GraceCreates

By Jon Walker

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV)

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In faith, I know these things to be true:

God is full of love and grace, and he fills me with his love and grace.

God’s work within me is to clear a channel for his love and grace to flow through me into the lives of anyone and everyone I meet.

I may not be there yet, but I am “confident of this, that he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6 NIV).

And I know “God is able to make all grace abound [in me], so that in all things at all times, having all that [I] need, [I] will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV).

He will make my joy complete because I no longer live in darkness, but I now live in the truth and have fellowship with God (1 John 1:4; 1 John 1:6).

Through the “Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,” I am, at all times, filled with grace, mercy, and peace (2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV).

This is what I believe to be true and I will walk accordingly, allowing God to do his work in me from the inside out. Father, make it so. I believe; help my unbelief.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

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In faith, I know this to be true:

God wants me to succeed in my walk of faith.

He shaped me exactly how I need to be in order to succeed at my purpose in life, and he’s placed the Holy Spirit within me to guarantee I succeed.

His power works within me to do immeasurably more than I can ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20 NIV). He planned me to succeed at my purpose, created me to succeed at my purpose, and is now going before and coming behind me as I fulfill my purpose (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139:5).

In my frustration, I may see his plans as evil, but they’re actually plans full of “hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). He is not a thief come to “steal and kill and destroy”; he’s come to give me life, a life full and complete and with purpose (John 10:10 NIV). His plan is to “make my joy complete” (1 John 1:4 NIV); his joy within me coming full cycle, completing the connection between me and him.

God enlightens the eyes of my heart so that I can see the hope to which he’s called me, “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV).

In God’s grace, I can open my faith sails, and he will blow me to his destination through his mighty Spirit-wind.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

“When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (NIV)

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We are fluent in the native language of the Devil; we lie to others; we lie to ourselves; we lie to God.

Satan is the “father of lies,” (John 8:44 NIV) giving birth to the black and white ones, little fibs and outrageous whoppers, the “misspoke” and the “misunderstood.”

Yet, God would have us speak in his native tongue, the romance language of love. It is a language so different from the language of lies it is unintelligible to those fluent in the deception dialect (John 8:43, 47).

The Father’s language of love speaks with no more lies—as new creations in Christ, we take off our old selves, and accordingly, we no longer lie to each other (Colossians 3:9). When the Devil speaks, “There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar . . .” (John 8:44 NLT).

When we push away the truth, we’re sinful and wicked (Romans 1:18); but we know the truth, and the truth has set us free (John 8:32).

The Father’s language speaks of love with no more pretenses: “We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2 MSG).

There should be no need to “read between the lines or look for hidden meanings” because we speak “a plain, unembellished truth . . .” (2 Corinthians 1:13 MSG).

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

By Jon Walker

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)

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No one can stop you from loving another.

If your objective is to get someone to love you back, he can decide not to love you. If you’re objective is to change someone, she can resist your attempts to change. If your objective to please someone, he may remain unpleased. If your objective is to control someone, she may rebel against your control.

But no one can block your objective to give unconditional, Spirit-inspired love.

They can reject your love, refuse your love, misunderstand your love, discount your love, spit on your love, ignore you love, impugn your love, but that cannot stop you from loving them.

They can hold your love in scorn, crown your love with thorns, and nail your love to a cross of shame, but they cannot stop you from loving them.

Love presses through as “it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Corinthians 13:7 NIV).

Bono, from U2, once asked the question: “How do you dismantle an atomic bomb?” The answer, he said, was love.

Love dismantles an atomic bomb and love “sustains all things” (Hebrews 1:3 HCSB).

This is the message, the good news for all mankind. The all-powerful God of love takes our fears and redeems them with his love, so we can now move with the unstoppable, sustainable objective to love those easy to love and those unlovable.

No one can stop your love.

If you’d like to receive these devotionals regularly, you can sign-up at www.gracecreates.com/subscribe/. Jon Walker writes from www.gracecreates.com. He is a Zondervan author, and the former writer/editor of the Purpose Driven Life On-Line Devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2009 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.