LAW and GRACE

One evening, my husband and I together with our son, drove to the city. We parked the car and walked around. Although summer was round the corner, the weather was simply perfect that evening! As we walked, we observed all kinds of people, the fancy tall buildings and lights and heard the loud rock-style music! We quietly prayed for the salvation of all the people and that the LORD's grace would be extended to each one of them.

Then we realised that we had walked quite a distance and desired to get a drink or a snack before striding back to the car. Most cafe`s and restaurants were closing as it was passed 9.30 at night. A hotel restaurant seemed to be open and Previn, our son, ran in to check whether they would get us a drink. He returned saying. "They can only offer cold drinks. They cannot give us hot drinks." We were disappointed and were about to turn back when the manager of that restaurant noticed us and asked what we wanted. We said that we were wanting to have some coffee. Then he asked us exactly what kind of coffee we desired to have. We said all three of us would like to have a cup of half strength Latte each. He lovingly said, "We can organise that for you, come on in"!  We walked in and sat on the comfortable lounge seats of this high class hotel restaurant.

Then one of the waitresses came to us and politely said that they do not serve hot drinks at that time of the day in that restaurant and if at all they did, it would be only to the in-house guests and that too only on special occassion.

We explained to her that the manager indicated to us that he could get the coffee for us. As we waited, thanking the LORD for the comfortable seats and the available hotel toilets, we also lifted up to the LORD in prayer, the staff and the guests there.

The waitress appeared and confirmed our order, as the manager had conveyed it to her. Within minutes, we had the drinks served to us graciously, together with some cookies! Another waitress, who initially made known the rule about the hot drinks to Previn, came to us with glasses of water! She profusely apologised for what she had said to Previn. We responded lovingly, saying that she did her part that was right!

We were very grateful to the LORD and expressed our gratitude to those who served us and  asked the LORD to bless them. We also asked the girl to let the manager know that we were very grateful for his gracious gesture!

That night, while in bed, the whole scene played in my mind and the Holy Spirit brought the following revelation.

The law of that hotel restaurant was that outsiders should not be served hot drinks after a certain time in the evening. The waitresses were good and lawful. The manager was gracious! He overruled the law to meet our need and desire. He had the authority to do so.

The waitresses, then, in submission to their manager, extended that grace to us in action!

GOD is like that manager. We should be like those waitresses, lawful, but not legalistic. While keeping the law, we should also obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit to go beyond the law to extend grace and mercy. 

That is what the LORD has done for us and continues to do for us. We should freely give, as we have freely received!

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; 

and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 

And the Pharisees said to Him, 

"Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" 

But He said to them, 

"Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, 

he and those with him: 

how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest,

 and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, 

and also gave some to those who were with him?" 

And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Mark 2:23-28

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees 

to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. 

 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. 

  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, 

"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" But they kept silent. 

And He took him and healed him, and let him go. 

  Then He answered them, saying, 

"Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, 

will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" 

  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

Luke 14:1-6

 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 

and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, 

full of grace and truth. 

  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, 

"This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, 

for He was before me.' " And of His fullness we have all received, 

and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, 

but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

  No one has seen God at any time. 

The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, 

He has declared Him.
John 1:14-18

https://youtu.be/CDdvReNKKuk

CHOICES

CHOICES

Renounce, Refuse, Reject and Forsake, Receive and Accept

In this world, we live with the necessity to make choices at all times. Every morning, I have to decide on what to cook for the family. Do I cook chicken or meat today? When I am at the shops, I must decide as to what to purchase. Even buying a house, a car or deciding on a job, going on a holiday, all involve choices and decisions! Most of the time it is this or that, here or there, now or later! We must pick one and reject the other. We are constantly accepting something and refusing something else!

GOD'S CHOICE - THE ELECTION 

GOD chooses and He has all the right to do so! Who are we to question the Almigty? 

He has given us also the free will to make choices. 

GOD chooses and calls people, but those who are called have the choice to respond to that call. 

 nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; 

but, "In Isaac your seed shall be called." 

That is, those who are the children of the flesh, 

these are not the children of God; 

but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.
Romans 9:7-8

And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, 

even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, 

nor having done any good or evil, 

that the purpose of God according to election might stand, 

not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, "

The older shall serve the younger." As it is written, 

"Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated."
Romans 9:10-13

Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, 

and whom He wills He hardens.
Romans 9:18

 And if some of the branches were broken off, 

and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, 

and with them became a partaker 

of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 

do not boast against the branches. 

