Monday, May 17, 2021

Grace = out-loving the hate + out-giving the takers + out-right dependence on God.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/17/2020 There are times I wish I could understand hope but maybe it is better I can not. What I can understand is not enough and never can be enough to reach beyond what I can.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

June 12

And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.” (1Corinthians 5:2 NKJV)

We can be so self righteous and instead of praying we resort to gossip rather than to prayer. God reminds His people it is their duty and need to pray and act according to His will.

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

If I am empty of grace I know I am too far from God.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/16/2021 Luke 6:34 “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.

Hope can be a bad hope as well. Or is this more of an expectation? Is hope more about receiving than about getting back? So many questions.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Saturday, May 15, 2021

June 11

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles — that a man has his father’s wife!” (1Corinthians 5:1 NKJV)

God’s people are worse than the lost! It is easy to forget we need God to live a life of meaning drawing others to Jesus.

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Grace is the victory”. All around is the defeat of graceless non-living. How can I share there is more than fear, anger and hatred? How can I share by offering grace we can lose the burden of a graceless existence living only for hate?

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/15/2021 Acts 24:15 “I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

How do you not despair if there is nothing after this life? How can I have hope in a meaningless life of just a few years and then nothing? In God there is hope even for the unjust that there will be a resurrection from death. Life overcomes death.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Friday, May 14, 2021

June 10

The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.” (Psalm 138:8 NKJV)

Again we see the incomplete and ongoing reality of what God is doing. We see the struggle in our souls believing God’s mercy endures and still calling for God to not forsake us though we are unworthy!

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Why is grace so hard? The painful truth is we are greedy and selfish not only wanting our own way but demanding it. Believing we are right and could never be wrong we hold to our stance no matter what evidence says. We argue, humiliate and even kill those who do not agree with us and so they must be wrong.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/14/2021 Ac 23:6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”

Hope is the difference between someone who comes to church and those who are the Church. Hope sets Christians apart from the world which can only hope in themselves. Got hope?

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Thursday, May 13, 2021

June 9

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand Against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” (Psalm 138:7 NKJV)

The word revive means to quicken, to continue in life and to remain alive. This word is used as being incomplete and ongoing action.

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

We are divided by things that happened generations ago and still seek to blame. We are blaming people who were not alive then for something they did not do to us. The hurt from those times is real but we must get beyond it for our own health. Grace is not just good for us spiritually but also physically.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/13/2021 Acts 16:19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

Hope is something I want for myself. I NEED IT!!! But it is easy to forget others need it to. This woman who was freed from spiritual slavery received hope but her masters only saw their loss. Those who gave her hope were seized and dragged to punishment. Punishment for doing good! (So many times we are not given the name of the recipient of healing. Is it so we can have the hope it could be us?)

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

 

 

June 8

Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.” (Psalm 138:6 NKJV)

  God IS on high and we sometimes believe God is distant. 

Yet He regards the lowly” and not only comes down to the 

lowly  but also comes into their need. Only the proud have a  

distance from God.

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

 

 

 

The title of this journal is grace relations. Is it possible to have relationships without grace. We cannot have a relationship with God without grace so how can we have relationships with each other without grace? I must ponder this question.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

 5/12/2021 Acts 2:26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.

Psalm 16 to Acts chapter 2 declares we can rest in hope. Without hope depression and stress weakens us and fear, anger, hatred and violence take over and destruction reigns! Find rest in hope, beyond hope.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

Tuesday, May 11, 2021

June 7

Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, For great is the glory of the LORD.” (Psalm 138:5 NKJV)

Songs of Who God is and what He does will declare the “glory of the LORD.” Sing  

your song of God’s presence in your life.

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

June 6

All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O LORD, When they hear the words of Your mouth.” (Psalm 138:4 NKJV)

Both the written word, the Bible, and the Living Word, Jesus will cause all kings and leaders to praise God! Will we join with them?

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Grace is sufficient. Is that really true? Is grace enough to at least lessen the fear, hatred and destruction that surrounds and can overwhelm us? Without understanding grace we can still receive and accept it. Most of what we receive we do not understand but still use and rejoice in it.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/11/2021 Over the last few days hope has been hard to find. The pain has been terrible and it has been hard to make it through the day and harder to make it through therapy. The pain is like a dark cloud that can cut off the Light and there is no rest. The terrible pain leads to weariness and the cloud envelopes my mind and jumbles everything up. Soon it will turn into a numbness of body and mind and the dark cloud still cuts me off from hope. When the cloud is bad I have to hope beyond hope or hope in hope. DO NOT GIVE UP ON HOPE!!! You do not want to sink into despair and let darkness overcome you.

 

June 5

In the day when I cried out, You answered me, And made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Psalm 138:3 NKJV)

The presence and voice of God makes us bold! Are you timid about living out your faith? How long has it been since you heard God?

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

There is horror all around us. We can close our eyes and ears because it hurts to experience. Our sin nature tells us to flee and not look because it will hurt us, make us uncomfortable. If we do not recognize the horror grace is impossible!!!

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

5/10/2021 Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

Sometimes we are so busy trying to save the world we get weary and hopeless. We can rest in hope and trust God is in charge so we do not have to be. Only then can our heart be glad.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.


 

Sunday, May 9, 2021

All fear, anger, hatred, division, war and destruction can be overcome by grace. Without grace we are caught in our own world of horror!

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/9/2021 Job 27:8 For what is the hope of the hypocrite, Though he may gain much, If God takes away his life?

