The conversations about hot topics in society today are becoming more and more divisive and polarizing. Whether they're being had in society at large or in the church, we're becoming really good at mud-slinging toward those who don't agree with us.
It's made me think about how we should actually be responding.
What does it look like to respond in a godly manner?
How do we respond with truth without falling into the attacking of people that has become so common?
I don't want to get into a political debate about any of the current issues. That's not my point here. I'm not looking at the specifics of what our responses should or should not be. I want to look at what the overall tone of our response should be. How we should be dealing with people whether we agree with them or not.
In all of these conversations our tone must be filled with grace. We have to offer grace to everyone in how we respond. This doesn't mean we shouldn't speak the truth of what God's Word says, but it does impact how we communicate that truth.
Our approach shouldn't be about proving we're right and making the other person feel small or stupid for disagreeing with us. That will close people's ears to what we're saying. We have to communicate our love for all people as we communicate the truth. Yes, this is difficult in a society that equates disagreement with one's view as not liking the person. But, somehow we have to figure out what that looks like.
As vital as communicating this way is when it comes to society at large, I believe we need to be just as careful when we communicate within the church. In our fallen world, we need to speak the truth lovingly and with grace to those within our walls too. Often, we don't know what the other people around us in church have walked through and how something we say might impact them. If we want to be places where people come to find healing and freedom, then we have to be thoughtful in how we communicate.
I'm not saying we shouldn't speak the truth. We absolutely have to. But, if we communicate that truth without grace and love we won't be heard by the people we're speaking to. This is true in everything, but I think it's even more important when it comes to some the hot topics in our society today.
If we speak the truth in a way that condemns someone for their past in that area, we have actually failed to communicate the truth. Instead, we're communicating judgement. When we speak the truth of God's Word in these areas, we need to be speaking about repentance, forgiveness, and grace alongside. Not as an after-thought, but as part of the truth we're speaking.
Whatever situation we may find ourselves in when these topics come up for conversation, our response should be different than that of the world. Not just because it's what the Bible says, but because we're doing our best to really love others - both inside and outside of the church. It's about following Christ's example, not trying to be right.
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Redemption in Abundance
"Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with Him is full redemption."
-Psalm 130:7
Psalm 130 is a psalm about God' forgiveness of sin. It is a cry to God for mercy and a declaration of hope in the truth of God's Word.
As I read it recently, I was struck by the thought that God offers "full redemption." Another translation I read said it this way: "redemption in abundance." (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
They all convey that it's something complete. God doesn't just sort of redeem our past our sin when we turn to Him. He redeems it completely and He does it abundantly.
I've been working through Beth Moore's Bible study on the Psalms of Ascent recently and she said something about God's work of redemption that really stuck with me in part of the study for this psalm.
God's work of redemption in our lives is so much more than just forgiving our sins. He also takes our pasts and uses them for His glory and His purposes.
This is where I think the translation that used the phrase "redemption in abundance" really challenged my thinking on this. God doesn't just redeem our pasts, He does so abundantly! As we allow Him to do His work, He creates something beyond what had been stolen by sin. He is generous with us in His redemption. He doesn't just barely redeem us; He redeems abundantly.
The lyrics to the chorus of a song I've been listening to lately have made me continue to think about what this looks like in my life.
The song is called "You Redeem" (by Aaron Shust)
You redeem, You redeem
You restore what's been stolen from me
You reclaim, You release
You rebuild with the words that You breathe
You redeem
You can listen to the whole song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boV5ER7O90o
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with Him is full redemption."
-Psalm 130:7
Psalm 130 is a psalm about God' forgiveness of sin. It is a cry to God for mercy and a declaration of hope in the truth of God's Word.
As I read it recently, I was struck by the thought that God offers "full redemption." Another translation I read said it this way: "redemption in abundance." (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
They all convey that it's something complete. God doesn't just sort of redeem our past our sin when we turn to Him. He redeems it completely and He does it abundantly.
I've been working through Beth Moore's Bible study on the Psalms of Ascent recently and she said something about God's work of redemption that really stuck with me in part of the study for this psalm.
"Allowed to do so through our confession, invitation, and cooperation, God can restore our identity, our purity, our ability, and our sanity! He not only diffuses our past of all power to harm and haunt us but He infuses it with power to help others." (Stepping Up, page 129)
God's work of redemption in our lives is so much more than just forgiving our sins. He also takes our pasts and uses them for His glory and His purposes.
This is where I think the translation that used the phrase "redemption in abundance" really challenged my thinking on this. God doesn't just redeem our pasts, He does so abundantly! As we allow Him to do His work, He creates something beyond what had been stolen by sin. He is generous with us in His redemption. He doesn't just barely redeem us; He redeems abundantly.
The lyrics to the chorus of a song I've been listening to lately have made me continue to think about what this looks like in my life.
