Are you confused and frustrated trying to live the Christian life, trying to keep the law, trying to live by religious rules and regulations, working towards perfection?  Many Christians are, and therein lies the problem.  Christians trying instead of resting and abiding in Jesus Christ, the only one who can live the Christian life. 

So many don’t understand that we need a life, not a list.  Jesus intentionally set a standard that we could never achieve.  Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  (Matt 5:20)

It was not a challenge to try harder, but a challenge to give up.  Jesus wanted us to see that a righteousness that would please God is unattainable.  He came along and raised the bar so high that all men would give up trying to jump over it.  Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

Well, there it is!  Abide in Him, and all that He is and has is yours, just as the branch receives the full life of the Vine.  Don’t abide, and you will immediately be in the flesh.  It doesn’t matter if your flesh is educated, rich, respected, admired, or refined.  It is still flesh.  The world has so many ways by which it appraises man.  But among Christians we have only one way…to abide or not, to be spiritual or carnal, that is our struggle. 

When we are abiding, there is no one better than us.  At that moment we are an earthly vessel, an instrument in the hands of God, with a perfect life, His life, flowing in and through us.  It doesn’t get any better than that.

I love the following story.  A professional violinist, a master musician announced before a concert that he would play one of the world’s most expensive violins.  His first composition was played flawlessly, and the audience was thrilled at the performance.

After taking his bows, the musician suddenly smashed the instrument, completely demolishing it.  The audience was horrified—that is, until the violinist explained that he had been playing an inexpensive violin.

Then, picking up the expensive instrument, the virtuoso began to draw the bow across the strings.  The sound was beautiful, but most of the people couldn’t tell any difference between the music from the expensive violin and the inexpensive one.  The quality of the instrument was secondary to the skill of the Master.

It’s something like that in our service for the Lord.  If we are abiding instruments yielded to Him, He will produce beautiful music through us. 

LIFE LESSON:  The Word of God tells us “to abide in Him” and “to offer our bodies to Him as instruments of righteousness.” By so doing, like that violin, we can be instruments in the Master’s Hands and be used to magnify the Lord and bring blessing to others.  Thank you so much for your prayers, partnership, and financial support.  You have proven again and again that we are “in this together” and for that we are so very grateful.

Thank you for partnering with this ministry through your prayers and financial support.  

Growing in His Grace

While dealing with a problem and some spiritual warfare back in 2005, a friend sent me this note from God, and it’s too good not to share.

“I am God.  Today I will be handling all of your problems.  Please remember that I do not need your help.  If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it.  Kindly put it in the SFJD box, (something for Jesus to do).  It will be addressed in MY TIME, not yours”

“Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it or remove it.  Holding on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem.  If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer to be sure it is the proper resolution.”

“Because I do not sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep yourself.  Rest, my child.  If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away.  You see, not only am I God, but I am your Father.  And I will always take care of all your problems.”

After reading this Note From God many powerful scripture verses flooded my mind confirming this message.  

“Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

( Matt 11:28)  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)

“Apart from Him I can do nothing.” (John 15:5)   “For it is God that works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”  (Phil 2:13)

I was compelled to write a “mental note” back to God, letting Him know that I get it.

NOTE TO GOD

“Thank You Lord God for handling all my problems.  I love You and praise You and worship You with all my heart.  You are mighty and wonderful and worthy to be praised!”  And all God’s people said “Amen!”

LIFE LESSON:   “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5,6)  Do you remember the acronym WWJD…What Would Jesus Do?  From now on how about Watch What Jesus Does!

Get it?  Got it?  Good!  Make a note of it.

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We need both to meet the ministry obligations.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father.  When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows.  An empty chair sat beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

“I guess you were expecting me,” he said.

“No, who are you? said the father.

“I’m the new minister at your church,” he replied.  “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”

“Oh, yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man.  “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, the minister shut the door. 

The old man continued, “I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter, but all my life I have never known how to pray.  At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head.  I abandoned any attempt at prayer until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus.  Here is what I suggest.  Sit down in a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair.’

‘It’s not spooky because Jesus promised, “I’ll be with you always.” Then just speak to Him in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’  So, I tried it, and I liked it so much that I talk to Jesus this way a couple of hours every day.  I’m careful though.  If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’s either going to have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”

The minister was deeply moved by the old man’s story and encouraged him to continue on the journey.  Then the minister prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.  Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy died that afternoon.  “Did he die in peace?” he asked.

“Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek.  When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead.  But there was something strange about his death.  Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the empty chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?”

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “This is good.  Oh, I wish we could all go like that.”

LIFE LESSON:  Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest…learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.”  (Matt 11:28,29)   Rest in the Lord!

Have you talked to Jesus today?

Thank you for partnering with this ministry through your prayers and financial support.  

