Are You Grasping Pieces of Peace?

May 14, 2013 in Devotional, GraceLife with 0 Comments

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When my daughter was a small child, she had a very difficult time going to sleep. She didn’t feel well many evenings, so bad dreams, loud noises, or other activities in the house all seemed compounded. She often wanted me to stay with her until she fell asleep, but my being with her pretty much guaranteed she would want to stay awake even more! Like a myriad of parents before me, I discovered the little personal tricks that helped Ashleigh fall asleep (for her, it was a gentle circling of my palm on her back… Lighter and lighter until I could remove it without her noticing the change). But the underlying truth is universal:

A parent knows his child is okay when she doesn’t, and is the source of her feeling okay when she isn’t.

Just like my little girl wanting less noise, less silence, less light, less dark, to be closer and to be left alone in order to feel better in her circumstance; you and I will always be frustrated when our goal is peaceful circumstances.

The world is too turbulent, worldly relationships are too inconsistent, and resources in the world are too limited for any source of peace apart from Christ Himself.

Jesus put it this way…

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 ESV)

Today, consider the sources of your frustration – are you needing circumstantial change for you to feel okay? Instead, remember that your peace is in Jesus even while you have trouble in the world.

You have peace in Christ even as you walk this world full of trouble. Peace in Him, He in you, you in the world, and the world with trouble.

…but GREATER is He that is in you.

Maybe we will be less swept up in our circumstances as our hope is less in God granting peaceful circumstances, and more in the Christ-confident hope that He is our peace in any circumstance. Therein lies true rest, and the beginning of freedom.

And paramount to every dad is for his child to rest well.

Father – I always want to be free from the storm, but I entrust myself to you, reveal Jesus as my Peace, and help me embrace peace in the storms of my life this week.

Why do we find it so challenging to embrace Jesus AS our peace instead of wanting Him to simply change our circumstances to be more peaceful? Share your insights and questions in the comments!

Imperfect Perfection?

May 13, 2013 in Devotional, GraceLife with 0 Comments

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A friend asked online: Why – if we are complete in Christ and totally new, is there a “slow behavior-modification process” in sanctification. Why are we not immediately perfect expressions of His overwhelming all other behavioral tendencies?

Here’s my response, plus scripture references at the end for further study:

We know we immediately have fulness in Christ, we have His mind, we have His heart, and we are in union with His Spirit. We are made righteous (not just put on that path), and holy, and completely share the Son’s fellowship & union with the Father. We immediately lack nothing for life and godliness, and His divine power makes us full participants – instantly – in His divine nature!

So what’s the hold-up? Continue Reading…

Safe in the Storm

May 10, 2013 in Devotional, GraceLife, Media, Video with 0 Comments

Living in the world guarantees trouble – how are we to respond? The Old Testament is often allegory (though literal history) for our life in Christ. Join Mike Daniel as he demonstrates how we live from our security in Christ from the life of Jehoshaphat and the lives of the disciples.

Clarifying “The Win” in Grace Life

May 7, 2013 in Church, Devotional, GraceLife with 0 Comments

 


Watching the San Antonio Spurs play game 1 in their series against the Warriors last night, Manu Ginobili put up a game winning 3-pointer in double overtime and all of San Antonio stood up, at midnight, and screamed at the top of their lungs.  But not me.  Stacia had gone to bed a bit earlier when it looked like we had no chance to win…  at one point we were down 16 points with 4 minutes to play.  Not a prayer, or so we thought.

But the Spurs know what winning looks like.  They’ve tasted it.  They’ve done it so consistently that clutch play is second nature.  They seem to always do better the more that’s on the line.  They have incredible clarity of “the win”.

In his letter to the Church all over the world, Peter writes…

“May you know more and more of grace and peace as your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord grows deeper.” -2 Peter 1:2  (Phillips)

So, here’s my question for you:  What is Peter saying is “The Win”?  What does it look like to add a check in the “W” column of your life?

He wants you to grow in grace and peace….  that’s great!  I certainly want that.  But Peter knows you can’t make yourself grow.  You can’t make yourself more grace-filled.  You can’t make your life more peaceful.

Instead, he clearly says you’ll grow in grace and peace as your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord grows deeper.

Deeper fellowship = deeper experience of grace & peace, favor and security, abundance and confidence.

For us in Christ, knowing Him more is the win.

