By His Grace We Stand

Did you ever wonder what that means? Judgment when it's not in our favor whether it's done through our courts, acquaintances or friends, is usually swift and accurate. That's not to say that society has not made it's mistakes and convicted or released someone incorrectly. Grace is simply this; we are forgiven of our infraction and given an opportunity to grow from it. It's not a judgment or an accusatory statement that gives life. It is placing the guilty above the circumstance and saying you’re going to be a great policeman even though you just stole a candy bar from the corner store.

We have the power to speak life into each others lives and unfortunately we have the power to speak death. In James 3:9-11 it states. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? One would simply answer this with of course not. We can't go to the ocean and find fresh water nor can we go to the lake and find salt water. Both of these bodies of water team with life. We can look at any body of water for the most part and find in it an abundance of life.

The greatest display of water that I personally have ever seen was Niagara Falls. The force and speed with which the water moves forward is absolutely phenomenal. I must admit it made me wonder what the source that feeds the river was. I found out that both Lake Erie and Lake Ontario feed this mighty falls. The same holds true for the ocean. If you were to close your eyes and listen to the roar of the tide coming in, you could be overwhelmed with the sense of awesome power that directs the waves to only go so far. Although Lake Erie and Lake Ontario feed Niagara Falls, I have to wonder who or what is feeding us.

For if out of our bellies flow rivers of living water, I have to ask myself is it salt water, fresh water, or are we stagnant like the Dead Sea. Where nothing comes to shore and everything floats due to the high content of salt. If we are drinking from the source of life we will intercede and live with power and hope. If not we will begin to become stagnant. We may look good on the outside but we are not exuding a fragrance that would be pleasing to our creator and savior. The best way I know to do this is through daily prayer, communion, soaking, and listening.

We can not commune with our Lord and Savior and have it be a one way street. It must be a two way conversation. We're expected to commune with our King daily and by right we should. He should be our first Love, not our second. At one time or another we have all fallen short of spending time with what I hope is our best friend. My hope is that strive to do better and extend grace to ourselves and others when we fall short.

Please join me in prayer.

Heavenly Father, you are our best friend. We want to drink from the river of life which is you. Forgive us for the times when we have fallen short with our own agendas and not followed your agenda. Give us a deep desire and hunger and thirst to drink from your well and not that of the world. Let us never be filled and always want more and more of you, so that we can be a blessing to others and you. Let us sit at your feet and be consumed like a wild fire. We ask that the spark be ignited and we become mighty torch bearers. May we return to our first love which is you and when you come back let us be as the 5 wise virgins whose lamps had enough oil in them.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen

God Bless You All

Guest Editor: Debbie Hyde