Encouraging Notes

If we could truly grasp how merciful and kind God has been to us, how much differently we would feel about ourselves, and how vastly different we would treat others! John chapter 8 records the story of the woman caught in adultery. The religious leaders threw her down in front of Jesus to see if Jesus would follow the law of Moses, which commanded her to be stoned. Jesus said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”John 8:7 Jesus had no stones to throw, and once confronted with their own righteousness, neither did those who had thrown her at Jesus’ feet.

It is interesting how the Scriptures we Christians have used to condemn homosexuality or other sins are the very Scriptures that condemn us if we choose to live by our own righteousness.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 9Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men a 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Isn’t it interesting how we can strongly judge someone else’s sin while failing to look at our own? Jesus said, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 Adultery is sexual immorality. I wonder how many commit sexual immorality in their minds and hearts yet condemn others for their sexual sins. And mind you, in the Scripture above, all those sins are listed together and bear the same condemnation. According to the Scripture above, it is not just homosexuality that God is speaking of; it is also those who steal, commit sexual immorality, slander other people, and those who swindle people out of their money.

Idolatry is putting something before God. How many of us have fallen into the sin of putting something in our lives before God. Do our relationships come before God? Does our family, marriage, business, or hobbies come before God? How many have refused to give the first of their money to God? How many have not given God the first of their time and passion? Also, I wonder how many of us have been greedy? How many of us have taken something that wasn’t ours? These are only a few of the sins that God considers serious.

A judgmental attitude comes from the law and is why apostle Paul wrote these riveting words. “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone who does not continue to do EVERYTHING written in the book of the law.” Clearly, no one who relies on the law is justified before God because “the righteous will live by faith.”Galatians 3:10-11

No one who judges others can escape the absolute perfection required by the law. Apostle James said it like this, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10 In other words, if you cannot keep the whole law without fail, you are guilty of breaking the entire law. WOW!

The truth of the matter is that you and I are fully and totally, without question, guilty! We haven’t even begun to mention all the sins of pride, arrogance, selfishness, rebellion, and the like. Not to mention the most important command, “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind and with ALL your strength.” Mat 22:37 And in this case, if you miss the word ALL, you missed it ALL.” There is not one of us that does not sin against God on a daily basis when considering the fullness of God’s righteous commands.

The writer of Hebrews implores us by saying, “Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 I am convinced that I stand before God by grace alone! I rest my case upon the blood of Jesus. And I, just like Jesus, with the woman caught in adultery, have…

NO STONES TO THROW!

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The people you will meet as you go about your day today are the passion and longing of our heavenly Father! God yearns for your life to be so filled with His love that those who come in contact with today would experience who he is. People around you will spend eternity without God and his love unless someone can reveal God to them. Look closely at what is called the great commission Jesus gave to us as his church.

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

God’s great commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations, and it always starts with those nearest you. God deeply loves all those people you rub shoulders with every day. My heart is always moved at the thought of the following Scripture!

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever would believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Do you see it? God loves the world! The intensity of God’s love for the people you see every day is on a level our minds cannot fully comprehend. To consider that God was willing to exchange Jesus Christ, his only Son, for the people of this world is astounding and beyond awe-inspiring! God zealously loves your neighbor, coworker, family member, and the person you will meet at the grocery store or the gas station today. Oh yes – Today is your day for divine appointments! Remember, God propels those who are prepared for their purpose! Be determined to put God first! Let his word and communion with him penetrate your soul today! This will give you the power and anointing to fulfill God’s marvelous plan.

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Those who are filled with the wisdom that comes from the word of God and intimacy with God’s Holy Spirit are those who win souls. The more the love and grace of God impact you, the more you will impact the people you meet every day.

Oh, my dear friend, in the name of Jesus, I declare that someone will experience the love and grace of God through you today! You are God’s light in this world. Today is your day for the love of Jesus to shine through you, invoking change in those you meet! May we do today what the great evangelist Reinhard Bonnke said, “Make the Great Commission our Great Ambition! One thing I know for sure; those people that you will meet today are at the center of…

DADDY’S HEART!

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It is one thing to start a project, and it is another thing to finish it! Because God wants to do great things in your life, he gives you seemingly insignificant assignments to test your willingness to follow through! Sometimes it’s the task of reading your Bible every day or maybe being faithful at a job that isn’t your favorite. God wants to see how faithful and diligent you will be when working on something that wouldn’t be your first choice. Maybe you have been asked to serve in the church in an area that you don’t necessarily feel called to. These kinds of tasks are where God tests your character and finds out whether you’re ready for greater things. God has grand plans and great rewards for those who will be faithful with the little him, and he has already told them to do. Look at what Jesus said about this subject.

Luke 16:10-11 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? (NLT)

This Scripture talks about money because it is the love of money that causes people to serve it rather than God. It is essential to consider that all the money we have belongs to God; yes, all of it. Therefore, we must be faithful to give him the first of what is already his. This is why the Scripture talks about being honest with little things. If God can trust you with money, which is one of the most tempting areas of your life to put before God, he can trust you with many things.

It is not only money that this refers to; God is also concerned about you being faithful with all responsibilities that he has put before you. Very likely, some tasks and responsibilities have come to your mind as you’re reading this. I know God is speaking to me; he wants me to be faithful with my marriage and serving my wife; faithful with my family – taking time for them; faithful with the church – being excellent in all that I do, and faithful with writing these words each day. I also have books and music CDs that I’m working on that need to be finished!

