Pray that Jesus Will Love Someone through You Today

Years ago, when our Father began to free me from legalism and sin, I had such an incredible desire to love other people that often I would pray, "God, please love someone through me today".  You see, God does not heal us and free us only for us to have peace.  He frees us so we can love people!  If you believe in grace, yet it has not produced a desire and ability to love people, you may be falling short of the grace of God. 

 

Galatians 5:13 (MSG) says, "It is absolutely clear that God  has called you to a free life.  Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows." 

Recently, I was on the phone with my cell phone provider working on a technical issue with Kimberly.  As we waited for my phone to "reboot", she began to tell me that she lived in Colorado where they were having a number of fires due to the summer drought.  She went on to say that she lived not too far from where the gunman had killed and injured all of those innocent people in the movie theater.  I sensed the Lord wanted me to ask her if she would have gone to heaven if she had been one of those killed in the theater.  As it turned out, she was a Christian who was experiencing deep hurt in her marriage.  She seemed delighted for me to refer her to one of our affiliate offices near her for counseling but I also told her if it did not work out to please call our office at 704-522-9026.  We offer Skype counseling and phone counseling. In the midst of trying to take care of a cell phone problem, God had another agenda.  He wanted to love a lady in Colorado through me who needed to know her Heavenly Father was pursuing her.

I have observed Jesus living through my wife, Ellen, in many similar situations.  She loves people, especially those outside of Christ, so unconditionally that more often than not, she is able to share with them how to become a Christian and most of them do.  Her relationship with them is so authentic that they are very open to her when she broaches the subject of the God who loves them.

Most days, the people He wants us to love are already all around us in our families, jobs, neighborhoods or churches.  I wonder what would happen if we prayed each day for God to love someone through us?  Oh, we would still work hard but who knows what incredible impact that would make in our world.  Wouldn't we all like to have people around us who were asking Jesus to live through them to love us?  Then we look for opportunities to do that?  That would be heaven on earth!  

How about you?  Would you be willing to ask Jesus to live through you to love someone each day?  If so, I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

 

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder



www.GraceLifeInternational.com

All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

The Olympics is Like Heaven

If you are like me, you loved the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics this week. What an incredible sight it was to watch all of the athletes from different nations parade into the London Olympic stadium. Each nation showcased their beautiful colors and is present in hopes of personal and worldwide glory.

As I viewed the stadium after all the nations were in place, I turned to my wife and said, “That reminds me of what heaven is going to be like”. Why? The word, “nations” in the Bible is from a Greek word from which we get the English word, ethnic. For example, Jesus commanded us to “make disciples of all nations” literally meaning every ethnic group in the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV).

In Revelation 7:9 we get a little glimpse into heaven when we read, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb”.  If we are not careful, we might think that this scene in heaven has all of these different ethnic groups divided into different sections around God’s throne. Most likely that is not true. I’m sure these ethnic groups are mixed all together rather than segregated. There will be all kinds of ethnicity in heaven!

In Christ, we all have the same identity regardless of our ethnicity. We are sons and daughters of God. Our ethnicity no longer defines us. Jesus changed all of that at the cross. “For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.” Ephesians 2:14-16 (NLT) Let me put this in modern terms. In Christ, there is neither Jew, Arab, European, African, Latin, Asian, black, white, brown, yellow, red, mulato, etc. We are either in Christ or in Adam.

Let’s all pray that God’s will “that what is true in heaven will be true in our lives”, meaning that, we will see every Christian through the eyes of their identity in Christ instead of their ethnicity. What an incredible blow that would be to Satan’s theology of prejudice! When Jesus freed us FROM sin (Romans 6:6) and FROM the Law (Romans 7:6), He freed us TO love! We need Him to live through us to see every brother and sister in Christ not according to our skin color or ethnicity, but as those who are one with us in Christ! We also need to see those outside of Christ as those we want to invite into God’s family regardless of their ethnicity. Why don’t you ask God to show you if you have an issue with prejudice? If He says, “Yes”, confess your sin to God, accept your forgiveness, ask Jesus to live through you to love without regard to ethnicity and ask God to bring you a friend who is of a different ethnic background.

