JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verses are Ephesians 2:8 and 9.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.

Grace reflects the outpouring of a generous God toward us.

God’s grace is the gift that is a life-saver for us. We cannot earn this grace on human merit. We cannot buy this grace with all of our money. But we can receive this grace through faith in the name of Jesus. He came to save us from our sins. That mission was accomplished at the cross and empty grave.

John 1:11 says about Jesus, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to receive God’s grace as the most valuable gift we could ever have in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is “Gift.”

A gift is a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.

Some gifts are priceless, such as the grace of God. We cannot put a monetary value on grace. It is the gift that saves our soul and lasts forever.

Ephesians 2:8 says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

We cannot buy God’s grace with money or earn God’s grace by good works, but we can receive it as a gift, and enjoy a relationship with God that lasts forever. Revelation 22:21 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” That is how the Bible ends, and how things will be in the picture of eternity.

Find encouragement in the gift of God’s grace in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on Isaiah 9:6.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.”

The birth of Jesus to the world 2,000 years ago means that we were offered a gift. Jesus is God’s gift to the world to free us from the penalty of sin and to give us a new place in His family of believers. Fear of death or the future no longer has to paralyze us from enjoying life today. Eternal life is the promise of hope for everyone who receives the gift that God offered on that first Christmas morning.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death….” That is what we deserve by our disobedient actions. But when grace enters the picture, our sins are no longer counted against us. The second part of Romans 6:23 says, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Receiving the gift of Jesus as Lord and Savior is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the gift of God’s love.

John 3:16 is one of the most quoted verses of the Bible. It’s a fitting verse for the Christmas season and the Easter season. It’s a fitting verse to describe how someone can be born again into the family of God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Here we see God’s love freely given to us as a gift through Jesus Christ. For a gift to be a gift, there needs to be a giver and a receiver. God clearly gave. That gift is ours to receive. This is why the Christmas season is so special among those who receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. We recognize that without the treasure of God’s grace, we would be lost in our sin and without God because sin separates us from God. But when Jesus enters our world, His light invades the darkness of our soul. Despair is replaced with hope. Doubt and fear are replaced with faith. Selfishness is replaced by love. In Jesus, we find the freedom to experience abundant and eternal life with Him. God invites us to say “Yes” to His invitation to live with Him forever.

The gift of God’s love through Jesus Christ is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the graciousness of God.

Grace is that quality of God’s character that ultimately saves us from our sins and gives us eternal life. It is not an item we can purchase or a wage that we can earn. Ephesians 2:8 describes God’s grace as a gift to be received. In His grace, God shines His favor on His people.

The graciousness of God can be seen in the blessings that He pours out on the inhabitants of the earth. He sends rain from heaven to provide us with food from the crops.

His graciousness is often connected with His patience and kindness.

Instead of wiping out the civilization of Nineveh, as He had threatened through Jonah the prophet, the LORD saw how they had turned from their evil ways and had compassion on them. Likewise, God’s graciousness relents from the judgment that we deserve when we repent from our sins and trust in Jesus for forgiveness

God’s graciousness also equips the believer with spiritual gifts. He blesses us to be a blessing to others through acts of service. First Peter 4:10 tells us to use whatever gift we have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

The graciousness of God is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Jesus would be born as God’s gift to us.

This promise appears in Isaiah 9:6-“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince Of Peace.”

Jesus is the expression of God’s grace. He is not a trophy to earn, but a gift to receive. Over and over in the Bible, we are told that God’s grace is a gift to receive and is necessary for eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, “It is by grace you have been saved through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”

And Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This Christmas, there is not a more complete package with greater, long-lasting value than to receive the gift of God’s grace in the person of Jesus Christ.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

The promise that Jesus would be born as God’s gift to us is a lesson of faith worth remembering.