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TGP Volume 17
(2017)

 The Grace Perspective is written (sometimes densely worded and intense) as a follow-up supplement to past and present counselees.
Week 52

GracePoinToday

The most important healing needed in a broken marriage is theological. That’s because, a couple’s understanding of how Christ relates to his Bride, the Church, either as a power person over us or as a support person beneath us, will manifest in
1) the husband’s leadership to his wife and
2) her response to it.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L28

Did You Know:

Christ came into the world 2000+ years ago to be our Savior. He did not come to be a king. (He will come again one day, at his Second Coming, to rule as King over the Earth!)

The misunderstanding that Christ came as a king to rule over a religious kingdom (the same misunderstanding Judas had) supports the misunderstanding that husbands are the head of their wives in the sense of a boss to rule over them rather than in the sense of a fountainhead to support them for living out God’s Redemptive Purpose.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L27

SlimSUPPORT:

Health is supported by making wise choices every day (the concept Jesus taught by “give us this day our Daily Bread”), but we are opposed for making those wise choices by
  • the impulses of our broken, sinful nature,
  • a godless world’s system, and
  • Satan. 
But God has provided for 24-hour days and the biorhythmic capacity of our bodies to respond to the demands we make of it (training effect) to support us for establishing a schedule, which like a budget, is powerful to support us for making wise choices. 

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L26

 Week 51

GracePoinToday

Grace Leadership Resources in the home and Church (parents, husbands, and pastors) do not make demands of those in their care (except of young children). But it is the privilege of those cared for (children, wives, and members of the Church) to expect faithful support from their Resources – the same as they do of God.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L21

Did You Know:

God calls us to receive Christ, but more specifically, to receive his Provisions – that is,
  • his Blood, as the only payment God will accept to satisfy his Judgment against us (and all mankind because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden) so that we can be reconciled to God, born again, and have eternal life, and
  • his Life (during our quiet-time worship), as the Light, Bread, and Water of Life in order to be sanctified / made holy (healed from our brokenness and made competent as vessels for God’s use in his Redemptive service to others). 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L20

SlimSUPPORT:

Poor health is not the result of
  • God’s displeasure and judgment against us because of our neglect to read the Bible, pray, be nice to our neighbors, give time and money to the Church or participate in its programs, observe the sacraments, or do penance, or of
  • chance or luck (our lucky stars - the alignment of the stars at the time of our birth). 
Neither is it mostly the result of our impulsive choices, reckless lifestyle, drugs and alcohol, nor even of heredity.

Rather, poor health is the result of our failure to receive into our lives each day God’s Provisions of Grace - in
  • Creation (nutritional elements in the soil and atmosphere),
  • Community (support resources in the home and Church), and especially
  • Christ (his Blood and his Life) (Romans 5:17; Matthew 6:11). 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L19

Week 50

GracePoinToday

God’s Provisions of Grace
  • “flow freely to us” (Ephesians 1:6),
  • are “lavished on us” (vs. 8), and
  • are “abundant” (Romans 5:17). 
But we still must come (Matthew 11:28-30) and connect (John 15:4-5) to the Resources through which they flow into our lives in order to receive their benefit (Romans 5:17); they do not impose themselves upon us.

“When you give it to them, they gather it up” (Psalm 104:28).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L14

Did You Know:

Faith (gr. pistis) is not to be confused with the strongly held opinions we have, learned from our favorite authors or speakers, but is “conviction of Truth,” supernaturally produced in us by the Holy Spirit as we sit quietly with an open Bible to read the Scripture, not assertively (as we would a textbook), but expectantly (as we would a love letter) in order to hear God communicate Truth – which means: The basis (seed) of faith is not the teachings of man but the Truth of Scripture (Romans 10:17; Luke 8:11; Galatians 5:22-23; John 16:13; 1 John 2:27).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L13

SlimSUPPORT:

Our sinful nature is impulsive to make wrong choices (Romans 7:15-23) which
  • result in broken health and
  • disposes us to making even more wrong choices.
The Life of Christ within us supports us for making wise / purposeful / scheduled choices (“temperance” – Galatians 5:23b) which
  • produce good health and
  • support us for making additional wise / purposeful / scheduled choices. 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L12

Week 49

GracePoinToday

Every relationship that comes from God into our lives is good (supports health) (James 1:17). It is his Will (Redemptive Plan) for us to be intimately connected only to relationships that
  • serve us as a Resource to support our health (John 15:1-8) or that
  • we serve as a Resource to support their health.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L07

Did You Know:

Praying in the sense it is commonly understood (that it is “pleading with God to meet our needs”) is not praying in faith, and so cannot be answered, because it denies God’s promises that his Provisions are effectual and flow freely and fully from him to every person for them to receive (which is the Scriptural meaning of “asking”) – the same as (for simple examples) pleading with
  • a well or water source to provide water or
  • water to quench thirst or
  • the soil to produce food or
  • food to nourish health is denial of the purpose for which God provided them (Romans 5:15, 17; Ephesians 1:6-8).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17L06

 Week 48

GracePoinToday

A husband’s brokenness is the result of his unmet need for support resources, beginning with Christ, not the failure of his wife and children. They may provide temporary emergency support to him during a time of sickness, but it will be out of (enabled by) the support they received from him when he was well.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K30

Did You Know:

The moment we trusted the Blood/Death of Christ as the only payment he will accept to satisfy his judgment against the human race (because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden),
  • God’s Judgment against us (separation from him for eternity) was removed (the meaning of the Bible word “forgiveness”) and
  • we were born again (regenerated / made a child of God).
 That means,
  • there is nothing left for us to do, including confessions, repentance, or penance, to secure our eternal salvation (going to Heaven). Also,
  • while our wrong choices as a born again person may result in us not experiencing sanctification (healing from your brokenness), our eternity is secure.
 DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K29

SlimSUPPORT:

Our schedule, like our budget, is the boss. This means, we make wise choices for our health (including to exercise to get our heart rate up for a sustained 20 minutes 4 to 5 times a week), not because we “feel like” it, but because our schedule dictates it.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K28

Week 47

GracePoinToday

The message of Grace ministers to the pain of our unmet needs and failures and also to the suffering of living in a condemning world that does not understand God’s Provision of Christ for our regeneration and healing.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K23

Did You Know:

Delighting in our experience of God’s Provisions, and even saying “Thank you!” to him on Thanksgiving Day, is appropriate and nice. But it does not earn us any greater standing with God or move him to provide anything more than he has or is already. That’s because, his Provisions flow freely and fully to each of us unconditionally, and our experience of their abundance is equal to the time we take to receive them – like drinking water from a fountain.

“…to the praise of his glorious grace which he has freely given us in Christ” (Ephesians 1:6)

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K22

SlimSUPPORT:

It is a physiological law: When we eat, exercise, and engage with others (including sports), we are supported for good outcomes when we relax (included in the meaning of the Bible word “wait”) – this the same as a spiritual law: When we read the Scripture, the Holy Spirit communicates Truth to us when we relax (trust him to reveal Truth to us as Christ promised he would).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K21

Week 46

GracePoinToday

Children are supported for honoring (connecting to) God and his leadership resources for their lives (not the same as codependent relationships) when they see their parents connecting.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K16

Did You Know:

The meaning of Bible words in their original language (Greek and Hebrew) often carry much greater weight than understood in our English translations. For example, thanksgiving means more than verbally expressing gratitude (to say “Thank you!”); but means to give ourselves (as in opening a door) in order to receive more of the same. That’s why it can only be said that we are thankful for God’s Provisions when we receive them – for example, for food by eating it, or for Christ by opening the door of our hearts to receive him (per Revelation 3:20) during our quiet-time worship.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K15

SlimSUPPORT:

Scientific studies provide guidance for the choices we can make which not only establish us in health but also increase our longevity - which are not always mutually inclusive (because a healthy person can make reckless choices that put their longevity at risk, such as, for example, aggressive driving on the highway or extreme sports). The healthiest choice we can make is to be renewed daily by our experience of Christ who transforms our values (with respect to God, ourselves, and others) and gives us wisdom and understanding for making wise choices.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K14

Week 45

GracePoinToday

The brokenness of our natural self expresses to others with a mean (condemning, hateful, or threatening) voice or with a made up (pretentious or deceiving) voice. But the heart of Christ within us expresses with a ministry voice.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K09

Did You Know:

God’s Provisions of Grace to meet our needs (beginning with Christ) are not imposed upon us; instead, God
  • offers them fully and freely to every person and
  • calls out to us by the Holy Spirit through the Scripture to open the door of our hearts to receive them (Revelation 3:20). 
This response of opening the door to receive is identified in Scripture as “asking” – in the same sense that opening a door to someone at home is inviting their entrance or receiving them.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K08

SlimSUPPORT:

We run/walk to increase our heart rate (aerobic exercise) in order to increase our energy; but for weight loss, we build muscle (anaerobic exercise).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K07

 Week 44

GracePoinToday

We trust no one except those who serve (invest in) us as a Resource, and especially no one who uses us to serve them – to meet their pain relief or addiction needs.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K02

Did You Know:

We do not follow Christ but come to him, wait for him, and look to him during our quiet time worship in order to receive from him his support for our Christian lives and service.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17K01

SlimSUPPORT:

God had a purpose for
  • creating our bodies and minds to be biorhythmic (the capacity to be supported by sameness) and lllalso for
  • ordaining the orbit of the Earth to provide for day and night, seasons, and years:
It was in order to support us for making the essential choices each day (to receive God’s Provisions of Grace according to Matthew 6:11: “Give us this day our Daily Bread”) which establish us in long-term health.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J31

Week 43

GracePoinToday

God’s purpose for leadership relationships in the home and Church is not in order to be used by them but to be supported by them for making wise choices that increase our health and competence in Redemptive service to others.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J26

Did You Know:

We are not set free from our brokenness and tension by preaching from the pulpit (performance-based preaching increases our bondage), but by Truth communicated to us by the Holy Spirit through the Scripture, especially during our quiet time.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J25

SlimSUPPORT:

No amount of exercise for weight loss/management will offset eating too much food (especially the wrong foods) at the wrong time (especially after work or exercise and before sleep or rest).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J24

Week 42

GracePoinToday

More than to be a friend, children need parents to be a support resource for making wise choices that result in health and happiness.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J19

Did You Know:

God does not use anything that will kill us to make us stronger. (So the lyrics of the popular song are wrong!) We are supported for health by his Provisions of Grace, especially Christ. “For by Christ are you saved” is the message of Ephesians 2:4-8.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J18

SlimSUPPORT:

If today you can perform a duty or feat - for example to walk a mile in 20 minutes, you should not expect to automatically always do the same. That’s because God created our bodies to respond / acclimate to the demands we make of it (called “training effect”). So in order to walk a mile in 20 minutes long term, you will need now to walk a mile in 15 minutes once or twice every week.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J17

Week 41

GracePoinToday

We are victims if the leadership resources we are connected to for support are dysfunctional. But we do not need to remain victims, because we can disconnect. Also, we have opportunity during our quiet time worship to be supported for recovery. “Even when my father and mother (or essential resources) fail me, the LORD will (continue to) take me up” (Psalm 27:10).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J12

Did You Know:

Fasting means to schedule time for making the wise choices that support our health. It does not mean to deny ourselves the nutrition that is essential to our health - not for a minute, and certainly not for a day. We can deny ourselves entertainment, recreation, junk food, etc. all day or part of a day, for one day or for many days, but we do not deny ourselves the Daily Bread (God’s Provisions of Grace which are absolutely indispensable to our well being) which Christ instructs / calls us to pray for (receive) “this day” (Matthew 6:11). Fasting as defined by performance Christianity (including on “Christian” tv) will wreck your health.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J11

SlimSUPPORT:

Health is more the result of what we include in our lives than what we exclude. We can exclude every vice and negative element from our diet and lifestyle and still be broken in health. Our best hope for health (to “reign in life” and the “prize we press on to win” - Romans 5:17; Philippians 3:14) is to include into our lives each day God’s Provisions of Grace - in Creation (soil and atmosphere), Community (connection to grace leadership resources in the home and Church), and especially Christ (his Life for our sanctification). 

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J10

Week 40

GracePoinToday

God does not call us to tolerate dysfunctional resources, but to disconnect from them. Instead, he calls us
  • to health,
  • to make choices that help establish us in health, and
  • to connect to leadership resources in the home and Church that support us for making those choices.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J04

Did You Know:

Wisdom is a grace provision of God
  • to enable us for making wise choices (what to do, when and where to do it)
  • so that we are protected from harm and supported for health.
Our minds are filled with Wisdom (God’s Mind) when we take time each day to be renewed in our experience of Christ “who has been made unto us Wisdom from God” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J03

SlimSUPPORT:

  • Our goal is not weight loss/management, but good health.
  • All calories are not equal: A lot of calories from nutritious foods are more beneficial for health than a few calories from foods that have no nutritional value.
  • This means, a healthy overweight person can have more energy and live longer than an unhealthy, nutrition-deprived skinny person.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17J02

Week 39

GracePoinToday

The role of the husband in the home is to invest in the health and happiness needs of his wife. Wives are broken when
  • their husbands use (depend upon) them to meet their unmet childhood need for a mother and addiction need for affection and
  • they allow themselves to be used.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I28

Did You Know:

God does not “punish” sin in the sense that he pounds on our misbehavior – maybe in the way the military, courts, or angry parents do. Rather, he allows us to experience the “sowing and reaping” / “cause and effect” outcome of our wrong (unwise) choices (the Scriptural definition of “sin”) – in measure, when made in ignorance and weakness, and more fully, when made in rebellion.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I27

SlimSUPPORT:

God’s Redemptive Plan for the choices we make (for diet, exercise, lifestyle, and supplementation) will increase our health. That’s how we know they are the right choices.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I26

Week 38

GracePoinToday

Grace Parenting supports children for learning how to know and live out God’s Redemptive Plan for their lives, especially to experience Christ in order to manifest his Likeness into the world.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I21

Did You Know:

Christ is
  1. in Heaven at the Father’s right hand (Romans 8:34),
  2. in the spirit (inmost chamber) of every born again person – that is, every person immersed into spiritual union with him (Ephesians 2:6; Romans 6:11; 8:10), and
  3. in the heart (the soul: mind, emotions, and will) of every born again person who receives the flow of his Life during quiet-time worship (Romans 8:11; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:17, 19; Revelation 3:20).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I20

SlimSUPPORT:

Good times to exercise are
  • first thing in the morning,
  • after you eat,
  • same times every day,
  • when you “feel lazy.”
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I19

Week 37

GracePoinToday

The best that can be said about a man, especially a husband, is not his looks, talents, personality, or wealth, but the presence of the nine spiritual qualities which the Holy Spirit produces in him: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I14

Did You Know:

God meets our redemptive needs through prayer – that is, at “the place of exchange” (the meaning of the word “prayer”) to which we come in our quiet time to
  • confess to God our brokenness and need for him,
  • give up our self efforts to improve ourselves in order to win God’s favor, and
  • receive from him his Provision of Christ (his Blood for our Justification and his Life for our Sanctification) which supports us for making the wise choices that produce good outcomes in our lives according to God’s Law of Sowing and Reaping.
 DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I13

SlimSUPPORT:

We eat BEFORE (not after) we work (or exercise) - the same as
  • builders equip themselves BEFORE beginning their work - also the same as
  • leaders in the home and Church take time to be renewed by God’s Provisions (Grace) at the beginning of the day
    • in order to be supported for their Christian lives and services to others and
    • so that they do not become worn out and over burdened (Matthew 11:28-30).
  • Jesus said (John 15:5), “Without me, you can do nothing (of redemptive value).”
  • "Unless the Lord equips the builders, they labor in vain" (from Psalm 127:1).
  • “God prepares us in advance to do good works” (from Ephesians 2:10).
 DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I12

 Week 36

GracePoinToday

  • Husbands can appreciate their wives, enjoy them, want them, and even need them, but when Christ, not their wives, is their Resource, they do not depend on them for their health and happiness. 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I07

Did You Know:

  • We do not have from God what we ask for (in the way “asking” is commonly defined / understood – that is, to beg and plead), but we have from him only what we receive.
  • The desires of our sinful nature for what we want will not be the same as our experience of the desire of Christ within us for what we need.
  • We can properly tell God the wants of our carnal nature or even express to him our godly desires, but neither is prayer nor the basis for us to receive anything from him.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I06

SlimSUPPORT:

Good health is NOT
  • automatic,
  • arbitrary (the result of chance or good luck),
  • astrological (the result of the position of the stars at the time of our birth), or
  • God’s approval (the result of a “blessing” he bestows on persons who perform to earn his favor / “make him smile”).
Rather, our experience of good health is the result of
  • genetic predisposition (some say about a 30% factor at most);
  • lifestyle values and behaviors learned through
    • leadership support in the home and Church (especially during childhood) and
    • our experience of Christ (by the Holy Spirit through the Scripture);
  • avoiding high-risk behaviors (impulsive behaviors motivated by boredom, emotional pain, ego, or addiction needs);
  • daily choices for
    • eating
      • WHEN
        • after rest and sleep,
        • before work or exercise, and
        • not after 5-6 pm or 4-6 hours before bedtime
      • WHERE
        • mostly at home,
        • at the kitchen / dining table,
        • with family;
      • WHAT
        • non-processed whole foods,
        • as raw and fresh and colorful as possible, and
        • adequate proteins, good fats, and carbohydrates (maybe 30-30-40 percent)
    • exercise (5-6 days a week for strength/speed, endurance/distance, and flexibility),
    • good hygiene,
    • supplementation (vitamins, minerals, herbs, probiotics) to
      • support immune system and
      • reduce free radical damage (cellular oxidation / inflammation), and especially
    • quiet-time worship to experience the Resurrected Life of Christ for healing and renewal of the heart (mind, emotions, and will).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17I05

Week 35

GracePoinToday

A wife’s experience of serving her husband may meet her need to feel needed or to win his love, and may feel good at first, but in time it will break her. But her experience of being supported by him will help establish her in long-term health and happiness.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H31

GracePoinToday

Wives and children will honor (respect, give opportunity for influence to) the same grace resources the leadership in the home connects to for support.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H29

Week 34

GracePoinToday

The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Scripture so we can have confidence that what we hear is from God.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H24

GracePoinToday

The places that best support us for health may not be where the crowds go, but where few people go. (That’s why walking trails are sometimes bare, even on nice days.) Jesus said, “The road that leads to life is narrow and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:14).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H22

Week 33

GracePoinToday

Performance to obey religious rules (to go and give) leaves us in bondage to our brokenness and tension. Only our experience of Christ, living his Life in and through us, sets us free.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H17

Did You Know:

God sometimes accomplishes his Redemptive Plan for nations and communities through Sovereign Intervention. But normatively he accomplishes his Redemptive Plan for individuals (for our health and happiness) according to his law of sowing and reaping (the scientific law of cause and effect) – that is, through our obedience to receive his Provisions of Grace into our lives each day. It is never as a reward for our performance (to go and give) in order to make him happy.

“We are heirs of God’s Plan for us to share in his glory (to reign in life – that is, to experience health and happiness), if indeed we share in Christ’s sufferings – that is, to make wise choices every day (against the adversity of Satan, the world, religion, and nature) to include God’s Provisions into our lives - which are effectual, like Divine Seed, to accomplishes his Plan” (from Romans 5:17, 7:17; Ephesians 1:19; Philippians 3:10-11; James 1:12, et al).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H15

Week 32

GracePoinToday

Prayer is not asking God for what we want, but receiving from him what he gives.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H10

GracePoinToday

Our essential need is not food but nutrition, not church or religion but Christ, not wealth but health, not recreation and entertainment for superficial relief from stress, but recovery for inner healing from brokenness.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H08

 Week 31

Did You Know:

God does not relate to us as a boss, but as our support resource. There’s a difference: The one is an authoritarian we serve; the other is a resource to support us for living out God’s calling for our lives in redemptive service to others.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H03

Did You Know:

The surpassing experience Paul writes about in Ephesians 3:19 and Philippians 3:8 is our experience of Christ during our quiet time worship and also the mutual sharing of that experience with others (koinonia). That’s why the carnal experiences we are addicted to here on Earth, including sex and drugs, will not even be thought about in Heaven.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17H01

Week 30

Did You Know:

To “praise God” does not mean to tell God how great he is with the hope of earning a “blessing” from him or staying out of trouble with him.

That’s because, God

  • is not insecure (as man is) so that he needs to be told how great he is;
  • values everyone unconditionally (not based upon how valuable we are to him); and
  • offers his Provisions of Grace to everyone without consideration of our worth.
Rather, the several different words translated “praise” in the Bible mean either to
  • acknowledge his Name (who he is) and his Word (his Provisions of Grace),
  • rejoice in him (his Provisions of Grace),
  • confess our dependence on him (his Provisions of Grace),
  • commend (speak well of) him (his Provisions of Grace) to others, or
  • give thanks to him in the sense of receiving him (his Provisions of Grace).
Psalm 138:2; John 1:12; Romans 5:17; James 1:5; Revelation 3:20; 22:17

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G27

GracePoinToday

We can
  • read the Bible to learn information about Heaven; also we can
  • have faith (conviction) given to us by the Holy Spirit through the Scripture concerning the reality of Heaven and the certainty of us going there; but we can also
  • experience Heaven on Earth in this life in an increasing measure through our experience of Christ each day during our quiet-time worship.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G25

Week 29

GracePoinToday

We can expect God to stop us from making fatal choices that would destroy us, but he will not always stop us from making foolish choices that result in our suffering and failure – which he allows into our lives to remind us of his faithful Provisions and of our need for him.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G20

Did You Know:

God expresses his Love for us by giving to us (John 3:16); but we express our love for him by receiving from him (per John 1:12; Romans 5:17; Revelation 3:20).

This means, attempting to give to God (to our support resources - parents, husbands, and pastors) conflicts with the Order of his Plan, and, although it may feel virtuous for the moment, it will in time increase our tension and unhappiness.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G18

 Week 28

GracePoinToday

The Bible can be read (for example, Mark 11:22-24 or Romans 8:28) in order to know what it says (its apparent meaning), but without knowing what it means (its actual meaning) – the same as knowing how to spell a word without knowing what it means. Or, the Bible can be read in order to hear the Holy Spirit communicate what it means – which he will do during our quiet-time to wait on him (patiently listen to him - as, for example, in a phone call), surrendering to him the responsibility for our learning (to reveal Truth) as Jesus promised (John 16:13).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G13

Did You Know:

Christ died for our sins but not because of our sins. Jesus said, “No man takes my life from me; I lay it down voluntarily” (John 10:18).

The Bible word “for” (eis) can mean either “because of” or “in order to.” (For example, a man went to jail for stealing - but it was because of stealing, not in order to steal.)

Also, the word “for” (huper) in Romans 5:6 (“Christ died for the ungodly”) and 5:8 ("Christ died for us") means “in behalf of” or “for the sake of.”

 So, while Christ died for our sins, it was not in the sense of “because of” our sins, but in the sense of "in behalf of" / "for the sake of" us, “in order to” save us from
  • God’s judgment against us (separation from his Life) because of Adam’s sin (disobedience) in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:12-19) and from
  • the resulting darkness in which we stumble about making wrong choices leading to brokenness and death (Proverbs 4:19; John 11:10).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G11

 Week 27

GracePoinToday

Our lives can manifest into the world (to our family, friends, and neighbors) positive behaviors and attitudes learned from our parents, education, culture, and even religion. But only Christ, living his Life in and through us, has power to manifest God.

“It is my most earnest expectation and hope that my life would not be dimwatted, but that the Life of Christ may be manifested through me like a beacon light into a dark world.” – Philippians 1:20 (from GracePoint Interpretive Paraphrase)

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G06

Did You Know:

1. The Blood of Christ sets us free (Justification) from God’s Judgment against us (separation from God) because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
2. The Life of Christ (experienced during our Quiet Time Worship) sets us free (Sanctification) from
  • our mental and emotional brokenness (the result of our separation from God) which, in turn, sets us free from
  • our bondage to unwise choices and the sickness and diseases they cause, and from
  • dependence on the performance of religious rules. 
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” – Galatians 5:1

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17G04

Week 26

Did You Know:

God’s Provisions of Grace support life in us SYNERGISTICALLY – that is, 
  1. his Provisions in CREATION (the soil and atmosphere: food, water, oxygen, etc.) support
    • physical life,
  2. his Provisions in COMMUNITY (leadership relationships in the home and Church: information, affection, and structure) support
    • psychological life - which supports
    • physical life, and
  3. his Provisions in CHRIST (his Blood and Resurrected Life) support
    • spiritual life - which supports
    • psychological life - which, together with spiritual life, supports
    • physical life. 
This means, our experience of Christ through
  • regeneration (the rebirth of our SPIRIT) and
  • sanctification (the healing of our HEART/SOUL) during Quiet Time worship
maximizes/enhances God’s support for our physical health and healing.

1 Thessalonians 5:23; 3 John 1:2

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F29

GracePoinToday

“Asking” God (in the sense commonly taught and understood by performance-based Christianity) will not move him to provide anything for you that he is not already providing. But saying YES to receive his Provisions of Grace (beginning with Christ - his Death/Blood for you and his Resurrected Life in you) will result in you experiencing the desired outcome others fail to have who “ask” but say NO to his Provisions (Romans 5:17; James 1:5-8; 4:2; Hebrews 2:3).

That’s because, the Bible meaning of “asking in prayer” means to RECEIVE (as in opening a door to ask someone into your home) and is weightier than its traditional meaning.


DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F27

 Week 25
Did You Know:

You can fully and totally accept as fact that
  • there is a God - that he is Jehovah, the God of the Bible, that
  • Jesus Christ
    • is God’s Son,
    • existed with God in eternity,
    • was born to a virgin to live as a man on earth,
    • lived a sinless life,
    • performed miracles,
    • died on the cross to save us from God’s judgment against mankind because of Adam’s transgression,
    • was resurrected to life after three days, and
    • is the only way to Heaven,
but still not go to Heaven when you die.

That’s because, the promise of eternal life in John 3:16 is to those who “believe” – which, in the Bible sense, means more than to just intellectually accept information about Christ as true; rather, the Bible word “believe” means to “fully trust (rely upon)” him - in the same way we would choose to sit in a chair or lie on a bed or get on a boat, fully trusting in their ability to support us.

John 1:1-2; 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F22 
Did You Know:

The promise of God’s care in Romans 8:28 is specifically to those who

1. “love” him (expressed by receiving his Provisions of Grace) and
2. are “the called according to his purpose” – that is, who have surrendered to his Call to
  • trust in the Blood/Death of Christ (as Savior) - for salvation (going to Heaven) and
  • receive the Life of Christ (as Lord) - for
    • sanctification (Holiness) and
    • enablement for redemptive service to others (Helping others).
Romans 5:17; 2 Peter 1:3; 2 Corinthians 3:6

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F20 

 Week 24

 Did You Know:

Father’s Day can properly be celebrated as Husband’s Day. 

Consider:
  • In the same way that fathers have the opportunity on Father’s Day to celebrate (and be renewed in their commitment for) being a Resource (the right hand of God) to their children, husbands also have the opportunity to celebrate (and be renewed in their commitment for) being a Resource (the right hand of God) to their wives.
This means:
  1. In the same way Christ manifests the love of his Father to his Bride, the Church, husbands have the opportunity to manifest the love of Christ and of his Father to their wives.
  2. God has provided for women to be supported (in appropriate measure) throughout their lives by a father–
    • first, as a child, primarily by her Heavenly Father and secondarily by her earthly father, and
    • then, as a wife, by her husband to help support her lifelong need for the leadership of a father (as he experiences and manifests the Love of his Father for him and through him for her).
Ephesians 1:20-23; 5:22-33; Psalm 138:7

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F15

 Week 23

Did You Know:

The Scripture (the 66 books of the Bible), the Rhema (communication to us from the Holy Spirit), and the Word of God (Christ) are each sometimes called the Word of God, but they are not fully the same.

(Knowing the difference supports us for being set free from our bondage to brokenness.)

Our benefit of
  • reading the Scripture (like a textbook in order to learn what it says) and
  • hearing the Holy Spirit communicate Truth to us (in order to learn what the Scripture means) 
is significant (inspiration and rejoicing), but both are surpassed by the greatness of experiencing the presence of Christ (the Word of God) in
  • our spirit (for regeneration) through faith/trust in his Blood/death and in
  • our heart (for sanctification) during quiet-time worship. 
"I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of experiencing Christ Jesus my Lord." - Philippians 3:8

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F08

Did You Know:

God has power to raise dead bodies to life during this Age of Grace - the same as he did in the Old Testament (under the Old Covenant). But, he will not do so until at the Rapture of the Church (one day soon we believe).

Also, God has power in this present age to instantly restore our bodies to health (sometimes called a “miracle”) - the same as he did
  • under the Old Covenant and
  • during the time when Christ lived among us and
  • during the time of the first century Church (the Apostolic Age).
But God’s Redemptive Plan for our healing at this time during this Age of Grace is as a result of us including into our lives his Provisions of Grace - which
  • flow into our lives through our connection to his Resources in Creation (food choices, exercise, lifestyle, and supplementation), Community (grace leadership support in the home and Church), and especially Christ (his Blood/death and Resurrected Life) and
  • produce health and healing consistent with his Scientific Law of Sowing and Reaping (Cause and Effect).
Sadly, this means, if we willfully reject God’s Provisions to support our health, we will remain in our brokenness (Hebrews 2:3). No amount of begging God to circumvent the outcome of our disobedient choices will help.

But happily, those who receive God’s abundant Provisions of Grace will reign in life (Romans 5:17).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17F06

Week 22

GracePoinToday

We can know about Christ by reading the Bible, but we can only experience Christ by opening the door of our hearts (per Revelation 3:20) to receive him into our hearts during our quiet-time worship – the same as we can know about water by reading the label on a bottle, but we can only experience water by drinking it. Information about Christ (and even agreement with it) may have educational (and even inspirational) value; but experiencing the Life of Christ (per Ephesians 4:13, Philippians 3:8,10; 2 Peter 1:3) has power for regeneration, sanctification, health, and happiness.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E30

GracePoinToday

The meal has been prepared, the table fully set before you, and God invites “whoever will” to
  • “come and dine” (John 21:12),
  • “receive of the Water of Life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
At the table, every Provision of God for our good is prepared and freely available to us through his Resources in Creation (the soil and atmosphere), Community (leadership in the home and Church), and especially Christ (his Blood/death for us and his Life in us). We have (possess) all we choose to receive. The commonly understood sense some have for the meaning of “prayer” (to requisition God for provisions, but with nothing assured or promised) misses the meaning of the Bible word “ask” - which is to receive all the helpings that are desired from the meal God has provided.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E30

 Week 21

Did You Know:

Faith, hope, and trust are not the same experience.

Faith is the conviction of Truth (especially about God) which the Holy Spirit produces in us when we receive the Seed of Truth he sows into us during our quiet time to read the Scripture.

Hope is the confident expectation, enabled/supported by faith (conviction), of good outcomes according to God’s Redemptive Plan.

Trust is the choice we make, enabled/supported by faith and hope, to rely upon the Truth communicated to us by the Holy Spirit.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E25

GracePoinToday

Our parenting can be
  • parent-centered - focused on our need to be happy and proud or
  • child-centered - focused on our children’s health needs (not the same as their “fun” needs).
Child-centered parenting is possible as God enables it – that is, for Christ to parent our children through us.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E23

Week 20

GracePoinToday

God resurrected Christ to live in our hearts so that we would not need to lose our health chasing after the world’s solutions for relief from the pain of our brokenness and unhappiness.

“Your experience of Christ living in your heart is your hope to experience Heaven on Earth.” – Colossians 1:27 (GracePoint Interpretive Paraphrase)

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E18

GracePoinToday

Essential supports for health include

  • laughter, recreation, entertainment
  • family, friends, and leadership relationships in the home and Church
  • genetics
  • healthy diet
  • regular moderate exercise
  • nutritional supplements
  • lifestyle (sleep, schedule, low-risk behaviors, etc.)
  • government (safety, protection of rights)
  • ongoing education
  • romance
  • clean environment
But the most indispensable support is Christ. Our experience of him during our quiet-time each morning dispels the tension which is the leading cause of illnesses.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E16

Week 19

Did You Know:

1. God’s Love (agape) for us is expressed by giving (John 3:16), not by receiving. (His Love in us to enable our love for those we serve is also expressed by giving.)

2. God did not create us because he needed to experience us - that is, because he was lonely, or longed to be loved, or needed someone to love. Rather, he created us because he wanted us to have an opportunity to experience him.

3. God is not in relationship to us for what we can do for him, but for what we will give him opportunity to do for us.

4. We do not serve/support God; rather, he serves/supports us (and others through us).

5. Christ did not come into the world to be served/supported, but to serve/support us (Mark 10:45; Ephesians 5:25).

6. Christ in his relationship to
  • his Bride, the Church, as her Savior, and to
  • his sheep as their Shepherd, and to
  • the branch as the True Vine
models for parents, husbands, and pastors God’s calling for them in the home and Church to serve/support their children, wives, and churches.

7. On special days (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, etc.), we honor those who faithfully serve/support us (1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17; Ephesians 5:22-24; 6:2-9), not by giving to them, but by connecting to them per John 15:4-5 to receive the service/support they offer.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E11

GracePoinToday

It is appropriate for children to say “thank you” to their parents as an expression of appreciation - although the Bible word “thanksgiving” means “to give ourselves (as in opening a door to give access) to a resource in order to receive support.” (That’s why, for example, we give thanks for food, not by just saying “thank you,” but by eating/receiving it.)

Sometimes, “thank you"s are expected by parents who are in a codependency relationship with their children (“I will be nice to you, but I have expectations for you to be nice to me, at least to say ‘Thank you’ – because, if you don’t, I will be mad and might stop being nice to you if that is how you are going to be.”)

But God has no codependency need for us to say “thank you” to him. That’s because his care to provide for us is unconditional, not based on anything that is true about us, but upon what is true about him – which he will make to be increasingly true about us also in our relationship to those we serve by our experience of Christ during our quiet-time worship.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E09

Week 18

GracePoinToday

On Mother’s Day,

  • mothers have an opportunity to be renewed in their commitment to God’s Plan for mothers to be a Support Resource to their children – to meet
    • the information needs of their daughters and
    • the affection needs of their sons (the same as for fathers to support the information needs of their sons and affection needs of their daughters) and
  • children also have an opportunity to be renewed in their commitment to receive support from their mothers who are faithful to serve them as a Support Resource according to God’s Plan.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E04

GracePoinToday

The Holy Spirit is the author of the words (“letter”) of The Scripture, but
  • they are dead (their meaning cannot be understood) and
  • we will tire reading them (the reason we read "Christian" books instead)
unless he gives them life (like water gives life to seed) – which he does as we wait upon him during our quiet-time.

The Holy Spirit also is the author of spiritual music and songs (including and especially the Psalms), but
  • they are dead (not effectual / useful to God for communicating Truth or for calling us to Christ – to be filled to a fuller measure of his Life and to be increased in his Likeness) and
  • we will tire singing them (the reason we sing sensual "Christian praise and worship" songs instead)
unless he gives them life – which he also does as we wait upon him during our quiet-time.

But we will never tire (but only forever increasingly delight) hearing the Holy Spirit communicate Truth to us in word or song! 

(2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 5:19)

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17E02

 Week 17

Did You Know:

No one will go to Heaven because of their
  •  good behavior or
  • religious performance,
but only by trusting wholly and alone in God’s Provision of the Blood/death of Christ as the only payment God will accept to satisfy his judgment against them (because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden) per Romans 5:6-19.

Also, no one will “reign in life” (be set free from their brokenness, unhappiness, tension, and bondage to their sinful nature) because they are
  • born again,
  • trying hard to overcome,
  • working on themselves, or
  • thinking positive (which they call “having faith”),
but only by taking time each day for quiet-time worship (opening the door of their hearts per Revelation 3:20) to receive God’s Provisions of the Resurrected Life of Christ (his Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance, and Wisdom for making wise choices) per Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, and Romans 5:10, 17.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D27

Did You Know:

You can
  • Go to church every Sunday,
  • Observe communion or “holy sacrament” (so called),
  • Perform acts of penance,
  • Be baptized or “confirmed” (so called),
  • Be sorry for and turn from your “sinful behavior” (mistakenly called Repentance),
  • Give money to world missions,
  • Feed the poor or help the homeless, and
  • Be a good neighbor,
but still not be born again so that you go to Heaven.

Also, you can accept 100% as Truth every word the Bible says about God, Christ, and Heaven and Hell (who’s going there and why), but still not be born again so that you go to Heaven.

That’s because, we are born again, not by
  • “works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5) or by
  • intellectually “agreeing to” the facts reported in the Bible,
but by trusting in (in the sense of fully relying upon – like getting on a boat) the Blood/Death of Christ for us as the only payment God will accept to save us from God’s judgment against us because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden (per John 3:16; Romans 5:6-19).

Confession of Faith:

“Dear God, I accept as Truth that Jesus Christ
  • is God the Son, birthed into this world by the Holy Spirit to a virgin,
  • lived a sinless life,
  • died on the cross to satisfy your judgment against me (and the entire human race) because of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden (which is eternal separation from you),
  • was raised by you from death, and
  • is now seated at your right hand in Heaven to represent me as my Savior.
I now
  • turn away from trusting in anything I can do to earn my way to Heaven, but
  • fully trust in what Christ did for me by his death on the cross, with the confidence that, as a result, the Holy Spirit will now immerse me into spiritual union with him (like a sponge into water), by which my dead spirit is regenerated (born again).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D25

Week 16

GracePoinToday

Someone said, “Judgment never helped anyone.” They were right.

Condemning wrong behavior (Leadership by Exception) never helps, and usually results in more of the same (sometimes called “galvanic reaction”).

Identifying alternative choices (Leadership by Expectation or Objective) is better.

Investing in the information, affection, and structure needs of those we are called to serve is best (Management by Investment or Support).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D20

GracePoinToday

Physical labor is good, and so is working out (strength building) so that we can perform our duties without injury. But over-the-top performances, motivated by the prideful need to achieve or to feel significant can have a disappointing outcome.

Also, service to others is good, and so is the preparation that makes us competent. But service that is driven by guilt or fear or the need to feel significant or especially in order to please God with hopes of earning a reward (“blessing”) from him will not have a good outcome. 

God’s provisions of Grace support us for living out his calling for our lives, beginning with Christ, whose Life alone makes us competent and effectual so that our service to others has eternal value (John 15:4-6).   

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D18

Week 15

Did You Know:

Water baptism is a symbol, especially appropriate for celebrating Easter - in the way gift-giving is a symbol for celebrating Christmas.

More:

1. Water baptism is an ordinance given by Christ to the Church (the same as communion) for celebrating our salvation.

2.It is not a sacrament – that is, it has no power to
  • save us from God’s judgment against us because of Adam’s transgression,
  • regenerate us (give Life to our dead spirit),
  • make us children of God,
  • cleanse our record (justify us), or
  • reconcile us to God.
3. It is a symbolic act to give testimony (make a theological statement) to the Church (and to the world) of our belief (faith) concerning
  • Christ, that he died, was buried, and was resurrected to life, and concerning
  • ourselves, that we have
    •  trusted Christ as our Savior,
    • been immersed (placed) by the Holy Spirit into spiritual union with Christ (so that we are “in Christ”),
    • been born again (our spirit regenerated).
Thus, the minister, when administering baptism, says
  • (immediately before immersing the new convert into the water), “Because of your faith to trust Christ as your Savior, I now, therefore, baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, buried in the likeness of his death,
  • (immediately after lifting the new convert out of the water) and raised in the likeness of his Resurrection to walk in newness of Life.” 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D13

Did You Know:

The Son of God
  • had no beginning (He was not created),
  • has never ceased to exist (He did not die at Calvary!), and
  • will always exist (He is eternal!). 
More:

1. The Son of God existed in eternity before he was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary (John 1:1-2, 14).

2. He continued to exist when his earthly body (temple) died at Calvary and also lay for three days in the tomb.

3. But man is created. God created him as an eternal being on the sixth day of creation about 6,000 years ago.

4. Man will exist forever, either with God or separated from him (the word “death” means “separation”).

5. At birth, man is born separated from God (spiritually dead).

6. If he dies physically while his spirit is dead (separated from God), he will exist forever in eternity separated from God in the place reserved for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

7. But if, before he dies, he is spiritually born again so that he is reconciled to God per Romans 5:10 and John 3:3-7,16, he will
  • live forever with God in the place God has prepared for the redeemed (John 14:1-3), and also
  • have opportunity in this life to be psychologically renewed (healthy and happy) through quiet-time worship (per Revelation 3:20; Matthew 11:18-20; John 10:10). 
8. This means, the eternal Son of God, while he may live in your spirit (that is, you may be born again, justified, and reconciled to God so that you will go to Heaven when you die), may not be present in your heart/soul (your psychological being: mind, emotions, and will) so that you are supported for health and happiness in this life.

“…that you may experience God’s incomparably great power for us who believe (receive it) which he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead” (Ephesians 1:18-20).

9. The miracle of Easter is that the same Spirit of God who resurrected the body of Jesus also has power (and is willing) to give Life to us - spiritually, psychologically, and physically - in this life and in the next.

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead lives in you (your heart/soul: the mind, emotions, and will), he who raised Jesus from the dead will also give Life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D11

Week 14

Did You Know:

Love is not a choice; it’s a grace, produced in us by the Holy Spirit - a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The choice we make is during our quiet-time worship to experience Christ whose Life in us effectually enables us to love as he loves (the Father/his Provisions, ourselves, and others).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D06

Did You Know:

The notion that God meets our needs when we

  • perform religious deeds (go and give) enthusiastically enough so that he is impressed with us and decides to reward us with “blessings” or
  • “believe” (think positive) strongly enough or
  • “pray” (plead and beg) hard enough or 
  • recruit enough people to join together with us to plead and beg God on our behalf so that he is moved to do for us what he would not otherwise be inclined to do
 is not supported by the Scripture.

Rather, God’s Provisions of Grace have flowed faithfully, fully, and freely since the beginning of time to meet every need of every person who receives them (Romans 5:17).

“…that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know his incomparably great power to us who believe (receive).” – Ephesians 1:18-19

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17D04

Week 13

GracePoinToday

The best solution for weed control is not weed killers but a good stock of grass. Which reminds us that: Good health is ensured, not by the harmful elements we exclude from our lifestyles and diets, but mostly by the supports we include.

More:
  1. God has provided for our health and happiness needs through our connection (per John 15:4-5) to his Resources in 
    • Creation (elements in the soil and atmosphere), 
    • Community (leadership support in the home and Church), and especially 
    • Christ (his Blood/death for us and Resurrected Life in us).
  2. We suffer brokenness when we willfully disregard those provisions (the definition of the Bible word meaning “to sin”).
  3. No amount of regret, pleading and weeping, or religious performance to go and give (church attendance, volunteering, tithing, etc.) will change God’s Plan for our healing (his Redemptive Plan).
  4. God has also made provisions for our healing and recovery needs. They begin with us
    • being born again and then
    • taking time each day for quiet-time worship in order to be filled to fuller measure with Christ (his Life) who, according to 1 Corinthians 1:30, “is made unto us Wisdom” (God’s support to enable us for making wise choices which result in our healing and recovery). 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C30 

Did You Know:

Faith is

1. not a verb, but a noun,
2. not the same as thinking positive or wishful thinking,
3. not something we do, but something we have,
4. the conviction of Truth

  • which is supernaturally produced in us
  • by the Holy Spirit (a "fruit of the Holy Spirit")
  • when we receive the Seed (Truth) he sows into us (during our quiet time to read the Scripture), 
5. a provision of God’s grace which supports us to trust (receive) and obey (comply with his instructions) – with the outcome of salvation (health, happiness, holiness, and Heaven).

(Luke 8:11; Romans 10:17; Galatians 5:22-23; James 1:18; Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9)

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C28 

Week 12

GracePoinToday

God’s call to every Christian (Matthew 5:16) is to manifest his Light into a dark world (the Scriptural meaning of “to glorify God” – John 15:8). Our first sense soon after we surrender to that call is of our utter inadequacy and desperate need to prepare.

Bible study to learn what the Bible says is helpful. So is church attendance for fellowship, instructions, encouragement, and opportunity of service.

But we are most made “competent as ministers” (2 Corinthians 3:6) and “fit as vessels for the Master’s use” (2 Timothy 2:21) only as we take time each day during quiet time worship to experience Christ to a fuller measure per Ephesians 3:19; 4:13; 2 Peter 1:3.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C23

GracePoinToday

The experiences we will have in Heaven will be pure, powerful, enduring, and satisfying. This means -
  • The experiences we chase after here in this life to artificially relieve our pain will not be needed in Heaven.
  • Also, as we increase in our experience of God’s Abundant Provisions of Grace while still here on Earth,
    • our experience of the world’s rations becomes less appealing and
    • our experience of “as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10) increasingly becomes the norm for us now. 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/GracePoinToday 17C21

Week 11

GracePoinToday

Whatever the causes of depression (or any health issue), unmet needs (what’s missing that helps more than what’s present that hurts) should be the leading consideration.

That’s because, no pain or darkness can prevail against God’s Powerful Provisions of Grace which flow into our lives through his Resources in
  • Creation (elements in the soil and atmosphere) and
  • Community (grace leadership in the home and Church).
But most especially through
  • Christ, the Light of his Life (his Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance/Support for scheduled decision making) imparted to us when we are born again and then renewed in us daily (during our quiet-time worship to experience him more fully). 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C16

GracePoinToday

If it is essential to health, as the experts say, for us to
  • workout 45 minutes on most days (to increase/maintain muscle, endurance, and flexibility),
  • sleep 7-8 hours at night (for immune system support),
  • eat essential foods and drink water (to nourish and hydrate our bodies),
  • study/research (to stimulate our brains and for knowledge), and
  • connect with family and friends (to nurture relationships and for psychological support) –
none of which, by the way, are we expressly called to in the Scripture – it is much more essential (Is it not?) for us to take extended time each day for Scripture reading, confession of need, and quiet-time worship in order for us to be increased in the Likeness of Christ (“attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” – Ephesians 4:13) – to which we are earnestly called throughout the New Testament Scripture.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C14

Week 10

GracePoinToday

The message of religion is performance based: God is in an imposing position over you, making demands of you for behavior that pleases him.

The message of grace is support based:
  • God is in a support position beneath you, like the Vine is to the branch:
  • his Love (value) for you is unconditional;
  • his interest in every detail of your life is passionate and intense; and
  • his commitment to support you for making wise choices which increase your health and happiness is unfailing.
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C09

GracePoinToday

We have inborn human capacity - aided by
  • leadership coaching and example,
  • education,
  • religious rules and pressure,
  • societal norms and expectations, and
  • other influences -
to demonstrate benevolence and goodwill to others. But these influences, together, are a low grade support for manifesting the Light of Christ into a dark world. Only the Life of Christ, imparted to us and renewed in us daily by the Holy Spirit (during our quiet-time worship), has power to support Christlikeness.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/GracePoinToday 17C07

Week 9

Did You Know:

We have opportunity in this life to experience the rejoicing we will experience in Heaven. It is not on hold until after we die, but
  • begins in this life,
  • during our quiet-time worship,
  • as Christ fills our hearts (the soul/the inner man: mind, emotions, and will) with his Life (so that Christ LIVES in us)
  • for our sanctification (the healing of our hearts).
  • (John 15:11; 17:13; Romans 8:11; Ephesians 3:16-19; 4:13)
 This experience of Christ LIVING in us is
  • not the same as our experience of being immersed (placed) by the Holy Spirit into spiritual union with Christ (so that we are “in Christ”),
  • which we have when we trust Christ’s death on the cross for us (per John 3:16) and are born again (the regeneration of our  spirit  -  the  inmost  dimension of our trichotomous being - body, soul, and spirit).
  • (Romans 6:3-4; 8:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23) 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17C02

GracePoinToday

God ordain the Law of Sowing and Reaping to govern outcomes in our lives so that health and happiness would not just be the result of chance but, instead, be supported and made certain by our making wise choices each day to include his Provisions of Grace into our lives.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17B28

Week 8

Did You Know:

God’s promises of rewards and blessings to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament were given under the Old Covenant (Law) which was performance based.

During this present age (the Age of Grace/Church Age), we live under the New Covenant which is grace enabled - that is, we are enabled for Christian living and service by God’s Provisions of Grace which come into our lives through our connection (per John 15:4-5) to his Resources in Creation (diet, exercise, and supplementation support), Community (leadership support in the home and Church), and especially Christ (his death/Blood for us and Resurrected Life in us).

This means, we do not perform (work/strive) in order to please God with hopes he will reward us; rather, we take time each day for Scripture reading, confession of need, and quiet-time worship in order to be renewed in our experience of Christ who lives his Life in and through us to enable us for making wise choices which effectually produce good outcomes consistent with God’s Law of Sowing (receiving seed into our lives) and Reaping (Galatians 6:7).

Jesus said to religious people who were worn out working hard to earn rewards: “Come to me, experience (be filled with) my Life in you, and I will recover you to health” (from Matthew 28:18-20).

See also: Romans 7:6 thru 8:11; Colossians 1:27; 2 Peter 1:3-4.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17B23

GracePoinToday

Our freedom does not come from government or employers or any other person or relationship, including husbands. Our freedom comes from God - by virtue of our spiritual union with Christ (Galatians 5:1).

God and his Resources are in our lives, not to control us or interfere with our freedom, but to support us for making the choices which increase our health (the ultimate freedom) so that we can live out his purpose (Will) for our lives.

This means, every relationship in your life that is from God will protect your freedom and be an advocate for your health.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective/GracePoinToday 17B21

Week 7

Did You Know:

The Holy Spirit works within us each day during our quiet-time worship to increase in us the ability to love (agapao) as Christ does – that is, to value
  • God’s Provisions (and the Resources through which they flow into our lives),
  • ourselves (our redemptive needs), and
  • the redemptive needs of others.
God’s love is not the same as
  • phileo/neighborly love,
  • storge/family love, or
  • eros/romantic love
which
  • are inborn and
  • can be refined through striving to improve ourselves.
Jesus said to religious people who were worn out and broken, striving to improve themselves, “Come to me and receive my Life and I will enable you to love as God does” (paraphrased from Matthew 11:28-30).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17B16

Did You Know:

The regeneration (new birth – John 3:3-4) of our inmost self (the spirit) so that we can go to Heaven
  • is a one-time event,
  • the work of the Holy Spirit,
  • when we trust the Blood/death of Christ on the cross for us (as the only payment God will accept to satisfy his judgment against us because of Adam’s disobedience - Romans 5:12-19),
and is not the same as

The sanctification of our inner self (the soul/heart: mind, emotions, and will) so that we can be recovered from our brokenness
  • is a life-long process,
  • the work of the Holy Spirit,
  • as we take time each day for reading the Scripture, confession of need, and quiet-time worship in order to be increased in our experience of the Life of Christ. 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17B14

Week 6

Did You Know:

We can possess knowledge about God sufficient to answer questions correctly on a test, but knowing information about God is not the same as having faith (pistis: “conviction”) concerning him.

Knowledge can be attained through study and research and is a human achievement; but faith is a fruit (Galatians 5:23) produced in us supernaturally by the Holy Spirit – which he does when he sows the seed of Truth into our minds during our quiet time to read the Scripture (receive the seed).

Faith supports (is the basis of) trusting, obedience, and hope (Hebrews 11:1) without which no one is able to make the choices that enable us for living out God’s Calling in the world (11:6).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17B09

Week 5

Did You Know:

God has made Provisions to meet every need we have, offers them to us freely and unconditionally, and also calls us to receive them (Revelation 3:20; Romans 5:17; John 1:12).

(A popular alternate view is: God provides for us if we please him, including to plead and bargain/negotiate with him.)

Of course, the Scripture calls us to “ask” God for our needs, but it is not asking in the sense of begging or persuading, but of receiving the Provisions he offers. 

This, the same as the offer service providers (police, guides, etc.) make when they say “May I help you?” To which we can reply “Yes!” (receive the offer) or “No!” (reject the offer).

Again, asking in prayer means to say “Yes!” to (receive) God’s Provisions. Asking (receiving) in this sense is a confession of our need and of God’s love and faithfulness to provide. The Bible calls it “The Prayer of Faith” (1 John 5:14-15; James 5:14-15).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17B02

GracePoinToday

The enjoyment of our fun experiences (including social services to the community) rises to a peak but then falls into decline. But our experience of God (his Person and Provisions) continually satisfies, never diminishes, never disappoints.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A31

Week 4

Did You Know:

We were not born again because we were baptized/immersed into water by a pastor – which is a Church of Christ doctrine (Duck Dynasty teaching).

Rather, we were born again when we were immersed into spiritual union with Christ by the Holy Spirit - which the Holy Spirit did the moment we trusted the Blood/death of Christ as God’s Provision to satisfy his judgment against us because of Adam’s disobedience.

Water baptism is an ordinance for observance (not a sacrament for salvation) which Christ gave to the Church as a symbol for
  • making a theological statement concerning our faith and also for
  • giving testimony that we have been born again. 
Born again Christians are baptized into water because they have been born again, not in order to be born again.

(Mark 1:8; Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21)

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A26

God will guide us, as we take time each day for Scripture reading, confession of need, and quiet-time worship (in order to be filled with his Mind), for the choices we make in life, including the most critical ones:
  • which vocation to pursue and prepare for,
  • who to marry,
  • where to live (city), and even
  • which purchases to make (including house, car, and equipment).
He will also guide us to a supportive church.

God’s purpose for the local church is to support its members for learning how to be increased in their experience of Christ so that they can be supported for making wise choices and also for manifesting his Likeness (Light) into the community, beginning at home.

Churches abandon that purpose when they exist for themselves – that is, to increase the size of their buildings, programs, and treasury.

Such churches, as a part of their growth strategy, draw young Christians in through programs that are entertaining. At first, the entertainment stimulates, but in time it becomes boring (because of the tolerance factor) so that the entertainment must be intensified, even to the point of overstimulation - which results in burnout.

Also, they offer opportunities to provide social (pain relief) services in the community. At first, the experience of feeling needed and being used feels good, but in time, it becomes burdensome, especially when the performance (going and giving) is
  • expected by the church leadership,
  • motivated by guilt (“Christ died for you, you should live for him”), fear (in order to please God or to stay out of trouble with him), and ego (the need to be a “Champion for Christ’), and especially,
  • not supported – that is, the church does not fulfill God’s purpose for its existence (as stated above) – meaning it is a “go and give” church more than a “come and receive” church.
Christ is in relationship to us for how he can support us, not for how we can support him. This means (again), God’s purpose for the Church is for its leadership to provide support to its members (the same as God put children into the home to be supported by their parents), not conversely, for its leadership (their organizational and fund raising goals) to be supported by its members.

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A24

Week 3

Did You Know:

You have joy and peace and “reign in life,” not because you are in relationship to God (born again spiritually into God’s family), but because you are in fellowship with him.

There’s a difference:

You are in relationship to Christ -
  • “You in Christ” (Romans 8:1)
  • so that your spirit is born again (so that you can go to Heaven – John 3:3-7)
  • through your faith to trust in his BLOOD/Death for you on the cross.
But you have fellowship with Christ -
  • “Christ in you” (Colossians 1:27)
  • so that you can have health, happiness, and holiness (the 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit and Wisdom – Romans 5:17; Galatians 5:22-23)
  • through your experience of his Resurrected LIFE (the Daily Bread/Living Water) flowing each day into your heart (the soul: mind, emotions, and will) during your personal quiet-time worship for Scripture reading, confession of need, and prayer (exchange of your will for God’s Will per Matthew 6:10).
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A19

Did You Know

No power can prevail against God’s Provisions (light, for example) to do what God gave them to do. That’s the meaning of Isaiah 55:11: “My word (Provisions) shall not return void, but shall accomplish the purpose (Heaven, Health, Holiness, and Happiness) for which I send it.”

But the opening through which his Provisions enter into our lives can be closed. That’s why Christ stands at the door of our hearts and calls out, “Open the door and I will come in to you” (Revelation 3:20).

Opening the door of our hearts to receive God’s Provisions is the meaning of the Bible word “pray.”

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A17

Week 2

Did You Know

1. God does not cause suffering but allows it. (All suffering is “Father-filtered” – that is, it cannot come into our lives unless God permits it.)

2. When God allows suffering,
  • it is not for the purpose of
    • punishment,
    • making us stronger, or
    • testing our worth, knowledge, commitment, love for him, etc; rather,
  • it is for the purpose of Discipline (training/teaching to support growth) – that is, to give us an opportunity to
    • confess our brokenness and need for him,
    • connect to him in order to receive his Provisions of Grace (in Creation, Community, and especially Christ) which support us for making wise choices, and
    • experience the faithfulness of his Provisions to meet our needs and to accomplish his Redemptive Plan for our lives. 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A12

Did You Know

Two types of suffering are:

1. The Suffering of Adversity – the result of living in (but not “of”) a world that is
  • ruled by Satan (Ephesians 2:2),
  • groaning under the weight of God’s judgment/curse (Romans 8:19-22), and
  • filled with broken people who are hostile to God (Romans 8:7; John 15:18-25). 
2. The Suffering of Disobedience – the sowing and reaping (cause and effect) result of rejecting God’s provisions which produce good outcomes (Galatians 6:7-9).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A07

Week 1

Did You Know

1. God calls us to give, but it is not in order for us to
  • give back to him,
  • prove our faith, love, and gratitude, or in order to
  • gain his approval with the hope of earning (being worthy of) his blessings (or at least staying out of trouble with him). 
2. Rather, he calls us

  • First, to come and RECEIVE from him his Provisions of Grace (in order to be established in health and in holiness [usefulness to God for redemptive service to others]), and then (only then),
  • Second, to go and GIVE (minister) to others in order to help meet their redemptive needs. 
Giving from the Overflow: How We Live Out God’s Call to Ministry

3. God calls us to give (provide redemptive ministry) to others, either
  • directly (one on one) or
  • indirectly (through church ministries). 
4. We give to a church ministry (for indirect giving to others), only if:
  • It supports others in the way it supports us.
  • God has called us to the same type ministry (for a few of many examples, Christian-based education, home and foreign missions/church planting, and, of course, grace/faith-based counseling), but for regrettable reasons, we cannot go.
  • It does not have a program for soliciting funds or a fundraising staff.
  • Funds received are used to provide only the most essential and modest needs (without a hint of excess) for office supplies and equipment, transportation expense, and other needs which make communicating its message possible.
  • Funds received by the ministry are not used to provide personal living expenses for staff. (Jesus was not paid a salary. Also, Paul, an apostle and missionary, was a tentmaker. Of course, they lived modestly.)
5. Both direct and indirect giving is supported from the overflow of God’s grace provision into our lives (2 Corinthians 9:8; John 15:4-5).

DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A05

Information about GracePoint, A Grace Renewal Church (AGRC)

1. On Sunday, July 4, 2010, Carole and I organized GracePoint as A Grace Renewal Church.

2. GracePoint provides support to born again believers
  • for learning how to
    • hear and experience Christ (in order to)
    • manifest him into the world (in order to)
    • evangelize the unsaved (beginning in the home, to members of the family, and in the community, to friends and neighbors)
  • through
    • sessions for individual counseling (GracePoint Counseling),
    • classes for studies in grace concepts (Institute for Studies in Grace Concepts), and
    • group meetings for teaching and fellowship (koinonia).
3. GracePoint is not a traditional “open door” church.
  • Attendance is open only to born again believers by invitation of members or attendees.
  • Membership is entered into through formal acceptance of GracePoint’s Commitment Statement, Confession of Faith, and Constitution. (Email for additional information.) 
DonLoy Whisnant/The Grace Perspective 17A03

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