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder




www.GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

Discover God's Special Purpose for You

As I was listening at our church recently to Sean McDowell, son of the great apologist, Josh McDowell, preach "Has Science Disproved the Bible", I was overwhelmed by the incredible knowledge and wisdom our God has.  Sean shared that a well known scientist stated that the flagella (tail) of a certain bacteria is the most complicated machine ever.  We know Who designed it.  Later that day, my mind drifted to Ephesians 2:10 which says, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in."  (ESV)  As I pondered that, the Holy Spirit seemed to give me an even greater awe at how each of us in Christ was created by God.  Just as flagella were designed by God to propel bacteria, God uniquely designed each of us for a unique special purpose.  Let me explain.    He created your physical body for His purpose.  Psalm 139 tells us that God divinely designed your body.  Your response?  By faith, tell God you accept your body and even the things you do not like as a perfect gift from Him.  Secondly, take care of your body since it is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Tools to help:  healthy nutrition, exercise, proper sleep and tell God you accept your body as His gift to this world to express Jesus!  You may want to consider a Christian health and wellness coach.

   He gave you specific abilities and talents.  Luke 19:12-27  Your response?  Understand them and develop them trusting Christ to live through them.  Tools:  Read a book such as, "Strengths Finder 2.0" by Tom Rath.  Also, list the things you really enjoy and are good at.  

   He gifted you with certain spiritual gifts.  Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 14.  Your response?  Understand what they are and use them with love.  Tools:  Take a Spiritual Gifts Assessment such as offered by PLACE Ministries at www.placeministries.org.  What gifts have others affirmed in you?   

   He gave you your unique personality.  Psalm 139  Your response?  Understand it and accept it as God's unique instrument for expressing Himself to those around you.  Stop trying to be someone you are not.  Also, let God free you from any "fleshly" aspects of your personality type.  Tools:  Take the DISC Profile and/or 4 Temperaments Assessment such as offered by PLACE Ministries.  

   You have had experiences which have prepared you to fulfill God's purpose.  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Sometimes this includes your failures as well as your successes.  Your response?  Write down the experiences in life you have had and ask God which of those He might want to use.  Tools:  List them.  

   He has given you specific grace/passion.  In Galatians 2:7-8 Paul writes that he had been given specific grace by God to minister to the non-Jews.  You too have been given very specific grace to minister.  This is why you are drawn to certain types of activities/ministries over and over.  Tools:  Passion assessments such as by PLACE Ministries.      When you are trusting Christ to live through you in all of these areas, whether you work for a business or a ministry, you are living in your divine design.  It is your "sweet spot".  There you will be the most fulfilled, the most effective, and the most fruitful.  And God will be the most glorified.  That is what it means when we believe Philippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ..."

   If you want to learn more about living in your divine design, I highly recommend a wonderful ministry, Crossroads Career Network, by my good friend, Brian Ray.  I have taken his course and it was fabulous.  Find out more at www.crossroadscareer.org.

(Please note:  While I was editing my devotion last week, "6 Primary Stages in Our Spiritual Journey", I inadvertently deleted the following very important sentence,"These are also based on the book, 'The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith' by Janet Hagberg and Robert A Guelich, along with several other articles and books.)   

Live Free in Christ,  

Mark Maulding, President and Founder

 www.GraceLifeInternational.com
 All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

6 Primary Stages in Our Spiritual Journey

How do you know where you are in your spiritual journey? The following is what I see in Scripture as well as what the staff of Grace Life International and I have observed in our counseling with hundreds and hundreds of people for almost 20 years.  I would love to hear from you what you think of this. Email me and let me know if you think this is helpful.  

STAGES 1-3

You know that Jesus is IMPORTANT to you.  You know Him as your Savior and Lord.

1.  Recognition of God - You are starting to believe IN God, believing there really is something bigger than you but you are not a Christian yet. 

2.  Life of Discipleship - You have come to faith in Christ and are beginning to learn more ABOUT God and the Bible.

 

3.  The Productive Life - You are serving and doing things FOR God, the church and people. 

THE WALL - This is a place in your spiritual journey where things stop working in your life for one reason or another. This occurs typically during stage 3 but might start happening in stages 2 or 3.  Often, a person is confused, disillusioned, defeated and/or discouraged during this time.  Because you have not yet realized that you have been living much of your life for God in your own fleshly strength, you must be broken of that.  (Romans 8:13 "For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die...")  

STAGES 4-6

You discover that Jesus is also ENOUGH for you.  You realize that He is your Life.  

4.  The Journey Inward - You begin to understand that there is a new way to live life and to be in a relationship with God, yourself and others.  You typically experience God's love in a very substantial way.  This stage often involves a time of personal healing and freedom.  The Holy Spirit has given you a revelation of Christ in you and your identity in Christ.  (See Ephesians 3:14-21)

5.  The Journey Outward - Your spiritual journey is continuing as you learn to live, serve and love by faith.  You are learning to depend on Christ in you to live through you in everyday life.  (See Philippians 1:21)  

6.  Life of Love - God's love is filling you and  pouring out of you in such a way that it is amazing.  

 Important Truths About These Stages: 

You cannot jump around initially.  There are no shortcuts or workarounds. You don't go from 1 to 4 or 2 to 5.  It's a 1-2-3-4-5-6 process; but once you have gone through them you may skip around and revisit certain stages during different times of life. 

You can get stuck at any of these stages on your journey.   At the same time, there are things that you can believe/do to keep moving.  

None of these stages are good, bad, right, wrong or better than another.  They just are.  It's important to remember that we couldn't have gotten to where we are now without the prior stages.  Sometimes we forgot that without our stage of learning scripture, involvement in our church, and working hard to use what God gave us to bless others, we wouldn't be where we are today in our relationship with Jesus.  

The majority of Christians never grow beyond stages 1-3.   These first three stages produce workers in the church, people who sit in the pews and learn, givers, and volunteers who pull the ministry off.  Those in stages 4-6 are involved in ministry in the church also, unless they have burned out in stages 1-3.  If so, it may take them some time to recover and reengage in their ministry in their church.  Those in stages 4-6 have a much more fruitful ministry than when they were in stages 1-3.  


These are also based on the book,"The Critical Journey: Stages In The Life Of Faith" by Janet Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich along with several other articles and books.

I look forward to hearing your comments.     




Live Free In Christ,


Mark Maulding, President and Founder

www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

The 10 Commandments Your BFF? Get a New One!

If you ask most Christians if God expects us to obey the 10 Commandments, they would give a hearty, "Yes"! I want to challenge you today to more clearly examine the gospel. God's Word is our final authority on this subject. 

Why did God give the 10 Commandments as well as the 613 other commandments?
   Romans 3:19 says, "Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." We see two truths here. First, no one can ever be accepted by God into His family even if they perfectly obey the 10 Commandments. Second, they were given to make people aware of their sins. Galatians 3:25, "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." Being made aware of our sins through the 10 Commandments prepares a person to hear the gospel.

What happens to our relationship with God's law when we came to faith in Christ?
   Romans 7:6 says, "So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." This means that when we died with Christ on the cross, we died to being under the law and are now under Jesus' authority. Galatians 3:23, "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." Our faith in Christ means we are no longer obligated to the law.

Who is the law for?
   It is made for those outside of Christ. 1 Timothy 1:8-9 says, "But we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person." How does someone become righteous? Through faith in Christ alone! 2 Cor. 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." So, we, as Christians, don't need the law.

Why don't we, as Christians, need the 10 Commandments? 
   Because we have something so much better...Jesus! First, the law is now in us as our identity in Christ. Hebrews 10:16, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."  The law is now in us, written on our hearts not outside of us.  We have the Lawgiver Himself living in us which is so much better than the 10 Commandments. Hebrews 10:1, "The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship." Jesus was the one casting the shadow through the law.  Now that He is in us, we don't need the law anymore.

