Living Grace

1 Corinthians 15:10 (New King James Version)But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

I was reading sermon notes out loud to a friend of mine while she was driving me home. And when I read this verse out loud I started to expand on it and to discuss it.
Because of grace I am who I am. Grace allows me to be the person God created me to be. Because of the grace of God, which was with me, I worked more than everyone else.
When we are walking in grace we are more able to live like we want to (and as God created us to), but it is different then how we are used to living. How many times does a smoker say that they want to quit, or that they desire to quit, or even try to quit? Yet it is by the grace of God that they will actually be able to do it.

I don't really know how to explain grace except to say that I have started to do the things that I've desired to do for a long time, but for one reason or another I simply found myself unable to do those things.

Living Good in the Midst of Bad

God meets our needs according to His riches in glory. It is not by what we posses, but by His riches that He meets our needs. You are the head and not the tail. God can turn curses into blessings. God will lead you into good things. Bad things will turn into testimonies. Praise God through difficult things. Have a good attitude. Mercy trimphs over judgement.

1. Learn to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and strength.

Whatever you sow, you reap. Rom 8:28 Rev 12:11

3. Expect a testimony.

4. All things are possible to those who believe.
When disappointed remember that we live eternally. Blessed be the name of the Lord even in disappointment. Practice faith. Continue in faith.

5. Always remember who you are in Christ.
Choose to be happy. Choose to set your mind on things above.

Live According to what you Believe

Rom 14:23 But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe--some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them--then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong. (Msg)

Rom 14:23 But those who have doubts [about what they do] are condemned...because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (NRSV)

We all have convictions about right and wrong. It is important to follow those convictions, but we are not supposed to make others follow those convictions. Live according to what you believe is right and make sure that it lines up with scripture. Walk in love towards others and focus on doing what you believe to be right. When others see the convictions you live by they will be interested in why you live that way and that will be your opportunity to share your beliefs with them. We are taught to live according to faith, if we step outside of faith then we sin. I am not saying it is a sin to doubt, but if you start to live according to your doubts then you are sinning. We are meant to walk by faith and not by sight. If God tells you it is so then it is so and you are to live according to that. Challenge yourself to walk according to faith in God's Word and not doubts. We can believe it because He said it, regardless of what our experience tells us.

Job 2:10

Job 2:10 ...Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?...

It's easy to praise God when things are going well for us, though sometimes people forget even to do that much. It's another thing to praise God when things are going poorly. I've heard multiple sermons preached where the speaker reminds us what a hard thing this can be to do. Seeing as it's something I've done on several occassions I don't think it's such a harm thing to do as others would have you believe. I think that when Job praised God he did that so that He would not curse God. What better way to stop from becoming bitter against God than to remember how wonderful He is? If no matter what you're going through you keep your eyes on how great God is then you won't be tempted to blame God for your circumstances. A heart of worship worships continueally regardless of circumstances.

Listen

Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22

Listening to God is the smartest thing any of us can do. When we listen it saves us from problems. When we listen it resolves problem. Take some time today and listen to God.

Friendship

Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy. (New King James Version)

Proverbs 27:6You can trust a friend who corrects you, but kisses from an enemy are nothing but lies. (Contemporary English Version)

I would add prized is a friend who is willing to suffer pain in order to correct you. We all make mistakes in friendships. Sometimes it's hard to know how to correct those mistakes. What's worse is when you feel bad for the mistakes that you've made, but see no way to fix the relationship. How can you be friends with someone who won't even recognize the ways that they've hurt you? It can be a difficult road to walk down and I still don't know the answer, but I trust God to work this problem out, whether that means providing new friends or restoring old ones.

Who will you serve?

It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:4

His name is above every other name. As we honour Him then He will honour us.

Joshua 24:15But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.