For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Salvation is by grace through faith alone. Over and over again I’ve heard that we have nothing to do with our salvation. If we did it would not be grace. Ephesians 2 clearly says, “it is not your own doing.” But don’t I play a part? After all, I prayed a prayer of commitment or “the sinner’s prayer.” Is regeneration a result of our prayer or is our prayer a result of regeneration? Please hear me, there are wonderful, godly men and women that fall into both camps. I never considered this before. That is before I read the following in John Piper’s book: FINALLY ALIVE.

“…teaching about the new birth is unsettling because it refers to something that is done to us, not something we do…God causes the new birth; we don’t…Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3).

We do not cause the new birth. God causes the new birth. Any spiritually good thing that we do is a result of the new birth, not the cause of new birth. This means that the new birth is taken out of our hands. It is not in our control…

…Therefore if we are going to be born again, it will rely decisively and ultimately on God. His decision to make us alive will not be a response to what we as spiritual corpses do, but what we do will be a response to his making us alive.” (John Piper, Finally Alive, pgs. 26-27).

WOW!!!! This made so much sense to me. After being a believer 25 years, I finally understand how my salvation as a “good, religious” girl is just as underserved, unearned and amazing as another who was running hard and fast away from God and was saved in the midst of a drug-induced high. Neither of us did one single thing to warrant salvation.

I believe that God did not respond to my cry of faith, but that I responded to God’s regeneration of my spirit with a cry of faith. For the first time, I understand how salvation is on the basis of sheer grace.

I know there are some out there that will disagree with Piper’s words, but for me, they have given me a whole new appreciation for my own salvation and a new perspective on sharing the gospel.

Diane

Thanksgiving is a GREAT time to give thanks, and it is the time we tend to really get into the mood and it almost seems natural. BUT, thanksgiving is to be done all the time … not just because the government has assigned a date…

We are to be Thankful:

All the time: I Thess. 5:16-18, Eph. 5:4, 18-20, Phil 4:6, Col. 2:6-7, 3:15,

In the Morning and Evening: Psalms 92:1-2

There are two types of thanks…

Natural Gratitude: It is giving thanks for blessings received…
Life, health, home, family, freedom, a warm bed, cool drinks on hot days – it is the mindset of appreciation for all good gifts of any size or shape.

What things have you been given that you can be thankful for?

Problem is… this type of thanksgiving does not come naturally when things are tough…

Gracious Gratitude: It is giving thanks for WHO God is. It is giving thanks for His Character – His goodness, love, power, and His excellencies. It is evidence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. It can grow in the midst of pain, trouble and distress.

Gratitude Motivators:
The Lord is Sovereign
God loves unconditionally
God forgives
The Lord abides
We have been sealed with the Holy spirit
God hears and answers prayers
God has a purpose for our lives

Gracious Gratitude for who God is stems from our heart and who we are in CHRIST. It is relational rather than conditional. We need nothing in life but to have gracious gratitude.

For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. (2 Cor. 4:15)

Gratitude is a response of the believer to the work of the Spirit in their lives (Eph. 5:18-21 ESV).

My husband and I walked into a large department store recently and the traditional bell-ringer was at his post. “Happy Holidays” he said to us as he continued ringing the bell. I commented to my husband Glen, “Happy Holidays? What happened to Merry Christmas?”

As I walked out of the store, I said “Merry Christmas” to the bell-ringer. He quickly responded with a “Merry Christmas to you, too.” I realized if I let him know it was best to say “Merry Christmas” he would do so. I have a friend who has had buttons made which read “You can wish me Merry Christmas.”

I came home and opened my e-mail to find I had received this poem.

‘Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas – no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people’s feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ‘Holiday.’
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda…
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe’s the word Christmas – was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny’s and Sears
You won’t hear the word Christmas; it won’t touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzer
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matters.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate ‘Winter Break’ under your ‘Dream Tree’
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,
not Happy Holidays!*

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet during the holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS. Christ is The Reason for the Christmas Season!

I realize that some of the specifics of the poem may be out of date, but the message is very accurate and will always be. The point is that we must speak up. This Christmas Season, let’s be ready with a joyful MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Marilyn Heavilin

One of my favorite magazines is called “Keepers at Home.” I love the simplicity of it and the great articles and devotions for wives and mothers.

Recently I lost a good friend, mentor and a godly example of a woman. She was my first Sunday School teacher. I can remember her kindness even to this day after 40 some years. Janet was to me a woman of character, a woman of faith, a woman to be remembered.

Looking into the Scriptures there are many women we can reflect upon and learn from and be encouraged by….but what about someone today that we can look up to? Are you someone that a young lady can admire for being faithful, strong in the Lord and always showing God’s love?

The article/devotion I read today asked the question….Do we have any Abraham and Sarahs today? Well, do we…?

