"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE FACING ADVERSITY"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE FACING ADVERSITY" 

Job 2:10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Ec 7:14* In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

Some explanatory thoughts and application:

1. When Job was facing his adversity, he stood firm in his understanding of God's goodness. See Job 2:10. Notice what he said. "Shall we we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?. 

2. Job understood that he was not a special person who would only have the good and not the bad come his way.

3. The word adversity here means, wickedness, mischief, hurt, bad, trouble, malignant, unpleasant, giving pain, evil, sad, hurtful and unhappy. Those words, sure sound familiar and are a great expression of what can come into our lives. 

4. Job's response, was, "Shall we not accept etc, " the word accept means, to receive, hold, undertook. Job was very pliable, and non resistant to the things that God allowed into his life. What a tremendous example he is to us. 

5. Finally, there is much wisdom for us in Ec 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him. When things are going well, you are prospering, the Lord, He says to be joyful. But, if you are in the day of adversity, to consider. It means to look at, to inspect, to perceive.
Here's how it reads in the NLT Ec 7:14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
And, in the Amplified version. Ec 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider that God has made the one side by side with the other, so that man may not find out anything that shall be after him.

A prayer:

Lord, thank You that Your wisdom is greater then ours. And, thank You that we can look to Your word for all the things that come our way in life. One thing is certain, You are in control of all things, and we find such comfort in You teaching us how to deal with what You allow in our lives. Your Word sets us straight. It gives us comfort, and understanding and helps us to patiently endure.
We love You Lord. In Jesus' name.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WANTING TO CHANGE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WANTING TO CHANGE"

LUKE 5:32“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

James 1:17 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.

Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

A few explanatory thoughts and application:

1. Change is the very thing that Christ has come to do. You can be confident He wants you to change, and will help you change.
See LUKE 5:32“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
The word repentance means to change. So, we see that the very mission of Jesus is to call men to change, your desire for change, is exactly what He wants to have happen in your life. 

2. Ok, I see you may say, but how do I do it?. Well, it's a gift from God. See James 1:17 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.
God is the great giver. as it says there in James 1:17 these gifts come down from the Father of lights. We receive His gifts by asking for them. So, if you want to change, simply ask Jesus to give you the gift of repentance. The word gift, does not imply work, but rather something given. The word gift here, actually means, bounty, benefaction.
Here's how it reads in the Amplified Version James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect ([a]free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
So, the gift of repentance is free, large, full, God is the one who gives it. He will give it to you, and He will help you to change. 

3. Here's one of the main and direct benefits of God's goodness. His Goodness, leads us to repentance.
Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? It says in Rom 2;4, "the riches of His goodness" The word "goodness" means, useful, good, gracious. What a great description of our God. 

4. Putting all this together, what hope we have that change can be ours. Because, it's God's will for us to change. It's God who gives repentance. His goodness, is the motive for Him giving it, and it leads us to salvation. Jesus always taught about God being a giver, and the Bible teaches us to ask God for those things that are in His will, and if we abide in Him, and His Word abides in us, we will have what we ask for. John 15:7“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

A prayer:

Lord, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ. We ask not only for ourselves, but for everyone who may be reading this, or the people we know in our families, or in our church bodies, or where we work, or our friends, who really and truly want to change.
We are praying that they might look  to You. The giver of good gifts. We pray for this change. May You pour out change in an great
way. We love You for being our changer. Change our hearts we pray. In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO THINK GOD WOULD NOT WANT THEM"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO THINK GOD WOULD NOT WANT THEM"

Luke 5:30 And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Luke 5:31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Some explanatory notes and application:

1. One of the criticisms of Jesus was that He ate with the worst of the worst. He was called by His enemies the friend of sinners.
Mt 11:19* “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

2. It's a little hard to imagine how people could be critical of  Jesus for reaching out to people, ( sinners ) but, sure enough they did, and they still do. And, so does the devil. Only he criticizes you and I for our sin, and then tries to get us to believe that Jesus does not love us, or care for us, or want us. But, the Devil is a liar. 

3. The truth is that God is love. 1Jo 4:16* And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. And, His love has been demonstrated at the cross, where He died, not just for the sins of some, but for the sins of the whole world. 1Jo 2:2* And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

4. Please notice what Jesus said in Luke 5:31-32 above. He came for sinners. Yeah, that's you and me. Sinners. So, contrary to what anyone may say, or what you may be feeling within yourself, the Bible tells us the truth, and that is, that not only is God love, but, Jesus specifically came for sinners. 

5. One last thing. God loves us so much, that He does not want to leave us in our sinful condition, so, He calls us to repentance, that is to turn to Him, believe in Him, and receive Him. If you have done that, then You have become His child, and You are a joint heir with Christ, and You have eternal life, and nothing can separate You from His love. Isn't that wonderful. 

A prayer:

Lord, we would like to take just a moment to say how wonderful it is, that You have given us Your Word to tell us the truth about life, about ourselves, about the future, and most of all about Your love, grace and mercy for each of us. Help us to keep ourselves in Your Word, and help us to believe it, and to obey it, and to enjoy the benefits of doing all those things. There is no one like You Lord. And, we have no love and appreciation for anyone, or anything, as we do for You. We love You. 

Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WITH HURTING MARRIAGES"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WITH HURTING MARRIAGES"

1st John 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

1st John 4:20 f someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

1st John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Some explanatory thoughts and application:

1. John, is of course talking about love, which is so often what we need in our marriages.

2. He is also focusing on what Christ has done for us, and how it has changed us. He (Jesus loved us first and, the result is that we love Him. It's His love, that has brought our love. (how true it is that our love for our mates, is what begins to bring the healing into the hurts in the marriage. Not just sentimental love, but true, Divine, Godly love in our hearts and then showing up in our speech, demeanor, and our actions. 

3. Now here is a very important truth to help us be authentic, and Godly in our marriages. 1st John 4:20 f someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? We cannot do the both. Say I love God and hate our brother. And, if we cannot love our brother who we can see (our mate) then how can we love God whom we cannot see. Thus the truth is, that the two in fact are supposed to go together. Love God, and love our mates. Let's start with God, let's love Him, and the rest will truly take care of itself. We all know that deep down.

4. Here's a very helpful truth. 1st John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. The word commandment means, precept, an order, charge, injunction, that which is prescribed to us by God. A prescribed rule in accordance with which a thing is being done. 

5. So often, the hurt, the tension, the lack of peace, the anxiety, and the hurtful attitudes, and the dangerous things thought and said, can be instantly removed, if we will simply, let God's Word be taken into our hearts, and taken seriously, and responded to in obedience. Amazing how God can change hurt, into healing in an instant. 

A prayer:

Father, we are thankful to You, that You have not only saved us, but given us Your Word to know how to live our lives down here on Earth, while we serve You, and wait to be with You. Your Word is eternal, it's pure, it's without error, it gives us understanding, it when received and responded to brings success into our lives, it's really quite simple. We get so wrapped up in our thoughts, that we lose sight of the simplicity of what blessings and peace You can and want to bring into our lives and marriages. 

We pray for hurting marriages today, and those that may be hurting and reading this devotional today. Lord pour Your love, grace and mercy into their souls this very moment, and bring healing to hurt. Bring a halt to hurt, and replace it with Your healing. 

We love You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HEAVEN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HEAVEN"

Luke 23:41 “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

Luke 23:42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Some explanatory notes, and application:

1. The thief speaking in Luke 23:41, was acknowledging the rightness of the capital punishment he was receiving. He is a picture of a sinner, simply admitting he is a sinner, which of course is not only the work of the Holy Spirit convicting a person, bringing them to their senses, but, it's also the first step to being saved. Admitting I'm a sinner. 

2. The thief, also realized something about Jesus, that happens to all people who become saved and go to heaven. The Holy Spirit convinces them, reveals to them, shows them much about Jesus Christ, primarily that He is righteous, holy, perfect if you will. Jesus is without sin. He was always without sin, (except that He became sin for us on the cross) and He is without sin as we read this devotional.

3. The thief, then made a request to Jesus. He talked to Jesus. He prayed if you will. Here's what his prayer consisted of. "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" In other words, he was asking Christ to have mercy on him. And, you will notice something else. In mentioning "Your Kingdom" it's clear that the Holy Spirit had also revealed to him, that Jesus was indeed the King of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven. He understood something about the after life as it were. 

