The School of Grace

Colossal Love

     How does God exert the power to overcome everything?  I John 4:18 gives us our clue.  It says, "perfect love casts out fear; because fear has torment".  The word torment is the word-colossus.  What the power of love does is raise the greater and larger influence of God in us to overshadow and out-colossus any other problem that torments us.

     We shouldn't be so shocked that Jesus can do this.  He did it when he commanded the storm tossed sea to "Hush and be muzzled". (Mark 4:39)  He did it when he capsized the armies of Pharoah in the sea after bringing the Israelites over on dry land.  God did it through a little boy's sling and stone in the face of the giant.  God's amazing love can cover us, whether it is turning water into wine to cover us at our wedding or to tell our brother already dead for four days to come forth out of the grave.

     Have faith in the overwhelming, overcoming power of God's love.  Run to Jesus.  In Matthew 8:2-3, a leper came to Jesus and said, "Lord, if you are willing you can make me clean."  Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be clean."  And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Cast all your care on him because he cares for you.  He will throw away your fears even when you can't.  Say it with the Psalmist: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him I will trust." (Psalm 91:2)

     Allow us to pray for you.  We have known those moments when God has had to overshadow what was overshadowing us.  We want you to come back into the sunshine of His love.  Tell us how we can pray for you and we will.  Listen to our music.  It is a way to let God begin to cover what seems too big to tackle right now.

Making a Difference

     Most all of us want our love to make a difference.  God's love certainly does.  We share in that same love.  Jude describes this kind of love as the power to open a channel for decision in another person's life.  We can do that by our words, our attitudes, and our example.  We can be encouragers.  We can speak faith into the hearts of those we know.  We can intercede in prayer.  Our attitude can convey hope.  Our example is one of having been brought by grace "safe thus far".

     You have a testimony to share.  There's not a single one of us that hasn't been through rough times.  That's right- through tough times.  No problem is hopeless when we have God and one another to call on.  Don't be shy.  Our enemy wants others to fail because they have no 'good news'.  Your testimony is somebody's good news.

     At the last church we ministered to in Brazil, God met many at their point of need and desire to have children and to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  How was faith built up that night?  I shared my testimony of when Karen and I had been told we could not have any children and three days later we received a call to keep Hannah.  I shared the testimony of our oldest son, Keith.  When he came to us at two he had already been through a lot.  Life with four, foster children was very difficult but God had given us a promise for all of our children.

     We adopted all four and each received a Bible their first Christmas with us.  In each Bible I had written out a prayer for them.  In Keith's Bible I prayed and believed he would become a leader of men.  This summer at Basic Training in the Army he was named squad leader and during his advanced infantry training he was named platoon leader.  God is faithful to his promises.  Have you shared his faithfulness with anyone lately?  It could be just what that other person needs to decide to trust the Lord. 

     Love somebody.  Share your testimony.  Demonstrate an attitude of hope and faith.  Let your example show to others the faithfulness of Christ.  Open up a channel for others to follow.  In Jesus' name, Amen.  Want to practice sharing your testimony?  Write us and let us know something God has brought you through.  Tomorrow we'll check out a kind of love and power God shares that overcomes everything.  Want a musical taste of that kind of love?  Go to www.thecolorsofgrace.com.

Making the grace and joy of Jesus as unavoidable as possible,

Norman Ramsey

The Love and Power That Never Fails

     One of my life-long prayers is that when I get old God will have really made me a new creation.  This prayer arises out of my childhood experience of watching grandparents and other relatives have moments when they "weren't themselves" and were rude or crude or violent.  I knew better than to talk back to my elders then so I never shared my suspision- that they were being themselves just without the restraints they had in place when they controlled what they were doing.

     I began my prayer then: God deliver me so that when I'm not myself I look like You and not a gross version of myself.  Make me holy as You are holy.  Transform my life so even when there are no conscious restraints, I reflect your presence.  I've seen that in my grandparents and other relatives, too.

     But, how does this happen?  God exerts his love and power to work in us even when there are no conscious restraints at work.  We have been fundamentally and functionally changed.  Our minds renewed into a different working order.  Spiritual synapsis have been fired off and new connections (peace with God) have been established.  This power is God's iskous, the power that exerts its superiority over another power.  It is God's good that triumphs over our evil.  It never fails.

     It creates an atmosphere and an environment where the presence of God is displayed.  We become a walking. breathing, kingdom ecosystem.  We are saved and become a seedbed of salvation.  We are as Mark 4 shares "good soil" that produces good fruit even when we're not ourselves.  Hallelujah!

     Maybe you're thinking, 'I need some of that'.  Ask for it and expect in faith to receive it.  This same power raised Jesus up victorious over death, hell, and the grave.  When you receive Jesus as Lord this same power comes with Him.  "As many as received him, to them he (Jesus) gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." (John 1:12)

     I'm expecting this power to be at work this coming week when we go to Brazil.  Look for updates from Brazil on this blog, even though The School of Grace is taking its Fall Break starting next Monday.  If you have questions about how to appropriate this power and love of God to your life, let me know.  I'm here to help.

Moving at the Speed of Grace,

Norman Ramsey

Love and Power-Enduring All Things

     I don't know about you but I am no Energizer Bunny.  Some people think when I talk I keep going and going and going but when it comes to getting everything done I needed to do, prospering in my finances, keeping my body in shape, I haven't always lived at 100% of my capacity for grace.

     The truth is I have too often failed to finish things I started, to let compound interest work for me instead of against me.  I've let my weight rise up instead of my faith.

     But, God has a remedy for me and you.  It is the enduring power of His love.  The Holy Spirit is an organizer and He works in us for eternal results.  Do not lose heart and think there are just some parts of your life that will never work well.  You didn't hear that from God.

     I have experienced a miracle this last year, a miracle of God's kratos, God's organizing power.  Let me explain.  When I was in seminary, I took a test to help me discover my strengths and interests in ministry.  Now, let me tell you, there is a reason we pray, "Do not lead me into a test" even if it's one that's supposed to help us.  I scored in the upper 80's and low 90's on a few things but I scored an 8 on Administration.  Receiving that score did not help me become a better administrator.

     I translated that score to determine that I would be organizationally poor.  I believed a lie and it almost disqualified me for ministry.  Last year, after over twenty years of terrible struggles I was convinced of the truth.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  I have a perfect Administrator working inside of me.

     This year, I've turned my mileage in on time.  I'm launching out into deep stuff for me.  I'm being coached to set up and organize Norman Ramsey Ministries while writing a book, while pastoring a church, composing a song for every sermon, while spending time with my family and, most importantly, with God.  It's been a great year and the praise goes to God who endured a lifetime of me shutting his influence down by shutting myself down.

     Don't you fall for the same lie I did.  Go with God and His loving power that endures all things.  Let me know you're praying for me and the team that's headed for Brazil.  The School of Grace will probably be on Fall Break while we're there but we'll look forward to seeing your post when we get back.  I'd love for you to join our next trip, May 18-27, 2007.  Look for info on that soon.

May the grace and joy of Jesus organize every second of your day,

Norman Ramsey

Love and Power- Believing All Things

     When God's loving power lifts us from death to life, our new life begins.  For some this power explodes as they become aware of God's love and are converted to live for Him.  Others experience this power as the renewing force of God's love.  As the old hymn says, "When nothing else could help, love lifted me."

     Today we want to focus on the love that believes and hopes all things.  This is the power of love that works in us to produce faith.  The Greek word for this kind of power is energia, or energy.  This enables us to be as my grandfather said, "Useful as well as ornamental".  It's the pragmatic, working-everything-together-for-good kind of love that gives us power and energy to do all the things we need to do.

      So often our energy is tied to our will, our mind, or our emotions.  We don't feel like we can make it.  Our body is stiff and sore so all the rest of us follows suit.  We lack confidence to finish what we start.  This is the love that believes we can do it.  It hopes all things.  It is the power that is the anchor for our faith.  It's rock steady.  It's not up and down.  "Can't" can't be found in its dictionary. 

     It hopes all things.  God's love cannot be weakened.  We didn't create this energy so we can't destroy it.  It is God's gift to us in Jesus Christ.  It is the energizing power that raised Jesus from the dead and powers our life by faith. 

     The dynamite power of God explodes us upward but the energy of God allows us to reach into the heavens and tap into the heart of God's authority and love.  How has the energy of God carried you through the problems you've faced in life?  So many times when I started something then stopped this loving power of God rebooted me back into action.  Let me know how God has worked in you.  Let us pray for those areas in your life that need to get reconnected with God.  I know my trip to Brazil last year energized me in a way I had never been empowered before; think about joining us next May 18-26, 2007 and I'll look forward to hearing from you.

Making the grace and joy of Jesus as unavoidable as possible,

Norman Ramsey

Love and Power- Bearing All Things

Pauls prays for the church in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:15-20) that they would know the height, depth, length, and width of God's love.  That means he prays for us to know it, too.  It's a love that bears all things, the love that brings the dead to life.  It is the dynamite, dunamis, power of God that explodes the truth into our minds and transforms us.  It propels us from darkness to light.  Like a wellspring rising out of the depths of God's heart, God's love was laid in store for us before the foundation of the world.

When you know the depth of God's (dunamis) power/love you will never have to hesitate to turn to him.  Deep calls unto deep.  Our heart finds its home in Jesus Christ.  Our strength finds its source in him.  We can move at his call.  He is the great Initiator.  We grab hold of him because He has already got his momentum.

Feel the surging affirmation of your heart.  Confess it with your mouth.  Jesus loves me.  Jesus is Lord!  We're holding on to Jesus for our trip to Brazil- only 12 days to go!  If you would like to experience the depths of God's love join one of our trips to Brazil.  The next one is May 18-26, 2007.  E-mail us for details.  We'll have info up on the web after we get back from this trip.  Look for updates to our website and for new releases from Norman Ramsey Ministries coming soon!  While you're waiting, make the grace and joy of Jesus as unavoidable as possible!

Norman Ramsey

Love and Power- Patience

     Love is patient.  The Apostle Paul said it and we say it again today.  Love embodies God's big picture, his macro theme.  We usually think of patience from too narrow a perspective, as being only distance over time.  Patience for us has been what is required to endure all of life's "Are-We-There-Yet's?"

     It's more than that.  It's more than the will to wait.  Love is patient.  Love has the will to wait precisely because it has something worth waiting for.  Love implies an object, a person, a goal or vision that makes our weak wills strong.  Love implies a promise that will come true if we persevere and allow our faith to become sight.

     God is at work.  His power is switched on.  Therefore, love can bear all things, believe and hope all things.  Love can endure all things.  Love never fails.  Love makes a difference.  Love casts out fear and overcomes everything.  Stick with me.  Have patience.  You will see how God's love and power are coupled together.

     Do you love God?  Then you are actively waiting on him.  God's big picture is yours to view.  If it is unclear ask God to show it to you.  I believe it is as simple as seeing how God is working everything together for your good.  By faith, I'll see it all when everything is said and done.  You will too.  Let me know where you see God's love and power at work in your life or let me know where it needs to work and I will pray with you for it.  Until tomorrow...

May the grace and joy of Jesus be unavoidable to you,

Norman Ramsey

Love and Power Part 1

Dear Friends:

     The apostle Paul told the Corinthian Church that they received gifts of power from the Holy Spirit.  In order for these gifts to be used effectively they could only work in a "most excellent way" - the way of love.  This is the only way the exercise of power can be kept in proper perspective.  God's work of love is the working of his power and God's power is the working of his love.

     Paul prayed that the church would understand this and I want to spend the next two weeks in The School of Grace helping you see how the love and power of God are tied together and how they can be exercised in and through us.  This begins with Paul's first description of love's nature.  "Love is patient." (I Corinthians 13: 4)  Love is the macro theme of God if we translate the Greek word for patience literally.  It is the big picture.

     But, remember, as we speak of God's love we can say the same thing of his power.  God exercises that with the big picture in mind, too.  Read John 3:16.  God so loved the world he exercised power and gave his only Son, that whosoever should believe in him would not perish but would have eternal life.  God exercised the faith which works by love that he might bring us to the same faith.

     Let's come back to class tomorrow ready to see how the love and power of God not only work together but apply to you and me.  I'll see you then.  Be in prayer for our ministry.  Tomorrow, I begin a coaching program with Glenn Dietzel and his partners and in two short weeks we will be flying to Brazil in partnership with Rick Bonfim's ministry.  Pray for the Bible Study I will be leading along with Betty McKinney, the work we will do, and the minstry we will be sharing with our brothers and sisters in Brazil. 

     Pray about joining us next May 18-26 for our first 2007 mission to Brazil.  Making my first trip to Brazil is the only thing ministry experience that functionally changed who I was as a person.  You could experience a dramatic change in your life, too!  Information will be on the web soon but if you want to know more now jot me a note and I'll get right back to you.

     Making the grace and joy of Jesus as unavoidable as possible,

     Norman Ramsey

The Breaking Point

     The bloodshed that arises out of bitterness moves us to a breaking point and judgment comes.  It may be in the form of death itself.  “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face the judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)  In Genesis, the Flood is the sign that humanity had reached this place on the pathway of sin.  You see this in individuals when they hit rock bottom, the pieces of their life swept away, and the consequences of their sin has finally caught up with them. 

     Most often, a person rushes down the pathway of sin and comes to their own breaking point.  This is the place where betrayal takes its final form and we become rooted in a particular way of expressing our sin.  Some of us are predisposed by birth into what root will mark our struggles.  Others come to theirs by a particular event or trauma.

THE FOUR ROOTS

    The four roots are the first, four steps of the pathway of sin:  1). Betrayal, 2). Bias, 3). Blame, and 4). Bitterness.  I don’t list bloodshed or breaking point as places where we get rooted, because practically by the time you would place yourself there, you’re either, dead, deposed, fleeing from the law, under international sanction, institutionalized, or on America’s Most Wanted.

     Most all of us, even if we are Christians, have had to come to a place of God-given maturity before we can live free of these roots.  God is calling us to be rooted in love and faith so turn back to God today.  Cry out to Him today, I need a miracle.  I need an axe laid to the root of my life.  I need the sharp sword of your word to cut to my heart and make me whole. 

     It can happen!  It happened to me in a particular way on the first Brazil trip I took.  Maybe that's the kind of move you need to make, the step of faith that sets you free from the blame and bitterness that have robbed you of life.  E-mail me if you hunger for the peace and the freedom only God can give.  Hear that peace expressed over and over again in your spirit; get a copy of The Colors of Grace.  I am praying for you.

Making the grace and joy of Jesus as unavoidable as possible,

Norman Ramsey

The Discretion of Bitterness

     When bitterness prevails something has to give.  Usually, it’s someone conveniently close to us at the time.  With Cain, it was his brother Abel.  With the young man yesterday involved in intervention, it was another person at the treatment facility.  It doesn’t matter.  Bitterness mandates you have no choice.  That’s a lie but it’s your story and you’re sticking to it. 

     Bitterness begets bloodshed.  Cain attacked his brother and slaughtered him.  Jesus said we don’t have to be that obvious.  “You have heard it said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder’ and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother (without cause) will be subject to judgment.”  Perhaps our bitterness is more polite.  Perhaps we kill those conveniently close to us by sabotaging their dreams, spreading rumors that destroy their reputation, or questioning the legitimacy of anything they do.  Be careful.  Bitterness is deadly no matter how discreetly it is applied.  It is no consolation that the bleeding you cause is internal.

     The discretion of bitterness is only in how quietly or loudly it leads you and others towards death.  You have the power to choose the call of God over the compulsion of bitterness.  God's grace is sufficient for you.  I'd like to show you how true that is.  E-mail me.  Listen to our music, The Colors of Grace, or one of our other recordings.  Join me tomorrow, too.  Until then, let's make the grace and joy of Jesus as unavoidable as possible,

Norman Ramsey