The Cost of Grace; The Freedom of Repentance

Oh how marvelous the grace of God the Father, the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth!  How awesome the power of the Holy spirit that transforms our lives when we choose to believe His word and obey it's commands!

How deep and wide is Gods mercy towards us when we repent of sin and ask forgiveness; how freely He gives the forgiveness and cleanses us of all unrighteousness by the blood of Christ the Savior!

How comforting that He causes the devil and all evil to flee from us when first we submit to Him and resist the lies and deceits directed toward us!

How free is the Grace He bestows upon us - BUT CHEAP?  Never cheap my friends!

Mistakenly making it appear that grace and holiness is so easy to obtain and repentance and submission optional rather than mandatory only confirms that we have lost sight of the cost, what it cost GOD to make that grace and mercy so freely available to us!

It cost the putting aside of divinity to come to this earth as a human baby to experience in fleshly form all that His creation experiences, so we might better understand His empathy for us.

It cost Him giving up His ETERNAL life to take on fleshly DEATH in order to pay the price required to redeem us from our sin.

How great is grace, how freely given.  How valuable it is, ETERNALLY valuable.  How precious a gift, freely given and freely received.

Unlike every earthly gift which is temporary only, this gift is eternal life, eternal peace, eternal salvation, eternal mercy from our ETERNAL GOD!

WORSHIP HIS HOLY NAME!  PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GREAT AND WORTHY OF ALL PRAISE!

Prompt and blessed

We have been blessed tremendously to be living in such a time as this; instant communication enables us to reach what were once the most unreachable people groups with the Gospel of Jesus.

We enjoy the grace of God in abundance, free from the onerous daily chore of sacrificing animals to atone for sin; Jesus set us free indeed! (John 8:36)

And still we are privileged in the "Old Testament" teachings, as Apostle Paul so lovingly pointed out in Romans 15:4
"For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope",
but we are not beholden to the hundreds of specific laws and observances thanks to the Grace of God made available to us through Christ.

Truly there are many wonderful Old Testament scriptures of great teaching that speak into our lives today, eloquently and truthfully.


One such scripture I believe we should heed with all haste in our hearts is found in the book of the Prophet Isaiah.  During the reign of several Israel kings, God raised up Prophets to speak to to His people, precisely because they had refused to converse directly with their God at the time of Moses (Exodus 20:19).  These Prophets often spoke both to the people of their time and for future reference, to those who would come later.

Isaiah 1:19  If you are willing and obedient you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured by the sword.  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

I believe that this is one of those things which was "written before for our learning" that Paul was referring to that has always continued to have affect on peoples lives even when they may not have been aware of it.

While we most certainly DO enjoy the grace and favor of God, and though His love for us is unconditional, this isn't license to sin!  Now more than ever, it is imperative to our own well being, that each of us, individually "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12) and that we do NOT REFUSE to hear the Lord speak to us personally and directly!

Just as He put it to the Israelites, it is even now a choice put before us much like the choice to choose LIFE over DEATH. (Deuteronomy 30:19) 

IF we are willing and obedient.... which refers to what exactly?  To the rules and regulations of man?  To the statutes and prohibitions of religious leaders?  To an American government (or any other government!) that appears bent on destroying the work of the Lord in our lives?

A simple reading of the verse in context puts it all in perspective and makes itself extremely clear and easy to understand.

Isaiah 1: 18  "Come now and let us reason together" says the Lord.

Then, like He already had planned it for all Eternity, (I really think He did!) the Lord makes clear that He speaks to the Israelites, yes, but also to we who would be saved later, by describing our condition so we will recognize ourselves.

 "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are like crimson, they shall be as wool."

We whose sins that are like scarlet have been washed in the sacrificed blood of Jesus and have been made "white as snow".  

This verse is written FOR OUR LEARNING.

Here is the physical and spiritual principle at work.

If this; then that.  

We all understand how this principle works in every area of life.  If we do this thing then that thing happens.  

The law of cause and effect.  Each action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Christians, the grace of God, as Apostle Paul so clearly taught in Romans 6:1, isn't a license to SIN, but a method to avoid being enslaved by sin!  

Every thinking human being can see clearly that all of our actions have consequences.  If we desire pleasant consequences that give us joy, we must choose willingly to be obedient to God.  If we choose to rebel; to do "our own thing" then we will suffer the consequences of those choices, good or bad.

With that in mind, wouldn't it be ridiculous for us to then declare that God is not good because we have reaped the unhappy consequence of our own action?  

God has instructed us clearly, as any loving parent would a child, on right behavior in order that we will reap the result of good consequence.

Right now you might find yourself asking this question; "How can I know God's instructions so I can choose to follow them?"

READ HIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL.

On the first read through, I know it will sound foreign and difficult to understand.  The first time we are introduced to anything it seems hard.  Remember arithmetic?  When they first introduced long division, I was convinced I'd never understand.  I went on to achieve A's in Algebra years later in High School.  

The GREAT thing about the Bible is that it is a living work, spoken into being by a Living God who moved on living men to write His will. (II Peter 1:21)

And it gets better.  The word has a spiritual life to it.  When you are born again of Gods spirit, your understanding is that much greater.  This isn't something that can be taught or explained, but only spiritually discerned by those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.


Reading the Bible regularly you will discover that understanding comes naturally.  Understanding increases with each reading.  

You can read the Bible in any manner that works for you.

Read straight through from cover to cover.

Start at the Gospels and work through the New Testament first.

Skip around from book to book, or even chapter to chapter.

Or you can join us, using the daily reading schedule we follow, and we can journey together toward deeper understanding and closer fellowship with the Lord. (See the Daily Reading page of this website) 

When we know, understand and OBEY Gods commands, we reap all manner of GOOD THINGS!  That is a promise directly from God the Father and Creator of all things to His children.  By the same token, if we choose disobedience we have no one but ourselves to blame when we reap those negative consequences.

Our prayer for you is that you will KNOW and RECEIVE the goodness God desires you to experience in your life, in Jesus Name, AMEN!

WHY REMINDERS NEED TO BE MANDATORY

SPECIALLY MADE FOR OUR RV WHEN WE WERE
TRAVELING, THE BLESSINGS FROM THE YEAR
REMINDED US OF GODS PROVIDENTIAL HAND

A wonderful friend blessed us with this gift last year at Christmas time that required our attention through out this past year, but has proved itself well worth the effort and a constant joy reminding us of the things we so easily forget; the daily blessings of God who loves us.

We get caught up in each days happenings and tend to forget the smaller, but no less important things that brought a smile to our face, gladdened our hearts and strengthened our faith.  We desperately need those reminders!  We need to repeat to ourselves - OFTEN - the blessings God has poured out on us, the joy of knowing His truth and being on the receiving end of His grace.  We need to recount how by our own actions we should reap consequence but by His mercy we are blessed instead!

As we move into this New Year 2014, Turn the Tide Ministries would like to encourage each of you to do what it takes to draw closer to the Lord, be ever mindful of His goodness and grow deeper in our faith.

We CHALLENGE YOU:

1.  Read the Bible daily; you are encouraged to join us in a daily reading schedule that will walk us through the entire Bible in two years (See the Daily Reading Schedule page)

2.  Pray each morning; they don't need to be long or fancy prayers, just acknowledge your need of help and believe God will provide what you need (Send your Prayer Request via the form to the left and we will pray for you!)

3.  Track the blessings and moments of growth God gives; in a notebook, on slips of paper in a "Blessing Jar" or in whatever manner that works for you, so you can remind yourself as often as needed that God is moving and working in your life.

4.  Tell others when prayers are answered, needs are met or the Lord pours out a particular blessing.  This is a great way to really seal those times in your own heart and mind

5.  Spend time in fellowship with other believers; this will afford continual encouragement and support as necessary.

Without constant reminders of our blessings and times of joy, those times when  we are sad or struggling with difficulties can overwhelm us and rob us of hope.  Arm yourself - list your joys, record your blessings and be ever ready to combat the notion that God has left you alone.  He declares He will never leave you nor forsake you - you just need to remind yourself of that TRUTH!

