It's FREE! and It's AMAZING!

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE free stuff.  I started couponing a couple of years ago and get so excited on those shopping trips when I get items for free. It makes going to the grocery store so much fun. But I realized something, even though I may get my items for free, eventually I will run out and need to purchase more. Now, there are times when I get them for very little money and even times when I may get them for free again, but in either case I have to go back to the store for another transaction.

But I’m so glad that‘s not the case with God’s grace! God decided in His infinite wisdom to give us the free gift of grace at the moment we believed in His son Jesus and His finished work on the cross.  It never runs out and the transaction never has to be repeated for us to enjoy the benefits. Scripture tells us that “where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more”. In spite of our mess up’s we still get to experience grace. In spite of our shortcomings we are still recipients of unmerited favor. Despite our sins God continues to extend to us His amazing grace. Recognizing this should prompt us to love Him more fervently, honor Him more intently, and serve Him more diligently.  The song writer put it best:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found.
Was blind but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Then when we first begun.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now I see

Praise God today for His amazing grace and live your life in appreciation of what it took for Him to extend that grace to you…The death of His Son Jesus!

A Victory Parade for Jesus

I had the opportunity to attend the Denver Broncos Super Bowl victory parade a few months ago.  Now let me be clear for the record, I am an avid Dallas Cowboys fan! However, I can appreciate another team having a great game or season and I am honest enough to say that my team is shall we say, “Championship Challenged” for the time being. So, I decided to attend the parade.

I must admit, it was a grand event. Estimates from the City of Denver were that over 1million people came out to cheer on their team and see their favorite sons, Peyton Manning, Von Miller, and the rest of their teammates.  The city went all out to plan an event for their Super Bowl Champions.  My son and I set out from my daughter’s apartment and as soon as we hit the street, there were people decked out in their Bronco’s gear literally coming from every direction. I overheard people discussing how they called in sick for the day so they could attend the parade. There were school aged children waving Broncos banners. Obviously they had been allowed to skip school for the day.  Some were on their lunch break.  Some drove in from the outlying suburbs and walked for blocks just to get a spot along the parade route in hopes of getting a glimpse of their favorite player.  Others came spilling out of downtown apartments, lofts, and office buildings. Everyone had one goal that day…cheer on their team. There were literally people everywhere.

My son and I were able to find a great spot along the route with an incredible view. My husband opted to go skiing; he's a die hard Alabama Crimson Tide fan...enough said. But as I stood there in the midst of a sea of orange and blue, I couldn’t help but wonder, "What if there was a victory parade for Jesus?" Would He attract the same type of crowd as the Super Bowl Champions? Would people come from everywhere by any means necessary to cheer Him on and get a glimpse as He passed by?  They did during His lifetime.

Everywhere Jesus went he was followed by what the gospel writers call “a great multitude.” They were awestruck by his teachings. They were amazed by the power He displayed and they wanted to hear from Him. Would we do the same?

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with cheering on your favorite sports team or supporting your favorite entertainer.  But do you praise the one who died for you with the same vigor and enthusiasm?  Do people know you’re a part of His team?  Does your clothing represent you’re on His team?  Do people know from your conversation that you’re following Him?

Let us not keep Jesus hidden in the four walls of our homes or our places of worship. He is much too good for that. Let’s Celebrate Jesus today and everyday!

Have You Become Spiritually Complacent?

I’d like to share a thought with you from a wonderful sister I had the pleasure of meeting some time ago.  It has to do with spiritual complacency.  Janice Pender writes the following in her devotional book Deeper Roots:

“Spiritual complacency is a sin: it is a careless and lazy attitude towards the word of God and the things of God.  Oh sure, we can go to church, listen to the Bible being taught, and lift up the name of Jesus in song, but what is really going on in our hearts? Are we truly hearing His words with a desire to do them?”

She compares the blank stares and slothful responses parents sometimes get from their children when told to do something with our responses or lack thereof when God speaks to us.

I wonder today if we have become spiritually complacent in our response to God’s word.  I wonder if we see God’s word as a suggestion we can follow when it’s convenient or in line with what we want to do. Or do we view it as absolute truth that is to be followed despite or personal feelings?  I challenge and encourage us this week to honestly evaluate our responses to the messages we hear week in and week out.  I challenge and encourage us to ask for forgiveness for those times we have been spiritually complacent.  I challenge and encourage us to give God our very best, because after all, He gave His very best for us....His only son Jesus Christ!

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;  for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.  But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25 NASB)

WELCOME!

I am so excited that you have found your way to "Strength for Your Journey," the official blog of For His Glory Ministries.  I am thrilled to share with you the ministry that God has entrusted to me…For HIS Glory! I cannot express how humbled I am to be used by the God of the universe to teach His word to women everywhere. 

For HIS Glory Ministries is committed to affecting change in the lives of women by:

·        Sharing with women the transforming power of a personal relationship with God through faith in His son Jesus Christ.

·         Encouraging women through bible studies, devotions, online tools and other resources to increase their faith in God. 

·         Challenging women to actively walk out their faith in obedience to God and service to His people.

In simple terms, this ministry exists to share the truth of God’s word with His daughters, so that souls are saved and lives are forever changed. This blog is designed to provide encouragement, direction, support, and truth. 

I invite you to visit our website at www.fhgmin.org for more information on the ministry and the work that is being done to share God's word with women everywhere.

In His Service and For HIS Glory,
Katherine B. Barner