The Cost of Grace

September 22

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!

Romans 6:1, 2

“Where do you get off telling me I need to make changes?” Trip asked heat-

edly. “And what’s so wrong with me looking at this anyway! It’s not as if I’m

cheating on you!” He threw the magazine across the coffee table and sat back

in his chair, smoldering.

“You wait just a minute, Trip. I didn’t make that statement! You said you

wanted to change,” Kerry reminded her husband. “Every time I see you look-

ing at those women, I feel cheap and dirty.” She picked the magazine up off

the floor, holding it toward him. “Do you really think it shouldn’t bother me?”

Tears began to well up. “This can be forgiven. But if you’re going to live closer

to Christ, like you professed you wanted to, you’re going to have to make real

changes. Do you think God approves of this magazine?” she asked, raising it

higher.

That hit home. He’d said he wanted to change, and he’d meant it. But was

this so wrong? No sooner had he posed the question in his mind than he had

his answer. No matter how he wanted to justify his actions, he just couldn’t

picture Jesus flipping through those pages. “I’m sorry,” he said, all the fire gone

out of him.

Kerry said softly, “I forgive you. But maybe you’d do better telling God.”

h

We can be sure that when we submit our lives to Christ and His care,

we will be convicted by those things that do not merit our attention.

To continue in doing things that mock God is to solicit evil.

Paul was absolutely clear that grace covers every sin we repent of. But he

was also adamant that we do not have licensure to continue living in our old

nature with blatant disregard for Christ-like behavior.

Grace cost God His Son. To repeat our past is to mock the cross. When

we do that, it guarantees moral struggle and dire consequences. Because as

much as God loves us, He hates sin.

Prayer

“Lord, help me put to death anything that is an affront

to You. Forgive me in my weakness and give me strength

to kill any sin that remains. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Imitate the Father

September 21

In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.

Matthew 7:12

Crystie and Andrew were still reeling from shock. They had just discovered

that their investment firm had become involved in shady marketing strategies

and had lost all their holdings.

“What are we going do, Andy?” The hurt and anger were apparent in her

voice. “They can’t get away with this!”

“I don’t know, Crystie,” Andrew said, his own thoughts scrambled. Their

broker was supposedly one of their best friends. How could this have happened?

Trying to order his thoughts, Andrew wondered if there was any legal

action they could take that would allow them to recoup their losses. “I’ll con-

tact Jay and ask him what they intend to do for the shareholders. Maybe it’s not

as bad as it appears.” He wasn’t nearly as hopeful as he tried to sound.

“Do you think Jay is mixed up in this too? I mean … ” She just let it drop

in midsentence.

Andrew was quickened in his spirit, remembering how this had all begun.

“Listen, we prayed about this. We were sure God said to move forward. He’s

still in control, and we have to believe He’ll work this out. As far as Jay, I don’t

want to believe he would be involved directly, but regardless, we’re gonna get

through it.” He drew Crystie close and kissed the top of her head.

h

In the parable of the gifts of the Father, Jesus says we have a choice in how we

treat others; He suggests we are capable of doing good.

Some in today’s society are willing to risk other people’s livelihood in an

attempt to profit, not caring how they do so in order to attain their goal.

How we treat each other has to do with where we get our strength and

Who, if anyone other than ourselves, we trust in.

Jesus told those listening to consider how they treated others. He was say-

ing, regardless of how others treat us, we have a choice in how we treat them.

He’s suggesting we imitate the Father.

Prayer

“Lord, it’s not easy dealing with someone who intentionally

sets out to deceive us. Help me extend mercy and grace so

that peace will reign in my heart. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

 Do We Resonate?

September 20

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:19

Wendy was a busy fourth grader with a penchant for making noise. Fortu-

nately for her, Mr. Wren was an imaginative teacher. One day after class, he

pulled Wendy aside. “How would you like to learn to play a musical instru-

ment, Wendy?” he asked. “I believe you would make a wonderful musician.” He

encouraged, “What do you say? Want to give it a try?”

“I don’t know, Mr. Wren.” Her voice was strained as she struggled to relate

the battle within her. “Mom says we don’t have enough money to even rent an

instrument, let alone buy one.” Her disappointment was obvious. “I want to

play the violin, but … ” Her small voice trailed off a moment. Then something

came alive within her. “I really love the way the music resonates when the bow

glides over the strings.”

