Fruitful, continued

Rising up like eagles
Eagles are huge birds. Yet they are able to climb to great heights with minimal effort. They simply jump off a high place, find some rising warm air and circle in it. They have a mechanism that means they can simply lock their wings in place.
³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; ³¹but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint (Isaih 40:30-31).

Part of resting is waiting for God, looking for the “warm air”. The idea behind the Hebrew word translated here as “wait” is something like “to gather together”, much as strands in a rope are bound together to make something much stronger. There’s a sense that as we wait on God we are bound together with Him.

The sky is the limit!
We can do nothing without God but there’s a wonderful corresponding truth: I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).

There are works that God has prepared just for you to do since before you were born (Ephesians 2:10). You don’t know what they all are yet. No matter how huge they may be, they are all completely possible.

Yet God is much more interested in what you are like rather than what you do. He looks at the heart. The fruit of the spirit is not external ministry, it’s love, joy, peace, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). All of those are character attributes. Yet as we develop those character attributes, they will flow over into the things we do.

Now, watch the 17:57-minute DVD video.

PAUSE FOR THOUGHT 3

As we come to the end of the course, share with the group what you have learned about God’s grace and what impact it has made on you.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the phrase “cheap grace” to describe someone who wants to enjoy all the benefits of the kingdom of God without any true heart discipleship of taking up our cross and following Christ. By now, we hope you realize that living in grace does not lead to laziness or being “soft on sin”. True grace is not timid or lukewarm or soft or complacent. True grace is robust, virile, liberating and strengthening.

Jesus became sin on our behalf and in return you became the righteousness of God. You are holy through and through. In fact, you’re a whole new creation with some brand new names. Shame is gone.

You have no need to have any unhealthy fear anymore. By His grace, you are safe and secure in the hands of the Almighty God and He loves you.

At any time you can come and cast yourself on His mercy. Knowing that you can do nothing in your own strength but that He can do everything is a good place to be.

Here you stand, a son or daughter of the Living God, dressed in your rich robe, your ring of authority and your sandals. And you say, “God, what do You want me to do for You?” And His response might be, “There are things for you to do. But what I really want is you.”

The very last words of God to us in His Word provide a fitting conclusion to The Grace Course: The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:21).

Amen!

WITNESS
Many people are genuinely hindered from becoming a Christian because they believe they could never live up to God’s standards afterwards. How would you respond to them?

So, in the coming weeks, revisit your Lies List. Spend time finding the corresponding truths. Write Stronghold-Busters for the areas where you realize that your thinking is not in line with what God says is true. Persevere through each, one at a time, for 40 days.