How do we obey God and live a life which pleases Him without the 10 Commandments?
    We rely on Christ in us to love us and to live through us.  This enables us to obey the Scriptures which over and over exhort us to live like who we are in Christ. Spiritual maturity is a result of understanding this and living it out.

John Bunyan, the author of "Pilgrim's Progress" wrote,

"Run, John, run the law commands,

  But gives us neither feet nor hands,

Far better news the gospel brings:

It bids us fly, and gives us wings."

Stop hanging out with the law and start enjoying your new BFF, Jesus!  His gospel of grace will lead you there!!



Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder


 GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

Legalistic People are Mean!

Some of the meanest people I know are legalistic Christians.  They give the outward appearance of having it all together but behind closed doors they are anything but kind.  The experiences of my staff and me in counseling have revealed that many legalist Christians have a nice looking veneer on the outside but underneath there is a hardness. 
   Legalistic people can be very judgemental, controlling, unloving, critical, arrogant, and self-righteous.  Their view of God is that He is primarily a judge and a teacher.  Their view of people is that most of them are not as good a Christian as they are.  Their view of themselves is that they are superior spiritually to others.  They live a very ruled based life and are clueless about God's love.
   Jesus loves these people, though.  How do I know?  Sadly, I was one of them and He pursued me until His love broke me of my legalism.  I am so very grateful but I am very saddened when I think of all of the people I hurt along the way.
   Jesus confronted the legalists of His day trying to shake them out of their religious stupor so they could awaken to a genuine relationship with God.  He was also very upset because He knew that legalists keep people away from the true God!  Read closely what He said about them in Matthew 23:4-15. 
   They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see:  They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by others.  But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.  And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and He is in heaven.  Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah.  The greatest among you will be your servant.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.   Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces.  You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.
   Let go of legalism and fully embrace the unconditional love of the One who is Grace - Jesus Christ.

Live Free In Christ,

Mark Maulding, President and Founder


GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding

Legalism Jacks Up Your Relationship with God

There was a time in my life when reading the Bible made my stomach hurt! The reason? I believed a faulty gospel. It was a formula: Faith in Jesus + rules = a life pleasing to God. The problem with that is, it is not the gospel.

Paul wrote to the Galatians that if we add anything to our faith in Jesus alone, even as Christians, we are believing a “different gospel”. Galatians 1:6-7 says, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all.” Believing a different gospel turns us away from our heavenly Father to a caricature of Him. Our concept of God becomes twisted. Rather than living by faith and enjoying a love relationship with Him, we live in bondage to fear, guilt and shame rooted in religion. And we always feel that regardless of how much we obey God, He is never pleased. No wonder my stomach hurt!

Adding rules, even rules in the Bible, is legalism. Legalism is using the Bible as a rule book rather than a relationship book. It is a system to try to gain God’s favor. Grace is a Person – Jesus Christ. As Christians, we experience God’s grace by faith through our union with Him. Grace is a relationship, not a system.

Is it possible that as a sincere Christian, you have been duped into believing a “different gospel”? Maybe that is why you struggle to believe and enjoy God’s love for you. Maybe that is why a lot of people give up on church and Christianity because they don’t experience the God who loves them, but believe in a god who is always telling them that they don’t measure up. I don’t blame them. They are not really turning from Christianity but from a messed up gospel.

When the Holy Spirit made clear to me the pure gospel of grace, I experienced not only relief but such incredible love like I had never known. Today, I still read my Bible every day. I also memorize it, meditate on it, ask God to speak to me from it, obey it and teach it. I love God’s Word because it keeps pointing me to Him. I obey my Father because I love Him. I sometimes see in His Word where I am not obeying Him, and I repent asking Jesus to enable me to obey by Him living through me. My stomach no longer hurts, and my heart often rejoices when I read His Word.

How about you? Is your relationship with God jacked up because you have been led away from the pure simple gospel of grace? Let go of rules and cling to your union with Christ alone. Read Galatians for yourself and live free in Christ!


Mark Maulding, President and Founder


GraceLifeInternational.com
All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding