Saved by Grace
WEEKLY CHRISTIAN BIBLE STUDY AND DEVOTIONAL FROM GOD’S WORD, FOR THE NEWLY SAVED AND MORE SEASONED BELIEVER, AND FOR OTHERS SEEKING TRUTH. OUR PRAYER IS TO ENCOURAGE YOU AND STRENGTHEN YOUR FAITH IN GOD’S INFINITE MERCY, LOVE AND GRACE, AND IN THE GOSPEL OF THE DEATH, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, THAT ALL WHO SEEK HIM HAVE ETERNAL, ABUNDANT LIFE.
Saturday, July 19, 2025
Where is God When You Walk Away?
Saturday, July 12, 2025
Missed Service
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Photo by Rodhullandemu 2020 |
I rolled over lazily in bed, slightly disoriented by light
streaming through the window, but I felt certain I had time for a quick morning
snooze. But then a small voice inside nudged me to look at the clock. Oh no! It
was already ninety minutes later than when I needed to get up to prepare for
church. At this point I would be so late I wondered if it was even worth
attempting to get there.
But then a great wave of peace rolled over me and I
breathed a deep sigh of relief as I realized it was only Saturday – a day I
could sleep in guilt-free!
I didn’t think much more about it until one of our
morning’s devotionals was about the writer’s grandmother, who always laid her
clothes out Saturday night so that she would be prepared for church on Sunday
morning. Even on the Saturday night that the Lord took her home, her husband
discovered the outfit she intended to wear on the Lord’s Day, neatly cleaned,
pressed and ready on a hanger.
The author of the devotional compared her grandmother’s
preparation to Jesus’ parable about the wise virgins who kept their lamps
trimmed and filled with oil, so that they would be ready when the Bridegroom
came to take them to the wedding feast. In contrast, the foolish virgins failed
to be vigilant, let their oil run dry, and had to go out to buy more,
completely missing the Bridegroom’s return and being forever shut out of the
wedding feast (Matthew 25:1-13).
As we don’t know the day or the hour our Bridegroom, Jesus
Christ, is returning (Matthew 24:36) to Rapture His church to Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51-58), we need to be ready to meet Him
by trusting in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Those who have not
done this before His return will be left behind during the Great Tribulation,
and those who have rejected the Gospel before the Lord’s return are unlikely to
then accept Christ, as God will send them a strong delusion allowing them to
believe Satan’s lies (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12).
But even for those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as
our Lord and Savior, we need to be ready for His imminent return. At the
judgment seat of Christ, we will all give account to Him for what we have done
with the time, talent and treasure He entrusted to us since we were saved (1
Corinthians 3:10-15).
We will receive rewards for acts of service done with the
right motive of pleasing and honoring Him. But we will lose rewards for good
works done to bolster our pride or earn praise from others, and for missed
opportunities when God opened the door for us to grow His kingdom, but we
failed to walk through the open door.
Do we give Jesus Christ the pre-eminence in our lives? He
deserves to be first (Colossians 1:18) as the One Who created us
for His specific purpose He determined before the beginning of time (Ephesians
2:10), Who sustains us (Colossians 1:17), and Who
redeemed us from sin, death and hell (Job 19:25). Or do we take
Him for granted, giving Him our second best, our leftovers, and our lowest
priority?
Shortly after I was saved, a fiery preacher visited our
church and gave a powerful sermon on the importance of serving Christ. I still
remember him saying “It is not a small thing to sing in the choir, or to be an
usher or greeter, or even to faithfully attend every service!” The empty choir
seat, the absence of someone meeting a visitor with a warm smile, and sparse
attendance speak volumes about the apathy of the church, as in the End Times
church of Laodicea, and the need for revival (Revelation 3:14-22).
There are many valid reasons why born-again Christians miss
church on occasion, such as health or family emergencies, being out of town, or
having to work. Many are out for extended periods because of physical
limitations or serving as full-time caregivers. Many avoid church in times of
discouragement, grief, or failure, thinking they will be a burden to others,
when these are the times they most need to be uplifted by the body of Christ.
But how many miss services to catch up on their sleep, housekeeping,
at-home work, or even recreation? How many don’t go because they think it’s
inconvenient or they’d rather be doing something else? How many let the devil
convince them that they can just as effectively worship in their own home or
out in nature, and that they won’t be missed and that it doesn’t matter?