Sharing memories and the stories of our families is how we stay connected to those who have gone before us and encourage ourselves in the daily struggles of life we all face.  What are some of the ways you have reminded yourself and shared with others the goodness and joys and blessings of life?

IMAGINATION

About 8 years ago I received a postcard in the mail, eye catching picture similar to the one I've shared here, with the caption boldly splashed across the top:

IMAGINE WHAT GOD COULD DO...

The possibilities seemed endless and breathtaking!  Imagine what God could do!  On the other side it advertised some Christian gathering and the theme of course was just that - Imagine what God could do and expanded that a bit with the word  "if".

IF you attended this conference...imagine what God could do in your life!

IF you gave an offering...imagine what God could do for you in return!

IF you just fell in line with the belief system and theology and behavior and dress and if you just fell in step with this ministry and it's teachings...imagine what God would be willing to do for you.

Flash forward about 8 years.  I don't remember much about the ad on the other side, but every time I open my refrigerator and without my even really being aware, I'm "seeing" that picture and those words.  Even the time we've been in the RV traveling it was taped to the fridge, it had so captured my imagination!  Then this week it hit me!  IMAGINE WHAT GOD COULD DO???  Nothing is impossible with God!  There is NOTHING God is not capable of doing nor is there anything He withholds from His children.  And praise God, it most certainly isn't dependent on ME what God could do or we would be in some serious trouble.  And we are in serious trouble, when we've come to the place where, even subtly, we think of God in terms of our control or subject to our actions.

Everything that every human being does is in RESPONSE to the Almighty God, Creator and Master of all heaven, all earth and everything in it.  This prevailing, subtle, sneaky and extremely DANGEROUS idea that God moves, works, thinks, feels or acts in response to us is the devils most clever lie EVER since the Garden of Eden!  In II Timothy specifically the end of chapter 2 and into chapter 3, Paul is warning against just this kind of captivity of lies an deceits that man is of the utmost importance and the universe behaves in response to man.  You should read all of this book for a full picture, but let's take a look at a piece of it.

II Timothy 2: 26, 3: 1-9  ...and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.  But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power and from such people turn away!  For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

Paul goes on to instruct Timothy not only how to avoid this foolish behavior but to follow righteous behavior leading to true godliness.  Please bear with me while I repeat myself for instructions sake.  Everything a human being does is in response to the Almighty Father in Heaven.  Whether that response is acceptance or rejection, WE DO THE RESPONDING.  We are instructed to pray, yet Jesus clearly tells us God already knows what our needs are  (Matthew 6: 8).  We believe Christ died for us and receive the gift of salvation according to Gods plan (Ephesians 1:4), not ours. God already has everything in place and IF we respond according to His instructions we receive the blessing.    The land of Canaan already belonged to the Israelites, God had already declared He had given it to them.  They needed to respond to Gods gift in order to receive it.  It is subtle, but important.  It is a heart matter, that the very thought pattern, to be righteous, must be "God has provided, so I will ask and receive" and not "I will ask so God will provide".

So it struck me hard the other day, when I passed by the fridge and glanced at the familiar postcard that we have it wrong!  It isn't and can not be  IMAGINE WHAT GOD COULD DO...for there is nothing impossible with God, but really ought to be IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD EXPERIENCE if we trusted and believed GOD and responded accordingly and obediently.  We would experience the JOY of the Lord that is our strength, the power of the Holy Spirit in our situations, the PEACE of God that passes all understanding and the FELLOWSHIP with our Heavenly Father that knows no bounds!

II Timothy 3:16-17  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoruroughly equipped for every good work.

IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD EXPERIENCE IF YOU TRULY TRUSTED

 AND BELIEVED GOD TO THE END THAT YOU OBEY HIM IN ALL THINGS!

Turn the Tide Ministries is dedicated to changing lives one at a time for the increase of Gods Kingdom and the Glory of God the Father.  Starting with our own lives and moving outward, we obey our Lord as surrendered living epistles of His great and glorious grace.  Join us every Sunday for practical applications to your everyday lives of Gods rich and wonderful WORD OF TRUTH to His children until He comes to gather us HOME.