The law of faith -v- The law of works

"But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]." (Hebrews 11:6, AMP)

Not only do I believe God exists but "I believe Him" I believe His Word, His promises, I believe that there is nothing impossible for God. I would dare not to ever limit Him. He can make a way when there seems to be no way. He can turn any situation around and do great and mighty things. And when it seems impossible at every turn God can still make a way. He is a great and awesome God! And when He says He is a rewarder I believe Him.

Faith is what pleases Him and earnestly and diligently seeking Him brings rewards from Him. He is indeed a rewarder! But sometimes we can get so caught up into thinking about all the things we must do to get God's blessings/rewards that we forget that His blessings come from our believing in Him and believing Him. Most everyone believes in Him but what I am saying is Believe Him with all your heart, there is a huge difference between the two. Why not rest a little from all your worries, fretting and constant questioning of yourself and circumstances: "Am I doing something wrong, did I do that right? I must do my morning devotional, I must say this prayer this way. Did I walk the straight path today? Is God pleased with me? Did I obey everything in the scripture's today? This is not faith in God but faith in yourself, so stop... and place your faith in God. This is not walking by faith but by works.

As long as we live in this flesh we will never be perfect within and of ourselves. Yes.. I hear you saying but faith without works is dead. Here's a question to think about, "Are you working as to establish your faith, or are you living by faith which will in turn establish good works? Are you loving and doing well because your heart is full of faith and belief in God and believing God? There is a law of works and there is a law of faith. The law of faith will establish the law of works but the law of works will never establish the law of faith (Rom. 3:27,31).

God's grace is unmerited favor so you can't earn it. He just gives it because of His love for you. Take a good hard look at your heart and do some examining of it and ask yourself, do I believe and obey out of obligation in hopes of God's blessings and rewards or do I believe and obey out of a heart that is full of love and belief in Jesus my Lord and Savior? Do you have a heart to do right because it might get you some brownie points or do you do well because you just Love Jesus and you want Him to shine through you? May we examine ourselves and ask "Am I living by faith which will establish good works or am I living by works in hopes of establishing my faith?"

What it basically comes down to is to know that you are truly loved so very much by your Father God, and that there is nothing you can do to earn His love. Even if you don't believe in Jesus (God's only begotten Son), and you don't believe that He sent His Son to die for the sins of the world, He still loves you and desires to be with you, but it is only by Faith in His Son Christ Jesus that that can be possible. Faith is what pleases Him and that is all.. If you truly have faith in Him (believing in Him and believing Him) then all else will follow.

(Eph. 2:8-9) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.

God Loves you and He desires to be with you now and for all eternity, so rest and surrender in faith in Him and He will take care of the rest for you "For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus unto good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [ living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. ( Eph. 2: 10 AMP)

God's Little Lamb

God brought forth His Little Lamb

conceived of the Holy Ghost

From Heaven He did come

Being the Lord of Host

Leaving His Heavenly Throne

Departing from His Father's Hand

He came to this earth in the form of a man

Riches He did leave, Glory He did forsake, Becoming as a man that's

what it had to take. God's Little lamb was unblemished and without spot

Perfect in all His ways, Love is what He taught. Though hate and

rejection was given in return, man could not stop the Truth to be learned

God's Little Lamb spoke words so precious and so true, "Father forgive

them for they know not what they do." Forgiveness of sin was the message to

hear, God's Little Lamb must die so that we could draw near.

Giving us His mercy

His Love and His Grace

God's Little Lamb was slain

to take our place

Undeserving and unworthy

of such great Love

Yet uncondemning was our Savior

Sent from above

Thank you God for giving us

Your Son

Your precious Little Lamb

Is how it all begun

We now have a hope

A future secured

Eternal Life in Jesus

Who is the WORD

Tamela Greenwell

Why Jesus?

I was eight years old when I was born again. I was at church camp and the teacher was talking to us about Jesus, and the suffering of the cross that He endured just for us. As a child I can remember intently listening to the message and taking it all in. As she explained the sufferings of Jesus and all that He had to go through my heart was breaking, I almost couldn't bear to hear it, (even to this very day it is very hard for me to think about Jesus and the torture that He had to endure) tears were streaming down my face, but when she got to the part of the joy and victory of His resurrection and how Jesus defeated the devil, my tears were now tears of joy instead of sorrow.