As I was remembering my friend Janet today, and the challenge she left me with, I decided to pick up this very issue and here was another challenge for me. You see, Janet always told me over the years….even if you are washing the dishes, do it unto the Lord. She said you never know when He will take you home and you want to be serving Him at that very moment. The older I get the more I can understand and appreciate what she was saying and how much of an example this can be to others.

Have I been a Sarah to others looking at me and peering into my life? Can I honestly say that daily I show the light of Christ to all around me? For me it is easy at work. It is what I do. I work and minister at a Christian conference center. But at home…..well, isn’t this where I can relax and be myself? Then the question I need to ask myself is…who am I in Christ. Am I only a godly woman at work? Do I only need to show Christ at my ministry/work? No….and I was strongly reminded of that by the devotion I ready today.

Psalm 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it…

Live for the good of others, helpless, oppressed, and wrong;
Lift them from depths of sorrow, In His strength, be strong.
(Written by Grandmother Lois – Keepers at Home Summer 1999 issue)

We need some pillars in our society for our young women to have to hold onto for an example.

Revelation 14:13
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth, yea saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.

When you doubt what you do is worth something….remember doing an ordinary thing in an ordinary way….you will never lack for work. This includes tending our homes, our children, our husbands and even doing the dishes.

Let me attach an article that touched my heart today that should summarize what I am trying to say. May the Lord show us today what we are called to do for Him.

Lynn Wilson

The HIDDEN WOMAN….by Roy Lessin (Keepers at Home Magazine Summer 1999)

A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother. She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference. At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated.

“Is it worth it?” she often wondered. “Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?” It was during one of these moments of questioning that she heard the still small voice of her Heavenly Father speak to her heart. “You are a wife and mother because that is what I have called you to be. Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye, but I notice. Most of what you give is done without remuneration. But I am your reward.”

“Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be with out your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will ever know. I bless him through your service and honor him through your love. Your children are precious to Me…even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them to your care to raise for me. What you invest in them is an offering to Me.”

“You may never be in the public spotlight. But your obedience shines as bright light for Me. Continue on.

Remember you are My servant, Do all to please Me”.

The giving of thanks. All over the United States today, people are gathering with family and friends, or perhaps spending it alone, in honor of the holiday we call Thanksgiving. Sadly enough, few of them know to whom they are giving thanks, or even care for that matter.

Doesn’t the very concept of giving thanks require that there is a recipient of that thanks? We are thankful for…but we are also thankful to… Doesn’t receiving blessing imply the blessings have been given?

Let us be bold today, willing to say, “I thank God and my Lord Jesus Christ for the blessings He has bestowed upon me this year, this month, this day, this moment.”

Be encouraged and let your heart smile with these words:

Psalm 100
Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Happy Thanks – giving,

Diane

Orignially posted 11.22.07

Yet again I have had to focus on my physical health. As is often the case, I had done well for a period of time, watching my weight and exercising, then came stress and with it some old habits. I finally got disgusted with how I felt and I began to discipline my eating and exercise habits. My motto has become “An hour of exercise is better then four months of getting it back off.” The cooler seasons have come and I find myself facing temptations. The fresh fruits and veggies I like are harder to find and salads don’t taste as good in the cold weather. It is the same for my spiritual wellness, too. I can do so well but then lose focus and soon I am feeling rotten because my devotions and disciplines have fallen by the wayside.

When I saw a study on Colossians, “A Women’s Guide to Spiritual Wellness” by Rhonda H. Kelley, I was reminded again of how important it is that I take care of all aspects of my health. At the utmost is that my walk with Jesus be healthy and vital. Rhonda Kelley begins her study with this thought, “Physicians today are focusing medical interventions more on prevention than on treatment. Most prefer physical wellness for the body over treatment of illness.”

How are you doing spiritually? Would an ounce of prevention be better than the cure? Would an hour with Jesus be better then trying to catch up or start over?

I look forward to sharing some things I glean from this study on Colossians. The first thing I learned is found in Colossians 1:1. “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…” Sam Storms comments “..all things in all of our lives at every moment in the twenty-first century must be attributed to the will of God. Have you paused to ponder the fact that who you are is ‘by the will of God,’ as well as what you do, where you live, how much you own, whatever you accomplish? Needless to say this excludes your sinful deeds and rebellious attitude and failure to obey the Scriptures.” The first step to healthy eating is usually purging all the junk from the cabinets and fridge. The first day of exercise always causes a good deal of pain. Deciding to be spiritually well is similar. It takes purging the junk and beginning anew which sometimes can be painful. The first step to prevention and treatment for our spiritual wellness is to be sure we are walking “by the will of God” in all areas of our lives.

Kathy Withers

Kathy has recently joined the Development Team at America’s KESWICK. She has been married to her husband, Dave, for 24 years and they have 2 adult children, Michael and Kerri.

Ah, ha. I suspect you responded to my title the same way I did the first time it came to mind. God is our Heavenly Father yes, but our Heavenly Mother? Hear me out.

