Grace

What if, in the Super Bowl, the outcome was determined by how forgiving the referees were and not by the score on the scoreboard? 

What if our paycheck was dependent upon the graciousness of our employer, rather than our output or success in handling customers and projects?

Let’s talk about Grace for a few minutes.  It is an often misunderstood concept and I think it is much easier to grasp than we might think.

Start with this:

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  

~Hebrews 4:16

This man knew a lot about the grace of God.  Read his words.

“Grace means that God is on our side and thus we are victors regardless of how well we have played the game.”

~Brennan Manning

Isn't that amazing?  We are victors regardless of how well we played.  

Unheard of!

Are you a doer?  Do you get your kicks from earning goody points on a chart so you can justify your existence and look back over your life and have bragging rights on a life well lived? 

Consider this:

“Grace does not depend on what we have done for God but rather what God has done for us.  Ask people what they must do to get to heaven and most reply, “Be good.”  Jesus’ stories contradict that answer.  All we must do is cry, ‘Help!”

It seems to me that God operates on a completely different level from the one we humans use.  We measure success and winning based on the outcome of a game, or a quarter’s stats or the end-of-the-year balance sheet.  If everything checks out then we are heroes.  If not, we are less than wonderful, and maybe our job is in jeopardy.

But not God -

“I am wonderfully content with a God who doesn't deal with me as my sins     deserve.”

~Brennan Manning

That is GRACE. 

                Do-over

                  Forgiveness

                     Reconciliation

                        Restoration

Do you know what this says to me?  Listen carefully.

God is not mad at you.

If we wander away, God continually looks for us around the next bend in the road.  And as we crest the hill on our way home, God runs to us. 

He RUNS to us!

He accepts us, not as a servant, but as a son/daughter.

That is Amazing GRACE - Abundant MERCY - Furious LOVE.

What a GOD!

Now watch this hope-filled music video.  It's more than you think. 

Amazing Grace

My Prayer for All of Us

God of Grace:

That you love us and redeem us, just for the asking is … well, it’s amazing.

-We want to do things to earn your grace.

-We want to jump through hoops.

-We want to become doers.

-We want to clean up first and get our stuff together. 

Yet you simply want receivers.  You want us to be still and know you and your peace and love and … yes, GRACE.

So here we are God.  We stand ready to receive you, your love, your peace, and your grace.

The only thing we can do – is give thanks.  Thank you God.

Amen.

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Person Behind the Label

Have you ever had a label attached to you?  Sometimes they point out a character trait, a body shape, or some less-than-esteeming slur that cuts to the bone.

Perhaps you've heard something like this:

  “You’re fat!”

       “You’re ugly!”

            “You don’t belong!”

                “Hey homo!”

                      “Who dropped you on your head, dumbo?”

Well, that’s enough.

I’ve had a few labels attached to me down through the years.  Check out these:

“You’re an accident waiting to happen.”

“Get away from that thing, boy.  You don’t know ‘nothin about machinery.”

Labels hurt.  Harsh words cut to the bone.  And the unfortunate thing is we continue to internalize them long after they were last uttered.  We have an amazing date storage system between our ears that captures every moment of our lives.

Help is available for you.  Your labels can be removed, redeemed and erased.  Your life, regardless of the twists and turns it has taken, can be straightened and redeemed.  There is a person behind every label mankind can level against us, and YOU are that person. 

Come meet the one who can erase your labels, redeem your image, and restore you to a life of wholeness.  His name is Jesus, The Christ, the Son of God, and He is very fond of you already. 

He stands ready for your call. 

Will you reach for him?  He’s already reaching for you.

Please Watch This

 There Is a Redeemer

A Prayer for You

God Our Redeemer:

We need your help.  We need your redemption and grace to eradicate all of the wrongs in which we have become entangled. 

These labels hurt.  They still sting, and some of them were said years ago.  Help us God.  Please remove the stigma of our past lives and give us a fresh beginning. 

Amen

Pastor Mike

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

How Does God Think

Do you think much about God?

Have you ever wondered what God thinks?

I have.

One thing I know for sure – the Bible reminds us that “no man can know the mind of God, nor understand his ways, his reasoning and his love.”

Let’s imagine for a few moments how God’s mind works.

What irritates God?

What makes him mad?

What makes him jealous?

What pushes his buttons?

What if Hitler offered some kind of miraculous death-bed confession and nobody every told us about it?  Would God forgive him right on the spot?

Will Hugh Hefner be in heaven?

In war, which side is God really on? 

Is God an American?

Is he Baptist?

Lutheran?

Episcopalian?

Catholic?

Nazarene?

Mormon?

Buddhist?

How does God really think? 

What are some of his thoughts toward us?

I think God loves us way more than we can ever understand.

He continually extends an invitation to us.

He wants face time with each one of us. 

He just wants us in his presence.

He loves all people equally.

He watches over us moment by moment.

He notices even a sparrow that falls to the ground.

He clothes the lilies.

He reaches for the down-and-out with a redemptive heart of compassion.