But it does matter, not only to the individual believer
missing opportunities for service, spiritual growth and encouragement, to the
congregation seeking fellowship and worship with the body of Christ, and to the
pastor with a burden on his heart to feed the flock and reach souls for Christ,
but to God Himself. He designed each of His children with unique gifts and
talents to fit perfectly as a member in the body of Christ (Romans 12:4-9).
Just as our physical body functions poorly or not at all if
we are missing a limb, nerve, or vital organ, the church suffers when
individual members are absent. Imagine if the pastor didn’t show up! But each
of us has a vital role, and not just the deacons, leaders, teachers, worship
leaders, musicians, ushers and singers. What if no one is there to stock the
rest rooms or turn on the lights?
There have been times, such as during the Covid pandemic,
that many churches prudently turned to online services to protect the health of
their members and community. Yet when the pandemic was over, many who had
gotten used to missing church no longer missed it. They initially grew content
to watch Sunday services online, never returned to church, and then stopped
watching altogether, disobeying the Lord’s command to not forsake corporate,
in-person worship, especially as His return draws nearer.
Not coincidentally, our Pastor’s Sunday morning message on
the day after I slept in on Saturday was about faithfulness. Praise God for His
faithfulness to us, for every good gift comes from Him; without Him we can do
nothing; and with Him all things are possible. In thankfulness and obedience to
Him, we too must be faithful, reliable, and dependable in our service.
As the apostle Paul urges us, may we be stedfast,
unmoveable, and ever abounding in our work for the Lord! (1 Corinthians
15:58). May we be “not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving
the Lord (Romans 12:11). May we be like the wise virgins, always
prepared for Jesus Christ’s imminent return, knowing that He will reward us for
our faithfulness! May we hear Him say,
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21)
Laurie Collett
Copyright 2025
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Faith Revealed
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Photo by Tuxyso 2013 |
Richard’s mother was saved very late in life, and it was our prayer that her memorial service would lead others to know Him. May we all continue to witness to and pray for those who do not yet know Christ, no matter how old or set in their ways, as nothing is impossible for Him! (Matthew 19:26) May we not grow weary of doing His work, for if we persist, we will see the harvest in His perfect timing! (Galatians 6:9)
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Liberty and Justice
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Photo by Martin Falbisoner 2013 |
As we in the United States of America look forward to
celebrating Independence Day, we give God thanks for our great nation, founded
on Christian principles and blessed by God throughout the years since her birth
on July 4, 1776.
Our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag recognizes that we are
one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Being
under God and being near to Him is what makes our nation great, as we learn
from:
Deuteronomy 4:7 For
what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our
God is in all things that we call upon him for?
Despite the cultural, socioeconomic, and ideological
differences among Americans, if we remain indivisible, or united as a nation
under God, we can gain great strength from one another. There is strength in
numbers when we work together (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Our diversity
gives us strength, much as God uses the unique gifts, talents and resources of
each member of His Body, the Church, to serve a specific function in His
kingdom (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:14-27).
Our sin nature often results in discord where there should
be unity, but only God can bind us together under His leadership, protecting us
from all enemies. As the apostle Paul wrote: If God be for us, who can be
against us?” (Romans 8:31).
God is the source of all our nation’s blessings, for
blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord (Psalm 33:12). Whatever
problems and challenges our country may be facing, God has promised to heal our
land if we humble ourselves, turn away from our sins, and pray for His blessing:
2 Chronicles 7:14 If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
As the Pledge of Allegiance reminds us, the USA is blessed
to have liberty, or freedom, in many areas of life, and one of her great goals
is to have equal justice for all. True liberty and justice are possible only
through our Lord Jesus Christ, once we have trusted in His death, burial and
resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John
14:6).
Isaiah prophesied that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ would proclaim liberty to those held captive by sin, death,
and hell, and that He would open the prison doors of all those enslaved (Isaiah
61:1). How was this possible? The Son of God, God Himself, came in the
flesh and died as the perfect, sinless, atoning sacrifice to pay in full the
penalty of our sins, reconciling sinful man to Holy God (Romans 3:25;
5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
He then rose again on the third day, so that all who trust
Him would find perfect liberty in Him (2 Corinthians 3:17), meaning
eternal life in Heaven (John 3:16) as well as abundant life on
Earth (John 10:10), beginning at the moment of salvation. We are
not to insult His precious gift of liberty by becoming legalistic (Galatians
5:1), thinking that we can add to His completed work on the cross (Hebrews
10:10) through religious rituals or good deeds (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Nor should we restrict the freedom of others to worship and serve Him according
to their unique personalities, talents and preferences, provided they are not
in conflict with His Word, for He created and gifted each of us for His
specific purpose (Ephesians 2:10).
