CONNECT WITH US ONKathy Howard Facebook  Kathy Howard Twitter Kathy Howard You Tube

Category Archives: Salvation

It’s Rich, Lavish, Abundant, Generous – and FREE!

Posted on by
4 Comments

About six weeks ago I won a Keurig Office Pro Brewing System. It sounds fancy because it is! It brews coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or the iced beverage of my choice in under a minute. It costs $130, but for me, it was FREE!

Grace, freeWhen I received the email saying I’d won the Keurig, I almost deleted it. After all, I never win anything and so much spam comes through the inbox. But then I remembered I had entered a contest. But I was still skeptical. Still afraid to click any links or send any shipping information.

So I contacted Constant Contact, the email marketing company I use for my ministry newsletters. It was their contest and they confirmed I had indeed won! So, I clicked the links, sent my shipping information, and started watching the front porch.

My shiny Keurig now occupies a prominent spot on the kitchen counter. I love using it. Everybody can have the coffee they want – bold, light, decaf. I can quickly make a cup on my way out the door to take with me in the car. But one of the best things about it is getting to tell people it didn’t cost me anything!

We don’t often get things of value for free.  Sayings like “you can’t get something for nothing” and “you get what you pay for” caught on because they’re usually true. So unfortunately, I tend to undervalue the grace of God because it didn’t cost me anything.

We humans tend to not put much value in things that are free. And while God’s grace may be free to us, it cost God His Son. Today, let’s spend a few minutes contemplating the great value of God’s free grace.

Here are a few phrases from the book of Ephesians Paul used to describe our condition before God applied His grace to our lives:

  • Dead in our sins (Ephesians 2:1)
  • Disobedient to God and obedient to Satan (Ephesians 2:2)
  • Gratifying the cravings of our sinful desires (Ephesians 2:3)
  • Deserving of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3)
  • Excluded from God’s family (Ephesians 2:11)
  • Without hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12)

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy saved us by His grace (Ephesians 2:4-5).

 Paul uses beautiful, flowery speech in an attempt to help us understand God’s glorious grace, which He poured out on us:

  • Has freely given us in the One He loves (Ephesians 1:6)
  • Showed His rich kindness to us (Ephesians 1:7)
  • He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding (Eph 1:8)
  • Incomparable riches of His grace (Ephesians 2:7)
  • Gift from God (Ephesians 2:8)

Free, rich, lavished, incomparable, gift

Paul also clearly tells us what God’s grace has accomplished in us:

  • New life in Christ (Ephesians 2:4)
  • Raised up, seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)
  • Objects of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7)
  • Brought near to God (Ephesians 2:13)
  • Reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:16)
  • Member of God’s family (Ephesians 2:19)

“Grace Greater Than Our Sin,” a hymn by Julia Johnston in 1911, came to mind as I searched through Ephesians:

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,

Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Share with us today! What’s your favorite hymn or verse about God’s lavish grace?

 

Share and Enjoy

At the Risk of Sounding Intolerant

Posted on by
Leave a comment

Do many paths lead to God?If I wanted to drive from my home in Houston to Midland, out in west Texas, where I used to live, I’d have lots of options. There’s really no one best way to go. I could head west on I-10 through San Antonio before cutting north. Or I could head due north out of Houston all the way to Dallas on I-45 before taking I-20 west all the way to Midland.

And that’s just the interstate routes. The secondary highways offer endless options. Every member of my family could choose a different way to travel and we’d all end up in Midland within a few hours of each other. Different paths, same destination.

True if you want to get from Houston to Midland. Not so true if you want to get to God.

The Lie of Religious Pluralism

Unfortunately, the world embraces “religious pluralism.” This lie teaches that all paths lead to God, that all religions are equally valid ways to approach Him, and that no one religion has the monopoly on truth.

It all sounds very inclusive, very tolerant, very accepting.

There’s just one problem with this philosophy. God doesn’t agree.

