Burden

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." 

1 John 5:3 (NASB)

The love of God is keeping His commandments. This is not just a reference to the 10 commandments. This is a charge to obey the teachings of Jesus. Even more, Paul tells us that keeping these teachings should not be a burden! 

God help me to not only obey your teachings but for it to not be a burden to me!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Sanctify

"For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification."

1 Thessalonians 4:7 (NASB)

Sanctification is a process that comes through God. But, it only comes when we make ourselves available and accepting to it. Our impure thoughts and motives will get in the way of our sanctification process. Remind yourself today to not get in God's way! Let Him sanctify you!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Yell

"What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops."

Matthew 10:27 (NASB)

YELL it!!! Christians, we are being taught God's word for two reasons...

1st - to change us from the inside out.

2nd - to share it with others so they can too be changed from the inside out. In Matthew 10, Jesus is teaching His disciples the meaning of discipleship. He directs them to proclaim what they learn from housetops. We need to yell what we are being taught from God's word! Or stay silent out of disbelief! What will you do? (Reply)

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Evaluate

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail the test?"

2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB)

Everyday we examine ourselves! Think about it...

When you get ready, you examine yourself in the mirror to evaluate if your ready to present yourself to the world. Let God's Word be a "mirror" for you as you evaluate yourself spiritually. See if your ready to present your spiritual self to the world today!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Perfecter

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)

Just what I need! An Author and Perfecter! As the Author, Jesus is the One with the idea and the One who "wrote" what faith is all about. As the Perfecter, Jesus helps me perfect my faith. He has shown me faith on a Godlike level so that I can imitate His actions! Keep perfecting me, Jesus!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Worth

"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."

Romans 12:1 (NASB)

The bible tells us to worship in Spirit and in truth. Here is how we worship in spirit... We must present ourselves as holy to God. Making the choice to stay away from sin is spiritual worship! You are communicating to God and yourself that His kingdom is worth your efforts. This tells God what His "worth" is to you. And His worth equals "worth ship" or " Worship!"

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Deep

"Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,"

Hebrews 6:1 (NASB)

We tend to focus and stay on the elementary teachings of Christ. But, this can be a hindrance to our spiritual growth. There is a reason adults don't have baby formula for dinner. And the same is true for keeping an elementary teaching in our lives. Challenge yourself to get a little deeper in God's Word! Study it, don't just read it! Fall in love with God's Truth!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Time of Need

"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:16 (NASB)

Confidently, we can approach the throne of God by the graceful gift of His Holy Spirit. Think about it... our perfect and holy God has made a way for you and me to communicate to Him and to have access to His throne! Wow! And all this so that we may receive mercy and grace during our time of need. OUR TIME OF NEED!!! Thank you Lord for understanding my "time of need!"

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Peddling

"For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God."

2 Corinthians 2:17 (NASB)

I remember over 15 years ago, as a new Christian, I was going door to door sharing God's Word. I had memorized a visitation outline and felt like a salesman. I later exchanged the outline for my own personal story and it was only then that I began to see the result. God gave you and I a testimony! Lets use it! Find one person today (don't wait) to share your simple story with! Don't "sale it" just "tell it!"

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Bow

"So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB)

EVERY knee will bow! That's right! Even those who seem the furthest from God. It says, those in heaven, those on earth and it even says those under the earth. Not only bowing but CONFESSING! All this will happen to bring glory to God!!! Why wait? Bow down and confess His name today!!! Praise You God! You are holy and worthy!!!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Important

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."

Philippians 2:3-4 (NASB)

Nothing from selfishness? NOTHING? Ouch! I've got my work load for today! This scripture teaches that we must act in humility by placing others first.  It teaches us to look out for other people's interest along with our own! In fact, MORE!!!

 "God, help us to put those around us first today!"

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Press On

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:14 (NASB)

A few things need to be acknowledged concerning this scripture...