You can’t know the Father through Jesus Christ more without knowing His favor more in your life. You cannot know His favor more without feeling more and more secure in Him.  So – get to know Him!

One of the big verses in my life has long been Philippians 3:10-14.  Read it.  Go ahead, grab your Bible or do a search… I’ll wait.  Paul knew that life was meant to bring us into deeper fellowship.  And wanted that life so much – knew “The Win” of knowing Him with such clarity, that suffering and celebration suddenly had equal value to Him in building deeper fellowship with Jesus.  Tragedy and Triumph were both key players in Paul’s game – feeding him assists for big scores as He came to know Christ as His Life, growing in grace and peace.

This week, clarify “The Win” in your own life.

When winning is knowing Him more, everything begins to be useful in bringing victory.

Mature players in life no longer expect supernatural peace without circumstantial crisis.  We begin to let go of hopes from the world and experience Christ as our Life.  We grow in His gracious provision in midst of the insufficiency of the flesh.  We experience other-worldly security in unstable circumstances.

We fix our eyes on winning, knowing “win” means Christ; and knowing Him more means growing in a deeper experience of His Life.

Make today a “W” – Seek only to know Him more.

 

What are some of the things we as Christians mistake for a “W”?

What one or two things can you do to remember what a “Win” looks like this week?

 

 

Life vs. Unlife

May 3, 2013 in Devotional, GraceLife with 1 Comment

Reader Question:


Good Morning Mike,

I wanted to ask you a question about something you said having to do with Adam dying in the spirit upon sinning but being kept alive by grace in the flesh and soul.

How are people alive apart from God?
What does it mean to be spiritually dead?

Real Grace Life

April 22, 2013 in Church, Devotional, GraceLife with 0 Comments

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“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears,then you also will appear with him in glory.”
(Colossians 3:1-4)

I’ve heard some teach license & call it grace; others laziness & call it rest, irresponsibility & call it faith, tolerance & call it peace, self-esteem & call it identity, law & call it righteousness, condemnation & call it holiness, self-help & call it discipleship…

Continue Reading…

An Earned Life

April 11, 2013 in Devotional, GraceLife with 1 Comment

Earned Life?“For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

The Life of Christ is not contingent on your activity, but on His.

Isn’t that good news?

The flesh and the world and the enemy would have you believe that you cannot walk in righteousness.  That you do not have nor have you accomplished what is necessary to experience the life and that is God’s gift.  Ironic, isn’t it?

The Lie is that you have to earn the gift, but the Truth is that the gift isn’t a gift if you earn it.  What you earn will speak of you and what God gives you speaks of Him.  Which shall be to His glory in your life today?

If you choose to pursue some standard that warrants God’s blessing, you will gain the world, but miss true worship.  However, if you give up on your accomplishing anything that earns God’s favor, and instead embrace the life that He has given you by His goodness and grace for His glory, you can walk – abide – in the Life that is fully yours not by your merit, but Jesus’ merit on your behalf.

Grace is not God’s unmerited favor; it is God’s favor toward you merited by Christ, not you.  Enjoy the fullness of Christ’s grace – a life merited by Him and yours by grace – today!

Father, I praise you that your grace for me today is no more connected to my performance for you than your peace and joy in Christ are contingent on my circumstances. Open my eyes to the infinite treasure I have in Jesus Christ, and lead me to walk in your Eternal Life.

You I will seek, and you I fully possess. You I will exalt, though Your grace to me is Your glory in this world. You will be praised in me, My God, not because I deserve to call You Father and King, but because You deserve all the praise, and have made Your worshippers worthy to praise You by grace.

The Sojourn of Wandering Saints

April 9, 2013 in Church, Devotional, GraceLife, Leadership, Media, Other Stuff, Video with 0 Comments

We finish our mini-series on our life together as pilgrims and foreigners in the world together with Sunday’s message, “The Sojourn of Wandering Saints”.  This is posted  unedited (pretty raw!) for the sake of those urgent to share with their study groups, friends, family, etc.  Welcome your thoughts and questions here on our life as the building blocks of His Spiritual Dwelling Place!  Enjoy!

 

Decadently Divine Desire

April 5, 2013 in Devotional, GraceLife with 2 Comments

I know it was wrong.

