May 21st 2008 “Grace enables rest, peace, and hope”

Jesus said to me as I awoke this morning: “Grace enables rest, peace, and hope”
What an encouraging word, He's always that way with us isn't He!
The word "enable" is the key to it all.
Enable means: "to empower, to increase in strength, to make STRONG"!!
Yes, God sure is up to the enabling task isn't He. Thank God that this grace working in us is what increases our strength making us strong.
We sure don't have it in and of ourselves to do that though at times we might find ourselves trying to.
In Phillippians 2:13 He reminds us “It is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure” !!!
This my friend is the never ending enabling work of Grace!!

Robert

May 29th 2008 "Seizing the moment"

With what I been through the last 2 years and with the transition that I still find myself in, I had a very assume word of encouragement from Jesus yesterday and it was confirmed last night as I sat at the library and listened to my good friend Jeff Hollister speak about his new book and his days with Nike. The book is called "Out Of Nowhere" and is the history of Nike long before it was Nike. It's quite a story. He was with and was one of the original runners from Oregon State that formed Nike. He has a Morgan and is battling cancer, please hold him up in your prayers.
The word from Jesus. He said "Let the passions of your heart seize the moment" Last night as Jeff started to speak he talked about those events that happen through life that you have nothing to do with. It's life itself and its moments that we experience. Some of these moments are of lesser and greater degree depending on how they touch your heart and soul and so what I heard Jesus saying is those moments that touch the passions of your heart are best grabbed and held on to by those passions, nothing else will keep them like those passions. That my friends is exactly right where I am at this point in my journey. I’m waiting for life’s moments to once again touch new passions that have risen in my heart and soul. 32 years ago there were some moments that passed my way that I personally had nothing to do with. Call it fate call it Jesus call it God or whatever name you want to give it. Back then not knowing God or about God I considered it "fate" but the important thing is that without even being aware of it at the moment the passion of my heart "read cars" seized those moments and look what happened, I became the worlds premier Morgan Sports Car restorer. Who would of thought!!
So my friends as your life moves along and it’s moments touch the passions that lay deep in your heart and soul grab hold of those moments and watch what God can do for you. May the passions of your heart keep the moments close and may God’s peace surround you these hectic days so your best will shine through that which you determine to do.

Robert

May 30th 2008 Are you a Pessimist an Optimist or a believer in Christ?

Are you a Pessimist an Optimist or a believer in Christ?

Jesus asked me this question and I answered, “you know Lord that I believe in You” I then pondered the question and what He wanted me to see.
It’s the old, is the glass half full or is the glass half empty question. As I thought about this question that was formed in the mind of man long ago I realized the folly of this pessimist, optimist question for a believer. Think about it a minute before reading on, now don’t cheat think about it!

As I gave His question some thought, after a short time it was as if a light went on. What He was asking me was no matter what my circumstances might be at any time do I have the faith/hope to see the glass not just full but overflowing. I remembered the scripture where Paul said how he knew how to get along with humble means, and to know how to live in prosperity, in any and every circumstance he had learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. He, being an Apostle of grace fully understood the answer to the question that Jesus was pulling out of me. So in other words let's be a people who, under God’s grace, can believe in and see the glass (our life) overflowing!

Robert

June 3rd 2008
A word from my dear friend Karen who knows how to live under Gods grace!
Scripture references mine.

Religion is the doctrines and traditions of man, man trying to get to and please God
Christianity is God working in and through man.

Jesus tells us that our traditions make, not maybe but make the word of God of no affect. This is the Rehma, living word, this is the word that faith comes by and the same word that the worlds were formed by. Our silly little religious ways can actually deflect the power of God! Scary but that's been happening since Jesus walked the earth and it still is, maybe even worse.

Then God tells us that the focal point of all New testament living is that it is "God who is at work in you to will and to work for His good pleasure"!
Reminds me that this is what God the father did in Christ Jesus. Might we dare to even suggest, that it could be possible, for us to say to one another "if you've seen me you've seen the Father"!! We should and ought to be abel to, yes and amen.