Andrew Miller wrote, "There is no humility so deep and real as that which the knowledge of grace produces."  Jesus' half-brother James and the Apostle Peter said it this way, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 & 1 Peter 5:5).
Humility is the sixth "grace" of 2010.  I...

Theodore Parker wrote, "Justice is the idea of God; the ideal of men: the rule of conduct writ in the nature of mankind."
Idea of God:  For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him (Isaiah 30:18).  God is the originator of that concept.
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"Lovingkindness or Grace"
Several years ago God revealed to me that every time I see lovingkindness in the Scriptures I should replace it with grace.  I went through my Bible and did so.
I find it interesting that several versions of the Bible use lovingkindness in the Old Covenant,...

Monday, September 6, 2010, we celebrated Labor Day in the USA.  It is an annual day set aside to honor all those who labor and work hard in our nation.  Of course, not everyone got to take a holiday.  Some people had to keep the country running smoothly, such as fire fighters, police, hospital workers, and our military personnel.
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Last week I bought one of Agatha Christie's mystery novels, Nemesis.  At the end of Chapter 2, she wrote: "Let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness like an everlasting stream. Amos."  How clever of God to give confirmation in such an unique way concerning the subject I was writing for this article! 
The Old Covenant prophet Amos warned the people about straying from God's...

In the beginning God created the continent we call North America. Although Native people, mis-named Indians, were living here when the first European settlers arrived in the 1600's, the land was eventually named America, for Amerigo Vespucci (instead of Christopher Columbus). As more people came and settled here, thirteen English colonies were established. After we declared our independence from Britain in 1776, those thirteen became our first states in the new nation ~ the United...

The month of June is full of Flag Day, Father's Day, the Summer Soltice, weddings and anniversaries.  Because it is hard to choose one topic, I will continue with the grace words for 2010 ~ righteousness.  However, we can think on these things: God is our heavenly Father, who is also Jehovah Nissi (His banner/flag over us), and true Believers are the Bride of Christ awaiting the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! ...

I am sitting on my screened-in back porch as I write this article about truth.  The sky is blue, the white clouds are puffy, leaves on the trees are green, and the magnolias have bloomed right in season!  The great blue herons, red cardinals, bluebirds and hummingbirds are all nesting in their usual ways.  The alligator is swimming in the lagoon, body temperature...

Friends, The last part of my message was left off, so I am writing it again.
 
According to Dr. Myron Ausburger, evangelical faith recognizes God's saving, transforming, forgiving and enabling grace.  Faith and grace are always intertwined.  By grace, through faith!  "Faith is saying 'Amen' to God," wrote Merv Rosell.
Amen!  In His Grace, Anne Grace
(All quotes other than the Bible are taken from "The Encyclopedia of Religious Quotations" published by Frank S. Mead in 1965.)

In January, after God revealed, "Grace is the theme for 2010," I listed six graces for this year: truth, faith, lovingkindness, justice, righteousness, humility.  This message is about faith.
There is only one time in my life that I can remember my faith being super strong.  In July 1977 I prayed about whether or not my father would die, following a heart attack.  God had surprised me two weeks earlier by telling me something He wanted me to do, when I...

We lived in St. Louis, Missouri on and off from 1985 til 1996.  During that time we felt the results of the earth shifting along the New Madrid fault line in the "bootheel" of the state.  More recently, my husband and I visited our daughter and family who live near St. Louis.  Early one morning I awoke with the bed shaking, and I knew what it was ~ an earthquake!  This time, however, it was from an east-west fault line in Indiana.
An...

When I was a teenager our church choir sang this song: "Lovely appear over the mountains, the feet of them who preach and bring good news of peace."  It was based upon Isaiah 52:7 ~ "How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"
The dictionary defines appear as "become or be visible; be evident; present oneself...

This morning in my Quiet Time with God, He revealed to my heart, "Grace is the theme for 2010!"  Because 5 is the Hebrew numerical value for the word grace, I believe there are 6 "graces" in 2010 (Count them).  May we come to know and understand what grace means for our lives this year.  One definition of grace (charis) is "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life."
John the beloved disciple and apostle wrote, concerning Jesus:  "And the...

"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is a hymn sung to usher in the Advent season of Christ's birth.  Advent is a Latin word meaning "to come," and is celebrated each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, with candles, a wreath, and Scriptures.  "O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransome captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here, Until the Son of God appear.  Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel!"  (A 9th Century Hymn).
All Christians, and even...

Everytime I read a newspaper or watch the news on TV there is another bank robbed, a rape committed, a gunman on a rampage, or a terrorist's bomb has killed people.  I say, "Post the Big 10 again!"
God gave Moses 10 Commandments by which the Israelites were to govern themselves (Exodus 20).  If they followed these rules, their society would flourish and they would be safe.  When Jesus came to reveal the Kingdom, He condensed them into two, but He...