I just couldn’t resist! Have you had the cinnamon crunch bagel at Panera? If you have, you know that it is both very wrong and entirely irresistible! I arrived a few minutes early this morning to meet with one of the incredible leaders I get to coach, and as I stood in line waiting to get my usual mug of coffee, it called out to me, and like trying to resist the epic pull of the sirens’ song, I could hardly resist steering toward the equally mythic decadence of the “bagel to end all bagels”. I looked up the calories in an attempt to pull away, but – while horrible – it did not break the spell. I went to put my things on a table in the hope that I would gain resolve before returning for my coffee, but still the lure held. Ultimately, I gave in to that which drew me, and – smiling – sailed the ship of healthy choices into the rocks of decadent delight.

…and (today, at least) it was worth it! :)

Have you ever had something so good, it didn’t matter to you how bad it was?

Have you ever wanted something so much, you gladly suffered whatever the cost and consequence to have it?
20130405-093816.jpgWe usually associate such longing and desire with carnal things (like my bagel!), but the Bible tells of something even more powerfully alluring… Continue Reading…

Question on Sin & Confession

April 4, 2013 in Church, Devotional, GraceLife, Other Stuff with 2 Comments

Okay – received permission to share this CRITICAL question & some of the answer with our blog community. Hope you enjoy the discussion! Let me know what thoughts and questions it produces!

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“Mike, I wish you would write or talk on the role of sin and confession in the grace life. We are forgiven for all our sins so there is no need to confess our sins in order to get forgiveness piecemeal. But is there a need, then, for our own sakes emotionally to acknowledge sin to God and repent, thank Him for His unlimited forgiveness and get back on the right track? I don’t believe God turns away when we sin but it seems like unacknowledged sin interferes with our availability to God and our communication with Him (we go into hiding). I “confess” to lack of clarity on this issue and it has come up in our Bible study group, and in Dan Stone’s study (his statement that we don’t have to ask for forgiveness [once forgiven and saves]) so I know others also have some confusion about this issue.

You’re my go to guy for grace answers (and I thank God for you).

-M

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From: Mike Daniel
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2013 10:28 AM
To: “M”
Subject: Re: about sin and confession

I think you are on the “right track”. :) Maybe this will help…

John (in 1 John 1) in saying, “if you confess your sins He is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness” is trying to convince people to admit they are in need of salvation – that we do in fact have a problem for God to solve before we are saved, and that He does so in His Son.

The confession question, though, is a separate one: “Am I in agreement with God.” This is a transformative process – I of course cannot be in complete agreement with God on every issue in my life; I’m incapable of seeing and knowing even the depths of my own heart. But He reveals my heart as I am increasingly yielded to Him, and as I trust Him enough to agree with Him (that’s what “confess” means) about my heart and behavior – my flesh and coping – I increasingly walk free from the tyranny of the flesh in my life.

To this end, any flesh I am trying to justify changes the process God is working out in that area of my life.

Specifically, in areas of flesh, He is working to bring me to agreement (failure of flesh and emptiness of coping), but in areas where I receive His revelation and agree with Him regarding my flesh, He is bringing transformation through the freedom He gives as I walk not by the flesh but by the Spirit.

Romans 12 gives a great outline of this:
submission > mind renewal > transformation > participation

Okay – so can I submit to Him, allow Him to change my mind, and bring about the transformative freedom that empowers His work through me?

We do not confess to receive forgiveness once saved. We confess to walk free of the flesh that prevents us from walking in the joy and Life we have already in Christ.

We agree with God about our independence from Him, so we can enjoy dependence in that area of our life.

There is of course, much more we could say on this topic – certainly worth teaching at The Stone – but I think that may get you more onto my page on the issue.

The short answer in all this is: “Yes – confession is still very useful as it means agreeing with God about flesh and our justification by grace not self.” But whether that means what some describe, depends on the place of forgiveness in the process they describe. I love the unconditionality of God’s unbounded love and grace in much of the teaching on this today, however, some sharpening worth adding is often that much of what we confess – agree with God about – is a new identity as saints – sons/daughters by His finished work – changing the nature of our relationship from sinful servants (David, Abe, Moses, etc.) to saints and sons/daughters, no longer sinners trying to get closer to God, but still receiving revelation of our own independence/trust issues to more enjoy the relationship we have firmly established by grace with our Father through Christ.

Hope that helps!

Let me know other questions that arise!

ridiculously graced…
-mike

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Yes, it is the clarity I needed! Thanks, Mike! Do blog about it and I will copy and email it to the “grace girls”!

In Him (YES!),
-M

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