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You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Venus was a popular deity in Corinth. Her temple was filled with Public Prostitutes, who were kept and made easily accessible with public funds! The Corinthian people were used to promiscuity and the early Corinthian church was struggling with this casual attitude toward sexual immorality. Adapting to new moral standards was difficult. Paul used a phrase, “All things are lawful” to express that faith brought about salvation, not acts. These converts threw this back at him out of context and so you find his clarification in verses 12-20. In Christ we have great freedom, but a tremendous responsibility partners with the license we are given.

Defiling our bodies compromises our relationships. The ancient Greeks believed that bodies were not important. The mind is of great value, our body is just its vessel. The two are separate. This is a fictitious thought! Our physical being cannot be separated from our spiritual person. We are one body and soul and furthermore, we are a part of the Body of Christ. What we do with our bodies directly reflects the One who bought our eternal salvation with His own blood.

We are to be tolerant of sinners who know no better, but the highest moral standard should exist among those who know that Christ paid the ultimate price for their eternal life! When we accept Jesus as our Savior and the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, our body becomes His dwelling and an earthly testament of His presence and power. Protect it, keep it clutter free and defend its purity because you are the church.

Love,

Gretchen

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

You cannot have peace and victory if your salvation is, ‘BY FAITH AND………’ The ‘AND’ is of worldly value.

Judiazers followed Paul from town to town. These Jewish converts believed Gentile Christians must be circumcised and follow the Jewish law, thus altering the entire theology of salvation by faith alone.

Paul had been a Jewish scholar, a Pharisee. He was a rule follower and a rule administrator to the highest degree possible, and sometimes impossible! Then Paul met Jesus, the Lamb, the Savior. He relinquished social status, a steady income and physical comforts, to carry the Gospel from one end of the Roman Empire to the other. (About 10,000 miles.) He suffered three shipwrecks, eight beatings, a stoning and five imprisonments at least. He was relentless in His quest to see that others found Hope in the blood of Jesus if they would only believe.

My neighbor has a sign posted to a tree in his yard, “There is nothing here worth dying for.” The double barrel picture completes the point. Paul said it 2000 years ago and it is still true today. There’s nothing here on earth worth missing Heaven for.

Love,

Gretchen

Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

Jesus was on the move. He daily went from place to place. Multitudes followed Him, looking for the hope of a lifetime. What they found was a Love for the ages. They sought and they found. The Prince of Peace, the Son of God, looked around and was touched by their diseases, heartbreaks and abuses. (vs. 35-36) His response was compassion and action.

Matthew, the Jewish turncoat who became a Roman tax collector, a self made social outcast, was touched by Jesus’ loving countenance. The most unlikely and unworthy of all men was given the highest calling, “Go in Jesus’ name and heal”! He hadn’t gotten over the miracle when he wrote this accounting. Matthew and the other eleven disciples had no GPS, no spread sheets on demographics and projected results, they just put one foot in front of the other from where they stood and they moved forward as the emissaries of the Good News.

You were dying and Jesus gave you life. The world needs what you’ve got! They are seeking, so help them! Point them in the right direction. You are called to change the world for the better one person at a time. So GO!

In the Fields,

Gretchen

The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all. Psalms 34:19

King Saul, because of his disobedience to God, has become paranoid. The object of his suspicion is David, his loyal warrior and subject. Saul determines to assassinate David and so, to save his life, David flees with nothing but the clothes on his back and runs to Achish, king of Gath. The king’s servants recognize David, putting him in danger, so David pretended to be insane. The king wanted no crazy in his presence so David was spared. (I Samuel 21:10-22:1)

Following his deliverance David wrote this poem. I encourage you to read it in its entirety.

God does not give us a ‘Get out of Trouble Free’ card. In the midst of real life He gives us strength, shelter, provision and protection far beyond our understanding. David’s story is not one of perfect, uninterrupted righteousness. It is the story of a humble man under the total sovereignty of God’s authority. In every crisis David turned to God for guidance and wisdom. In victory his voice rose quickly in praise to the One from whom all grace comes and has proven more than sufficient.

Have a Lovely Monday,

Gretchen

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel. Ephesians 6:19

The ancient city of Ephesus might remind us of today’s Hollywood or Vegas.  It was a city that celebrated the worldly and dysfunctional with an extra dose of occult.  Yet, Paul had a great love and passion for this Roman capital of Asia. With this in mind, Paul, a prisoner in Rome awaiting execution, realized that he was at war as the defender of the Gospel and a conquerer for those who would believe. He wrote of God’s incomparable power and authority, far exceeding man’s dominion.

The aforementioned issues were a tremendous distraction to the early church, not just the everyday secular citizen, therefore, the supremacy of Christ was a very important fundamental and foundational theology for the new believer. If this conviction of faith is lost there is no hope of strength and continued growth and spiritual death will result.

