the mercy and grace of God

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Stop! Get ready! This could be the day of a new beginning for you! Do you believe that’s possible? Everything happens on some day. There was a day you were born. You had nothing to do with it. There was a day you started school. There may have been a day you got married or had your first child. There could be hundreds of events that have transpired in your life—all happening on a day. So, why not let today be the day that something new begins in your life?

Maybe you’re tired with certain areas of behavior and attitude in your life and are desperate for change. Maybe you’ve been thinking about things you know you need to change—things the Lord has been dealing with you about but you never seem to get past the thinking about it.

We all know we could be in a better place IF, if we would just change some of the things we’ve thought about that we know should be changed. The question is, how do you do it? How do you get there?

First it begins by having faith in Jesus as your Savior and then understanding that His word—the Bible, is a letter from Him to you to be discovered. It is a covenant between Him and you as a believer. It is a declaration of His love and will for your life. And it is a book of promises—life-changing promises written to you. It is your source of hope and promise toward the life and blessings He has destined for you.

The Bible is filled with promises just like the one you see in Psalms 145:18. “The LORD is near unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth (meaning sincerely.”) You might have believed that the Lord was a billion miles away, but the truth is revealed in this promise. The Lord is near to you today! If you call out to Him with expectation to reveal Himself to you somehow. He will through His Word and in other ways!

To make changes in your life and to get to or to get back to a place where you have been close to the Lord, will take a faith-filled decision and action on your part to get there. The faith-filled decision and action will be to pray and seek Him in faith. It will call for repentance if needed, and then receiving the forgiveness by faith that God promises if you need it. Then truly believe He will respond to you because He says He is near.

This simple step can be the beginning of meaningful changes in your life. It could become the beginning of changes in your day-to-day routine or disciplines (or lack of them.) It might be the beginning of spending time with Him in His word and in prayer. It may be the first step in replacing something good with something that steals your time and from your life. I may be the first step to a healthier lifestyle. I remember many years ago I would spend 30 minutes every daily reading a newspaper that only made me feel like I had wasted my time—yet I did it every day. I finally came to the day when I told the Lord I was sorry for wasting those 30 precious minutes every day. I made a change to spending more time in God’s word and prayer. I was immediately edified and encouraged and loved that I was spending extra time praying for others. You may already know exactly what the Lord is dealing with you about it. It will take a a faith-filled decision and action on your part to get there!

You may have thought many times about making some particular change in your life but terrified that you just wouldn’t be able to do it. After all, hadn’t you tried to make changes many times before and failed? What will be different about this time? Trust me when I tell you that these kinds of thoughts are from the pit of Hell. You can do it! God has made His grace (His supernatural help) available to you. His grace is the empowering of your spirit by the Holy Spirit to supply you with what you need to take that step toward change. It may be inner strength. It may be a resource that suddenly shows up at your door. Whatever it is, let God know and stand in faith for it. Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Romans 5:2 (KJV) says, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” And Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Renee and I had been talking for over six months about the need to change and develop a consistent exercise routine. We wanted to get some strength-building equipment in our home. We have an elliptical machine but wanted to work on building muscle. We began to pray about it. We could have simply went out and bought something but we like to pray and have God lead us in our purchases whenever it’s possible. A few months after we had been praying about this, I get a call from an old friend I hadn’t talked to for years. He sells exercise equipment and offered to sell me something at half the cost because I had done a few things for him in the past! We consider that God’s help and blessing!

As you begin to take a bold new step in faith toward changes you know God wants you to make, let your steps become empowered by God’s grace. In the story of Joshua taking the people of God into the Promised Land, they came to the Jordan River. God told them to take a step into the river. As soon as they took that first step and touched the water, it parted and let them walk through. Joshua 3:14-16 “When the people set out to cross the Jordan, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. Now it was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water began backing up and piling up at a town upstream… Then all the people crossed over near the city of Jericho.”

Today can be the day for you! You can take that first step in faith and watch God work in your life—the beginning of your new and better place in the Lord as His grace and power continue the good word He has started in you!

Philippians 1:6 (NLT) “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt