Cleansing Power

An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his BIBLE. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the BIBLE just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the BIBLE do?” The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house.

The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out. !!!!!!!!

“Son, that’s what happens when you read the BIBLE. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Jesus in our lives.”

Divine Judgement or Divine Mercy

Divine justice requires that each of us be judged for our sins against a holy God. The Bible says that ‘none of us are righteous enough to stand in judgment before Him’ (Romans 3:10), and that ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23). However, if we repent of our sins and trust Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we don’t get what we deserve. Through His substitutionary death on the cross, He has paid the price for our sins and satisfied the justice of God.

The Apostle Paul was a dogged persecutor of the church before he repented and surrendered his heart to the Lord. In his first letter to Timothy, he confessed to blasphemy, persecution and violence. Then he wrote: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1: 15-16).

For everyone who rejects Christ, the bar of final judgment will bring eternal condemnation. For those who have surrendered to Christ, there will be no condemnation (Romans 8:1) divine judgment satisfied by divine mercy.

Redeem the Time

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days” – Ephesians 5:15–16

Time is the most valuable commodity that we have in life. It’s more valuable than money. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you woke up this morning, God gave you a present called “today.” And with that gift comes a responsibility. The Scripture tells us to redeem the time, to make the most of every opportunity. That simply means don’t let it go to waste. Don’t live this day unfocused, unhappy, negative or defeated. Make the most of every day. God has entrusted you with His life. He has breathed His very breath into you. He has put gifts and talents on the inside of you. You have seeds of greatness deposited in you. You’re a person of destiny, and you have an assignment and a purpose to fulfill!

I encourage you today to evaluate how you are spending your time. Refocus your life. Let go of any distractions. Shake off any self-pity, any discouragement, any disappointments of the past and run your race with purpose. Be careful how you live and redeem the time so that you can fulfill the destiny He has prepared for you.

The Fullness of the Blessing

“But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.” – Romans 15:29

Are you living in the fullness of His blessing? God’s blessing is His supernatural empowerment. It is His favor. And we’ve all seen a measure of His blessing, but I believe He wants to take you to a whole new level. God has promises and opportunities in store for you that you haven’t even thought of yet! What you’ve seen in the past is only a fraction of what God wants to do in your future.

Understand that God likes to outdo Himself. He wants to open doors for you and bring out talents and abilities that you didn’t even know you had. We serve a God of abundance! He is the God of more than enough. Not only does He want to meet your needs, He wants to give you enough to bless other people. That’s living in the fullness of the blessing.

Today, don’t settle where you are. Your destiny is not determined by the economy, your past or what anyone else thinks or says. Your destiny is determined by Almighty God. He wants you to tap into a greater measure of His power so you can live the abundant life He has in store for you!

Walking through the Storm

Everyone faces the storms of life. Sometimes we have the faith to be delivered from the storms instantly; sometimes we have the faith to walk through the storms. But no matter which route you take, you can be sure that God is right there with you. He will equip you and sustain you. He will give you the grace, the supernatural empowerment, to make it through.

Today, maybe you are facing a storm and can’t quite see a way out. Maybe you’re not sure what the answer is. All you have to do is take it one step at a time by saying, “God, I know You have a good plan for my future.” “God, I am doing better today than I was yesterday.” “God, I know You are leading and guiding me.” With every step you take, know that God is doing a work in your life. Know that He is with you, and He will comfort you. Keep moving forward. Keep taking those steps of faith and keep walking through the storm into the place of victory He has prepared for you!