Good News Only – Seeds of Grace by Gerry Watts (Guest Author)
Each week Gerry shares a message of Good News Only- rooted in God’s Word and centered on the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
In a world often filled with discouragement and uncertainty, these weekly posts are meant to lift your eyes to what is true; unchanging, and life-giving.
Whether you’re starting your week or needing a moment of renewal, we invite you to spend time here and be strengthened in your faith.
“The words I have spoken to you, they are full of the Spirit and life” – John 6:63
Most Recent Good News!
Romans 12:1-2
The Gospel Transforms Lives!
September 13, 2026
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
Romans 12:1-2 is one of those passages that brings together what God has done for us and how we are then called to live.
These two verses become even richer when we see them as the hinge between everything Paul has taught about salvation and the practical life that flows from it.
1. “Therefore, in view of God’s mercy…”
The word “therefore” is enormous. Paul is essentially saying, Look back at everything God has done before you decide how you are going to live.
Romans 1-11 tells the story: humanity is trapped in sin, yet God provides righteousness through faith in Christ. We are justified, reconciled, united with Christ, freed from condemnation, given the Spirit, and brought into God’s family.
So Romans 12 doesn’t begin with “ Do more for God.” It begins with “Look at God’s mercy.”
Our obedience is therefore a response to grace, not a payment for grace.
2.”Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice”
Paul deliberately uses sacrificial language. But there is a fascinating difference: Christ’s sacrifice was once for all; ours is a living sacrifice.
We aren’t repeatedly dying to somehow make ourselves acceptable to God. Christ has already accomplished that.
Instead, we are saying: “Because Christ has given Himself completely for me, I now want my whole life to belong to Him.”
And notice Paul says “your bodies.” Christianity isn’t merely about what we believe intellectually. Our faith eventually shows up in what we do with our time, our words, our relationships, our work, our reactions, and even the way we treat difficult people.
The Gospel moves from the heart >the mind>the body>everyday life.
3.”Do not conform …but be transformed”
I think this is one of the deepest contrasts in the passage.
Conformity means allowing something outside of us to press us into its shape.
Transformation is different. The Greek word Paul uses is metamorphoo- the idea behind our word metamorphosis. It describes a change of form.
Paul isn’t simply saying, “Stop doing bad things.”
He’s saying, “LET GOD CHANGE THE KIND OF PERSON YOU ARE BECOMING.”
And where does that transformation happen?
4. Paul says: “By the renewing of your mind.”
That’s significant because Christianity involves learning to see reality differently.
The World tells us:
”Look out for yourself.”
”Your value comes from what you accomplish.”
”Get even when someone hurts you.”
”You need what the world offers to be satisfied.”
”You are what other people think about you.”
The Gospel gives us an entirely different framework:
“You are loved by God. You are in Christ. You have received mercy. Your life belongs to God. You don’t have to live from fear, pride, comparison, or self-preservation.”
As that truth gets deeper into us, our thinking changes- and eventually our behavior follows.
5.”Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…”
This is another part we can easily overlook.
Paul isn’t merely talking about discovering God’s will for one particular decision-“Should I take this job or that job?”
He’s talking about developing the kind of mind and character that can recognize what pleases God.
In other words, transformation gives us spiritual discernment.
The more our minds are renewed by Scripture and the Spirit, the more we begin to see situations differently.
We don’t merely ask, ”What am I allowed to do?”
We begin asking: “What would please Christ here?”
That’s a much deeper level of Christian maturity.
And here’s the connection I especially love:
Romans 12:1-2 isn’t really about trying harder to become a better Christian.
It’s about living out of a new reality that God has already established through Christ.
The Cross says: “IT IS FINISHED.”
Romans 12 says: “NOW LIVE FROM WHAT CHRIST HAS FINISHED.”
So surrender isn’t an attempt to earn God’s love. It’s the response of someone who has already encountered God’s mercy.
And perhaps the deepest question of Romans 12:1-2 is not, “Am I doing enough for God?”
It is: “Am I allowing the mercy of God to reshape the way I think, the way I live, and ultimately the person I am becoming?
That’s where Romans 12 moves from simply being a command to becoming an invitation to transformation.
OUR GOD IS A BIG GOD!!!
Blessings! Gerry
Colossians 3:10
Jesus Saves: The Holy Spirit Renews!
September 6, 2026
Colossians 3:10 is a beautiful picture of what happens when Christ begins to reshape a person’s life. Paul says that believers have “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creation” (NIV).
What strikes me is the phrase “being renewed.” Paul isn’t describing a one -time makeover but an ongoing work of God. When we come to Christ, we receive a new identity, but then the Holy Spirit continually works that new identity deeper into the way we think, speak, love, and live. The goal isn’t simply to become a nicer version of ourselves – it is to increasingly become like the One who created us. There is a restoration taking place: Christ is recovering in us something that sin has distorted.
Colossians 3:10, is about “being renewed” as an ongoing process of apprenticeship to Jesus. God is changing us from the inside out – our thoughts, desires, attitudes, habits, and ultimately our character. We cooperate with Grace through practices such as prayer, Scripture, solitude, worship, and obedience, but GOD is the one doing the transforming work. The goal isn’t simply to know more about Christ; it is to become increasingly like Him.
The finished work of the cross is the foundation of the ongoing work of renewal in Colossians 3:10.
At the cross, Jesus accomplished something we could never accomplish for ourselves. Our sin was dealt with, we were reconciled to God, and in Christ we were given a New Identity. There is nothing we can add to Christ’s finished work to make ourselves more accepted by God. Our standing is settled!
But Colossians 3:10 speaks about what happens because the work is settled: “the new self … is being renewed.” In other words, God isn’t renewing us so that we can become accepted; He is renewing us because, in Christ, we already are accepted.
We place ourselves before God so that His life can increasingly become evident in us. The cross deals with the guilt and separation of sin, while the Spirit’s ongoing work deals with the power and patterns of sin in our lives.
So there is no contradiction between “It is finished” and “Being renewed.”
The cross says: “It is finished.” Colossians 3:10 says:
Now let me make you into the person that finished work has made possible.
Or, put another way:
We don’t work for what Jesus finished; we work from what Jesus finished.
That is an important distinction. Our transformation isn’t an attempt to complete the cross; it is the fruit of the cross. And ultimately, even our transformation is a work of God’s grace in us.
Grace gives us our Position in Christ.
The Spirit works that reality into our daily lives. And Colossians 3:10 reminds us that God is patient and faithful in that process.
Good News Only! OUR GOD IS A BIG GOD!
Blessings! Gerry
Isaiah 41:10
Do Not Fear for I am With You!
August 29, 2026
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
Fear rarely announces itself politely.
It shows up in the middle of the night, in a diagnosis, in a bill you can’t pay, in a relationship falling apart. God’s people in Isaiah’s day knew this kind of fear well – displaced, uncertain, wondering if they’d been forgotten.
Into that exact moment God speaks. Not a rebuke for being afraid- but a command and a reason to trust.
What strikes me is that God doesn’t simply tell us not to be afraid; He gives us the reason why: “I AM WITH YOU”.
The answer to fear isn’t primarily trying harder to become fearless; it’s becoming more aware of the One who is present with us.
And notice all the I WILLS:
I will strengthen you;
I will help you;
I will uphold you.
The weight of the promise rests on God’s faithfulness, not ours!
In Ephesians 3:14-21. Paul prays that believers would be strengthened with power through God’s Spirit in the inner person, rooted and grounded in Christ’s love.
Isaiah says, I will strengthen you.
Paul says, God can do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.
Each points us away from self-reliance and toward dependence upon God’s presence and power.
And there is something particularly comforting about “I will uphold you.” Sometimes it is simply discovering that when you don’t have the strength to hold yourself up, God is holding you. That makes Isaiah 41:10 more than a command against fear – it is an invitation to trust the character and presence of God when circumstances are bigger than you are.
“Do not fear for I am with you” may be the heart of the whole verse. The promise does not say “Nothing difficult will happen.” or “You will always feel strong” But “You will never face it alone.”
REFLECT
Where does your fear actually live right now? Is it in your own weariness, in a situation beyond your control, or in a sense that you’ve already failed? This verse doesn’t offer a single generic comfort- it meets you at whichever one is true for you today.
PRAYER
Lord, You see what I’m carrying and you haven’t turned away from it. Where I am weak, strengthen me. Where I am stuck, help me. Where I have already fallen, catch me. I don’t ask you to remove every hard thing- I ask to stay near inside it. In Jesus name, Amen.
Good News Only! OUR GOD IS A BIG GOD!
Blessings! Gerry
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Jesus IS Coming!
August 23, 2026
(13) We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. (14) For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. (15) For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (18) Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. (ESV)
Paul is addressing believers who are grieving Christians who have died.
His concern isn’t to tell them not to grieve, but to show them that Christian grief is different because death is not the end. Let’s take a closer look at these verses.
1. We do not want you to be uninformed, (13)
Paul begins with knowledge. He doesn’t simply say, Don’t worry. He gives them truth to stand on. We do not want you to be uninformed…about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. Notice that Paul doesn’t say, You shouldn’t grieve. Christianity doesn’t require us to pretend death doesn’t hurt. Jesus Himself wept at Lazarus’s tomb. The difference is that our grief is hope-filled grief.
2. Jesus died and rose again- (14)
This is the foundation of everything Paul says. The Christian hope isn’t based on optimism or the idea that everything will work out. It rests on an historical event: Jesus died. Jesus rose. Therefore those who belong to Jesus will also be raised. Paul’s argument is essentially: What happened to Jesus is the guarantee of what will happen to His people. That connects beautifully with 1Corinthians 15 and eventually with Revelation 21, where death itself is finally removed.
3. The Lord Himself will descend (16)
This is where the passage becomes especially powerful. Paul doesn’t say that we will merely experience some spiritual reality after death. He says: The Lord Himself will descend from heaven. That’s personal. The Christian hope ultimately isn’t about going somewhere. It’s about Jesus coming. There will be a shout, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. Paul is portraying the return of Christ as a magnificent, public, unmistakable event.
4. The dead in Christ will rise first (16)
This is one of the most comforting statements in the passage. Paul is saying that the believers who have died have not missed the return of Christ. In fact, they have a place in that great event. There is something wonderfully reassuring about that. The Thessalonians were apparently worried that their deceased loved ones would somehow be disadvantaged when Jesus returned. Paul says, in effect: No. They will be there. And they will be raised.
5. We who are alive…will be caught up together with them- (17).
This is the famous caught up passage. The Greek word is ( harpazo), meaning to seize, snatch, or catch away. It is where the theological term rapture comes from. But I think it’s important not to let the word rapture become bigger than Paul’s actual point. Paul emphasis isn’t primarily: Here’s a prophetic event you need to figure out. His emphasis is: You will be with Jesus-and you will be with one another. That’s the climax: And so we will always be with the Lord. That’s the Christian hope. Not merely escaping earth. Not merely surviving the end times. Not merely receiving a resurrected body. BEING WITH JESUS FOREVER.
6. Therefore encourage one another- (18)
This may be the most important verse for understanding the whole passage. Paul spends five verses describing the return of Christ, the resurrection, the gathering of believers, and the meeting with Jesus. Then he says: THEREFORE ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER WITH THESE WORDS.
Prophecy was meant to produce hope, endurance, holiness, and encouragement- not fear and speculation. And I think that’s something worth recovering in our study of Revelation and the end times. The goal isn’t to become obsessed with identifying every event in the newspaper. The goal is to become so confident that JESUS WINS, JESUS RETURNS, THE DEAD ARE RAISED, AND GOD’S PEOPLE WILL BE WITH HIM FOREVER that we can face suffering and even death without despair.
I think 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 is one of those passages that becomes even more beautiful when we read it not primarily as a timeline to decode, but as a promise to hold onto:
Jesus is coming, the dead will rise, His people will be reunited, and we will always be with Him.
Maranatha- COME, LORD JESUS.
OUR GOD IS A BIG GOD. Blessings! Gerry
2 Timothy 1:7
God gives power to stand, to love and persevere!
August 15, 2026
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
The first thing to remember is the context. The Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy while Paul is in prison and nearing the end of his life.
Timothy is a young pastor facing opposition, false teaching, and the very real possibility of persecution. Paul isn’t writing these words from a comfortable place. He’s writing them from suffering.
What does each part of this verse mean for us?
For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
The word translated as fear can also mean timidity, cowardice, or shrinking back. Paul isn’t saying that Christians will never feel afraid. Timothy almost certainly felt afraid.
Instead, Paul is reminding Timothy that fear doesn’t have to control him.
Fear says:
You’re not good enough.
You’re alone.
You’ll fall.
You should remain silent.
God says:
I am with you.
I have called you.
I will strengthen you.
Keep moving forward.
but of Power,
This isn’t human strength or self confidence. This is the power of the Holy Spirit working within us.
When Moses felt inadequate, God gave him strength. When Joshua was afraid, God told him to be strong and courageous. When the disciples were hiding behind locked doors, the Holy Spirit transformed them into bold witnesses.
God’s power doesn’t remove our weakness. His power works through our weakness.
and of love,
Whereas, fear causes us to become self-focused. Love shifts our attention toward God and toward others. Perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18).
When we remember that we are deeply loved by God, we become free to love others without being controlled by anxiety or self- protection.
and of a sound mind.
Other translations use the words self-discipline, self-control, or sound judgment.
A sound mind doesn’t mean we’ll have all the answers. It means God gives us wisdom and stability in the middle of uncertainty.
Fear produces confusion – But God produces clarity. Fear whispers, Panic – But The Holy Spirit says, – Be still. Trust Me. Take the next faithful step.
FEAR SAYS, WHAT IF?
FAITH SAYS, EVEN IF.
Even if the future is uncertain, God is faithful.
Even if the path is difficult, God is present.
Even if I am weak, God’s power is sufficient.
POWER TO STAND! LOVE TO SERVE! A SOUND MIND TO PERSEVERE!
Good News Only! OUR GOD IS A BIG GOD!!!
Blessings! Gerry
Isaiah 40:31
Waiting on the Lord renews our strength
August 8, 2026
Isaiah 40:31 is one of the most beloved promises in Scripture because it speaks to people who are weary, discouraged, and waiting on God.
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)
Here are a few things I took from this verse.
1. Those who wait on the Lord…
Waiting does not mean doing nothing. In the Hebrew, the idea is to hope in, trust, or confidently expect the Lord. It is the posture of someone who has placed their future in God’s hands. Isaiah is writing to people who would eventually experience exile and hardship. God’s message is that while human strength fades, His strength never does (Isaiah 40:28). Waiting on Him means relying on His character rather than our own resources.
2. Shall renew their strength.
The word renew carries the idea of exchanging strength. We exchange our weakness for God’s strength. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every circumstance changes immediately, but God gives fresh grace to endure and continue. This echoes what the Apostle Paul later discovered: My grace is sufficient for you, for your strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) God often doesn’t remove our weakness first- He meets us in it.
3. They shall mount up with wings like eagles.
The eagle is a picture of strength, vision, and soaring above the storm. Eagles don’t simply flap harder during turbulent winds; they use the rising currents to lift them higher. Likewise, believers don’t escape life’s storms, but God enables them to rise above being controlled by them. He gives an eternal perspective that allows us to see beyond present difficulties.
4. They shall run and not be weary…
They shall walk and not faint. Notice the order: Soaring, Running, Walking. Many people expect the Christian life to consist mostly of mountaintop experiences. Yet Isaiah ends with walking.
Walking is the ordinary rhythm of daily faithfulness. Most of life isn’t spent soaring spiritually- it’s spent taking one faithful step after another. God’s promise is that He will sustain us through the ordinary as well as the extraordinary.
May we be a people who refuse to trust in our own strength, but who daily wait upon the Lord.
When we are weary, may He renew us. When the path is steep, may He lift us. When the race is long, may He sustain us. And when life settles into the ordinary rhythm of walking, may we find that His grace is sufficient for every step.
Good News Only! OUR GOD IS A BIG GOD!!!
Blessings! Gerry
2 Corinthians 12: 8-9
Christ is sufficient in suffering
August 1, 2026
2 Corinthians 12:8-9, is one of the most profound passages in the New Testament because it changes the way we think about weakness, prayer, and God’s power.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ( 2 Corinthians 12:8-9)
Here are 4 thoughts that stand out.
1. Paul prayed earnestly- and God said no. Paul wasn’t lacking faith. He pleaded with the Lord three times for the thorn in the flesh to be removed. Whatever the thorn was (scholars have suggested physical illness, persecution, poor eyesight, spiritual oppression, or something else), God chose not to remove it. This reminds us that unanswered prayer is not necessarily a sign of weak faith. Sometimes God accomplishes something greater through sustaining us than through delivering us.
2. God’s grace is not merely forgiveness– it is His sustaining presence. When Jesus says, My grace is sufficient for you, He is saying, I am enough. Grace here is the daily strength to endure, the presence of Christ in suffering, and the power to keep walking faithfully even when circumstances do not change. The answer to Paul’s prayer wasn’t a changed circumstance but a deeper experience of Christ.
3. God’s power shines brightest in human weakness. The world celebrates strength, self-sufficiency, and success. The Gospel often works in the opposite direction. When we recognize our weakness, we become more dependent on Christ. His strength becomes more evident because we are no longer relying on ourselves. Paul doesn’t glorify suffering itself; He glorifies what Christ does through suffering.
4. Weakness becomes a place of communion with Christ. The phrase Christ’s power may rest on me is beautiful. The Greek word carries the idea of pitching a tent or dwelling upon someone. It echoes God’s presence dwelling with His people. Instead of seeing weakness as something that disqualifies us, Paul sees it as a place where Christ draws especially near.
One thought that has stayed with me is this: Paul never tells us that the thorn became pleasant; he tells us that Christ became sufficient.
That is a subtle but life- changing difference.
The focus shifts from:
WHY HASN’T GOD TAKEN THIS AWAY? to HOW IS CHRIST MEETING ME HERE?
Good News Only! Our God is a BIG GOD!
Blessings! Gerry
1 Corinthians 2:9
God’s Spirit reveals His Wisdom
July 25, 2026
However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no-ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9, (NIV)
This is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, but it is also one of the most misunderstood because it is often read by itself. Paul is not primarily talking about heaven or saying that God’s plans are forever beyond our understanding.
In the very next verse 1 Corinthians 2:10, he says: These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. That changes everything.
God’s Plan of Salvation
Paul’s point is that God’s plan of salvation through the crucified Christ was something human wisdom could never have discovered on its own. No amount of philosophy, education, or religions effort could have uncovered God’s redemptive plan. But what human eyes could not see and human minds could not imagine, God has now revealed through the Holy Spirit.
God’s Spirit Reveals His Wisdom
So I understand verse 9 in light of verses 1 Corinthians 2:10-16. Human wisdom cannot discover God’s deepest truths. God’s Spirit reveals His wisdom to those who belong to Christ. Christians are invited into an ever- deepening knowledge of God’s heart because we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16. This doesn’t mean we know everything God knows. Rather, it means that through the Holy Spirit we truly know what God has graciously given us in Christ.
The Spirit reveals God’s wisdom not because we’ve become clever enough to understand it, but because God graciously invites us into His life. Our response is to seek Him, obey Him, and remain open to the Spirit’s transforming work.
Good News Only! Our God is a BIG GOD!
Blessings! Gerry
Jeremiah 17: 7-8
How to continually bear fruit!
July 18, 2026
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 ( NIV)
Trusting the Lord is not merely believing certain truths about Him but learning to live each day in His presence, allowing His life to shape our character.
The image of the tree planted by the water illustrates a soul that has become deeply rooted in God’s Kingdom through regular practice of prayer, Scripture, obedience, and attentiveness to the Holy Spirit. Such a person is not immune to life’s heat or drought, but because their life is sustained by the constant flow of God’s grace, they remain spiritually healthy and continue to bear fruit.
How fruitfulness comes
Fruitfulness does not come by striving harder, but as the natural outcome of becoming the kind of person who habitually lives in fellowship with Christ. As our roots grow deeper into God’s life, faithfulness, peace, and love increasingly become the normal expression of who we are.
Some other verses that will go along with this for more reading. John 7:38; Galatians 5: 22-23; John 15:1-27; Psalm 1:1-5
Good News Only!
Our God is a BIG GOD! Blessings! Gerry
Philippians 4:13
Christ will sustain me!
July 11, 2026
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13, ESV
This verse is often taken to mean, I can accomplish any goal if I have enough faith. While God certainly empowers His people, the context of the passage points to something even deeper.
In Philippians 4:10-12, Paul explains that he has learned to be content in every circumstance: He knows what it is to be in need. He knows what it is to have plenty. He has learned the secret of being content whether well-fed or hungry, living in abundance or in want. Then he says: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. The ‘all things’ refers to enduring every circumstance God calls him to face.
Strength to remain faithful
Christ gives Paul the strength to remain faithful whether life is easy or difficult. This verse is less about achieving extraordinary success and more about extraordinary faithfulness. Paul isn’t saying: Christ will help me win every race. Christ will guarantee my success. He is saying: Christ will sustain me in every situation. Whether I suffer or prosper, Jesus is enough. It is a declaration of dependence, not self- confidence.
Dallas Willard describes a transformed life in this way:
“As disciples live with Jesus, they increasingly draw on His strength rather than their own. Contentment becomes the natural fruit of a soul formed by God’s presence.”
Good News Only!
Our God is a Big God! Blessings Gerry
Matthew 22:2-3
You are invited to the banquet!
July 5, 2026
The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! Matthew 22:2-3
These verses remind us that the heart of God is to invite people into the joy of His Son. This is the good news of God’s Kingdom breaking into our lives through Jesus Christ. When we respond to the King by faith, we begin to experience His rule, His peace, and His presence today, while eagerly looking forward to the day when Christ returns and His Kingdom is fully established.
The wedding feast
The wedding feast points to the glorious future God has prepared for all who belong to Christ- a future of resurrection, joyful fellowship, and everlasting life with our Saviour in His renewed creation. This encourages us to hear the King’s invitation with grateful hearts.
God is not calling us into mere religion or duty; He is inviting us into a relationship with His beloved Son and into a joy that begins today and will one day overflow in the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Every time we hear the gospel, we are reminded that the King is still calling, His table is still being prepared, and all who come to Christ in faith will one day celebrate in His presence forever.
Good News Only! Our God is a big God!
Blessings! Gerry
Romans 8:28
God is sovereign over our lives!
June 28,2026
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them. (NLT)
This verse is ultimately about God’s transforming love. Every circumstance – even hardship – is an opportunity for God to shape us into people who increasingly resemble Jesus.
As we walk with Him, nothing in our lives is wasted because God uses every experience to form our character. This transformation happens in the context of God’s loving presence. When life is confusing or painful, God does not abandon His children; He draws near by His Spirit, faithfully working in ways we cannot always see.
God is working!
Together, they would encourage us to trust not only that God is working in ways we cannot always see. Together, they would encourage us to trust not only that God is working for our good, but that He is also with us in every step of the journey, patiently forming us into the image of Christ.
God is sovereign over our lives, present in our suffering, transforming our hearts, and accomplishing His redeeming purposes for us and for His world.
Good News Only! Our God is a Big God!
Blessings! Gerry
Ephesians 2:10
God Planned Good Works for You
June 20,2026
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. (NLT) Ephesians 2:10
This verse reminds us that God is not only saving us; He is shaping us. We are being formed into people whose character increasingly reflects Jesus, so that good works become the natural expression of a transformed life.
This transformation begins with knowing that we are God’s beloved workmanship, not workers trying to earn His approval.
The good works God has prepared for us are invitations to participate in His Kingdom alongside Him.
As we remain close to Jesus, He transforms our hearts, directs our steps, and leads us into a life that reflects His love and grace to the world.
Good News Only! Our God is a Big God!
Blessings! Gerry
1 Corinthians 4:5
Our calling is to be faithful disciples
June 20,2026
So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time- before the Lord returns.
For He will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. 1 Corinthians 4:5.
1 Corinthians 4:5 calls us to a life of humble trust in God. We often feel the need to evaluate ourselves or pass judgement on others, but only the Lord truly sees the depths of the human heart.
Transformation of the inner life
God is far more concerned with the transformation of our inner life than with outward appearances, and He is patiently shaping us into the likeness of Christ. We are to lay down the burden of trying to determine what only God can know and to rest in the confidence that Jesus sees clearly and judges perfectly.
When people misunderstand us, when our faithfulness goes unnoticed, or when we are tempted to question the motives of others, this verse invites us to trust the Lord’s timing.
One day Christ will bring everything into the light, revealing the truth with perfect wisdom, justice, and love. Until then, our calling is not to be judges but faithful disciples, walking closely with Jesus and leaving the final verdicts in His gracious hands.
Good News Only! Our God is a Big God!
Blessings! Gerry
Philippians 4:4
There is Joy in the Lord
June 6, 2026
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always, is not a call to ignore life’s hardships but an invitation to root our hearts in something deeper than our circumstances.
Because Christ is present, reigning and at work in us, we can experience a steady joy that survives trials. As we learn to walk closely with Jesus, trusting His promises and living in His Kingdom, joy becomes not merely an occasional emotion but a settled confidence in the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Paul’s emphasis in Philippians 4 is that joy is found IN THE LORD – not in comfort, success, health, or circumstance. He repeats the command because He knows believers need continual reminders to fix our eyes on Christ rather than than on our troubles.
Good News Only! Our God is a Big God!
Blessings! Gerry
Philippians 1:6
God faithfully works to transform us
May 30,2026
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
Philippians 1:6, is a promise of God’s faithful work of spiritual transformation in the lives of His people. The good work that God begins is not simply bringing a person to faith, but forming them into the likeness of Jesus Christ. Through the grace of God and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit, believers are gradually changed in their thoughts, desires, character, and actions.
While Christians actively participate in this process through prayer, obedience, worship, and discipleship, the power for true transformation comes from God Himself. Therefore, Philippians 1:6, gives great confidence and hope: no matter how many challenges we face, God remains committed to completing the work He has begun in us until the day we stand fully mature in Christ at His return.
Good News Only!
Our God is a big God! Blessings! Gerry
Romans 8:1
Free from condemnation in Christ
May 24,2026
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
In the Epistle to the Romans 8:1, both John Piper and N. T. Wright help us see a fuller picture:
because of the saving work of Jesus Christ, those who are in Him stand completely free from condemnation – ours sins have been fully dealt with and God’s verdict of not guilty has already been declared.
At the same time, this verdict isn’t only about personal forgiveness; it also means we now belong to God’s renewed people and share in the new creation He has begun in Christ.
So no condemnation is both the assurance that our guilt is gone forever and the announcement that we are already counted as part of God’s restored world, living now under the verdict He will declare on the last day.
Dallas Willlard puts it this way – Romans 8:1 describes the reality of a person who is living in the Kingdom of God now – free from condemnation, and therefore free to become the kind of person who naturally lives in love and obedience.