A simple truth: We, like Paul, are underprepared for the battle we must fight daily if we are not prayed up. Asking his Christian friends for prayer united them to a like mission. To be fearless means to be faithful! Faith’s connection to action is prayer.  We can’t survive without it….so, you pray for me, I’ll pray for you and when we all get to Heaven, along with those who found their way because we spoke our faith, we can share war stories with Paul and friends.

Heaven Bound!

Gretchen

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

Early Christian teachers from Jerusalem, attempting to undo Paul’s message of salvation by faith alone, were major trouble makers for the early church. They believed that all new believers must accept and adhere to Jewish laws. They took letters of introduction/commendation from the church authorities when they traveled or moved from town to town. One of the arguments these ‘leaders’ raised was, “Who is Paul?” for Paul had no such letter of recognition.

Paul’s response; the Cross’s work of grace is written on our hearts, a story easily read in our countenance and action. The law written on stone and tablet, held people to condemnation, the law of love is a living testimony to the presence of the Holy Spirit transforming each of us into the image of Christ.

Men set standards for men, often exploitive or too lofty to attain, removing Godliness as the desired outcome. Beware of people that ask more of you than God does. True spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin is found in the secret Paul knew. We answer to God and God alone. Everything else will take care of itself because EVERYTHING we need is found in Him.

Love,

Gretchen

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. Romans 5:5

God has done what He said He would do. He has kept His promises, He dealt with sin once and for all. He gave is Son, not one person to die so another could live, (this would be a logical equality of sorts) but One man to GIVE His life so that ALL may live.

Mankind has a disease, sin. This carnal nature is universal and if unchecked, cuts us off from God and condemns us to death. The death and resurrection of Jesus has given man justification, the ability to be found ‘Not Guilty’ of our sins.

All because God loves us and continues to extend His boundless love through grace and mercy, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have life, peace, and HOPE.

Happy Thursday,

Gretchen

Be merciful to those who doubt; Jude 23

Although he wrote this letter when he was very old, Jude is the younger brother of Jesus and their brother James.  He expresses in the early verses of this short letter he wanted to write about Christian fellowship, but he learned of teachers with very secular immorality coming to a place of spiritual leadership and using it to abuse and corrupt.  Jude’s intention was to build resistance to those who taught falsehoods and strengthen the ethics of those who love and believe.

Jude himself did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God during His earthly ministry. He was witness to Jesus’ earthly works and still did not follow! It was the resurrection that brought about his faith. He knew doubt, but he also knew the glory, wonder and transformation of grace and mercy.

We are called to extend Christ like behavior to a world in need of salvation. Your faith can be someone’s answer to prayer in overcoming doubt, accessing the Power of the Holy Spirit and/or finding grace and mercy. What an amazing calling for each of us.

Have a great Wednesday

Gretchen

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? John 14:2

John was one of Jesus’ closest friends. He and Peter were recognized as the leaders of the twelve disciples. His gospel focus was Jesus’ deity, not the miracles He did, but the things He said about His Father and His eternal Home.

Jesus has celebrated His final Passover meal on earth.  He has shared His fate with His friends. They are confused, frightened and humanly driven to redirect destiny. God knows best, but it takes a lot of faith to rest easy!  Chapter 14 is the comfort chapter.  Jesus Himself gently tells that intimate circle, “Don’t be troubled. Stay the course.”  The questions continue on and on…..Jesus meets each fear with Good News!

This passage is one of the most beloved in the entire Bible and often quoted as those we love walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus, Son of man, the carpenter that worked beside His earthly father building homes, is the Master Builder, Son of God that is leaving to build a perfect place in Heaven for those who believe and follow.

These are Jesus’ words. He has a place ready, custom designed for those He chose to die for.  What makes this home so wonderful? It is built by love.

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. Matthew 18:13

This verse is not about the security of ninety nine obedient sheep that do not need supervision. (FYI, sheep forever need guidance and oversight.) It IS about the value of the one lost sheep and the extreme measures the shepherd is willing to extend to assure the safety and salvation of the lowly beast that chose to drift into dangerous territory and became vulnerable to the pitfalls of the world.

I have lost things of trivial significance. When I stumble across them I think, “Oh! I’ve been looking for that.” and passively place the item back where I can find it if needed. However, when things of great value are lost, I want the world to stop until the object is found. Retrieval is the highest priority. I am truly joyous when the lost is found and returned to its honored place. The worth I assign the lost, then found, determines the intensity of my search and celebration.

The world’s standards are not the ways of Heaven. On earth it’s every man for himself. ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, the strong help the weak. It is our mission, our calling. The lost, stuck, abandoned and hopeless won’t find their way if we don’t leave our safety, go find them and bring them home. Jesus has shown us how much they matter to Him. Now we must act.

Love,

Gretchen