In light of being faithful with what God has told us to do, I love what apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy. He said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing. 2 Tim 4:7-8

Wow! Those are powerful, confident words! He knew that he had been faithful to the call of God upon his life. How wonderful! I remember having a discussion with my father just months before he passed, and during our conversation, he said to me, “I wonder if I have done my best for Jesus.” What a sobering thought!

How about you? Are you fighting the good fight? Will you finish the race God has put before you? Are you being faithful with what God has already told you to do? I am praying for you today to have the wisdom to identify the areas God has called you to be faithful with. May you find strength in God today to work hard, be diligent and be consistent with the simple tasks that he has given you to do. Finishing those things God has told you to do is one of the great keys to a prosperous future! I believe you are with me on this one—It’s time to…

FINISH IT!

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I am becoming increasingly overwhelmed by the wonder and beauty of all God is! He is far more beautiful and far more loving than we have ever given him credit for! Oh, that we, as the body of Christ, would see that he is everything we need – I mean EVERYTHING! How many times have we reasoned that our intense prayer or exhaustive Bible reading would procure the favor of God and release all we need? I admit that I have often relied upon my efforts, and I assure you that they don’t work! The secret of knowing God lies within childlike trust and rest in him. Consider the following Scripture, for it is profound in light of the complete word of God:

Romans 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Do you comprehend what this verse is saying? The Law, which Adam and Eve chose, is what God has used to bind all men over to disobedience. It was not God’s will that Adam and Eve chose this, but God in his wisdom had the power to use it for our benefit! The reason why he has done this is so that he can have mercy on all of us. We all need God’s mercy – no one excluded! Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 11:32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Do you comprehend what this verse is saying? The Law, which Adam and Eve chose, is what God has used to bind all men over to disobedience. It was not God’s will that Adam and Eve chose this, but God in his wisdom had the power to use it for our benefit! The reason why he has done this is so that he can have mercy on all of us. We all need God’s mercy – no one excluded!

Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

This is so exciting! You are included in this prodigious and wonderful salvation! Efforts to be righteous by works do not bring success but instead alienate us from the true presence and power of God. In Paul’s exhortation to the Galatian church, he said that if they continue living under the requirements of the Law (Circumcision) ...Christ would be of no value to them. Galatians 5:2 That is why he wrote in Romans 10:4, “Christ is the end of the Law, so that there may be righteousness for all who believe! The righteousness that God accepts is only granted to those who believe. The infinite wisdom of God is displayed through him offering to us his very own righteousness righteousness that we could never earn or deserve. I love what the apostle Paul says in the following Scripture!

Romans 11:33-36 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Who has ever given to God that God should repay him?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (NIV1984)

Do you see that? For from him and through him and to him are all things. All things! Those who understand that he is everything will desire to be rooted deeply in and built firmly upon him.

Colossians 2:6, 7 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. (NLT)

Everything we need or ever desired is found in him! The more we understand this, the more we will grow strong and live lives that overflow with gratitude and thankfulness to God! My dear partner in Christ, what God has offered to you is so beautiful, profound, and beyond fully comprehending that…

IT IS OVERWHELMING!

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I have often pondered the overlooked yet significant difference between King David and his son, King Solomon. There was a power upon David’s life that was not only about his life but will last throughout eternity. Though Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, his life ended far from God and his favor. On the other hand, David made some grievous mistakes yet lived the fullness of his years inside of the favor of God. His life was so profound that Jesus is going to come and sit on the throne of his father, David.

Luke 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David,

Wow! Not only is Jesus going to sit on the throne of David, but the Scripture calls David his father. So, what is the difference between David and Solomon?

The writings of each of these kings are a telltale sign of the entirely different outcomes of their lives. The writings of Solomon are filled with the wisdom and knowledge necessary for business, friendship, marriage, finances, and the basic principles of winning in life. In contrast, David’s writings are filled with prayers and songs to God. David continually talks about his longing for intimacy with God and his desperation to be close to him. It seems as though every page of David’s writings speaks of the unfailing love of God in one way or another. Look at these profound words of passion for God and by the Holy Spirit through King David.

Psalm 63:1-8 O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you,

my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land

where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary

and beheld your power and your glory.

3 Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

4 I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name, I will lift up my hands.

5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;

with singing lips, my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.

8 My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me.

I absolutely love those beautiful and passionate words coming from the heart of David! Not only does David focus on his passion for God but God’s passion for him. Yes, David’s writings are replete with descriptions of God’s unfailing love and kindness. Here are a couple of those scriptures.

Psalm 33:5 The LORD loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of his unfailing love.

Ps 34:18, 22 18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,

even as we put our hope in you.

It is most interesting to note that the law of Moses is filled with wisdom regarding the basic principles of living in this world, the very thing God sent Jesus to deliver us from. Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage that the law brought and bring us into the freedom found in the covenant of God’s love and grace! It is so important to assess what you are living your life by. Though it is essential to understand and live by the principles that wisdom and knowledge bring, it is far more important to, like David, live by the love and grace of God!

Jesus was the sacrifice through whom we died to the law and have become alive to Christ. It is of utmost importance that you do not allow yourself to be tricked into the life of the law, which is void of true intimacy with God! You can be sure that the wonderful life God has for you will only be found through intimacy with God because of what Christ has done for us!

My dear friend, if you can receive the incredible truths found in this Encouraging Note, it will empower you to also experience…

THE SECRET POWER OF KING DAVID

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