Blog Posts containing "grace"

Old Testament: Isaiah 42:1-9 Literal Religion: “Walk in it” is to obey the Law. Read this scripture literally for its religious meaning. “Who gives spiritual breath to the people in it and Spirit to those who walk in it.” Spiritual grace: “Walk in it” is the experience of His Presence in us. Now quietly move into God's Presence and read this scripture. “Who gives spiritual breath to the people in it and Spirit to those who walk in it.” Can you tell the difference? Literal religion sees what it wants us to see. Grace sees what God wants us to see!  Read more

Think literal Legalism: Legalism finds no consolation or closure about traumatic events. Feel the spiritual Grace: Grace finds consolation and closure in the Presence of God. Old Testament: Jeremiah 31:7-14 Think literal Legalism: “With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back.” Feel the spiritual Grace: “With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back spiritually.”  Read more

Think literal Legalism: “Presence” is physical. Feel the spiritual Grace: “Presence” is spiritual. OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 63:7-9 Think literal Legalism: It was no messenger or angel but his physical presence that saved them. Feel the spiritual Grace: It was no messenger or angel but His spiritual Presence that saves them. Legalism looks for the key to happiness. Grace knows there is no key, the door is always open!  Read more

Matthew 1:24 "When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him." Joseph was lucky. He had a dream and the angels told him what to do. Anyone can do what the angel tells you to do. Why can’t God make it that easy every time?  Read more

Think literal Legalism: We literally “weary” God with our rational doubts. Feel the spiritual Grace: We spiritually “weary” God with our closed hearts. Old Testament: Isaiah 7:10-16 Think literal Legalism: Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Feel the spiritual Grace: Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you spiritually weary my God also? Legalism hates and remembers. Grace forgives and forgets.  Read more

Jesus is asking the people what did they go out into the wilderness to see in John the Baptist? It was not some prince in a palace. If they did they would be terribly disappointed. They went out to see a prophet. But the question is how do you see a prophet? What do you look for? A prophet of God is not something you see. It is something you feel. You feel they are in the Presence of God and are sharing not their thoughts, but God’s thoughts. This is what a true prophet is. You listen to what is being said because the speaker is in the Presence.  Read more

Think literal Legalism: Literally our “eyes” and “ears” are physical. Feel the spiritual Grace: Spiritually our “eyes” and “ears” are opened to the grace of God within us. Old Testament: Isaiah 35:1-10 Think literal Legalism: The literally the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Feel the spiritual Grace: The spiritual eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the spiritual ears of the deaf unstopped.  Read more

“Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'” Presumption can lead us to believe we are in God’s Peace when we are not. It can have us believe that no matter what happens we cannot and will not ever be in His Peace about certain things in the past, present or future. Presumption leads us to believe that we know how to change the unchangeable by working on it long enough or thinking about it hard enough. We overcome our presumption by knowing as a fact, that when we are in the Presence of the Peace of God we can be at Peace under any condition. St Paul tells it like it is when he wrote in Romans 2:2, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed.”  Read more

Think literal Legalism: The Spirit is literally resting on Jesus. Feel the spiritual Grace: When we are spiritually open to His grace, the Spirit of Jesus is resting on us. Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1-10 Think literal Legalism: The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Feel the spiritual Grace: The spirit of the LORD shall rest on us, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  Read more

The Christmas Peace cannot be found in getting all the shopping, cooking and other ducks in line so we can feel at peace. The Christmas Peace is found within ourselves. It is already there. We need to find the Christmas Peace so we can celebrate the Christmas event. The Peace is all about the Presence of Jesus born into this World. The Word, according to John’s Gospel, is that Jesus came into the World and the World did not know Him. The World is not that place out there. The World is this place in us. It is the place where we often forget about the birth of the Spirit of Jesus that God has poured into our hearts.  Read more