1. The call of God is a prize.

2. We need to set God's call as a goal in our lives.

3. We are expected to stand firm and press on toward this call.

Ask God to teach you how to comprehend and live these out.

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Carry

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."

Galatians 5:16 (NASB)

If you are like me, there are times when you tend to carry out the desires of your flesh. We fail, we fall and we run from God's will at times in our lives. But, God's Word says that by walking by the Spirit we can keep from carrying out the desires of our flesh. Do you struggle sometimes? When your struggle arises walk away from it and walk in the Spirit. How? Place God's Word in front of you and talk to your Creator!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Need

"But whoever has the worlds goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?"

1 John 3:17 (NASB)

When our brothers and sisters in Christ are in need, we are quick to say, "I will pray for you." But, how willing are we to open our hearts to them and be their answered prayer? When you pray for each other ask God how He can use you to meet their need. 

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Excersize

"for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

1 Timothy 4:8 (NASB)

It's very healthy to take care of our earthly bodies. Walking, running, working out, etc. are all great for us here and now but what about eternity? What about the health of ours and others eternal lives? Plan a workout routine with God's Word and begin exercising your godliness!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Puny

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;"

Romans 8:26 (NASB)

Be reminded today...

Our great prayers are not impressive to God and our weak prayers are not puny to Him. The Holy Spirit that lives inside of us is our translator. He communicates what our hearts desire are even beyond our brain's capacity. Thank Him today for interceding on your behalf!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Content

"But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either."

1 Timothy 6:6-7 (NASB)

We must realize the sufficiency of what we have. Becoming content is not an "overnight" decision. We must wrestle and reason with it. We serve a God who is willing to reveal our discontentment to us and we can pray for His guidance. Have a blessed and content day!

In His Grip, 

Ace Alexander

Escape

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NASB)

Too often we linger around our obvious temptations. We, "test the waters!" Maybe our "water testing" covers up our way of escape. God is faithful and we need to be faithful to acknowledge His provision and not cover it up. Christian's, we need to become aware of our "ways of escape!" God help us!!!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Control

"For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;"

2 Corinthians 5:14

Notice, this scripture does not say, "Christ controls us." It say His love controls us. How do we let love control us? 

1st - We accept it!

2nd - We show love to others!

Love someone with Christ's love today and be controlled by His love!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Wind

"And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Matthew 14:29-30

How often does the "wind" mess you up? What kinds of "wind" do you begin to see in your life that cause you to become fearful and sink? It is one thing to have the faith to ask God to use you like Peter did but it is another to stay focused on Christ and look past your "winds." Ask God to use you today and ask Him to calm the "winds" or distractions in your way! Thank you Lord for being willing to use me!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Win

"For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;"

1 Corinthians 9:19-20

Paul will do whatever it takes to share Christ with others. Have you ever shared your faith with anyone? God gave you a testimony/story to share. How willing are you? Would you build relationships with people with the intent to share Christ with them? God wants to use you to win others!!!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Invest

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

Matthew 13:44

Selling everything and investing it all into something else takes a lot of faith. God calls us Christians to put our interests and energy into His kingdom. And to do so with joy! Have you invested into Heaven? Heaven has invested into you!!! Thank you Jesu for your sacrifice!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Reject

"For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8

We have the conscious choice to live in our sanctification. To live for the purpose of purity! Don't reject God by making impure decisions. The Holy Spirit will help us to live holy!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Rubbish

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,"

Philippians 3:7-8

Paul speaks of a personal experience to the topic of being worldly. Paul gave up everything to follow Christ. Like the disciple who followed Jesus we too need to have a willing attitude toward God. Do you count everything as "rubbish" in comparison to Christ? Everything?

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander

Humble

"Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Philippians 2:8

Look at it closely! GOD, the Creator of everything, humbled Himself. Wow! The One person who doesn't need to be humbled, did so to give you and me eternal life! Thank Jesus for His humility that has changed your life!

In His Grip,

Ace Alexander