January 26, 2012
Hey Grace-Grippers,
I am away until Monday and will not be writing for a few days. “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon and give you peace”. It is one of the oldest blessings that we can share with each other everyday. While old … it yields the riches of God’s grace into every dry area of your life .. every ache .. every fear .. every longing .. every place where God’s gracious care for you is needed. There in the face of Jesus you will discover His grace keeping you in storms or in stillness. The Lord is coming soon … and until then it only takes a moment …
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Men and Women following .. trusting .. and serving Jesus.
Except through …
January 25, 2012
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 Holman Christian Standard
At first glance it may seem harsh that Jesus is limiting the path to a saving and new life in Christ. But in fact He is doing the very opposite. He’s opening each day of your life with an assurance so that you can live your life all out and all in to the glory of God. The results are in His hands. What Jesus says is that you will be connected with your heavenly Father and have the same kind of relationship He had on earth. Your life in Christ is lived through Jesus living His life in you. That happens through trust in who Jesus says that He is. Except-through-Christ is a grace filled statement of truth. Except-through-Christ is a promise for your life today with your heavenly Father. Except-through-Christ is deeply personal for you today for everything you do and everyone you meet. He is your access. It’s not up to your efforts. It’s not about your good intentions. It’s not about how much you have to gain access. It’s all about Who has you. That can be disturbing at times because even Christ-followers can be tempted to bypass or suspend the indwelling life of Christ and try to find godly answers without Him. Jesus doesn’t give us this option. He makes a way through His way. he leads in truth because He is the truth. And He offers life that begins with Him. Whatever you are facing today. Whoever is vying for your allegiance. Jesus offers you the wide-open door to the Father through himself.
“Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.” Acts 4:12 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Followers of The-No-Other-Name and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Except for …
January 24, 2012
“For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. … so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but in God’s power.” 1 Cor. 2:2-5 Holman Christian Standard
To know Christ … To make Him known … To answer others with hope and grace … and To live your life in His Spirit in such a way that the only explanation is the Cross. The Cross of Jesus Christ opens your life to live freely in this world. The Cross doesn’t call you to live ignorantly or arrogantly. You’ve been called into a life that is identified by a Cross. The world around you wants you to keep that hidden and irrelevant in living your life. You aren’t called to be offensive in the way you live. It is the Cross ..and the Cross alone that is offensive to the wise and powerful and even the broken. We are all born trying to fix our own lives and make them something that will last forever. Boasting in the Cross is always a moment of grace .. shared with a friend or shared with a life hanging by a thread or even hopelessly lost .. but always with gentleness and respect. Sometimes it may look forceful. Sometimes it may look like a normal conversation. Sometimes it is just you sharing the “one-thing” you know is the perfect love for another life. Boasting in the Cross is not about being filled up but poured out for others. It usually is an interruption in the world’s patterns of fitting in or pleasing others. But it is always a gift that can never be repaid. And when you are rejected or humiliated … the Cross of Christ will set you free for the Life that Jesus is living in you. Nothing you face today is greater than the Cross of Christ. And as you begin this day … nothing is as easy as taking a moment in Him …
“For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate.” Galatians 6:14 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Cross-Roaded Followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
In His Name …
January 23, 2012
“Then they were amazed, so they began to argue with one another, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” ” Mark 1:27
The life that Jesus wants to live in and through you is the very life that you long for: Life in His name .. lived through His authority … living in fellowship with the Father .. the Son .. and the Holy Spirit. Our first encounters with Jesus are like those who suffer driven-lives filled with guilt .. shame .. and heart and soul crushing burdens. You encounter this One named Jesus and you fear He has come to destroy you or drive you away from His Presence. Instead .. He does the absolute opposite. He speaks into the deepest places of your life. He speaks with power and authority combined with grace and truth. He speaks words where only His Spirit can reach inside. Jesus is bringing His Kingdom into the light and He’s bringing your life with Him. The life He offers you is unlike any other life available on earth. His life changes your identity and your new life is in His Name. And the name of Jesus often places us at crossroads of living “this” life and trying to find Him or living “His” life and following His ways. We are so quick to forget His promise: “I am with you always to the end of the age”. That happens when we become entangled in all the trappings and traps of this fallen world. It might be right for someone else to walk in a direction that for you becomes filled with burdens upon burdens … because it isn’t His life. OR you may face a life filled with burdens but they are carried by Jesus. In either case .. it is His life lived in His name that cleans out all the unclean places in you and frees you to love .. share .. and serve others in the authority of Jesus name. The life He offers you today comes with His promise …. it only takes a moment …
“Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.” Matt. 28:18-20
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Name-bearing followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (Ken@priorityone.org)
Trust …
January 20, 2012
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; Think about Him in all your ways and He will guide you on the right paths.” Prov. 3:5-6 Holman Christian Standard
God knows that you were born with a predisposition to trust in yourself. He didn’t originally create you that way .. but it happened. You may have well-developed skills to examine and weigh options and choices. You may not have those skills and yet the both of “you” are inclined to trust your own thinking over God. But the Lord who is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness” has continued through generations to call each us back to Himself as the true foundation of our trust. He does so by telling each us that he will “guide us on the right path”. Not only that .. but we are renewed .. restored .. and strengthened when we place our trust in living our lives in Christ. Our conflict arises when “we” want a path that seems at odds with the path God is leading us upon. So we wrestle back and forth trying to convince the Lord that our intentions are good and truthfully we really don’t know very much about being good. We like to think that we do .. but our faith history is littered with brokenness and barren lives of trying to live independently from the Lord. The oldest of all the Psalms begins with this timeless truth: “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, and His love endures forever.” Jesus lived this truth in front of our eyes. He lived a life of complete trust in the Father’s faithfulness. And He offers each of us this same life in Himself … a life of trust grounded at the Cross … and empowered by His indwelling resurrected life. “All your heart” is who you are and what you trust. “All you ways” is how you live and who you trust to guide your heart and guide your hands and feet. God doesn’t hide His promises. He has promised to guide your life on right paths .. paths of righteousness .. truth .. justice .. grace .. forgiveness .. and redemption. Without Him is a life of confusion-filled weariness that finds comfort in things and not faith. The life that Jesus Christ offers you is for right now … with everything you are carrying at this moment .. and with everything He promises he will be and do in your life. It only takes a moment …
“but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength …” Isaiah 40:31- Holman Christian Standard
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Trust-gripping followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
You are His prize…
January 19, 2012
“In Him we were also made His inheritance …” Ephesians 1:11 Holman Christian Standard
It’s true .. you are Christ’s inheritance. Everything that He has ever done or created and He choses you as His inheritance. We are reminded during difficult times that we have an inheritance beyond our wildest imaginations and yet we forget that “we” are Christ’s inheritance. Your life is a daily and sometimes very public display that the grace of God is “guaranteed to last”. It doesn’t mean you’re perfect. You might even wonder what it is that the Lord sees in you worth any kind of inheritance. He sees your life .. ransomed .. paid up .. “never-out-of date .. never obsolete and rustproof”. What Jesus sees in you is a life being made honest and true and that is invaluable in God’s eyes. So He takes all the time he needs to work this treasure into your life. We’re used to instant and sudden changes and it is frustrating when the Lord seems to be deliberate and determined in shaping your life according to his plans. Christ looks at your life and declares .. celebrates .. and remembers what it took to change you from being unworthy to being of immeasurable worth. That in itself should be enough but it takes even more. He guarantees His work in you and seals you with His Holy Spirit who is continually reminding you that your life is to bring glory and honor to Jesus. We are to be a singularly focused family belonging to Christ and his purposes. His life alone in the center of all that we are or possess reveals how we are living: for Christ or ourselves hoping to be blessed for our efforts. Sometimes the line between the two is hardly distinguishable. You need his help everyday. He is indeed “never out of date” in an almost always out of date world trying to convince you to set your own course and seek your own path. When Jesus looks at your life today he sees his inheritance and he knows you were and are worth every cross-raised and grave-emptying moment. What’s on your schedule today? It only takes a moment to check on Christ’s schedule in you …
“He remembered to keep his ancient promise. He proved to his people that he could do what he said: Hand them the nations on a platter — a gift! He manufactures truth and justice; All his products are guaranteed to last — Never out-of-date, never obsolete, rust-proof. All that he makes and does is honest and true. He paid the ransom for his people, He ordered his Covenant kept forever.” Psalm 111:5-9 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Unbelievable Inheritances following Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
… living in me. (3)
January 18, 2012
“I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 Holman Christian Standard Bible
The secret of the Christian life is: “learning to love the Life that Christ is living in me”. In you: Christ is living the same life he lived 2000 years ago. In you: Christ is living the same life that raised him from the dead. In you: Jesus is living his risen life. Jesus said he could only do what he saw his Father doing. And Jesus prayed that you would have the same life that he had with his Father. He hasn’t left you to try to figure out how to live the Christ-filled life. He is your life and He has promised to never forsake you. There are any number of situations or circumstances when you may feel alone .. abandoned .. and alienated. His great gift to you is that you no longer have to live out of your own strength. Christ is your strength. We are pressured in this fallen and flawed world to trust ourselves and ask God’s help when we’ve exhausted our own resources. It is a lie! Jesus has promised to abide in you .. make His home in you .. and complete in you the work He finished on the Cross. And there is so much more. His forgiveness is absolute. His grace is life-changing .. and His Life is your shield .. your hope .. your restoring love .. your indwelling joy .. your any-moment help .. your truth-filled light .. your overcoming grace .. your Name above all names and greater than all temptations .. your true desire .. your true home .. your true life .. and All that you need and hope for today and forever. There are “false lords” but there is only One who loved you and gave His life for you. None can stand up against the light of His grace and truth. None can offer you a “fresh start and a clean slate”. None can bring you out of darkness and transform your life into unceasing praise. But this Jesus is the One who lives in you by faith and makes your life worth living. He only takes a moment …
“I assure you: The Son is not able to do anything on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him everything He is doing, and He will show Him greater works than these so that you will be amazed.” John 5:19-20 Holman Christian Standard Bible
