12).

Hope of the future is not a license for irresponsibility in the present. Let us wait forwardly, but let us wait.

But for most of us, waiting is not our problem. Or, maybe I should state, waiting is our problem. We are so good at waiting that we don’t wait forwardly. We forget to look.… We are too content. We seldom search the skies.…We seldom, if ever, allow the Holy Spirit to interrupt our plans and lead us to worship so that we might see Jesus.

When Christ Comes
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

Prayer Request: Please pray for Women’s Kairos #21 at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. Forty-two (42) female inmates will be shown the love of Jesus Christ through praise, worship and the Word of God. Their spiritual retreat will commence this evening (10/10/07) and run through Saturday evening (10/13/07). Please pray, as prompted by the Holy Spirit, for God to have free access to their hearts as the name of Jesus Christ is lifted high before them.

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 311

A HOME FOR YOUR HEART

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

Chances are you’ve given little thought to housing your soul. We create elaborate houses for our bodies, but our souls are relegated to a hillside shanty where the night winds chill us and the rain soaks us. Is it any wonder the world is so full of cold hearts?

Doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to live outside. It’s not God’s plan for your heart to roam as a Bedouin. God wants you to move in out of the cold and live … with him. Under his roof there is space available. At his table a plate is set. In his living room a wingback chair is reserved just for you. And he’d like you to take up residence in his house. Why would he want you to share his home?

Simple, he’s your Father.

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. 310

PRAISE TO GOD

Let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise.

Hebrews 13:15

You are a great God.

• Your character is holy.
• Your truth is absolute.
• Your strength is unending.
• Your discipline is fair.…
  
  
• Your provisions are abundant for our needs.
• Your light is adequate for our path.
• Your grace is sufficient for our sins.…
  
  
• You are never early, never late.…
  
  
• You sent your Son in the fullness of time and will return at the consummation of time.
  
  
• Your plan is perfect.
  
  
• Bewildering. Puzzling. Troubling.
  
  
• But perfect.
  
  

“He Reminded Us of You”
(A prayer for a friend)
[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. 309

WE NEED A GREAT SAVIOR

[Peter] shouted, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter.

Matthew 14:30–31

We come to Christ in an hour of deep need. We abandon the boat of good works.…We realize, like Peter, that spanning the gap between us and Jesus is a feat too great for our feet. So we beg for help. Hear his voice. And step out in fear, hoping that our little faith will be enough.…

Faith is a desperate dive out of the sinking boat of human effort and a prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water. Paul wrote about this kind of faith … :

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

In the Eye of the Storm
[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. 306

THE DOORWAY TO YOUR HEART

If people’s thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if their thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.

Romans 8:6

Your heart is a fertile greenhouse ready to produce good fruit. Your mind is the doorway to your heart—the strategic place where you determine which seeds are sown and which seeds are discarded. The Holy Spirit is ready to help you manage and filter the thoughts that try to enter. He can help you guard your heart.

He stands with you on the threshold. A thought approaches, a questionable thought. Do you throw open the door and let it enter? Of course not. You “fight to capture every thought until it acknowledges the authority of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5 Phillips). You don’t leave the door unguarded. You stand equipped with handcuffs and leg irons, ready to capture any thought not fit to enter.

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. 305

GOD’S HIGHEST DREAM

It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins.

1 John 4:10

We have attempted to reach the moon but scarcely made it off the ground. We tried to swim the Atlantic, but couldn’t get beyond the reef. We have attempted to scale the Everest of salvation, but we have yet to leave the base camp, much less ascend the slope. The quest is simply too great; we don’t need more supplies or muscle or technique; we need a helicopter.

Can’t you hear it hovering?

“God has a way to make people right with him” (Romans 3:21, italics mine). How vital that we embrace this truth. God’s highest dream is not to make us rich, not to make us successful or popular or famous. God’s dream is to make us right with him.

In the Grip of Grace
[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. 304

A LIFE OF SERVICE

We are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body.

Romans 12:5

God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose—to carry us safely to the other shore.

This is no cruise ship; it’s a battleship. We aren’t called to a life of leisure; we are called to a life of service. Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons of prayer and worship. Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew members.

Though different, we are the same. Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, for each has received a personal call.…

We each followed him across the gangplank of his grace onto the same boat. There is one captain and one destination. Though the battle is fierce, the boat is safe, for our captain is God. The ship will not sink. For that, there is no concern.

In the Grip of Grace
[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. 303

A DAILY BLESSING

I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit.

Ephesians 3:16

Here is a scene repeated in Brazil thousands of times daily.…

It’s early morning. Time for young Marcos to leave for school. As he gathers his books and heads for the door, he pauses by his father’s chair. He searches his father’s face. Benção, Pai? Marcos asks. (Blessing, Father?)

The father raises his hand. Deus te abençoe, meu filho, he assures. (God bless you, my son.) …

Father and child part for the day, a blessing requested, a blessing willingly given.…

We should do the same. Like the child longing for the father’s favor, each of us needs a daily reminder of our heavenly Father’s love.

31 Days of Blessing
[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. 302