But if you do boast, 

remember that you do not support the root, 

but the root supports you.

Romans 11:17-18

And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, 

will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
Romans 11:23

Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, 

but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Romans 11:28-29

 "Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, And Israel whom I have chosen. 

Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, 

who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; 

And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 44:1-2

"But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, 

you grew thick, You are obese! 

Then he forsook God who made him, 

And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.

Deuteronomy 32:15

 Then the Lord said to Moses: 

"How long will these people reject Me? 

And how long will they not believe Me, 

with all the signs which I have performed among them?

Numbers 14:11

"For My people have committed two evils: 

They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, 

And hewn themselves cisterns-

-broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Jeremiah 2:13

Our Choice

Everyone who receives the LORD, is received by Him as His child. 

We must receive the LORD JESUS and believe in Him, to be received by Him now and for eternity.

 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, 

that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 

having predestined us to adoption as sons 

by Jesus Christ to Himself, 

according to the good pleasure of His will, 

to the praise of the glory of His grace, 

by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:4-6

 For there is no partiality with God.
Romans 2:11

 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 

But as many as received Him, 

to them He gave the right to become children of God, 

to those who believe in His name: 

who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 

nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:11-13

 You did not choose Me, but I chose you 

and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, 

and that your fruit should remain, 

that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
John 15:16

And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come again and receive you to Myself; 

that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14:3

We must receive the Holy Spirit. Then at the end of our life on earth, the Holy Spirit will lead us into the very presence of GOD!

And when He had said this, 

He breathed on them, and said to them, 

"Receive the Holy Spirit.
John 20:22

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 

"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Acts 7:59

Receiving the LORD also involves receiving little children, those who are weak in their faith and also those who serve Him.

"Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; 

and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."
Mark 9:37

 Receive one who is weak in the faith, 

but not to disputes over doubtful things. 

For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 

Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, 

and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; 

for God has received him.
Romans 14:1-3

 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, 

my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, 

but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;

Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, 

and hold such men in esteem;
Philippians 2:25, 29

If we have received CHRIST, those who receive us, receive Him.

"He who receives you receives Me, 

and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
Matthew 10:40

NOT FORSAKEN

As sinners, we are not forsaken by the Holy, Holy, Holy GOD, only because our Saviour was forsaken by GOD, when He took all our sin upon Himself on the cross. 

 And about the ninth hour 

Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 

"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, 

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Matthew 27:46

For the Lord will not cast off His people, 

Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
Psalm 94:14

Let your conduct be without covetousness; 

be content with such things as you have. 

For He Himself has said, 

"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5

People may forsake us, but the LORD will never forsake us.

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. 

May it not be charged against them.
2 Timothy 4:16

We must Forsake all things, to Follow the LORD

It is therefore nothing but right that we forsake all to follow the LORD, Who was willing to be forsaken for our sake. 

 So when they had brought their boats to land, 

they forsook all and followed Him.

Luke 5:11

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has 

cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:33

When the disciples feared danger to their lives if they stuck with JESUS, they forsook Him. 

But all this was done 

that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.

" Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Matthew 26:56

How about us? Will we follow JESUS until the end and be found faithful?

THE CHOICES: 

GOD does not see or choose like man, looking at the outward appearance. He looks beyond, into the heart.

Therefore we need to be more careful to keep the attitude of our heart right than to work on our outward appearnce and apparel! 

But the Lord said to Samuel, 

"Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, 

because I have refused him. 

For the Lord does not see as man sees; 

for man looks at the outward appearance, 

but the Lord looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, 

nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 

but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; 

and circumcision is that of the heart, 

in the Spirit, not in the letter; 

whose praise is not from men but from God.
Romans 2:28-29

 We too must have the wisdom of GOD to choose what is good.

 Curds and honey He shall eat, 

that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.
Isaiah 7:15

 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, 

that I have set before you life and death, 

blessing and cursing; 

therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 

that you may love the Lord your God, 

that you may obey His voice, 

and that you may cling to Him, 

for He is your life and the length of your days; 

and that you may dwell in the land 

which the Lord swore to your fathers, 

to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, 

so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him 

and established in the faith, as you have been taught, 

abounding in it with thanksgiving. 

