EL You Plus God Equals Zero U+GOD=0

Lots of people who don’t know their true identity in Christ believe and live out of a contrived philosophy of works and performance. They think God plus their good works is what brings God glory. If the truth be told, in my opinion and from my experience, usually the motivation for their good works is probably more about getting approval from God.

I had a friend who used to tell me, and everyone else, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” I had to bite my tongue every time I heard that platitude. First, it’s not the least bit scriptural or true. And second, it creates the impression that one has to do stuff to get help, approval or acceptance from God.

I was teaching about grace and the freedom we have in Christ one Sunday in my adult Bible study class. One of our members grew up in another faith, a legalistic, works oriented religion. She made this statement, “Okay, I hear what you’re saying, but surely there must be something we need to do to receive God’s grace.”

Obviously she did NOT hear what I was saying. Her resistance to surrendering her life to Christ and abiding in Christ (John 15:1-5) caused her to struggle with God’s grace and receive it.  John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing!”

Abiding is the toughest “nothing” we will ever do. But as the verses in John say, unless we do nothing in and of ourselves and just abide, we won’t produce anything worthwhile for the Kingdom of God.

//

Illustration For Planting A Seed With Non-Believers

The Healer

By Helen Murray
Guest Blogger

“…a ruler came and knelt before him (Jesus) and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.‘ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
Just then, a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak.” Matthew 9:18-22 and Luke 8:40-48

Believers: 1 Atheists: 0

Author’s Note: The following dialogue occurred between an antagonistic, atheist college professor and a student who was a believer in Jesus Christ.  I saw this on the friend of a friend of a friend’s blog. I have no idea whether it is authentic or not. My takeaway from this dialogue was a renewing of my mind about the authenticity of the Gospel and the importance of standing up for the Truth.

Lose The Law, Grab The Grace

Editor’s Note: Revelations In Writing is fast becoming one of my favorite blogs to read.  Shannon E. Moreno is fast becoming one of my favorite blog writers. First and foremost, Shannon and I are on the same page spiritually in our identities in Christ. Secondly, she is a gifted and devoted writer. It is obvious Shannon loves the Lord and allows the Holy Spirit to guide her heart and her writing.

“For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in His grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.” – Galatians 3:18

If our salvation depends on our following of religious laws, rituals and customs, then it does not come from Jesus,

Do You Have “Get-There-Itis”?

By Ron Hutchcraft
Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc.

Well, somehow I ended up speaking for the FAA Pilot Safety program. Now, you really wouldn’t want to fly in a plane that I taught anyone to fly; I don’t know nothing about it. But I think they invited me because of a book

Are You “A Christian” Or Are You “Christian”?

My friend Henry asked this question Saturday at our Bible Study. “Are you a Christian or are you Christian?”  It’s a question we can all ponder.

Plop Plop, Fizz Fizz

Many folks probably remember what comes after the “fizz fizz”. It’s “Oh, what a relief it is” from the iconic Alka Seltzer commercials.Ol’ Speedy has been hawking his antacid since 1951,

How’s Your Vision?

Can You See It?
It’s out there. It’s waiting for you to recognize it, then commit your

Preparing For Your Calling “Emptying and Filling”

Third In A Series
Love God More Than The World
By Amanda Beth

Editor’s Note: Today we resume Amanda Beth’s series we started publishing before Christmas. Enjoy.  

In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

—2 Timothy 2:20

This is the third message in my series on preparing for your calling. Follow this link if you missed the last two messages in this series. Last week I talked about how Simon, Peter, James and John dropped everything to follow Jesus. Once they made that choice, Jesus began to teach them and perform miracles in their sight.

Faith In Captivity: Part One

I’m fortunate to have guest blogger, Bryan Ridenour.  Bryan wrote a three part series on Faith In Captivity

Hitting A Wall

When was the last time you hit a wall? I’m not referring to a flimsy sheet rock wall in your house you can put your fist through. I’m talkin’ Grand Canyon limestone and shale ascending overhead so far into the clouds you can’t see the top.

Is Anything Blocking Your Vision?

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

One of Sarah Young’s thoughts in Jesus Calling today seemed appropriate to one of my most aggravating dilemmas.  ”The curse of this world,” she said, “is over-stimulation of the senses, which blocks our awareness of the unseen world.”

I detest following a semi or an SUV on the road. Both of them block my sight so I can’t see what’s ahead of me. I’m not trying to be the first car. I just want to see the road signs ahead of me. And every time I park at Wal-Mart, I park by little cars. I avoid parking by big trucks or SUV’s. Invariably, when I leave, some big truck or 24-passenger SUV has parked right beside me. I have to crane my neck and back out cautiously and blindly to avoid smashing into someone.