He could see the glint of a fire in her eyes as he wondered, Where did she

come up with resonates? He shook his head in amazement, smiled, and said,

“Come with me.”

Taking her hand, he led her to Ms. Ostrander’s music room. Entering

the empty classroom, Mr. Wren explained, “We have a new program, Wendy,

where any student who wants to learn to play an instrument can join the band

or orchestra, and the school will provide the instrument. If the school provided

a violin, would you want to learn to play?”

“Ohhh.” Her small hands clasped together in a wishful pose. “Do you

mean it?” she squealed.

“Yes, Wendy. What do you say?” he asked.

“Yes! Yes! Ohhh, yes!” Wendy practically screamed.

h

To resonate means to have a full and pleasing sound.

As the rosined bow is drawn across the violin’s strings, it creates vibrant

sound. When in the hands of a master, the sound is full and pleasing. Yet, in the

hands of an apprentice, the noises emanating from the instrument are some-

what less enchanting.

Only through much practice does the violinist become proficient in pro-

ducing sounds that make the heart glad. If, however, we would attempt to

become more proficient by practicing, both sounds are pleasing to the Lord.

Prayer

“May the music of my heart be pleasing to You, Lord. Teach

me to resonate with fullness for Your pleasure. Amen.”

 Evil’s Insidious Nature

September 19

When an evil spirit comes out of a man … it says, “I will return to the

house I left … then it takes with it seven other spirits more wicked

than itself …”

Matthew 12:43, 44

Peter had never seen anything like this. A pastor for over twelve years, he

believed in and had dealt with demonic influence. This was different.

Carol had been involved in the occult but had, at some point, denounced

the lifestyle and began attending church. Recently, something had changed.

She was exhibiting different personalities; they would come and go, schizo-

phrenic in nature.

Carol’s husband had worked with Peter before he’d entered the ministry,

so it seemed only natural to ask for his help. “Pete, I don’t know what to do.

Carol’s acting crazy. She sits and rocks, then jumps up and runs around scream-

ing unintelligibly. Can you help?”

Peter agreed to counsel Carol. That agreement began a month-long spiri-

tual war unequaled by anything in his past.

Each time he spoke with Carol she manifested different personalities. One

refused to hold a Bible, screeching wildly when Peter held one near her. Oth-

ers cursed violently or attacked Peter physically. One even caused Carol to run

from the sanctuary during praise and worship, screaming obscenities. Over a

difficult, battle-ridden month, Peter discovered she had revisited the occult.

Eventually, Peter brought each demon under Jesus’ authority and cast them out.

Clear eyed, Carol sought to fill the cleansed places of her heart through

the Holy Spirit’s instruction.

h

Today’s story, though names have been changed, is true. Demonic influence is

real. But Satan wants you to think it’s all fairytale and make-believe.

We were born into a world of evil, and its nature is to insidiously destroy

as many lives as it can. And whether we choose to believe in this evil or not

determines the effect it will have on us.

By choosing to deny evil’s existence, we give Satan and his minions the

freedom to destroy with blatant disregard to Jesus’ warning in Scripture.

We have been given authority over the enemy. But we must believe he is

real before we can engage him in battle.

Prayer

“Lord, show me the truth of spiritual warfare.

Implant in my heart courage to face this evil

and, in Your power, deny it room. Amen.”

 Complete Rest

September 18

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are those who

die in the Lord from now on … they will rest from their labor …”

Revelation 14:13

“Can you imagine never having to deal with temptation again?” Phil asked

incredulously. “It’s almost inconceivable. But that’s exactly what Jesus means

when he says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Come and share in your

master’s happiness!’”

Phil was speaking at a teen conference, enlightening them on benefits of

living a sanctified life. “That means never feeling the need to give in to tor-

ment, never feeling the allure of premarital sex, never having to say no to drugs

because there won’t be any!”

“Do you really believe that?” one young man challenged. “I mean, like,

we’re really gonna live without temptation of any kind?” His skepticism was

shared by many nodding heads.

“Yes, I do believe it!” Phil said with a passion and assurance that tran-

scended their doubt. “Jesus said it, and I believe Him! If you believe anything

Jesus said, you have to believe it all.” He gave them a moment to digest that

and then said, “Jesus said, ‘Great is your reward in heaven.’ Complete peace is

part of the reward for living for Jesus! Don’t you see it?” He had them thinking.