What is the most valuable gift we receive? Not time, money, family, job or so many other “essential” desires. The most valuable gift is life. Life is the foundation of everything else.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

June 4

I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” (Psalm 138:2 NKJV)

To truly worship God we must lift our eyes from the world to God! God is worth our worship for who He is. God will magnify both the Bible, the written word of God, and Jesus, the Living Word of God.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

June 3

«A Psalm of David.» I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You.” (Psalm 138:1 NKJV)

David declares he will praise God with all of his heart, with all he is. David will praise God before other gods surrounding him. Will we praise God openly in a world who hates God and still seeks to kill Him? Will we praise God with our whole heart!!!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

5/8/2021 Job 7:6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.

A weavers shuttle goes back and forth and with amazing speed. Without hope we feel like the shuttle moving quickly yet getting nowhere, used by others for we know not what.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Friday, May 7, 2021

God, help us to forgive. Reveal to us the necessity of forgiveness for our own health. If we do not forgive others they do not know or care but we are physically and spiritually harmed by anger and unforgivenees.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/7/2021 Job 17:15 Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it?

It is interesting how many times the word hope is used in Job. Job is asking questions we all should ask and seek the answer. Where does your hope come from? Can it be seen?

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

June 2

Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”” (John 12:29 NKJV)

When God speaks we often either hear God as a noise we do not want to hear or as a natural sound. Listen and hear the voice of God!

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Thursday, May 6, 2021

It is interesting the word race is part of the word grace. The main difference in all of us is the amount of melanin in our bodies. The more melanin the darker we are.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 5/6/2021 Job 14:19 As water wears away stones, And as torrents wash away the soil of the earth; So You destroy the hope of man.

Often it is not one thing that strips our hope but an accumulation of drops which wear us down and wash away our hope. Renew your hope everyday in God!

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 June 1

““Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”” (John 12:28 NKJV)

It is so easy to worry about our own glory rather than God’s glory. Jesus reminded us to give God glory which is deserved and is!

Your prayer

Give God thanks.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

As we meditate on Psalm 138 look for the many times there is a mention of Jesus. We can see Jesus not directly by name but through the many proclamations of God which are fulfilled in and through Jesus.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Hatred, envy and guilt has run though us from the beginning. The first men born we see one is a victim and other a murderer. Grace has always been hard but even harder is living in a world without grace.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/5/2021 ““For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease.” (Job 14:7 NKJV)

Hope for a tree. If there is hope for a tree how about a human? God can bring a sprout from a cut off life!

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Grace is not easy. Grace is not natural to me or others. We want grace for ourselves but are reluctant to share with others. Grace and forgiveness must be an extension of what we have received.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/4/2021 Job 11:20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And they shall not escape, And their hope — loss of life!”

How would you define hope? I suspect it would not be “loss of life”. If we do not accept God’s hope for life we are left only with the evil one’s hope of death!

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Monday, May 3, 2021

May 31

““Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.” (John 12:27 NKJV)

We pray for our pain and trouble to be taken away but what if God is using that pain and trouble for our blessing and His glory? God, may Your will be done.

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

May 30

““If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” (John 12:26 NKJV)

I wondered why Jesus left the 99 sheep when He went after the lost sheep then God revealed to me the 99 were supposed to follow the Shepherd!

Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

May 29

““He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25 NKJV)

Life is not a gift from Jesus it is the gift OF Jesus. In Jesus life is something we are willing to give for God and others knowing we are ever alive in Jesus!


Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Grace must be a river flowing from God through us to others. If we do not allow God’s grace to continue through us the river of grace will dry up and so will our souls!

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/3/2021 To be secure, to rest in safety and to dig around you in the hope it will last. Hoping God will be faithful is the soil for the plant of faith and produces the fruit of blessing.

Job 11:18 And you would be secure, because there is hope; Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Sunday, May 2, 2021

If you pray for someone and not at them it is very hard to hate them and over time you can come to be concerned for them. For three years a lady prayed for me to be saved and what a joy when her prayers were answered.

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

5/2/2021 Does time, pain and suffering help us to grow and get stronger? Without God they not only do not strengthen us but can even destroy us. Without God even our hope can perish.


Job 8:13 So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

May 28

““Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” (John 12:24 NKJV)

The death and resurrection of Jesus would produce a large crop which is eternal! Through Jesus God’s people not only receive life but become a crop to nourish all creation.


Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

May 27

But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.” (John 12:23 NKJV)

There is a time to every purpose under heaven.” Why now? Why not earlier? Why not later? In this “hour” Greek was the main language for the Roman empire. Rome had an amazing highway system and a postal system. There was shipping where people could travel with more safety without facing bandits. This was the hour when the Good News could travel and spread!


Your prayer

Give God thanks for what you have.

Praise God for who He is.

Ask for God to use you today.

 

Saturday, May 1, 2021

5/1/2021 Today I woke sneezing, shaking, muscles clenching and tears of pain burning my eyes. Saying others hurt worse is of no comfort to me even though it is true. Saying I deserve the pain which is also true does not comfort me. Hope comes from the memories of help in the past. Hope comes from knowing the pain will change even if it does not get less. All hope is from God.


Job 7:6 “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, And are spent without hope.

This is an entry from my Hope Journal which helps me have hope, beyond hope.

 

Blacks hate whites

Whites hates blacks

Many hate cops

Cops hate politicians

Politicians hate those who disagree

Denominations hate congregations

Congregations hate denominations

Tribes hate other tribes

Powerful hate weak

Weak hate powerful

Killers hate victims

Victims hate killers

And on and on

The evil one loves it all!

From my Grace Journal. It was suggested to start a Grace Journal as a reminder of our need not for agreement but grace to guide our relationships.

 

November 20, 2024 ““ Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your fa...