Thought for Today – Grace

Thought for Today

Grace

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”
Genesis 6:8

This is the first mention of grace in the scriptures. The grace Noah found produced a life that was radically obedient and pleasing unto the Lord. In the midst of a violent and lawless generation he alone stood true to do the works of God.

He is called in the New Testament a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5) and is given to us as an example of what grace produces in the lives of those to whom it is given. His preaching was revealed in the life lived and in the work of his hands.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works…”
Ephesians 2:8-10

The glory of Grace is we are not saved by good works, but we are saved unto good works; it is by grace His works shine forth! Grace is the provision of God for any life to make His wonder known in the earth.

Grace received will always culminate in our making Him known.

“If grace does not make us differ from other men,
it is not the grace which God gives His elect”
Charles Spurgeon

∑

“But working together, we also call on you
not to receive the grace of God in vain”
2 Corinthians 6:1

“For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body…”
1 Corinthians 6:20

Brian Troxel

The Purpose of Grace – Part Three

The Purpose of Grace

Part Three

(See The Purpose of Grace)
(See The Purpose of Grace Part 2)
(See The Purpose of Grace Part 4)

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”
Genesis 6:8

Grace is always given with purpose. God’s wisdom and creativity has such abundance that the wonder of His giving exceeds our ability to comprehend it. Lost within its glory is the essential truth of the purpose and design with which it is given.

The generation in which Noah lived was one of violence and great evil.

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
Genesis 6:5

It was in this context that the life of Noah shone into the surrounding darkness.

Grace given is revealed in the life lived.

“Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations,
and Noah walked with God”
Genesis 6:9

The measure of Grace received is revealed in corresponding measure in our daily walk. Grace is the very power of God to bring us to the reservoir of His enablement to live and walk beyond our own miserable resources.

“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works,
but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began…”
2 Timothy 1:9

Whenever and wherever God’s people disassociate Grace from Purpose there is a falling short of the call of God. Any ministration that presents grace separately from the bonds of a “holy calling” are misrepresenting the very heart and purpose of God Himself!

The end of God’s grace in Noah’s life is succinctly revealed as a testimony for us in our day.

“Thus did Noah;
according to all that God commanded him,
so did he”
Genesis 6:22

Brian Troxel

Thought for Today – The Evidence of Grace

Thought for Today

The Evidence of Grace

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”
Genesis 6:8

Within the pervading darkness of Noah’s day, God’s grace found a resting place. The fading light of the conscience of a whole generation was falling into the morass of a violence which covered the earth (Genesis 6:11). Man left to himself will always succumb to the fallen beastly nature of perdition. The very DNA of man, corrupted by its own desire for self-realization; grasping, taking and robing from each other in order to achieve the glorification and gratification of its own evil self; necessitates God’s intervention and judgment. It is in this unruly, ungodly and lawless ethos that “Noah found grace”!

This Grace which Noah “found” caused him to be a light to His generation. His light was a prophetic word of things to come. His works were the expression of his faith.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith”
Hebrews 11:7

Noah’s faith was moved by godly fear unto the building of the Ark… by the which he condemned the world! It is in our living, our doing and our obeying God that we are the light of our generation. Our works are the revelation of our salvation, they are the offspring of Grace through the wonder of faith. We are not saved by works; our works are simply the revelation of our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-10).

True grace received must always produce obedience within the life of the recipient. The proportion of grace received will be revealed in the evidentiary expression of it in the life lived and the corresponding works of grace into the world around it (1 Corinthians 15:10).

“Thus did Noah;
according to all that God commanded him,
so did he”
Genesis 6:22

Brian Troxel

A Call to Prepare

More Given – More Required

“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will,
and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will,
shall be beaten with many stripes”
LUKE 12:46

A Word to those who feel secure in being part of the remnant. The remnant are they who prepare themselves for the DAY that is upon us. The remnant are they whose obedience is full; for Obedience is the revelation of our submission to Him! God is not interested in what we know or think we know; HE covers those who hide themselves in HIM.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”
2 Corinthians 5:17

The depth of our being in Him is correspondingly expressed by the new life which is exhibited in our daily living*. This is a word to God’s people. This is a word concerning today. Somehow we have to come to think that being born again is like a “get out of jail free” card; we no longer have responsibility or accountability for how we live our daily lives. The context of this scripture is one that should cause us to radically consider our ways and our concept of what it means to be His own.

“But and if that servant say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” LUKE 12:45-48

From these very words we can clearly see that HE REQUIRES MORE of His people than of the world. The more we know of HIS Kingdom the more shall be required of us. Greater understanding brings greater accountability. Rather than being puffed up with knowledge we need to be sober and filled with fear and trembling as we walk before Him. The “fear of the Lord is the beginning (chief part) of wisdom”. Men who do not fear Him do not know Him. Men who seek and desire preeminent places of standing, who seek recognition and favor from others, know not God. It is a day to walk lowly and humbly before our God. It is a day to prepare ourselves for the fury of that which is about to break forth in our land.

The Greek word used here for prepare** is the same Greek word translated in the Gospels when speaking of John the Baptist’s ministration as a fore runner to prepare the way of the Lord. It is a warning to us that we are to be prepared. In the Greek it is an active verb which means it is incumbent upon us to be ACTIVE in the fulfilling of this word. The judgment comes to those who do not PREPARE themselves and they who know and do not are in greater judgment than those who knew not. Let us take heed to this. Let us know that our boldness in the day of Judgment is determined by our likeness to Him.

“Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness
in the day of judgment:
because as he is, so are we in this world”
1JOHN 4:17

How we are in this world determines our day of Judgment. The Day of preparation is all about the heart. It is about right motives and intentions; for it is the PURE IN HEART who shall SEE GOD. Our greatest need in this hour is to SEE HIM for that is the only hope we have of becoming like HIM (2 Corinthians 3:18). Malachi prophesying of our day speaks of Him coming to His people as a refiner’s fire…

“But who may abide the day of his coming?
and who shall stand when he appeareth?
for he is like a refiner’s fire,
and like fullers ‘soap: And he shall sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver…”
MALACHI 3:2-3

The DAY of HIS appearing is unfolding before our eyes. The distress of nations is upon us. Fear is beginning to grip men’s hearts. The very foundations of society are being removed and men do not know where to put their trust. It is for this Day that the scriptures warn us to be a people who ARE preparing ourselves and are warning those around us as to the day and the hour in which we are living. It is not the Day for business as usual. This is no time for routine Sunday sermons and fire-less prayer meetings; casual Biblical discussions that do not bring conviction, the fear of the Lord and a stirring of the heart unto love and devotion to Jesus.

Many will say in that day “Lord, Lord…” to which Jesus will respond “I never knew you…”

May God stir our hearts afresh to be vigilant and sober that we be not overtaken by the slumber and apathy of this hour.

“Prepare ye the Way of the Lord”

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it”
ISAIAH 40:3-4

*NOTE:
It is in view of these truths that I am sending this out to anyone anywhere who desires to meet together, seek His face and cry out unto Him for change, purity of heart and to be found completely HID in Him. Many are seeing the apathy all around us but somewhere we MUST come to a new abiding place in Him. A knowing of a fresh new faith which brings His resources to us in order that we may live beyond our own abilities. There is a call going forth to gather ourselves unto Him even as Anna and Simeon who spent their days in prayer for they KNEW HE was coming; and they saw HIM!

God’s Word to me the other day…

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”
Genesis 6:8

This was Noah’s portion BEFORE the Flood.

“Come together, make everyone come together, O nation without shame; Before the Lord sends you violently away in flight like the waste from the grain; before the burning wrath of the Lord comes on you, before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes on you. Make search for the Lord, all you quiet ones of the earth, who have done what is right in his eyes; make search for righteousness and a quiet heart: it may be that you will be safely covered in the day of the Lord’s wrath”
Zephaniah 2:1-3 (BBE)

**NOTE: ἑτοιμάζω
1. To make ready, prepare
2. To make the necessary preparations,
get everything ready
3 Metaphorically drawn from the oriental custom of sending on before Kings on their journeys persons to level the roads and make them passable (Isaiah 40:3-4)
To prepare the minds of men to give the Messiah a fit reception and secure his blessings.
BLB Greek Lexicon

Brian Troxel
www.aword.info

THE PURPOSE OF GRACE Part 2

The Purpose of Grace

Part 2

(See The Purpose of Grace)
(See the Purpose of Grace Part 3)
(See The Purpose of Grace Part 4)

“Whereof I was made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of God given
unto me by the effectual working of his power.”
Ephesians 3:7

God gives grace with intention and purpose. Grace given corresponds to the evidential working of His power within the life of the one to whom it is given. Paul states here “whereof I was MADE a minister (a definite expression of God) according (in proportion) to the GIFT” given. This then is the revelation of His Grace received. It is to this end that we are recipients of the unmerited Grace of God: that such a precious commodity will show forth the effect of his power in our lives. Grace given does not always result in its desired end, which is why diligence, faithfulness and the fear of the Lord are the healthy responses to the giver of all good things.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am:
and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain;
but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I,
but the grace of God which was with me”
1Corinthians 15:10

The “laboring more abundantly” is the fruit of true grace received. Grace always desires to glorify and honor the ONE from whom it comes. From Genesis to Revelation we see the effectual working in the lives of those to whom God invested His Grace.

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”
Genesis 6:8

The Prophets in the Old Testament prophesied of this Grace that should come…

“Of which salvation the prophets
have inquired and searched diligently,
who prophesied of the grace
that should come unto you”
1Peter 1:10

The power of this New Covenant declares that this GRACE has come unto His Own in the ministration and life of the Son. Shall we not yield ourselves fully to the working out of this grace in each of our hearts? Let us embrace the “laboring” of love in our hearts in response to such beauty and unmerited favor.

We must consider that Jesus Christ left the splendor of Heaven, laid aside His equality with God and humbled Himself as a servant, even to the scandal and humiliation of the cross. How did this wonder occur? BY GRACE…

“But we see Jesus,
who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honour;
that he by the grace of God
should taste death for every man”
Hebrews 2:9

The very Son of God came into this dark world divesting Himself of all deity to do the Will of the Father by Grace. Shall not we, who are the true heirs of “so great a salvation”, fully yield ourselves to the deposit of Grace given to each of us?

“But unto EVERY ONE of us is given grace
according to the measure of the gift of Christ”
Ephesians 4:7

May His Church rise up in the acknowledging of this powerful and precious truth!

Brian Troxel
www.aword.info