Just because people want something to be true or whole-heartedly believe it to be true, does not make it true. There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 16:25).

The Narrow Truth of God’s Word

Only the One who is Truth can determine truth. Here’s just a sample of what God says is true:

  • There is only one way. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
  • There is only one name. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
  • There is only one source of eternal life. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

All paths do not lead to God.

This is not my opinion. This is not simply my version of truth.

This is God’s declared truth. God’s rules. And He has every right to make the rules.

Christians who hold firm to God’s declared truth are labeled as intolerant, narrow-minded, radical, and backward.

Side with Truth

Oh believer, do not yield to the pressure of our society to conform to the lie of religious tolerance. Do not hold your tongue while people around you are dying without hope.

God asks us to share His truth. Pronounce the hope that’s in Christ alone. Share the message of life with a dying world. And so we must.

Have you ever been ridiculed for declaring God’s truth? Have you ever yielded to the “wisdom” of the world and compromised God’s truth?

For more thorough information about this topic check out these great posts:

 

Share and Enjoy

The Cross is Not Enough

Posted on by
2 Comments

Jesus’ death on the cross is not sufficient to provide the abundant and eternal life God has promised us. Does that statement shock you? The apostle Paul made it very clear to the Corinthian Christians:

And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1 Cor 15:17-19, NLT

Peter also knew that our eternal hope depended on the resurrection of Christ:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4, NIV

Jesus death, Jesus dying on Cross, Jesus' crucifixion

What Christ’s Death Accomplished

So why do we so often leave out the Resurrection when we share the Good News of Jesus? We don’t forget to talk about the Cross. And yes, praise God, the death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary provided the payment that my sins – and yours – had earned. Our sins deserved the death penalty. Our sins brought us spiritual death and separation from our holy God. But Jesus Christ took that penalty on Himself. The perfect, sinless God who became man died so we could have forgiveness. But that is only part of the Gospel message.

Why We Need the Resurrection

Paul never forgot the resurrection. He knew that without it the Gospel was incomplete. In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul succinctly expresses the Good News. He boils down the message to its most important components.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.  1 Cor 15:3-4

Yes, Jesus’ death paid the price of our sin, but His resurrection provided our hope for life – both now and eternally. Don’t miss these important truths:

  • Jesus’ resurrection proves that everything He said and did on earth was true. See John 14:20
  • Jesus’ resurrection defeated death! That victory was His and ours! See Romans 6:9
  • Jesus’ resurrection provides us with new life in God. See Romans 6:10, Col 3:1
  • Jesus’ resurrection guarantees our physical resurrection. See Rom 8:11, 1 Cor 15:20-21
  • Jesus’ resurrection gives us power for this life. See Philippians 3:10, Romans 8:11

Have you forgotten about the resurrection? It is the power of God for those who believe! Because Christ has been raised, we will be raised! Believers, we have the same power living in us that raised Christ from the dead! Let’s shout it out!

What is the most exciting thing to you about Jesus’ resurrection?

This post originally ran on April 2, 2012.

Share and Enjoy

They can steal your clothes, but not your joy

Posted on by
1 Reply

Discarded clothes piled high on the dressing room floor around my feet. Why is it so difficult to find something that I not only like, but that also fits properly?

It was almost time to pick up my son from after-school football practice so this torture session had to come to an end very soon.  I just wanted to try one more size. Maybe I’d get to leave with a new pair of jeans. Taking my purse with me – safety always comes first – I hurried out to grab that one last thing.  I quickly ran to the jeans rack with store tags bouncing from both my shirt and my pants.

I couldn’t have been gone more than two minutes, but when I returned the dressing room was empty. I was sure I’d entered the right one, but checked the others close by just to confirm. No, this was the right one. Same stain on the carpet.

But the room was completely, totally empty. All of the clothes I had tried on were gone – no big loss – but so were the clothes I had worn into the store. Someone had taken my clothes!

Joy can never be takenI had to find my clothes fast. I ran out of the dressing rooms and scanned the floor for an employee, but there wasn’t anyone in sight. So I headed to the closest register and interrupted the sale in progress to report my missing clothes, emphasizing my time constraint. She didn’t seem too thrilled about helping me, but agreed to call someone.

After waiting a couple of minutes for someone to show up, I decided I had to take action. I would conduct my own search. If I didn’t find my clothes quickly I would just have to risk a shoplifting charge and pick up Mark in the ones I had on.

I checked the rack outside the dressing room where unwanted clothes get returned. Not there. Next I began to check the other racks starting with the ones closest to the dressing room and working my way out. It didn’t take long before I spotted them. My shirt and pants had been hung on a rack among clothes displayed for the customers.

They didn’t have price tags. They didn’t have security tags. But there they were.  Seriously.

My stolen clothes were found. A super-quick change later and I was in the car on my way to pick up Mark.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. Keep a close eye on your clothes in the dressing room. They can be stolen.

Other things can be easily stolen too. Bicycles. Wallets. Cars. Even your identity.

And we talk of our joy being stolen. But Jesus said the joy He gives us can never be taken away (John 16:22). That’s because the joy He gives us is based on eternal circumstances that can never be stolen or shaken or changed.

Our joy in Christ comes from the salvation He gives. “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Lasting, inexpressible, glorious joy! That can never be taken away! Hallelujah!

Have anything important ever been stolen from you? Do you feel vulnerable to theft? Is it reassuring to know that your joy in Christ is secure?

 

 

Share and Enjoy

How’s the Service?

Posted on by
Leave a comment

This post originally appeared on Laced With Grace, November 11, 2011.

waitress

Photo from Photobucket.com

Yesterday, my husband and I tried a new restaurant. Well, it’s not really “new,” just new to us. All the restaurants around here are new to us since we just moved to the area. We’ve enjoyed trying them out and discovering which will be our favorites.

The one we tried yesterday serves fried fish, seafood, and Cajun dishes. I had grilled Tilapia and shrimp, Cajun fries and Cole Slaw. My husband had fried catfish. The food was delicious and well-priced. But I don’t know if we will eat there again. Why not? The service was probably the worst we’ve ever encountered.

The atmosphere was casual. They take orders at the counter and then bring the food to your table. I sat in our chosen booth while my husband ordered. It took a full 15 minutes to place the order. The employee was far from informed about the menu and knew less about the register. Thirty minutes later my food came, but Wayne’s did not arrive for another twenty.

We weren’t the only ones having problems. A family behind us had a similar experience. The husband’s meal arrived but the wife and son’s did not. Fifteen minutes later the waitress discovered their meals cooling off in to-go boxes on the counter. Then I heard another man asking why they would not honor the coupon he brought in. And someone else across the restaurant asked why they still had not gotten their food. It doesn’t matter how good the food and the prices are, if this kind of service continues the restaurant won’t be in business much longer.

We Christians have the best news, the best gift to offer in the entire world:

All of us are sinners and deserve death, eternal separation from God. But God offers forgiveness and eternal life through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. And all this is free! A gift of grace and mercy from God!

So why isn’t the world jumping at the chance to accept this free gift? There are many reasons people reject Jesus. Sometimes though the problem is in the “service.” Sometimes we Christians give priority to other things. Sometimes, we don’t know how to share the Gospel message. Sometimes, we share the news with a self-righteous attitude. Sometimes, our lives don’t look like they’ve been radically changed by the Spirit of God.

Peter spoke directly to this issue:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

1 Peter 3:15-16, NIV

Here is a summary of Peter’s points:

  • Make Christ your absolute priority.
  • Know how to share the Good News about Him.
  • Remember you are a sinner saved by grace.
  • Share the Gospel respectfully and graciously.
  • Live a godly life so no one can slander Christ’s name because of you.

Have any of these points struck a chord with you today? Is there one you particularly need to work on in your life?

Share and Enjoy