When it was time to come to the altar and pray, I got right up and knelt down at the altar and my prayer as an 8 year old child went something like this:

Jesus, I am so sorry that you had to go through all that suffering and pain because of sin. And you did that just for me and the whole world. Thank you Jesus for doing that for me, because now I can be with you some day. I continued to cry and tell Jesus how sorry I was because of His pain but I also was crying and telling Jesus how thankful I was that He did that for me so that I could be with Him one day. That was pretty much my whole prayer pouring forth from a child's heart.

It was later on in life that I began writing poetry. I would like to share my very first poem that I wrote. It is a poem based upon my salvation experience as a child.

WHY JESUS?

Why Jesus, why did you die for me?

Why Jesus, why did you give me life eternally?

Why did you do this for me?

You hung on that awful cross and you suffered and died

But as you hung on that cross you beckoned me to your side

Why Jesus?

My sin was your agony

My sin was your pain

My sin was your humility

It is my sin

It is me to blame!

Why Jesus?

That kind of love is hard to comprehend

I was hurting you, yet you freed me from my sin

Why Jesus?

Through your blood-stained tears it is me that you see

I was hurting you, yet you were loving me

Why Jesus?

It is love, it is amazing love!

Tamela Greenwell

The Love Test!

May we always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and offer that special hug or touch, it may mean the difference between life and death for some as well as a test on our part.
Back in 1992 I believe it was, there was a homeless lady who came to a church we use to attend. It was a ladies conference and I was one of the greeters at the door. We were told specifically that we were to receive the tickets at the door and that they could not come into the church without one, I thought to myself, "how rude!" what if someone comes who doesn't have a ticket for whatever reason?

When the homeless lady approached the door, of course I knew that she wouldn't have a ticket but I asked her any ways just in case someone might of gave her one. She told me that she didn't have a ticket, so being the renegade that I am I lovingly stroked her back and said, "come on in, I will find you a seat."

The conference leader approached me and asked if she had a ticket. I said, "No she doesn't, but she should be allowed to attend anyways." I usually just say what I think, sometimes it gets me in a lot of trouble though. I am still seeking some wisdom from the Lord in that area LOL! He is very patient with me. Thank you Jesus!

Well anyways, I had found out later that it was all a set up and the homeless lady was a plant.

We all had volunteered our positions and I love to greet, so I chose to greet the people coming in the door. The test was whether we were going to reach out in love and welcome others despite their appearance and not having a ticket.

Well! Praise be to God I passed the test! I think the conference leader was a little upset though, I think deep down she was hoping that the test would not be passed,
because she was wanting to bring a message as to hammer the people about not loving and accepting others, so it totally caught her off guard and I messed her message all up.

Maybe it was supposed to be a message for herself?

God is so good!

Baptized In His Love

I have been studying the scriptures lately about God's Love, and I want to thank my friend Jim at Journaling For Growth and also my friend Larry at
Night Writing in the Morning Light because they both have been writing about God's love and loving others and this has been an inspiration for me to write something of God's Love as well. So I want to say thank you Jim and Larry for being an inspiration of the Love of God and how we are to love one another.

To walk out God's plan for us in our life and to be an honorable vessel for His use and Glory we must know who we are in Christ and before we can know who we are in Christ we must know that we are loved passionately and desperately by our Creator. In John 17:26 Jesus is praying for us to the Father and He is asking the Father to bestow upon us the same love that the Father bestowed upon Him and that we might know His love in our hearts and that Jesus Christ Himself may be in us.

Listen to what the Word of God says in (Eph. 3: 16-19) about the Love of Christ,

v. 16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

v. 17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! may you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

v. 18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

v. 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

As I was studying these scriptures the title of this post came to me, "Baptized In His Love." Have we been immersed, saturated/permeated with the Love of God? Does His love indwell in our innermost being? His Love in us is the richest measure of His divine Presence and with this we become a body wholly FILLED and FLOODED with God Himself. WOW! I had to shout Hallelujah there. We must know that WE are loved as to be filled, flooded/baptized in Christ's Love before we can truly love Him. (1Jn. 4:19 AMP) We love Him because He first loved us. Now, we can pour out of ourselves His love unto others.

God's love is foreign to our natural man because it is a perfect love, there is no fear in this love. If we live in the flesh and not in the spirit we will resist His love. Those who live in the flesh will resist the Gospel and the teachings of Christ Jesus. They will shut their ears to his teachings because they cannot bear to listen to His message. (1 Jn. 4:6b AMP) And he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error. There is no love in them for the Word of God because they have resisted the love of God to dwell and come to make it's abode in their hearts, therefore they have no love for others. (1 Jn. 4:8 AMP) He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.

