Growing in Grace

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The post “Married or Single” has some thoughts and reasons for marriage. Either single or married, God thinks you are AWESOME! You can use the skills you have, be happy with who you are, and continue to grow in grace for His glory. 

In life, we have to be able to make adjustments because things change. A person can go from being single to being married to being single again. We need a life plan that allows for adjustments along the journey. It’s important to have a cushion that softens change so we can go towards new ideas and strategies that may be hard at first but provides possibilities for a better future.

The Good News is that the principles taught in the Bible provide us with the life plan we need. Take inspiration from the song The Way by Jeremy Camp and continue to grow in grace today.

Index of devotionals

Working Together to Make the Right Moves

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

The post “Being Industrious” gives some thoughts after reading Proverbs 6 about the importance of working together to make the right moves in life. The importance of setting goals and managing our time. We also received instructions in good relationships and how to handle our personal lives.

Our moves in live may not always line up with how God tells us to live but remember that the King of kings always has one more move before the game of life is over. The blood of Christ is the extra move God gives us for the path to victory. Then each day we can study God’s Word for continual cleaning. We can also hold each other accountable, share ideas, and encourage one another.

Today, I’m reminded of a song delivered on The Voice 2016 by Contestant Sundance Head. With Jesus by our side, we can make the impossible possible.

Index of devotionals

Memories for a Lifetime

Rejoice with the wife of your youth … and always be enraptured with her love. - Proverbs 5:18-19

Within the post “His Plan forSex and Love”, written were some thoughts about the institutions of marriage, about relationships, and about building great memories over a lifetime with the ones we love. The memories are some of the most valuable possessions we can have.

There are times of the year that bring back memories. The end of summer when family gathers for Labor Day, the fall and the smell of pecan pie, the winter when the leaves have fallen and you look up into the cold night sky and see more stars than you could ever count. The spring and the memories of kids playing youth sports and the summers going to the water park. You can depend on the seasons … they keep coming … you can count on it, but they never are exactly the same. O, they really don’t change but life and how you see things does.

Unfortunately, relationships can easily be broken and the people that are hurt are the ones we love the most. The song Keep Your Eyes on Me by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill has some good points on building stronger relationships that last. Things like being sensitive to the needs of your spouse and understanding that God’s plan is for us is to use good common sense by putting our attention on the one He joined with us in marriage.

Index of devotionals

Opportunities to Explain

As we step ahead on the path of our journey, there will be those who will try to put roadblocks in our way. Just like the post Stepping Ahead of Roadblocks when The Sadducees asked Jesus a question to try and show discrepancies in His teachings, there will be non-believers that we will come up against. These situations give us an opportunity to explain the soundness and victory found in the Word.

This day with You Father, help us to step ahead by taking in the Word to fortify us. Help us to remain optimistic because with You, we are highly favored. Amen!

A little bit of faith goes a long way and can change those who don’t believe. Here’s a video to inspire our day: Something in the Water – Carrie Underwood.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. - Colossians 2:8

Index of devotionals

Peace of Mind and Joy

Billy Graham was quoted to say the following, “The word romance, according to the dictionary, means, excitement, adventure, and something extremely real. Romance should last a lifetime”. When I was single, the guys in a small group at my church made lasagna from scratch for the single girls of that group and planned a dinner for them on Valentine’s Day. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or what but about four or five marriages were produced from that group.

There is something to be said about having a partner for life. Researchers have found that people who are lonely have more health issues. Loneliness is more of a factor in health concerns than being overweight, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. There are not many happy hermits. God created us to be social beings that depend on one another. Psychiatrists have done studies to proof that having meaningful relationships will add to better health.

In Luke 14:16-24 is the parable of the great banquet. Invitations were sent out for a feast but everyone made excuses for not showing up. The lesson is to not miss out on the gift of God who helps us physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.

What provisions has God made for us? Every person is in equal standing with God who wants to provide us with joy and peace of mind. He is a God of justice who makes wrongs right. This is provided for in that everyone who believes in what the gospel clearly explains and accepts God’s Son as their savior has a protective antidote to a life of eternal misery. Our needs are provided for and He provides joy and peace of mind.

Two ways to increase both physical and mental health are to be kind to others and to be the person that God desires you to be by following His instructions. These are prescriptions to keeping a sound mind filled with wisdom and a sound body that makes available a wholesome dwelling for your soul.

Each day during the week, I write a post at this link. The mission of this blog is to demonstrate an instrument for Bible study that uses technology to develop a better way to study the Bible by integrating the principles or core values God gives into our daily life at work and at home. One core value God gives that I think is important is to take care of our physical and mental body. Next week, we will continue with this core value God gives that I think is important to being all we are intended to be. We will get more into how to build up this key core value in the post next weekend.