"The Present Age" 6-15-06

Good morning, Lord Jesus. The closer I get to You, the closer I want to be. The more of I see of Your glory, the more I see how far I fall short of Your glory and how much I need You and Your grace every day. But here You are -- answering my need and my desire. ... "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:11-14). There is a present age and there is an age to come. While I wait with eager anticipation for the age to come, I don't want to be passive or complacent about my part in my generation of the present age. By Your grace and love, You desire to bring "salvation to all" and then to convict us and redeem us from "all iniquity" as You purify us and empower us to live our lives for Your glory and Your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. As the body of Christ on earth, being cleansed from our sins and being filled with Your Spirit, we are created and called to be "the manifestation of glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." We wait for the hope of Your coming, but at the same time, we embrace the coming of Your kingdom and Your nature in our lives now. This is "the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Thank You, Lord, for saving me and forgiving me. Thank You for purifying me and redeeming me. Thank You for convicting me of my need for Your grace every day. Thank You for calling me and empowering me to keep welcoming the glory of Your presence in my heart and my life a little more each day. Make me more "zealous for good deeds" for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done in my life and through my life for the hope of Your glory. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe, or to order my teaching and prayer dvd's and cd's for spiritual transformation through inner healing and deliverance, please send a note to me at Messiah Ministries MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord." Address: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, Kentucky 40502. http://www.messiah-ministries.org Daily archives: http://morningbymorning.injesus.com Come to The Fountain This Friday Night 6/16 -- the 3rd Friday night of every month at 7 pm for our citywide gathering for prayer and worship in the chapel at Centenary United Methodist, 2800 Tates Creek Rd in Lexington. All are welcome!