As difficult as it is for some people to grasp or accept that God is their Heavenly Father, there is at least some recognition that it is true.

For those with less than stellar, absent or flat out abusive earthly fathers they often struggle with embracing God as Father. They may transfer their experience and feelings of their earthly father to God.

But what about those with less than stellar, absent or flat out abusive earthly mothers? Isn’t it true in one sense that God desires to be our Heavenly Mother?

Here’s why I say that:
1. God desires to meet the deepest longing of our hearts and if it’s for a mother, then that is where He will meet us.
2. “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you;” Is 66:13 God comforts like a mother.
3. “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.” Psalm 27:10. Even if our parents forsake us, God never will.
4. John 1:12-13 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”5. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 God is neither male nor female and though He has chosen to communicate Himself as Father, He does not negate His heart to comfort as a mother.

Diane

Have you ever heard words come out of your mouth and you have gasped? My thought is frequently, “Oh, Lord, I shouldn’t have said that. How could I have said such a thing?” Then my thought has quickly turned to, “How can I talk my way out of that one?”

As I read the verse in Proverbs: “If you have been trapped by what you said….Go and humble yourself” (Proverbs 6:2 and 3 NIV).

Oh, I have been trapped by what I said. So what should I do? Verse 3 tells me: “Go and humble yourself.” You mean I have to admit I was wrong? Yes, that’s what the Bible says. To whom should I go? The first person we must go to is the Lord. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Once we talk to the Lord and admit our sin, we are better prepared to go to the person, humble ourselves, and say, “I was wrong.” So is that it? No. We are expected to change. “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil. He must turn from evil and do good” (1 Peter 3:10-11 NIV).

* Be Contrite

* Be willing to Confess

* Trust God to help you Change

Marilyn Heavilin

Romans 3:10-18 “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Honestly, these verses have always troubled me. I understand them intellectually but in the back of my mind, I just didn’t get it. As a child, I was fairly religious. I participated in youth group and even tried to read the Bible for a season (I usually fell asleep before long). I did good things like helping my mother or refrained from drinking at the high school parties. I prayed pretty regularly. In my mind, I was seeking after God. I was a “good girl.”

One morning, I was reading and praying through Romans 3:9-30. All the care group participants from church are meditating on this Scripture for the month of November. As I was praying through it, I found myself saying, “Lord, I don’t see how these verses really apply to me. I know they are true, but I don’t get it. Forgive me, Lord, for thinking that I did seek you, that I did do good, that I did anything whatsoever that could be deemed righteous. But, Lord, it feels like I did; show me Your truth.”

Later that afternoon, I was again reading Paul Tripp’s book: Whiter than Snow*, when I came across this quote. “Why is Genesis 6:5 so hard to accept? [The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.-my insertion] Why do we spontaneously rise to our own defense? Why are you and I devastated when our weakness, sin, and failure are pointed out? …Why do we erect self-justifying arguments for what we have said or done? …We find this all so hard to accept because we studiously hold onto the possibility that we’re more righteous than the Bible describes us to be. When we look into the mirror of self-appraisal, the person we tend to see is a person who is more righteous that any of us actually is…Each one of us needs grace that’s not only big enough to forgive our sin, but also powerful enough to free us from the self-atoning prison of our own righteousness. We’re not only held captive by our sin, but also by the delusion of our righteousness.”

The Lord answered my prayer. He showed me His truth. I am held captive by the delusion of my own righteousness. The only way out of my captivity is the blood of Jesus Christ, the only True Righteous One.

Diane

* I highly recommend Dr. Tripp’s book, which is available through the KESWICK on-line bookstore.
http://www.americaskeswick.org/233853.ihtml

I have experienced more illness in the past few months than I have in the past ten years. With the illness came feelings of loneliness, frustration, weakness, and futility. I felt my prayers were not reaching the ceiling, let alone God. After a night of pacing the floor and crying out in pain, I prayed, “Dear Jesus, Please let me hear Your voice today. As I see it, first I need to call my pastors to prayer. Help me know how to do that. Second, I need a good doctor as my champion. Please lead Glen and me. Please show me what to do and how to do it. Please bring people to me.”

Within an hour of that prayer, God brought a pastor and his wife to my door. I burst into tears and said, “I just told God I needed someone to pray for me, and I need a good doctor contact.” The pastor prayed for me, and the wife called her clinic and had an appointment for me that afternoon! (It was a Friday, and the normal wait time for an appointment was over a month!)

Later that day I heard God’s directions very clearly as He guided me to look over my e-newsletter mailing list. I was able to identify 16 ordained ministers. I wrote them all immediately and asked them to pray for me. The Lord had answered my prayer and had shown me how to call my pastors (all 16 of them) to prayer.

God reminded me of this verse, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NCV).

Are you feeling weak, lonely and frustrated? Turn to Jesus. Tell Him how you are feeling. He promises to hear us and to take action. “Call to me and I will answer you….” (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV).

MWH