Coffee With The Lord

The temptation of our culture is self-seeking, self-centeredness, self-occupation, greed and its opposite… stinginess. On the other hand the gospel introduces a culture of generosity… God’s generosity in Christ (it’s called “grace”) and it’s effect within the lives of authentic Christians… generosity toward others. I’ve just got to tell you… I want to live that way!! In fact this morning I read several proverbs grouped together in the Bible that awakened this desire in a fresh way in my life…

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.” (Proverbs 11:24–26 ESV)

We’ve been incredible blessed by the self-giving and extravagant generosity of God in Christ! I want His generosity to mirrored in mine, don’t you?

The grace of God… important stuff! But what is it?

It’s what we get from God that we don’t deserve! But it’s also what He provides that we desperately need – everything necessary to please Him and do His will!

This morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” I read a passage that deals with the “grace of God” that has had me reflecting with gratitude all day long…

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11–14 ESV)

God’s grace provided the salvation I enjoy (and available to all the people of the world) through Christ!

God’s grace enables me (and even “trains” me) to live a godly life in a wicked world!

God’s grace provides the endurance and perseverance necessary to be ready for the Lord’s coming!

God’s marvelous grace catalyzes within me a zealousness for good works!

No wonder Apostle Paul exclaimed, “By the grace of God I am what I am!” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

Grabbed an apple the other day… it looked delicious! I bit into it… first bite seemed ok… second bite? Well, it was a disaster … it was rotten inside! What a disappointment!

Thought about that is morning as I read these words from Proverbs 11…

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them… The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.” (from Proverbs 11:3-6 ESV)

Jesus said much the same thing another way…

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” (Matthew 12:33–35 ESV)

Good stuff… integrity… righteousness… is an inside-out issue! Lord help me take care of my interior person! I want to nurture it! I want to let God scrub it every day! I want to program it with the truth of God’s word! Integrity… inside-out! Oh Lord, work it in my life!