Those who deny their flesh and the lusts thereof and live in the spirit will receive the love of God and the Words of Christ with Joy. They will welcome the cleansing waves of His Love. They will abandon themselves to the peace of His perfect love. They will have no fear because they welcome His love to come and penetrate the darkness and silence the winds and the storms of life. Stillness comes and they will rest in His perfect love as it washes and fills every crevice of their being. In this welcoming surrender is the moment that we can begin to understand the breadth, length, height and depth of His Love so as to walk in the fullness of God! (1 Jn. 4:16b AMP) God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

Baptize us with Your Love Lord!

I Called and Grace Came

I can't seem to get away from His Grace. Maybe it is because God has been so very gracious to me and I am so very thankful to Him for this.

When I should of been dead I Called and Grace Came and I found that He had kept me alive.

When I felt so alone and rejected I Called and Grace Came and I found that He would never leave me nor forsake me.

When I felt so ashamed and full of guilt I Called and Grace Came and I found that He had forgiven me.

When I should have been in prison I Called and Grace Came and I found that He had set me free.

When I didn't know which way to go I Called and Grace Came and I found that He was leading me.

When I was ready to give up I Called and Grace came and I found that He had strengthened me.

When it seemed that all hope was loss I Called and Grace Came and I found that He rescued me.

I am so thankful to God for His Grace. It has caused me to have an intimate relationship of communion with Him which is first and foremost in my life, but it doesn't stop there. God/Jesus has been our example of how we are to treat others. What I have learned is that I can never expect God to expand my territory as to be an honorable vessel for Him and for His Glory if I cannot be faithful in showing His Love, Mercy, Grace and Forgiveness to others. It is all about our relationship with Him as well as our relationships with others! Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart soul mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. On these two laws hangs all the laws. If we can't get these two right than we can't expect God to entrust us with anything. Love, Grace, Mercy and forgiveness are all verbs they come with action. Jesus showed His love, Grace, Mercy and forgiveness by stepping up and taking our place.

Love reaches

Grace gives

Mercy replaces

Forgiveness brings communion

Ask yourself: Am I giving Love, Grace, Mercy and Forgiveness to others as God has given to me?

Your Love, Your Grace, Your Mercy

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that we live and move and have our being!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that despair has been turned into Hope!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that sorrow has been turned into Joy!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that turmoil has been turned into Peace!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that pride has been turned into Humility!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that hate has been turned into Love!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that confusion has been turned into understanding!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that death has been turned into Life!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that You have not given up on us!

It is because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy that all things work together for the good to them who love You and who are the called according to Your purpose!

You have Loved us and You have chosen us. When You heard our cry You came running and pulled us up out of a miry pit and set our feet upon the Rock (Christ Jesus)! It is all because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy!

Our help comes from You O' Lord! What we pray in secret, You will openly reward us! It is all because of Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy!

I need Your Love I need Your Grace and I need Your Mercy. I desire this from You with all of my heart and I am not ashamed to ask for it. For I know that without You I am nothing and I cannot take my next breath without Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy in my life!

So I thank You Father God for Your Love Your Grace and Your Mercy in my life for yesterday, today, and forever!

"In You O' God I live and move and have my being! You are my sustenance of Life and You are my Everything!"

A tribute to my husband

What a wonderful husband I am so blest

He's a giver and a lover But a friend at best.

I'm so proud to be called his bride

And to know that in Christ He does abide.

One of the greatest blessings That I'll ever know

Is that I'm loved by my husband And he won't let me go.

To me and our children Love has kept the course

In times of testing His love has shone forth.

He's a man of great courage And I am so thankful

To be his wife and his friend To me he's so faithful.

What great security I have as his wife

To know that my husband Hears God for our life.

There's no greater pleasure Than to see him grow

As a follower of God And to make Him his goal.

He's a man of his word With integrity he leads

For this is God's way And to that he will cleave.

He loves unconditionally And that is to say

God's love in his life He will display.

I thank you Lord For your good plan

You placed him in my life And he's a wonderful man.

I love you honey

You are FORGIVEN!

It was our sins that nailed Him to the cross. But our sins He has forgiven us both then and now and forever.. You are FORGIVEN!!

As Far As The East

 
 

What was it? I can't remember

All I can remember is the hill

The roughness of the timber

And the piercing of the steel

As far as the East is from the West

I will remember no more this day

Any of your sins

Talking about things past?

All I heard was the prayer

Which will forever last

For it is covered by my love

As far as the East is from the West

I will remember no more this day

Any of your sins

Dwelling on sins of Yesterday?