He is looking for more ways to get us home to heaven than for ways to keep us out.

He is a forgiving God.

He never remembers past sins.

He dances for joy over us.

He runs to us when we turn back to Him.

He loves Ethiopians and Asians as much as he loves Americans.

He will never take away our free will for making choices. 

So how does God think?

With a heart full of love greater than anything we could ever imagine,

     Regardless of whom we are

          What we are

               Where we are

Or in whatever condition we might find ourselves at the present moment. 

God Is Love. 

Some of the great words found in the Bible are these:

“For God loved the world so much that He gave his only son, and if we believe in him, we shall live forever.”

John 3:16

PMB adaptation

God is offering love.  Now, receive it!

Please watch this

Oh Love That Will Not Let Me go 

  

My Prayer for You

God:

How can it be? 

How can you continually reach out to mankind and offer us reconciliation and forgiveness?

What a love!

The only response from our heart is this …

Thank you God.  May your mercy continue.

Amen

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church

Offering Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

One Word at a Time

He Knows Your Name

Do you ever feel you are just a number?  Do you wonder if anyone knows you exist, knows your name or cares one small bit about you?

One of the great needs of mankind is to be validated, to be recognized and esteemed and wanted.  We all have this intense need to be needed and we have hopes that we might live some kind of a significant life

One of my favorite movies, based on the life of its main character, is Patch Adams starring Robin Williams.  In one particular scene Patch is with a group of third-year medical students following a more experienced doctor on his daily rounds at the hospital.  As they approach a woman lying in bed, you can sense fear and trepidation within her.  The experienced doctor picked up her chart, cleared his voice and said,

“This patient from Room 313 has a serious case of edema.”

Patch quietly asked, “Does this patient have a name?” 

“Why yes.  Her name is … Doris,” stated the experienced doctor.

“Hello Doris.  How are you?” asked Patch. 

When Patch called Doris by name, for one brief moment in time Doris knew that she mattered to someone.  She became a person, not “the patient in Room 313.”

Another story from an experienced nurse: 

“During my second month of nursing school our professor gave us a pop quiz.  I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one:  ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?’

“Surely this was some kind of joke!  I had seen the cleaning woman several times.  She was tall, dark-haired, and in her fifties, but how would I know her name?  I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. 

“Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.  ‘Absolutely,’ said the professor.  ‘In your careers you will meet many people.  All are significant.  They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.’ 

The nurse continued, ‘I’ve never forgotten that lesson.  I also learned her name was Dorothy.’”

Our identity matters.  We want to be known, recognized and esteemed.

Are you suffering from a lack of identity?  Does it seem that no one knows about you or cares?

Here is some great news. 

Read this:

“Do not fear.  I have redeemed you.  I have called you by name; you are mine. 

When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you.

And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned and the flame will not burn you, for I am the Lord your God. Your Holy One, your Savior.”.

~Isaiah 43:1b-3a

And another …

Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

~Joshua 1:9

These words tell me God is thinking of me and you.  He knows where we are, and He is with us.  Yes, He does know our names. 

God has you in His sights.  Be encouraged today.

Please watch this:

He Knows My Name

Michael W. Smith

My Prayer for You

God:

Again and again we stand amazed in your presence.  That you know me individually, by name, and you know my past, my present and my future. 

Thank you God.

Help me God!

Amen

Pastor Mike

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Dark Night of the Soul

Sometimes we face the dark night of the soul – those times when the world closes in, relationships fail, jobs end, finances run out, health falters and emotions get spent.

When those times come along, take heart.  You are not abandoned.  You are not lost, and you are not alone.

The God of the universe is with you.  He is marking out your path, even in the dark night.  He is protecting, guiding, conquering, though you may not see any of that.

Be at peace.

                    Rest easy. 

Allow His words to bring comfort and rest.

Be neither afraid nor dismayed, 

for I the Lord your God will be 

with you wherever you go.

(Joshua 1:9)

Be still and know that I am God.

(Psalm 46:10)

He whispers and soothes us with words of hope and encouragement. 

What more do we need? 

What more indeed.

Please watch this video.

 Be Still and Know that He Is God

Steven Curtis Chapman

My Prayer for You

God:

In the dark night of the soul we are learning to rest all our cares with you.  Your word invites us to draw near, come to you, rest, be at peace, and trust you for daily needs. 

Our fears want to rant and rave, complain, worry, fret, and blame.

You offer the better solution. 

Rest

Stillness

Peace

Thank you God, 

Amen

Pastor Mike

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Cracked Pot

Let me tell you a story based on a story from Brennan Manning’s book Ruthless Trust.

“Once upon a time there was a water bearer who had two large pots.  Each hung on opposite ends of a pole that he carried across his neck. 

“One of the pots was perfect. The other had a crack in it.

“The perfect pot always delivered a full measure of water to

the master’s table, while the cracked pot leaked and arrived with only half a measure.  Needless to say, the cracked pot was discouraged.  He was ashamed of his performance because of his cracks. 