4. The Lord speaks in 23:43 and says to this man condemned to death, " Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. This word, which of course was speaking ultimately of heaven, was a word in that day used to speak of grand enclosure, preserve, a park, a shady, and well watered one. A beautiful garden, a pleasure ground. 

5. Please notice a few things the Lord said to the man. Assuredly, or truly, or faithful, or so be it. It's similar to our saying, "amen", meaning, so be it. So, Jesus was saying, "amen" to the man, or yes, I will remember you. Or yes, I will save you etc. And, the Lord said, "I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Which means, that as soon as that man died, and as soon as the Lord died, they would ultimately be together in heaven. And, all that happened in a very short period of time. The thief died, and shortly thereafter Christ died, and they were together in Paradise. 

6. What a picture all of this is for us, what an encouragement. We also are sinners, and when the Holy Spirit convicts us of the truths about sin, and about righteousness, and about judgment, and we yield ourselves to God, we become saved. And when we die, we also are with God forever, and forever in heaven. 

A prayer:

Father, there is no other name given under heaven whereby a man can be saved, but by and through the name, the person of Jesus Christ. Thank You for bringing the Holy Spirit's conviction into our lives, and drawing us to Yourself by Your goodness. It's Your goodness, that has led us to repentance. We are thankful today, and will be through eternity. Someday, we will see You in person, face to face, and we will be able to express our gratitude in a much more fulfilling way. We will do it, along with the innumerable multitude of angels, and all the many who have also been saved. You are the Lamb of God which has taken away our sins. No one but You can do this, thank You Father.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST A LOVED ONE"
Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
Some explanatory thoughts and application:
1. We (who have come to faith in Christ) have this hope.
2. This hope we have, is an anchor to our soul.
3. This hope we have, is also 2 other things. It is both sure and steadfast. Sure, means, certain, firm, true. And, steadfast means, firmly grounded, guaranteed, unalterable.
4. Finally, this hope we have, enters the Presence behind the veil. That of course is speaking of the visible presence of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
5. So, behind the veil is God. Jesus has already entered behind the veil. And, He assures us of our entrance into heaven as well.
6. For our loved ones who have left this world, they being in Christ, are right there with Christ as we read this thought.
7. When we leave this world, we will see our loved ones, and we together with them will glory in the Lamb of God who has taken away our sins, and given us eternal life.
A prayer:
Father, there are so many of Your children who are already home with You. We are still here, waiting to be with You and with them.
What a homecoming it will be for us and for them. We will see them again, and they will see us. Thank You for Your unspeakable gift of eternal life. You have graciously given it to us. We look forward to the greatest reunion that ever will be. Thank You for a bright and glorious future. We love You Father, in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PRODIGAL CHILDREN"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PRODIGAL CHILDREN"

PROVERBS 8:17 I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

Some explanatory thoughts and application:

1. God is love, and He states here in this verse of His love for people.

2. That love for people, would include your prodigal child, or children as the case may be.

3. God also says He loves those who love Him. 

4. Prodigals are in love with everyone and everything but God at this moment. 

5. But, God is able to change all that.

6. Jesus gave us the story of the prodigal son in Luke 16 to encourage us that prodigals can change.

7. When a person seeks the Lord diligently, they will find God. 

A prayer for your prodigal(s):

Father, we thank You for Your love for our prodigal(s). You love them just as much as You love anyone. You loved us ourselves when we were not loving You, and You drew us to Yourself. We pray that You might show and reveal and allow Your love for our prodigal(s) to become so clear and overwhelming to them, and deliver them from any false ideas they may have about how You view them, and what You think of them, and what You desire for them. 

We also pray that You would bring the needed conviction into their lonely, empty, and sad souls. Give them the gift of repentance, and bring restoration back to You into their lives. Please help us to diligently pray for them. Part of the verse in this devotional, speaks of finding You. We Lord as those with prodigals need to find You to help us with our pain and sadness over our prodigals. 

So, Lord, we entrust them to You this day, we know that nothing is impossible with You, and we pray for You Lord to move in upon their lives and bring them back to their right mind, and bring them back to You, and back to us. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen

Pastor Bob Grenier.