Live For Today

James 4:13-15

The blood of Jesus Christ has freed us from two terrible vices: yesterday and tomorrow. Our yesterdays can hold us in guilt and regret. The guilt is over sins that we committed and mistakes that we made and the regret is for things that we could have and should have done, but we did not for one reason or the other. Our yesterdays loom large because they always scream, “What might have been!” Christ’s death removed all condemnation over yesterday, setting us free from this prison of guilt and regret (Romans 8:1).

The other terrible vice is tomorrow. Tomorrow has yet to come, so it holds limitless possibilities and potential for great error. Because the enemy always emphasizes our weaknesses, our tomorrow’s can paralyze us with fear and torment, scaring us away from taking chances today, for fear that we will ruin that tomorrow. Christ’s blood at Calvary was to assure us eternal life and the ever-cleansing power of forgiveness of sins. In Jesus there is no fear of tomorrow, for it is in His hands.

James warned, “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). This warning is to people who put off for tomorrow what they should take care of today, namely their eternal soul. So many people in this world are putting off thinking about eternity because they feel that they have all of the time in the world. We know that people die tragically every day, but we never actually think that it will be us. We all think that we will die old in our beds, with plenty of time to ponder our eternal destination. While some get this opportunity, all do not, and James reminds us that it will all be over very soon.

Living in the moment is allowing Jesus to take the reins of life and captain your vessel. Your past is checkered and spotted, but none of that matters in Christ, for He has removed the sin. Your future is uncertain in human terms but is all secure in the skillful hands of the Father. Rest where you are, for that is where He is!

I spent a portion of my life always wondering if there was something else. I dreamed of living somewhere else and doing something different. I was very insecure about who I was and always thinking that I could be better if I were someone else. Every passing moment of everyday is another chance to change everything, so I began to live by that thought. If I am unhappy with something, I cannot live in regret as to how I got there, and I can’t fear what tomorrow might hold, but I can do something today.

If you are unhappy with yourself; fix it. If you want more knowledge; get it. The possibilities are endless for you, because you are a child of the King. He has great things for you and He wants you to reign in this life through the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. Stop living in the past and stop putting everything off until tomorrow. Start now and you are one day closer to being where you want to go.

Grace Teaches Us How to Live

Titus 2:11, 12

The most common argument that comes against those of us who teach the gospel of grace is that if we continue to preach and teach God’s grace without “balancing” it with the teaching of God’s law, then no one in the church will know how to live and people will begin to “sin like crazy”. This argument mixes the covenants. It places new wine (New Covenant) into old wineskins (Old Covenant) which never balances out either message, it simply ruins them both (Luke 5:36-39).

Because of Adam’s sin in eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, man trusts his own ability to do what is right and shun what is wrong. He thinks that the way to do well is to be aware of the evil and then to run hard and fast the other way. This thinking has made its way into the pulpit, with preachers constantly pointing out all of the evils of the world and warning saints away from them. That message puts all of the responsibility onto the believer to change themselves. This causes them to do penance when they fail and to place themselves under stricter discipline to keep from doing it again. This is the “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Romans 8:15).

Paul stated that the grace of God brings salvation, and no one who preaches Jesus, either by law or by grace would deny that (Titus 2:11). He further states that this grace “hath appeared to all men”. The “appearance” of grace is in the man Jesus Christ. John tells us that the law was given by Moses but that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Notice that when grace appears it has a job to do, “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12). What is it that does the teaching? It is the grace of God, through the personage of Jesus. The more sin is revealed to the believer, the more that they try to pay the price to get rid of that sin. The more that Jesus is revealed to the believer, the more that He teaches them how to live. In essence, the more they see Jesus, the more Jesus lives through them.

No one who preaches the gospel of grace wants to see Christians living in sin. Paul defended his message on more than one occasion, feeling the need to do so because he was being misrepresented. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” he asks. “God forbid,” he answers (Romans 6:1, 2). Then, he doesn’t say that we shouldn’t sin because it will send us to hell, but rather he asks how we can continue to do those evil things seeing that our old man is dead and Christ is alive in us (Romans 6:2-7). Paul is showing how to live by reinforcing the believers position in Christ, allowing grace go to work in each person’s heart.

The grace of God that saved you is also the grace that will keep you. Every believer has the voice of the Spirit in them showing them the way to live. When we fail, the Spirit doesn’t punch us in the spiritual face and force us to make up for it, condemning our every thought and deed, but instead, the Holy Spirit reinforces who we are in Christ, causing us to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1).

Listen to the voice of grace in your heart today. He will lead you as to how to live and how to let Jesus live through you. Be blessed!

Live For Today

James 4:13-15

The blood of Jesus Christ has freed us from two terrible vices: yesterday and tomorrow. Our yesterdays can hold us in guilt and regret. The guilt is over sins that we committed and mistakes that we made and the regret is for things that we could have and should have done, but we did not for one reason or the other. Our yesterdays loom large because they always scream, “What might have been!” Christ’s death removed all condemnation over yesterday, setting us free from this prison of guilt and regret (Romans 8:1).

The other terrible vice is tomorrow. Tomorrow has yet to come, so it holds limitless possibilities and potential for great error. Because the enemy always emphasizes our weaknesses, our tomorrow’s can paralyze us with fear and torment, scaring us away from taking chances today, for fear that we will ruin that tomorrow. Christ’s blood at Calvary was to assure us eternal life and the ever-cleansing power of forgiveness of sins. In Jesus there is no fear of tomorrow, for it is in His hands.

James warned, “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). This warning is to people who put off for tomorrow what they should take care of today, namely their eternal soul. So many people in this world are putting off thinking about eternity because they feel that they have all of the time in the world. We know that people die tragically every day, but we never actually think that it will be us. We all think that we will die old in our beds, with plenty of time to ponder our eternal destination. While some get this opportunity, all do not, and James reminds us that it will all be over very soon.

Living in the moment is allowing Jesus to take the reins of life and captain your vessel. Your past is checkered and spotted, but none of that matters in Christ, for He has removed the sin. Your future is uncertain in human terms but is all secure in the skillful hands of the Father. Rest where you are, for that is where He is!

I spent a portion of my life always wondering if there was something else. I dreamed of living somewhere else and doing something different. I was very insecure about who I was and always thinking that I could be better if I were someone else. Every passing moment of everyday is another chance to change everything, so I began to live by that thought. If I am unhappy with something, I cannot live in regret as to how I got there, and I can’t fear what tomorrow might hold, but I can do something today.

If you are unhappy with yourself; fix it. If you want more knowledge; get it. The possibilities are endless for you, because you are a child of the King. He has great things for you and He wants you to reign in this life through the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. Stop living in the past and stop putting everything off until tomorrow. Start now and you are one day closer to being where you want to go.

Grace Teaches Us How to Live

Titus 2:11, 12

The most common argument that comes against those of us who teach the gospel of grace is that if we continue to preach and teach God’s grace without “balancing” it with the teaching of God’s law, then no one in the church will know how to live and people will begin to “sin like crazy”. This argument mixes the covenants. It places new wine (New Covenant) into old wineskins (Old Covenant) which never balances out either message, it simply ruins them both (Luke 5:36-39).

Because of Adam’s sin in eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, man trusts his own ability to do what is right and shun what is wrong. He thinks that the way to do well is to be aware of the evil and then to run hard and fast the other way. This thinking has made its way into the pulpit, with preachers constantly pointing out all of the evils of the world and warning saints away from them. That message puts all of the responsibility onto the believer to change themselves. This causes them to do penance when they fail and to place themselves under stricter discipline to keep from doing it again. This is the “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Romans 8:15).

Paul stated that the grace of God brings salvation, and no one who preaches Jesus, either by law or by grace would deny that (Titus 2:11). He further states that this grace “hath appeared to all men”. The “appearance” of grace is in the man Jesus Christ. John tells us that the law was given by Moses but that grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Notice that when grace appears it has a job to do, “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:12). What is it that does the teaching? It is the grace of God, through the personage of Jesus. The more sin is revealed to the believer, the more that they try to pay the price to get rid of that sin. The more that Jesus is revealed to the believer, the more that He teaches them how to live. In essence, the more they see Jesus, the more Jesus lives through them.

No one who preaches the gospel of grace wants to see Christians living in sin. Paul defended his message on more than one occasion, feeling the need to do so because he was being misrepresented. “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” he asks. “God forbid,” he answers (Romans 6:1, 2). Then, he doesn’t say that we shouldn’t sin because it will send us to hell, but rather he asks how we can continue to do those evil things seeing that our old man is dead and Christ is alive in us (Romans 6:2-7). Paul is showing how to live by reinforcing the believers position in Christ, allowing grace go to work in each person’s heart.

The grace of God that saved you is also the grace that will keep you. Every believer has the voice of the Spirit in them showing them the way to live. When we fail, the Spirit doesn’t punch us in the spiritual face and force us to make up for it, condemning our every thought and deed, but instead, the Holy Spirit reinforces who we are in Christ, causing us to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1).

Listen to the voice of grace in your heart today. He will lead you as to how to live and how to let Jesus live through you. Be blessed!

Live For Today

James 4:13-15

The blood of Jesus Christ has freed us from two terrible vices: yesterday and tomorrow. Our yesterdays can hold us in guilt and regret. The guilt is over sins that we committed and mistakes that we made and the regret is for things that we could have and should have done, but we did not for one reason or the other. Our yesterdays loom large because they always scream, “What might have been!” Christ’s death removed all condemnation over yesterday, setting us free from this prison of guilt and regret (Romans 8:1).

The other terrible vice is tomorrow. Tomorrow has yet to come, so it holds limitless possibilities and potential for great error. Because the enemy always emphasizes our weaknesses, our tomorrow’s can paralyze us with fear and torment, scaring us away from taking chances today, for fear that we will ruin that tomorrow. Christ’s blood at Calvary was to assure us eternal life and the ever-cleansing power of forgiveness of sins. In Jesus there is no fear of tomorrow, for it is in His hands.

James warned, “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). This warning is to people who put off for tomorrow what they should take care of today, namely their eternal soul. So many people in this world are putting off thinking about eternity because they feel that they have all of the time in the world. We know that people die tragically every day, but we never actually think that it will be us. We all think that we will die old in our beds, with plenty of time to ponder our eternal destination. While some get this opportunity, all do not, and James reminds us that it will all be over very soon.

Living in the moment is allowing Jesus to take the reins of life and captain your vessel. Your past is checkered and spotted, but none of that matters in Christ, for He has removed the sin. Your future is uncertain in human terms but is all secure in the skillful hands of the Father. Rest where you are, for that is where He is!

I spent a portion of my life always wondering if there was something else. I dreamed of living somewhere else and doing something different. I was very insecure about who I was and always thinking that I could be better if I were someone else. Every passing moment of everyday is another chance to change everything, so I began to live by that thought. If I am unhappy with something, I cannot live in regret as to how I got there, and I can’t fear what tomorrow might hold, but I can do something today.

If you are unhappy with yourself; fix it. If you want more knowledge; get it. The possibilities are endless for you, because you are a child of the King. He has great things for you and He wants you to reign in this life through the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. Stop living in the past and stop putting everything off until tomorrow. Start now and you are one day closer to being where you want to go.