“To live for Him here, saying no to evil and yes to righteousness, means when

we live with Him, there it will really be heaven!”

h

Temptation has a way of making us believe we need what it’s selling right now!

But Jesus asks us to defer short-term self-satisfaction so that we may enjoy His

long-term eternal reward.

It’s not easy saying no when giving in would feel good for a while. And

that’s the catch: it only feels good for a while and then come the consequences.

To consecrate our life to Christ is not to say we will never fail. It means we

care enough to die to ourselves.

To refuse is to say we don’t believe in or want what Jesus says is waiting for

us: complete and utter peace.

Jesus said, “They will rest from their labor.” Labor means work. The oppo-

site of work means never having to fight against evil ever! Live for His rest!

Prayer

“Help me say no when temptation is near, Lord Jesus.

Thank You for Your promise of complete rest. Amen.”

 Who’s Your Model?

September 17

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you

an example, that you should follow in his steps.

1 Peter 1:21

Sitting around the backyard fire pit, Jimmy posed the question to J.D. “I know

some of your story, but when did you finally decide to follow Jesus?”

“Well,” J.D. began, “I’ve mentioned before that I gave my heart to Christ

at the tender age of twelve, and I meant it too!” he said decisively. “But when I

turned fifteen, we moved and I began running with a group of guys four years

older than me. They were pretty rough, and God didn’t fit into their lifestyle,

so I ditched Him too. 

Within a year, I’d started hanging with two guys in particular; I eventually rewrote 

my moral and ethical standards. I was young and impressionable; I looked up to them. 

Well, life got pretty wild. It wasn’t all bad. As a matter of fact, some of it felt great! 

But thirty years of that lifestyle wears on you. I got tired of living day to day with no 

goals or significant motivation. So I told God, ‘If you don’t help me stop, I’m not gonna

stop.’ I meant that too!”

“So what happened?” Jimmy asked with a grin.

“No joke, Jimmy. I felt God tell me to stop looking at the world as a model

for success. So right there I asked Jesus to lead me out of that prison I called

freedom. I’ve been following Him ever since.”

h

The world can be an attractive example of what it means to live. But it’s not

the right one.

In our hunger for acceptance and attention, we sometimes choose spiritu-

ally unhealthy, nonbeneficial lifestyles, refusing the truth of where we’re headed

in order to rationalize doing things we know to be wrong.

When we model our life after the world, we’re choosing to go our own

way; that flies in the face of God’s sacrifice.

Life is about Who we choose to follow and why. God will not force His

will for our lives on us. But a life lived in the shadow of Jesus’ example yields

eternal life, a life that begins the moment we choose to follow in His steps.

Prayer

“Lord Jesus, You lead, I’ll follow. Draw me into a

relationship that is life changing. Amen.”

 Can I Talk to Nannaw?

September 16

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Matthew 5:8

The little girl climbed into her father’s lap as he sat reading the newspaper.

His startled look didn’t faze her in the least; she was on a mission. “Daddy,

can Nannaw hear me when I pray?” 

Daddy was thinking of how to respond and what to tell her, not really knowing 

if God allows views from the portals of heaven, when she broke his concentration 

once again, excitedly saying, “I know she can, ‘cause Babbaw Nelson said he 

would keep watch over me when he went to be with Jesus. So if he can see me 

from up there, then Nannaw can hear me! Babbaw said so!”

h

There is something pure in a child’s faith. When they are taught by someone

they trust, they believe. As we age, there is a real danger of becoming cynical.

We can lose the purity of heart we once enjoyed as a child. We use phrases like,

“That’s so childish” or “Now that I’m older,” to rationalize our mature yet awk-

ward relationship with God. 

Purity is a matter of the heart, not age. Our hearts end up jailed as we lose that 

childlike trust. Over time, other things crowd out our innocence, and the world comes 

crashing in upon our unprotected heart.

“But,” Jesus said, “take heart! I have overcome the world.” Our hearts can be

reclaimed! It requires a decision to turn things over to Christ, seeking help in

dealing with the accusing whispers of the enemy while reaching up in child-

like faith. When we cry out to see God, listening in the ensuing quiet, He is

revealed to us. The return from cynical maturity to a pure heart is possible. God

wants to be seen by us. Would you believe?

Prayer

“Papa God, I cry out to you in my pain with a childlike

innocence. Please reveal to me your restoring power, the

power that can give me my heart back. Lead me into

healing and peace. Send someone to help me walk this

out because I can’t do it alone. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”