“One day, the cracked pot spoke to the water-bearer.  “I am ashamed of myself.  I only deliver a portion of what you expect of me each trip to the well.  You see, I have a crack and I lose most of my water on the way back home.”

“The water-bearer smiled and replied, “My poor cracked pot.  As we walk home today I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”

“And sure enough, there were dozens and hundreds of beautiful, colorful flowers on his side, all along the path home.

“The water-bearer pointed out, “Did you notice that there were flowers only one your side of the path and not on the side of the perfect pot?  I know about your flaws.  Every day for two years, as we walk this path, you have been watering the seeds on your side and they have grown into beautiful flowers.  You have brightened the world simply by being exactly who you are, cracks, flaws and all.

Have you had some less than stellar days in your life?  Have you performed at less than your best?

Do you sometimes feel you have nothing but cracks and holes?

Maybe your life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Remember what the pot discovered?

The pot’s weakness became its strength.

What?

Our weakness becomes our strength, if we let it. 

Brennan Manning offers this insight in Ruthless Trust. 

With all your cracks and fissures,

you are capable of greatness

in God’s kingdom.”

Do you see that God uses cracked pots, disabled people, broken human beings, disappointing individuals, and those with broken dreams and weak knees? 

Consider David 2 Samuel 11

Rehab, the Harlot Joshua 6:25

Just imagine this re-phrasing of Matthew 11:28?

“Come unto me, all you cracked pots, disheveled, smelly, unfocused, lost and dreamless ones.  I’ll take you.

And, oh yeah, you perfect ones, you can come too.  I’ll even find a place for you too.”

The actual wording goes something like this:

“Come to me all of you who may be weary, weighted down, disorganized, dislocated, displaced and disheveled.  I will take you and give you a resting place.” 

I love perfect people, and I’m not perfect.

I relate to cracked pots, for at times, more times than I sometimes want to admit, I am one too.

Please watch this

Brokenness by David Meece

My Prayer for You

God:

In our moments of brokenness you come to us.  You reach for us and lift us up.  You willingly offer restoration, repair and mending if we allow it.

Thank you God.  Take the pieces of my heart.  I lift them up to you.  Make something beautiful of my cracks and broken places.

Your Cracked Pot

Pastor Mike

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church

Offering Words of

Hope Encouragement Inspiration

Never Out of Mercy

Have you ever run out of milk, or eggs, or money?  Running out of stuff is no fun. 

Our thought today is on God’s storehouse of mercy and grace. 

He never runs out of …

Love

     Grace

          Care for us

               Patience

God never runs out of necessities … and especially, ESPECIALLY God never runs out of mercy.

Mercy is not a term used much in today’s normal conversations.  So, what is mercy?

Some synonyms for mercy are …

Compassion

   Pity

      Clemency

Forgiveness

   Kindness

      Sympathy

Understanding

   Leniency

      Benevolence

Strong words

                     Good words 

Someone offering mercy is reaching, stretching, dishing out some pretty amazing “stuff” to the receiver.

I've had times in my life when I could have used a whole bucket load of mercy.  Have you?

There is a verse from the Bible, in Daniel, that speaks about mercy.  Daniel is talking to God and says this:

"We do not make requests of you

because we are righteous,

but  because of your great mercy."

~Daniel 9:18

  

He knows a bit about God to be able to say something this profound, for he gives God the compliment of “because of your great mercy.”

Have you ever needed great mercy?

In another place we find this example of the mercies of God.  It is from the book of Lamentations. 

“…because of the Lord’s mercy

and loving-kindness

we are not consumed,

because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning.

Great and abundant

is your stability and faithfulness.”

~Lamentations 3:22-23

In other words, God cannot run out of mercy. 

-He never gets tired of helping you. 

-He never takes a nap.

-His eyes never leave you.

-He never wanders off to the mall or the golf course.

-He never forgets you.

Every morning …

EVERY MORNING, when you awaken, God has a fresh batch of mercy waiting just for you. 

Amazing!

And the invitation comes like this …

“… Come boldly

to the throne of grace (to God)

that we may obtain mercy

and find grace to help

in our time of need.

~Hebrews 4:16

Reach out right now to the God of great and abundant mercy. 

He is waiting for your call.

Please Watch this

Lord Have Mercy-Christ Have Mercy

Michael W. Smith

and Amy Grant

If the above video link does not work, please click here

Lord Have Mercy-Christ Have Mercy

Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant 

A Prayer for You

God:

Without your mercy where would we be?  Life is tough.  And hard.  And it doesn't always work out the way we hoped and planned. 

But your mercies endure forever. 

How is this possible?

Why would you continue to extend this mercy thing to us?

Only one answer surfaces – You must really love us in spite of everything.

  In spite of our lost-ness

    Our lack of faithfulness

      Our contrariness

        Our selfishness

          Our mundane representation of you

You really do love us.

And our heartfelt response is – Thank you so much.

Thank you.

          Thank you.

                    T h a n k  y o u .

Amen,

  

Pastor Mike

P Michael Biggs

Internet Church

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