Brotherfaron's Blog

Sufficient Grace, Perfected Power

brotherfaron — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:33:17 +0000

Reference verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9….Thinking about His grace being sufficient. I am reflecting today about the amazing reach of God’s grace. There is no sin so great that His grace cannot cover it. There is no failure so final that God’s grace cannot overcome it. Yes, His grace is clearly sufficient for me. Then there is the second part of the principle: in my weakness, His strength is made perfect. Today I am thinking about how the weaknesses of my life and faith reveal the fullness of God’s strength. While I was (and am) still a sinner, God demonstrated His love in that Christ died for me. In other words, God reached out to save me in spite of myself! When I did not even know how to call on Him for mercy, He was already completing the work of paying my debt that I might be free. Now, because of His finished work on Calvary I am saved by His sufficient grace. His power is perfected (fully complete). To God be the glory!

Labor Day

brotherfaron — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:27:26 +0000

Today is the holiday we in America call “Labor Day”. It is typically a time for the last cookout of the summer; a time to get in one more trip to the beach or lake. I suppose we call it “Labor Day” in recognition of the working class and the expectation that the “labor” gets a day off work. This morning, as I reflect on the call of God and our mission as followers of Christ, it occurs to me that every day is “Labor Day” for the believer, but in a much different sense than the holiday. You see, for the follower of Christ, every day is a day we should “labor in His field”. The time is far too short and the harvest so plenteous that the Master needs “laborers” in His field. I pray today that the Lord will enable me by His Holy Spirit to be more concerned about “the work” of Christ than about the “last beach trip” in my life. Blessings to you as you walk with Him.

The Foolishness of God

brotherfaron — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 11:05:24 +0000

“…the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” [1 Corinthians 1:25]

The omnipotent God who created all things has chosen the foolishness of preaching to confound the wisdom of men! Rather than display His power, He has chosen to display His grace. Rather than display His infinite knowledge and challenge us to know Him by discovering all His hidden understanding, He has openly revealed Himself in the life of Jesus Christ. Rather than give us some huge task requiring strength and skill, He has saved us by grace through faith. Man’s way of approaching his gods has changed over the centuries and religions come and go. Yet the preaching of the Cross still changes lives after all these years. Today’s thought is that God’s “foolishness” is after all so much wiser than our “wisdom” and His “weakness” is so much more powerful than our “strength”. To God be the glory!

Proverbs Challenge, Day 31

brotherfaron — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:12:48 +0000

“Open your mouth for the speechless,

In the cause of all who are appointed to die.

⁹ Open your mouth, judge righteously,

And plead the cause of the poor and needy. “

There is a modern expression that says “you have to stand for something or you will fall for anything”. In today’s reflection from Proverbs 31, we are called to speak up for those who are doomed to die. We are called to stand up for those who are unable to defend themselves. We are exhorted to defend the poor and destitute. Can you hear the foundation of the Great Commission in these words? Let us commit afresh to “Let Jesus Shine To All”!

Proverbs Challenge, Day 30

brotherfaron — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:04:21 +0000

“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”

God has no hidden agenda. His Words are simply pure. What He says is always so. We never have to wonder “what did He mean by that?” because His Word is pure. By His nature, He is without flaw and thus everything He utters is genuine, uncorrupted Truth. Furthermore, His pure love for us means that He is our Protector, our Shield. There is no enemy, no suffering, no horror that come at us except He in His wisdom first permit it. When we trust in Him, we are never deceived because His Word is pure. When we trust in Him, we are never alone because He is our shield. Selah.

Proverbs Challenge, Day 29

brotherfaron — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:00:39 +0000

“The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.”

On this 29^th day of our August Proverbs Challenge, the focus verse that caught my eye today reminds me of the sovereignty of God. There may be people who live without the awareness that they live and breathe and have their being in God, yet the Lord remains in control. Soon enough, every human being will be confronted with the reality that the Lord gives life to us all. He has created us. He has redeemed us. He is the Lord. I wonder if we are really ready to meet Him?

Proverbs Challenge, Day 28

brotherfaron — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:00:25 +0000

“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

Trying to pretend that we have no sin is useless. Every human being has “missed the mark” of God’s holiness. We all have sinned. Our challenge is to be willing to confess our sin. To confess means more than just to say “I have sinned”. To confess is to take ownership and responsibility for our sin. This wise saying from our twenty-eighth day in our August Proverbs Challenge promises that when we are willing to confess our sins, we have the promise of God’s mercy. As I think about the ramifications of this, I recall that His Word declares His mercy is everlasting. I pray that God will help us truly confess our sins so that He may shower us with His everlasting mercy!

Proverbs Challenge, Day 27

brotherfaron — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:50:27 +0000

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

Friendship is not only a blessing. Friendship also brings responsibility. Real friends will sharpen one another’s countenance. We will help our friends to keep perspective in life. We will encourage our friends to grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ. We will not sit idly by and allow our friend to go blindly down the path of no return. Rather, we will engage to help our friend see the Way and know the Truth. In the words of a paraphrased version of today’s focus verse, “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”.

Proverbs Challenge, Day 26

brotherfaron — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:09:21 +0000

“Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no tale bearer, strife ceases.”

The fallen human psyche has a natural tendency to “love a fight”. Our flesh doesn’t necessarily like to be directly involved in a fight, but we usually enjoy watching others engage in verbal and physical combat. So it is that our tongues are prone to carry “news” to others so we can watch their reaction. When we see people starting to oppose one another, we can quickly “throw wood on the fire” by offering tidbits of information whether we know it to be true or not. How much better it would be if we could learn the wisdom in today’s focus verse. Without wood, a fire goes out quickly; and without someone stirring it up, a disagreement can quickly die out as well.

Proverbs Challenge, Day 25

brotherfaron — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:47:11 +0000

“ A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”

This simple verse carries with it immense wisdom. A single word, a short sentence, fitly spoken is a wonderful blessing to the one who hears it! How many people who are depressed and discouraged could we help if more of us were willing to speak a gentle, timely word of encouragement at just the right moment? My prayer today is that God will help me to be more faithful at speaking words of kindness “fitly” so that they may bless those who hear.