Growing in His Grace

Before you were born again, did you ever ask what you would need to do to become a Christian, and were told there’s nothing to do, just accept the gift?  But then after accepting this gift of salvation you were told what you need to do to live the Christian life.  Have you ever been told to be Christ-like, to live as Christ did on earth, to live by all of Jesus’ teaching in the gospels?  That is an impossibility for any of us, since no one can live the Christian life except Jesus.   

Example: Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, you have heard it said, do not murder.  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother and calls him a name shall be in judgment for murder.  And whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, to love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us.  He tells us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.  Ask yourself… who can do that?  (References: Matt 5:21-48)  

 The Sermon on the Mount is an unattainable goal for the human race to attain through their own efforts.  It is however a promise of what will happen in us when Jesus Christ has changed our nature, by putting His own nature in us at salvation.   

All of our Lord’s teaching while here on earth, including the gospels, was teaching under the law of the Old Testament because He had not died on the cross yet.  Hebrews 9:16-17 (NASB) makes it very clear.  “For where a covenant is (also known as a will or testament), there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.  For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.” Jesus’ teachings, including the Sermon on the Mount were before His death on the cross.  

Are you getting the picture here?  All of Jesus’ teaching was meant to be applied to the new life He puts within you at salvation.  His life!  No one can live the “Christian life” apart from Jesus, living in and through you.  Jesus makes this perfectly clear when He said “I am the vine; you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Many Christians don’t understand that we need a life, not a list.  It is easier to follow a list of do’s or don’ts, but a challenge to yield to the new life within.  Yielding is about a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ living His life in and through us.  (Life on the vine.) 

Believing by faith that your old life is gone and your new life is now hidden with Christ in God is the truth of God’s Word.  The temptation we have however is to add our own worldly abilities, talents, and skills to the mix, so that it is no longer Jesus Christ plus nothing, it becomes Jesus Christ plus us and all of our good works.  Remember, Romans 3:12 tells us, “…no one does good, not even one.”  Now, the Lord does work through our talents and personalities, but it’s Him.  That’s “The mystery of our faith, Christ in us the hope of glory.”  (Col. 1:27)  What an amazing God!

LIFE LESSON:  If you are a born again believer, you have been given the very nature of Jesus Christ.  You are a new creation.  It is not up to you to improve yourself, but to recognize and apply the truth concerning your new identity.  The fact is there is nothing we can do to become more right with God.  It has all been taken care of by Jesus Christ on the cross.  Our place is simply to receive His gift and then abide in the reality of His indwelling life.  Jesus Christ is not only in your life; Jesus Christ is your life.  It’s not about our good works, it’s Jesus Christ plus nothing.  Mature and grow in Him.  

Thank you for partnering with this ministry through your prayers and financial support.  Happy father’s day to all our fathers. 

Growing in His Grace

“Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.” ( Col 2:7) NLT

There is a plant in the Far East called the Moso.  You put the seed in the ground; water and fertilize it the first year, and nothing comes out of the ground.  You continue each year, watering and fertilizing but nothing comes out.  Until at the end of the fifth year, it starts to grow at a rate of two and a half feet per day.  In six weeks it reaches heights of ninety feet.  It’s a form of bamboo, and it’s the favorite food of the Panda Bear.  But the question is, what was going on for five years?                     Answer?  Roots!                              

The first five years were spent growing roots to support the exponential growth.

For the Christian it’s the same way for the renewing of our mind.  It takes time to grow roots in the Word of God.

Remember the timetables in school?  3×3, 4×4, etc.?  Believe it or not, we studied those timetables for six to eight weeks in the third grade.  My son on a bad day said, 8 x 8 was 56; on a good day, 8 x 8 was 72.  But after six to eight weeks of repetition, when you ask him 8×8, he tells you 64 without any hesitation.

Let me ask you another question.  What is 2×2 or 5×5 or 3×3?  Did you notice how quickly you responded with the answer?  Proves to me you have been in the third grade.  And some of you haven’t been there for many years.

Repetition and time is the key to learning and GROWING ROOTS.

One last question…are you rooted in Jesus Christ, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us?  “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit.”  (Isaiah 11:1)  

The last words of the Apostle Peter to the church before his death were for us to    “… grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 3:18) The Greek translation of the word “grow” signifies continuing action.  One church leader puts it this way, “Growth is the only evidence of life.  When you are green, you grow; when you are ripe, you rot.”                                                 

 LIFE LESSON:  Keep Growing Roots in the Lord, Jesus Christ, the tree of life, the one true vine.  Jesus said, “I am the true vine, you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in Him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.”      (John 15:5)  Thank you Jesus!  And all God’s people said “Amen!”

Thank you for partnering with this ministry through your prayers and financial support.  To God be the glory, both now and forevermore.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Growing in His Grace,

Len Baker 

“It is no great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare achievement.”  

A frog came up with an idea of placing a long stick between the mouths of two Canadian geese flying south for the winter so he could fly along, holding onto the middle of the stick with his mouth.  A few hundred miles into the journey someone flying by in a small open air airplane notices and remarks, “I wonder who thought of this bright idea?”  The frog couldn’t resist and proudly proclaimed by opening his mouth and shouting, “It was Me-e-e-e-e!”   Pride cometh before the fall.          

Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; because nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself.  Just like the frog.

Pride, more than Satan, himself, is a “master of disguise.”  Did you know that depression is almost always disguised pride?  It is a reaction to feelings such as “It is such a shock that I cannot be perfect or control myself and others, and I am doing such a bad job of imitating God.”

Self-hatred is also pride.  How can one hate himself unless he has fallen from the lofty image that he had of his own self?

Jealously…hating our unrighteousness…obsession on failure…rejection…the feeling that we don’t deserve anything…expecting the worst…being negative are all forms of pride.  See how pride is the “master of disguise”?

Now, on the other hand if you are looking for an example of humility, just look at the cross.  Humility was a quality prized by the early Christians.  However, it was not considered a virtue in the ancient Greek and Roman world.  Those cultures esteemed power and authority rather than lowliness, which was only considered appropriate for slaves.  This is one reason why Jesus was such a counter-cultural figure in His day.  “Being by nature God, He emptied Himself of divine privileges, took the form of a slave, being made in the likeness of man, and humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death on the cross.”  (Phil 2:6-8) Jesus is the perfect example of humility; and as His followers, we are called to walk in His footsteps.  

It seems that the Apostle Paul’s thorn in the flesh was sent to humble him so that he might not exalt himself as a result of the great revelations given to him by God.  Paul’s first desire was to have the thorn removed, and he asked the Lord three times that it might be taken away.  The answer came to him that the trial was a blessing and that through the weakness and humiliation that it brought, the grace and strength of the Lord could be better revealed.  Paul then wrote: “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, for when I am weak, I am strong.”  (II Cor 12:9, 10)

LIFE LESSON:  God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. Don’t be like that prideful F.R.O.G.  But in humility Faithfully Rely On God.  Case closed! 

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  God loves you and so do we at GIGM.  Hang in there!  This, too, shall pass. 

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Growing in His Grace,

Len Baker 

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm.  He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target.  Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back, he saw Grandma’s pet duck.  Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it.  He was shocked and grieved.  In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching.  Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”  But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.”  Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?  So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.”  Sally just smiled and said, “Well that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.”  She whispered again, “Remember the duck?”

So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.  After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer.  He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.  Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know.  You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing.  But because I love you, I forgave you.  I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done, know that the devil will keep throwing it up in your face, “remember this, or remember that”, but know also that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.  He has seen your whole life.  God wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.  He’s just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that our sins and lawless acts He will REMEMBER NO MORE.  (Hebrews 10:17) It is by God’s Grace and Mercy that we are saved.

LIFE LESSON:  We are not in a power encounter with the devil; we are in a truth encounter.  And God’s Word tells us very clearly that once you know the truth, the truth will set you free. (John 8:32)…REMEMBER NO MORE  “… no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 8:1) Thank you Jesus!

Doxology (oral expression of praise and glorification to God) “To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more!  Amen.”        (Jude 24, 25)

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We need both to meet the ministry obligations.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  Oh, by the way, have a blessed Easter celebration next month with family and friends…HE IS RISEN!!

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Growing in His Grace,

Len Baker

First, God gave the Ten Commandments, followed by the Law.  Some people, at least in their own estimation, kept them.  They didn’t understand that we need a life, not a list.  Jesus intentionally set a standard that we could never achieve.  Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  (Matthew 5:20)

It was not a challenge to try harder to succeed, but a challenge to give up trying.  He wanted us to see that a righteousness that would please God is unattainable!  He came along and raised the bar so high that all men would give up trying to jump over it.  Jesus said, “I am the Vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me, you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

Well, there it is!  Abide in Him, and all that He is and has is yours, just as the branch receives the full life of the Vine. Don’t abide, and you will immediately be in the flesh (carnal living).  It doesn’t matter if your flesh is educated, rich, respected, admired, or refined.  It is still flesh.  The world has so many classes by which it appraises man.  But among Christians we have only one class struggle…to abide or not, to be spiritual or carnal, that is our struggle.  To make sub classes out of the carnal or the spiritual is ignorance rooted in ego, and pride.  Remember EGO is Edging God Out.

It may surprise some to discover that success has nothing to do with what you have and everything to do with who you have.  

When we are abiding in Christ, there is no one better than us.  At that moment we are an earthly vessel with a perfect life, His life, flowing in and through us.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  “God made Him who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”  (II Cor 5:21).  So, remember, there are two ways in which you can go about your Christian life.  The first is to depend entirely on your self-efforts, and the other to depend completely on the life of Christ within. Remember, the source of life for the branch comes exclusively from the vine!