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, 

according to the basic principles of the world, 

and not according to Christ. 

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 

and you are complete in Him, 

who is the head of all principality and power.
Colossians 2:6-10

Once we have received the LORD into our lives, we must make the right choices to continue to walk in Him and with Him in a Godward journey. We must always choose His will for our lives and do those things that please Him. We must forsake the path of adultery, covetousness and unrighteousness.

 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, 

enticing unstable souls. 

They have a heart trained in covetous practices, 

and are accursed children. 

They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, 

following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, 

who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
2 Peter 2:14-15

By faith Moses, when he became of age, 

refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 

choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God 

than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 

esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; 

for he looked to the reward. 

By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; 

for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.

Hebrews 11:24-27

 Do not love the world or the things in the world. 

If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, 

the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-

-is not of the Father but is of the world. 

And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; 

but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17

Therefore, we must choose between the love of GOD and the love of this world.

 Incline my heart to Your testimonies, And not to covetousness.

 Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, 

And revive me in Your way.

Psalm 119:36-37

The devil tempted our LORD to make supernatural bread for Himself from the stones, when He was hungry. The devil asked JESUS to believe His Father for supernatural protection while throwing Himself from the pinnacle of the temple. These supernatural acts would have shown the world that He was the Son of GOD and His mission to reach the world would have been easy! Then the devil offered JESUS the kingdoms of the world as it were, on a platter if He would worship him! Our LORD refused every one of these offers of the devil. He refused the easy way out and chose the right and the difficult way.

Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come 

and take Him by force to make Him king, 

He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

John 6:15

Our LORD refused to be made king by the people and departed from that place.

Everything this world offers, that may seem good to our carnal mind, is not necessarily from GOD. The devil, who is the prince of the air, will offer us things and positions that are attractive to us. If we accept these offers without seeking the LORD's guidance, we will be led astray. These 'good' things will draw us away from the plans and purposes of GOD. These positions and things will turn our heart away from the LORD. Therefore we must beware of such offers from the world, which are subtle snares of the devil!

There will be times when we will have to refuse even medical procedures and treatments that are not in our Creator's plan for us.

 But Daniel purposed in his heart 

that he would not defile himself  

with the portion of the king's delicacies, 

nor with the wine which he drank; 

therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs 

that he might not defile himself.
Daniel 1:8

Now, under the new covenant, we must refuse any food or drink that can stumble another person or that may not be good for our body

Something else that we must be open to receive from others, is correction! We must be humble to receive rebuke and correction.

A fool despises his father's instruction, 

But he who receives correction is prudent.
Proverbs 15:5

Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. 

And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil;

 Let my head not refuse it. 

For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.
Psalm 141:5

My son, hear the instruction of your father, 

And do not forsake the law of your mother;
Proverbs 1:8

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. 

For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, 

much more shall we not escape 

if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,
Hebrews 12:25

We must be careful not to reject or forsake the LORD or His ways. The religious leaders of that time legalistically kept their traditions which made them disobey the heart of GOD's commandments. We cannot keep both ways. We must always seek the leading of the Holy Spirit to know GOD's heart and His way in every situation. 

He said to them, 

"All too well you reject the commandment of God, 

that you may keep your tradition.

Mark 7:9

If we walk in submission to the Holy Spirit, we must expect to be rejected by those who reject the LORD.

 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, 

and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

Luke 10:16

 

GOD releases to us all good things from His goodness. If we are humble, we can receive them with gratitude. The greatest blessings are, His grace and  mercy, forgiveness and love. We should not refuse these blessings.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, 

and comes down from the Father of lights, 

with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
James 1:17

Command those who are rich in this present age

 not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches 

but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
1 Timothy 6:17

Although GOD has given us a freewill to choose for ourselves, we will be wise to let the LORD choose for us and receive what He offers us. His way is perfect and He is love!

Through faith and obedience, we receive answers to our prayers. After our course on earth, we wil receive a just reward from the LORD!

 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, 

for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea

 driven and tossed by the wind. 

For let not that man suppose 

that he will receive anything from the Lord;
James 1:6-7

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, 

because we keep His commandments 

and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
1 John 3:22

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 

that each one may receive the things done in the body, 

according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10