“But he giveth more grace….” James 4:6

Come, then, my soul, to Him–as an empty vessel to be filled. A supply is waiting for you in Christ Jesus. “It has pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell.” He is the never-failing Fountain of blessing! Out of His fullness, you may receive grace upon grace. Whatever you need–come to God in Christ for it.

Is your faith weak? He can strengthen it.

Is your hope dull? He can enliven it.

Is your love cold? He can warm it.

Is your patience failing? He can sustain it.

Is your zeal languishing? He can invigorate it.

And observe, the Lord gives not only a new supply of grace, but He also gives it in a larger measure: “He gives more grace!” He came not only that we might have life–but that we might have it “more abundantly.”

Come, then, to Him with enlarged desires.
He can fill you with joy and peace in believing.
He can enable you to bear much fruit to the glory of the Father.
He can bless you, and make you a blessing to many.

O Lord, enlarge my desires, raise my expectations, and help me to receive, not only constant supplies of grace–but increased supplies out of Your fullness! For You give “more grace!”–Author unknown, 1872

“…open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.–” Psalm 81:10

As we face the difficulties of life we are often confused and frightened by our experiences. Our needs exceeds our abilities and we wonder how we can possibly succeed or survive. That’s why it is essential that we keep our focus on the Lord. Faith to face our fears is formed by being familiar with God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). Our text for today is a great example of what we need to remember each day. It reminds us that regardless of what we face God “is able“– and that enables us to keep going.

“But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”–Luke 21:9–11

I preached a message yesterday called “Living Faithfully in a Fallen World”. That’s what God commands and He doesn’t excuse us from duty because of difficulties. We are to be faithful till death regardless of the circumstances. In order to do that we must learn to live fearlessly in fearful times. Commenting on our text Dr. Paul Chappell wrote:

The message of Jesus to His disciples (and to us) regarding the future was not that everything was going to be fine and that there would be no problems to worry about. Instead He said that there would be wars, natural disasters, and all kinds of trouble. Yet despite that grim prospect, He commanded them not to be gripped by fear. Many times we view fear as caused by our circumstances; but in truth, fear is found in our heart, not in what we see around us.

Peter learned this lesson well. When Herod began to persecute the church to stop the spread of the new religion, he first killed James, and then he arrested Peter, intending to kill him as well. The church stayed up all night praying the night before Peter was to be executed. But as for Peter, he went to sleep! In fact he was sleeping so soundly that when the angel came to rescue him, he had to give Peter a good whack to wake him up. “And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands” (Acts 12:7).

Our confidence and lack of fear is not found in the knowledge that nothing will ever go wrong, but in the faith that God is in control. Whether He delivers us by a miracle or welcomes us to Heaven, He makes no mistakes.

“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good“– Romans 12:21

What a powerful, concise exhortation this is! In just a few words, Paul sums up the mission of Christian living.

First, be not overcome of evil! There are a thousand different ways in which Satan seeks to tear down our Christian testimony. It may be a temptation to sexual sin, or a tendency toward despair, or a disposition toward anger, or a longing for personal advancement or recognition.

But for all the temptations that may come our way, the remedy is the same, simple command: do not allow evil to overcome you. Stand fast in the Lord and in the power of His strength. Do not give in; do not be puffed up; do not allow your pride or lust or pain to overwhelm you.

And, second, overcome evil with good. The Christian’s posture is not a defensive one. We are to be overcomers, not merely survivors. Not only are we not to give up in fighting sin, we are to counteract the sin in the world by our good lives and conduct. We are to overcome evil.

How can we do that? Not by fighting fire with fire, but rather by overcoming evil with good. There is no other way to successfully battle evil in the world. The goodness of our Savior must be reflected in the good words and works of His people. The more His goodness is displayed, the more sin loses its strength and subtlety.

Don’t be overcome by sin; rather, overcome sin with the goodness of God.– Baptist Bible Hour

To stop attending church because there are sinners in it is like refusing to go to the hospital because it’s full of sick people. Surely you’re smarter than that. Instead of getting bitter and complaining about the shortcomings of the church members, get busy being a helper rather than a critic. God’s people aren’t perfect, even though they want to be. We ought to love them unconditionally. When I say “I love imperfect churches” it doesn’t mean that I condone sin. It means I love them even though they are imperfect. After all that’s the way the Lord loves me– and you. Indeed I love imperfect churches– there is no other kind!