God has promised never to leave us or forsake us, and it is His presence, not our works, awards, trophies, titles, or accomplishments that make us successful.  “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”  (I John 5:12)  It is all about Him…

LIFE LESSON:  STAY CONNECTED.  “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”  All that is needed for success will come as we abide in Jesus, remain in Jesus, and trust in Jesus.  “Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”  Well, Amen!

We appreciate your continued prayer and financial support.  We need both to meet the ministry obligations.  Thank you for your faithfulness and partnership in the Kingdom’s work.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Growing in His Grace,

Len Baker

Understanding your identity (who you are in Christ) is absolutely essential to your success in living the Victorious Christian life.  Do you know who you are?  Example:  I am no longer a sinner saved by grace.  Now please don’t get me wrong!  I was a sinner saved by grace; but now as a born again believer, I am a saint; (that’s what Paul calls me in Ephesians 1:1) who occasionally sins.  Which begs the question:  how do we manage sin in our life?

The first thing we must not forget is our new identity.  We are a new creation in Christ (II Cor 5:17).   We have been crucified with Christ, and we no longer live.     (Gal 2:20).  The core of our being is our spirit.  We know that we died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).  As new creations in Christ, we hate sin.  

If we think of ourselves as sinners, and concentrate on not sinning, then that is exactly what we will do (that’s what Paul says in Romans 7:16-23).  Further, by thinking of ourselves as sinners, we will put ourselves under the law which will definitely lead to sinning, “the power of sin is in the law.” (I Cor 15:56)

Here’s a question for us:  can we sin when we walk in the spirit?  No, because Jesus is in control.  This is called abiding in Christ.  Every thought we have will be a holy thought while we are abiding in Him.

While abiding in Christ, sin has no power over us.  Jesus’ life has freed us from this power.  When we sin or experience the temptation to sin, we confess what happened, praise Him for the forgiveness He provided at the cross, and move on.  Satan would like to immobilize us and bury us with guilt and condemnation so that we are useless to Jesus.  Remember, there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Rom 8:1).

Either we are depending entirely on Christ or we are not.  Remember, it’s no longer I.  When our lifestyle is absorbed into our intimacy with Him, victory is the natural expression of His life.

 It is impossible for us to experience victory by trying harder; victory only comes by trusting Him.  It is impossible to overcome sin or temptation by setting our mind on it.  We need to set our mind on Christ; if we set our mind on sin, we will never know victory.  It will perpetuate defeat, because it focuses on behavior.  The Christian walk is not about behavior; it is all about abiding in Christ.

 LIFE LESSON:   Jesus was our substitute on the cross, and now He wants to be our substitute for life. He doesn’t make us better; He is our better.  Christianity is not a self-improvement; it’s a self-replacement, Christ living His life in and through us.   It is no longer I!

Thank you for your prayers, faithfulness, and support.  May God continue to bless you, your family, and this ministry in this New Year.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.

Growing in His Grace,

Len Baker

            The name Jesus means “God is salvation” and signifies the purpose for which this child came—to be our Savior.

            Imagine a gospel that tells you to believe in Jesus, to be all you need for salvation.  Then imagine a gospel that tells you to believe in Jesus, to be all you need for everything else.  That would be a Christmas gift like no other!

            The Apostles asked Jesus in John 6:28, 29, “What must we do to do the work of God?”  Jesus answered, “The work of God is this:  to believe in the one whom He has sent.”

            What if the Jesus that tells you to love your neighbor will be the one to love your neighbor through you?  What if the Jesus that tells you to serve others will be the one to serve others through you?  Wow, that would be almost unbelievable!

            The   Bible never says, “You trying harder is the hope of glory.”  It says,  “Christ in you is the hope of glory.”

            Jesus is the only one that can be Jesus!  Jesus is the only one who can live the Christian life.  And He will live His life in and through every born again believer.  Believe it.

            Remember in Mark 9: 14-24, Jesus is asked by the father of a demon possessed son, “If you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

            Jesus said: “What do you mean if I can help?”  Then Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

            LIFE LESSON:   Jesus is the Christmas gift to the whole world.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Jesus died on the cross for us, to give His life to us, to live His life through us.  Jesus doesn’t make us better; Jesus is our better.  Oh, what a gift for all who receive and believe it!  

            Merry Christmas from all of us at Growing in Grace Ministries.  

Please remember to keep us in mind as you pray about your year-end giving.   Thank you for your prayers and faithfulness and may God continue to bless you, your family, and this ministry in the New Year to come.

Check out our landing page www.thegalatianroad.com.  Note that all our materials are now available worldwide and can be downloaded and printed for use.