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Alive-in-Christ Ones and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
… that Christ is … (2)
January 17, 2012
“Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life — no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.” Romans 6:6-7 The Message
Jesus was known as someone who touched lepers .. freed a paralyzed man’s body .. gave sight to a blind man .. restored wholeness to a man out of his mind .. told a sinful woman she was forgiven .. offered life to a disreputable woman .. restored his closest betrayer .. and defeated the power of sin on the Cross. He’s not a God who “was”. He is the God who “is”. He’s alive and it is that everyday engaging assurance that we are following Jesus as Lord and Savior. His life doesn’t make your life smaller but the very opposite. Your life finds all the room you need to grow into more of who God created you to be in His love and grace. He is the One who takes all the broken and dislocated pieces of your life and fits all it together in His risen life. Jesus isn’t a solution .. He is the indwelling source of your life .. He is your saving life. Without Him your life is miserable .. because there isn’t anything you can create in your own strength or effort that can put your life back together and hold you together. What makes life so hard is when we try to keep living life with Jesus being someone in our past not living and abiding in the present tense moments of today. It’s in “Christ that you find out who you are what you are living for.” (Eph. 1:11) Christ not only showed you what love is .. He offers you this same life to live today. Whatever is in your life today … Christ is here for you. It only takes a moment …
“We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. … So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe — people and things, animals and atoms — get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.” Colossians 1:15, 18-20 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to the God-Found .. Christ-alive followers and friends of Priority One (ken@prioirityone.org)
Learning to love … (1)
January 16, 2012
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the LORD is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and will all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deut. 6:4-7 Holman Christian Standard Bible
You’ve been called by God to an impossible life: to love. You were designed to be loved by God through his unconditional love. But the only way you have ever received and given love is conditional. You got in the way … Your parents got in the way … Your friends got in the way … and even the world you live in got in the way. Everything about God’s love is to be the first and primary source of your life and how you live. His love is meant to fill your days and be a part of everything and everyone in your life. The Lord doesn’t intend for His love to be a burden but without Jesus it becomes almost unbearable. Why …? Because you’ve got places in your heart that you guard against being hurt .. or hurt further. You’ve got past and present scars that make you cautious and controlling. But … you’ve been called to “learn how to love” and Jesus is the One who moment by moment … day by day … and over a long path ahead teaches you how to love by loving you in the deepest places and even in the most shallow places of your life. As He says: “Walk with Me .. Work with Me … Watch how I do it … Learn the unforced rhythms of grace”. (Mt. 11:29 MSG) So you’ve been called to learn how to love today and Jesus invites you to follow Him into all the places and people around your life. His list isn’t exhaustive because His grace never runs out. It only takes a moment …
“Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut. Doesn’t have a swelled head, Doesn’t force itself on others, Isn’t always “me first”, Doesn’t fly off the handle, Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, Doesn’t revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.” 1 Cor. 13:4-7
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Lifers enrolled in the classroom taught by Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
Losing Control is a gift … pure and gracious!
January 12, 2012
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes — the Jews first and also the Gentile.” Romans 1:16 New Living Translation
The Christian life is learning to love the Life that Christ is living in you. The power of God at work is that God is good. His saving work is the Gospel is real. And a righteous life is found because the Grace of God through Jesus Christ is life-changing. The reality of God’s love is that it can become more real to you than anything or anyone you know. Jesus changes your heart from serving and saving yourself. His Gospel .. His Good News .. His Life-Saving Message is truly a gift. You can’t earn it .. work hard enough for it .. make up for all the mistakes .. or overcome all of your shortcomings and flaws. In the midst of all of that God offers you His saving love in the life of His Son. It’s gift that is truly free but it doesn’t free you to live as you want. It frees you to live and love out of the indwelling life of Jesus who is alive in your life. The Good News of Jesus literally, figuratively, and spiritually changes you. You are graciously loved and accepted by putting your faith in Christ .. not in yourself .. not in your old patterns .. not even in others. In exchange .. you are changed from the inside out: new identity .. new understanding of yourself .. a Gospel size view of the world .. and a heart change and love that give you the strength to avoid and escape the false lovers that fill your world. They look like anything that takes your life away from Jesus. As one New York street-called Jesus-follower said: “You are accepted by God by sheer grace through the work of Christ regardless of anything you have done or are doing.” A German pastor said that grace that doesn’t change the way you live is merely “cheap grace”. You can’t stay alone in Christ. His life in you directs your path toward others .. some hurting .. some alone .. some suffering .. some homeless .. some scared .. some wandering .. some just trying desperately to make life work for today or are just holding on. It’s not you that opens your eyes but Jesus opening your eyes to see. Forgiveness is granted .. Friendships formed .. and Families are born …. in Christ. This is the life He offers … pure and gracious. It only takes a moment …
“This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”" Romans 1:17 New Living Translation
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to God’s Grace-Filled Works following Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