I see the glory of the resurrection

The work I finished that day

Receive this day my promise

As far as the East is from the West

I will remember no more this day

Any of your sins

Joe Greenwell

Oh! how Jesus loves us so. He has cleansed us, covered us and now holds us tightly in His loving arms.

The Perfect Love

If you read the Song of Solomon you will find the most Intimate Expressions of love in it's purest form. Our almighty God is the Author and Creator of love for He is Love. We all know the world's definition of love. We see it everywhere we go. How sad it is that the world has defiled and perverted such a beautiful thing created by God by plastering the televisions, theaters, magazines and books with such a shallow idea of what they consider to be love. There are so many people looking for love  in all the wrong places, sadly they will remain empty for only Christ can fill this void in mankind's heart. Oh! to know the love of Jesus that far surpasses all of our shallow understanding. Christ's desire is to flood our beings and fill us to saturation and overflowing with His great love. Listen to some of the Intimate Expressions of the Shepherd's great love for His Bride in the Song of Solomon.

HOW FAIR you are, my love [he said], how very fair! Your eyes behind your veil [remind me] of those of a dove; your hair [makes me think of the black, wavy fleece] of a flock of [the Arabian] goats which one sees trailing down Mount Gilead [beyond the Jordan on the frontiers of the desert]. (Song of Solomon 4: 1 Amp. )

[He exclaimed] O my love, how beautiful you are! There is no flaw in you! (Song of Solomon 4:7 Amp.)

Come away with me from Lebanon, my [promised] bride, come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the top of Amana from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens from the mountains of the leopards.

You have ravished my heart and given me courage, my sister, my [promised] bride; you have ravished my heart and given me courage with one look from your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my [promised] bride! How much better is your love than wine! And the fragrance of your ointments than all spices!

Your lips, O my [promised] bride, drop honey as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue. And the odor of your garments is like the odor of Lebanon.

A garden enclosed and barred is my sister, my [promised] bride-a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. (Song of Solomon 4: 7-12 Amp).

Will we heed the call from our Great Shepherd, the Lover of our souls and come away with Him. He desires to rescue us from any harm or danger of the lions dens and the mountains of the leopards (evil schemes and temptations of the enemy). With one look from His Bride's eyes His heart is filled with great love and courage. Our praise unto Him is like sweet honey from our mouths and wine from our lips. The garments of His Bride are not defiled, He sees no flaw in her, for she is covered with His righteousness. He sees virtue and honor in His Bride. His Bride's heart is only for Him. There is an exchange of pure love between Christ and His Bride. Christ does not see His Bride as what he or she is, but who he or she is. Not what we have done, but what we have become (He in us, us in Him, we have become one in Him). He beholds His Bride as the beautiful garden that has already blossomed into all of it's glory and beauty. Christ's love for His Bride is so passionate and strong that it is what held Him to that cross. His love for His Bride, a spring that is shut up, a fountain sealed. To be with His beloved Bride for all eternity is the Joy that was set before Him, in which He still awaits. The Spirit and the Bride say come Lord Jesus!

[She said distinctly] My beloved is mine and I am his! He pastures his flocks among the lilies. (Song of Solomon 2:16 Amp.).

Christ's prayer for us

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou has sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Jn. 17: 20-23.

Before going to the cross Jesus says a prayer to the Father for us. What an awesome prayer it is. As I read the words of His prayer I am so amazed. He loves us so much that He prays to the Father that we will be one with them as they are one. Being one with Christ, how awesome is that? Christ doesn't stop there. He also gives all who believe, the glory, the same glory that God the Father gave Him. This word glory in the Greek means dignity and honour. Jesus wants the world to know and believe that the Father sent Him and loves Him and that the Father loves us the same. God the Father is the very essence of Life giving love. Love is who He is. The cross of Jesus was the only answer for sins washing away. The cross is what it had to take for God to satisfy the powerful force of love that had to be released from Him for all of mankind. This was the most ultimate gift of Love that the world will ever know. He pours out His mercy and grace upon us every single day so that He can be fully satisfied and sate the force of love within Him. He is so full of love for us. His love will never run out. The blood of Jesus still flows with life for you today. It is never to late for you to recognize Jesus and His finished work of the cross of love. It was all for you. Believe His Word and what He has done. Receive His Love for you and become ONE with the Creator of the heavens and the earth and share His glory. What an honor and how humbled I am to know that the God of the universe chose me and even loved me while I was yet in my sin. I can't help but give Him all of my praise, honor and worship. For He alone is worthy. I love Him, because He first loved me. God has so much more that He desires to give us and show us. We will not be able to fathom or even comprehend all that He has for us until we see Him face to face.