Grace And A Pelican

2 Corinthians 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

My mornings sitting in my chair beachside offer me the opportunity to see nature at work. The waves most mornings gently roll into the shore. Manta rays jump from the water and slap the surface upon reentry. The charter boats head up the coast in search of a catch to please their clients. And then there are the pelicans. Pelicans are not the most graceful of birds. Large bodies and big wings do not make for aerial acrobatics. It takes a lot of effort to lift that body into the air. Keeping it in the air also requires considerable effort. The pelicans along the coast of Cabo San Lucas, and other coastal areas, have learned how to glide along the waves. Just in front of a gently rolling wave is an air current that generates lift. As long as the can stay just in front of the wave, the pelicans have the lift they need to fly as far as the wave will take them without having to flap their wings to generate lift for flight. Watching the pelicans reminded me of how people approach grace and salvation.

The concept of grace can be difficult for some to grasp or accept. Many will think grace is too easy. Their perspective is it cannot be that easy to be saved. They will try to earn their salvation. They worry about how much they need to do to earn what they seek. In doing so they miss out in the joy of just believing we have a loving God who sent His only Son to die for us so that all may be saved. Ephesians 2:4&5 remind us that But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. This grace is not earned. This grace is certainly not something we can earn because by our nature, we are sinful. Try as we might, we stumble more than once each and every day. And so when we finally come to grips with the reality of our situation, we can fully appreciate how important grace is. Thinking back to the pelican, the bird would have to be continuously flapping it's wings to maintain flight, Unfortunately, with a body like the pelican, they cannot fly very far before becoming exhausted. The pelicans have learned to glide with the wave fronts. We too need to put aside our foolish effort to earn the grace that is already freely given. We need to embrace the grace. And in doing so, we find the peace from God of knowing we are loved and we are saved. When you think you need to go back and earn grace, remember the lesson of the pelican and glide along the wavefronts. And may the grace and peace of God be you all of your days.

PRAYER: Almighty God, Your gift of grace gives us the lift we need. Help us to remember that gift is given with love and accepted by faith. Give us the words to share that good news with those who do not know or reject that gift. Let our words be soothing, comforting and filled with Your love. This we ask in the name of Your loving Son Jesus Christ, Amen.

Saved By Grace

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Recently, while visiting Cabo San Lucas, Mexico I was asked about my home church Grace Lutheran in Pocatello The questions asked were the normal why there, what is it like, what brought you there? It was an opportunity to share I deeply appreciated.

The early church, the "Acts 2" church is a model that most churches seek to emulate. A few get it right. And some get it VERY right. Some will focus solely on clergy led study of the word. In this church model, ordained ministers lead all studies offered or sponsored by the church. It is a model that appeals to some worshippers. Others will sponsor bible studies that augment the weekly Sunday worship service. The studies are not all led by an ordained minister. The majority are led by a lay person. By that I mean someone who is not a minister, preacher, etc. my wife Pam and I belong to what is called a small group. It's a small group of 15. We meet on Thursday evenings, study the word, break bread, pray, share some wine, and we share our lives. We are a group of people who have lived through the trials and tribulations of life. Illness, loss of family members ear and far, death of spouses, death of members, children problems of all kinds have help forge a relationship we each hold precious and dear. We have added new members as others have moved away, or passed away. The Lord in His grace and love has put this group together and we are blessed. We share life, love, laughter and most of all, we share a love of, and for Christ. Jesus is the center of our group. My prayer for you on this day, a day the Lord has made is that you would find such a group in your life.

PRAYER: Father, on this day, please reach out to those who are hurting, lost without You in their lives. Guide each of us to share Your love and Your Word. Help us, with Your Holy Spirit to be Your hands and feet. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen. 

Saved By Grace

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Recently, while visiting Cabo San Lucas, Mexico I was asked about my home church Grace Lutheran in Pocatello The questions asked were the normal why there, what is it like, what brought you there? It was an opportunity to share I deeply appreciated.

The early church, the "Acts 2" church is a model that most churches seek to emulate. A few get it right. And some get it VERY right. Some will focus solely on clergy led study of the word. In this church model, ordained ministers lead all studies offered or sponsored by the church. It is a model that appeals to some worshippers. Others will sponsor bible studies that augment the weekly Sunday worship service. The studies are not all led by an ordained minister. The majority are led by a lay person. By that I mean someone who is not a minister, preacher, etc. my wife Pam and I belong to what is called a small group. It's a small group of 15. We meet on Thursday evenings, study the word, break bread, pray, share some wine, and we share our lives. We are a group of people who have lived through the trials and tribulations of life. Illness, loss of family members ear and far, death of spouses, death of members, children problems of all kinds have help forge a relationship we each hold precious and dear. We have added new members as others have moved away, or passed away. The Lord in His grace and love has put this group together and we are blessed. We share life, love, laughter and most of all, we share a love of, and for Christ. Jesus is the center of our group. My prayer for you on this day, a day the Lord has made is that you would find such a group in your life.

PRAYER: Father, on this day, please reach out to those who are hurting, lost without You in their lives. Guide each of us to share Your love and Your Word. Help us, with Your Holy Spirit to be Your hands and feet. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.