Hello my dear friends. It is a wonderful thing to be in the constant care of the Good Shepherd. All of us can testify about the blessings we experience even when life becomes overwhelming. Many, without the Lord's grace, simply melt away in discouragement and defeat. But we, disciples of the Lord Jesus, can experience the full measure of His abundant grace.
In this week's Psalms of Discipleship we are going to be reminded of the great impact that grace has upon our lives, beyond our conversion. May we experience in a fresh way God's keeping power as we live for Him.
By His grace, I am going from good to great,
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #32
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. 36 You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. Psalm 18:35-36
Core Value: Grace
God does not give grace to us so we may rest on our own spiritual laurels and coast into a heavenly bliss after this life. God, by His grace, has called us to respond to grace by doing great things for God. In his book, “Good to Great in God’s Eyes,” Chip Ingram makes this excellent point:
“Good Christians live the Christian life. They love God, walk in integrity, demonstrate faithfulness to their mates, spend time in the Bible because they want to hear from God, make the effort to discover their spiritual gifts, use those gifts in their local church, give their tithes and offerings, go on missions trips, and help their kids grow up to be godly men and women. They do what God calls them to do, and they serve him well. Great Christians, on the other hand, do all that and then pass it on. You can be a good Christian by obeying God and loving people, but if you haven’t poured your life into others, your life ends with a period. Great Christians end with a comma. They live the life of faith in a way that takes God’s grace to them and imparts it into the lives of others. They multiply themselves again and again. Good Christians ‘live the life’; great Christians ‘leave a legacy.’” Pg. 189
What kind of legacy are you leaving behind: a period, or a comma?
Principle #32 & Personal Application: The quality disciple of Jesus Christ is sobered by God’s all-consuming grace.
It is the all-consuming grace of God that
• gives us the shield, the protection, of His salvation.
• upholds us with His right hand of strength and provision.
• makes us great through His gentleness towards us.
• makes our steps of faith sure and firm in Him.
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (NIV)
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
When I reflect upon God’s all-consuming grace in my life, what kinds of images come to mind?
In what areas of my life—today—do I need to apply God’s all-consuming grace?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, now, more than ever before, I need to be a person of grace: living by it, experiencing it, sharing it, being consumed by it.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2010 All rights reserved.
2 comments:
Denny,
Thanks for your study on Psalms of discipleship. I especially like your emphasis on grace. The best definition of grace I ever heard was from Dallas Willard. He said, "Grace is God acting in your life to accomplish what you cannot do on your own." That applies to every dimenstion of finding Jesus and becoming like him.
God bless you,
Paul Schlieker
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