God is perfectly holy, just and righteous, and fairly
administers justice equally to all people. God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19;
Titus 1:2); He is all-knowing (Psalm 139:6); and Jesus
Christ is Truth personified (John 14:6). His justice is therefore
perfect, yet tempered by mercy (Psalm 89:14). Perfect peace,
judgment and justice await Christ’s reign in the Millennial Kingdom and will
continue forever (Isaiah 9:7).
The apostle Paul tells us that God considers all His children who have trusted His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to be equal in Him, regardless of race, nationality, sex, or social status (Galatians 3:28), and James and Peter write that God is no respecter of persons, meaning that He loves and judges all fairly and equally (James 2:1,9; 1 Peter 1:17).
Thanks to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all who
trust Him can have true liberty from the penalty of sin, which is death and eternal
punishment in hell. He satisfied the judgment for our sin required by His perfectly
holy, just Father. He will reign one day in perfect justice.
Praise God that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, so that all
who trust Him can experience true liberty in Heaven from even the presence of
sin! Our glorified bodies will live forever with Him and with our loved ones in
Him, without aging, death, pain, sorrow or sin!
Saturday, June 21, 2025
Bright Clouds
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
This evening, the rain held off to allow us to enjoy a hug
in this spectacular setting from the privacy of our balcony. A balmy breeze refreshed
us after a day of long walks on the warm sand. Osprey and pelicans soared above
the sea or plummeted into it in search of fish, while waves undulated along the
shore in crescents of foam or billowed and crashed into it.
But the main attraction is always the light show,
ever-changing colors and shapes swirled together by the Master’s hand according
to His infinitely creative and intelligent design (Genesis 1). According
to meteorologists, the Saharan dust storm, traveling all the way to Florida, not
only helps protect against hurricanes but also enhances the sunsets as light
refracts off the dust particles. And high humidity, while oppressive,
contributes to the beauty as the setting sun illuminates the cloud formations
in a rainbow of colors.
In school we learned about three types of clouds: wispy,
feathery cirrus clouds; fluffy white cumulus clouds; and brooding nimbus clouds
threatening rain and storms. Some clouds are a combination of two of these
types, and recently scientists have added even more categories according to
shape, such as lens- or pouch-shaped. God uses all these types as elements of
His ever-changing landscape to demonstrate His beauty (Isaiah 61:3),
power (2 Samuel 22:33) and glory (Psalm 29:3).
Shortly before this evening’s sunset, what I could see from
the downstairs sliding doors was a neutral gray sky brooding over dark green
waves. But as we opened the door to the upstairs balcony, we were speechless
except for “Ooh! Aah!” and “Wow!” The crimson orb of the setting sun was barely
visible through the thick clouds, yet its golden, ruby and diamond beams of
light penetrated the cloud formations, painting each with a unique pastel hue.
Mere words, written or spoken, could not do the scene
justice, nor do the photos below. How true that the heavens declare the
handiwork of God (Psalm 19:1), revealing His majesty, splendor,
and infinite power. To think that He created this masterpiece to lift our
spirits and assure us of His presence (Psalm 114:7) reminds me of
His infinite love (1 John 4:8).
We have been blessed to view many sunsets on this island, and each is unique and awe-inspiring in its own way. Yet to me, the sunsets on humid, dusty days in a cloud-strewn sky are always far more dramatic and magical than those on clear evenings. It is as if God uses the negatives of dust, humidity, and clouds to contrast with and even enhance His pure, radiant Light (1 John 1:5), creating beauty from ashes ((Isaiah 61:3) .
Similarly, we would not appreciate the joy that comes in
the morning were it not for the weeping in the night (Psalm 30:5),
nor the depth and abundance of His blessings (James 1:17) were it
not for the trials and tribulations of this world. Ultimately, we who trust in
the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
as the only Way to eternal life (John 14:6) will encounter the
perfect beauty, peace and joy of Heaven, made all the brighter against the
backdrop of the “light affliction” we suffered here on Earth (2
Corinthians 4:17).
Praise God that He works all things together for our good! (Romans
8:28) He can use the Saharan dust storm to create a spectacular sunset,
and He can shine His light through us and from us (John 1:9; 8:12)
to overcome the darkness of this evil world!
Copyright 2025 Laurie Collett
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
Photo by Laurie Collett 2025 |
Saturday, June 14, 2025
A Godly Legacy: Fearing God, Worshipping Him, Obeying Him
Saturday, June 7, 2025
What Do You Treasure Most?
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Photo from CNN |