The song is called "You Redeem" (by Aaron Shust)
You redeem, You redeem
You restore what's been stolen from me
You reclaim, You release
You rebuild with the words that You breathe
You redeem
You can listen to the whole song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boV5ER7O90o
Thursday, June 2, 2016
How to Stop the Constant Running
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed." (Mark 1:35)
"When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida." (Luke 9:10)
These are just two of the many examples we can find of Jesus withdrawing from the busy-ness of ministry to rest and meet with God. It's a model of something very necessary for the life God has called us to live as His followers.
In our society, I believe this is even more important for us to learn. We prize being busy - even in the church. And we feel guilty for taking a break.
Yet, if we were to follow Jesus' example, as recorded in the gospels, we would regularly carve out time away from the busy-ness to be with God. We would make the time away a priority rather than an after-thought.
Because, the truth is that we can't live out what God has for us the best if we're constantly running from one thing to the next. We got too tired.
When we're constantly running, we also risk missing what God is leading us to next. We can get so focused on what we need to do next that we miss out on God trying to move us in a different direction. Or we just get so tired that even the thought of doing something new or different becomes too much for us.
What would it look like for us to regularly take time away for refreshing and the hear from God? What would change if we became intentional about not allowing busy-ness to take over our lives?
It seems I go in seasons with this. Sometimes I do this much better than others. It's easy for my calendar to just get filled up again - especially when it's with good things. But, even those good things may not be the best things.
So, how do we protect ourselves from falling into the trap of prizing our busy-ness? How do we make sure we're not so busy we don't have room for time to hear from God?
There's a few things I've learned that help me to do this better.
If I'm not paying attention it can be really easy to overload my calendar. All the empty places in my days get filled. But, if I regularly block off time in my calendar, I'm more likely to leave the space I need in my life. Often I sit down and block out the time on my calendar at the beginning of the month for the entire month - so it's just done and I don't have to try to remember all the time.
This has probably been one of the most difficult things for me to learn and I don't do it well all the time. Lots of good opportunities to be involved in something come my way, but, realistically, I can't say yes to them all. Sometimes the way to manage our schedules and not become too busy is to say no to some of the good opportunities that come our way.
I've learned not to say a quick yes or be too hasty in my no. But, instead, to take each good opportunity to prayer and give myself time to look at the impact a yes would have on me, my family, my friends, my other commitments, and, most importantly, my relationship with God. Sometimes it won't fit, sometimes it will, and sometimes I realize it's time for something to change because this needs to fit and something else doesn't anymore.
In many ways, this is the most important one. We don't always do this well. We'll fill our calendars and get so busy we don't have time for what should be most important. When we realize that, it's not time to beat ourselves up. It's time to make the decisions we need to make to get our schedules beack under control and start again.
"When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida." (Luke 9:10)
These are just two of the many examples we can find of Jesus withdrawing from the busy-ness of ministry to rest and meet with God. It's a model of something very necessary for the life God has called us to live as His followers.
In our society, I believe this is even more important for us to learn. We prize being busy - even in the church. And we feel guilty for taking a break.
Yet, if we were to follow Jesus' example, as recorded in the gospels, we would regularly carve out time away from the busy-ness to be with God. We would make the time away a priority rather than an after-thought.
Because, the truth is that we can't live out what God has for us the best if we're constantly running from one thing to the next. We got too tired.
When we're constantly running, we also risk missing what God is leading us to next. We can get so focused on what we need to do next that we miss out on God trying to move us in a different direction. Or we just get so tired that even the thought of doing something new or different becomes too much for us.
What would it look like for us to regularly take time away for refreshing and the hear from God? What would change if we became intentional about not allowing busy-ness to take over our lives?
It seems I go in seasons with this. Sometimes I do this much better than others. It's easy for my calendar to just get filled up again - especially when it's with good things. But, even those good things may not be the best things.
So, how do we protect ourselves from falling into the trap of prizing our busy-ness? How do we make sure we're not so busy we don't have room for time to hear from God?
There's a few things I've learned that help me to do this better.
1) Be intentional and schedule it.
If I'm not paying attention it can be really easy to overload my calendar. All the empty places in my days get filled. But, if I regularly block off time in my calendar, I'm more likely to leave the space I need in my life. Often I sit down and block out the time on my calendar at the beginning of the month for the entire month - so it's just done and I don't have to try to remember all the time.
2) Lean to say no - even when it's something good.
This has probably been one of the most difficult things for me to learn and I don't do it well all the time. Lots of good opportunities to be involved in something come my way, but, realistically, I can't say yes to them all. Sometimes the way to manage our schedules and not become too busy is to say no to some of the good opportunities that come our way.
I've learned not to say a quick yes or be too hasty in my no. But, instead, to take each good opportunity to prayer and give myself time to look at the impact a yes would have on me, my family, my friends, my other commitments, and, most importantly, my relationship with God. Sometimes it won't fit, sometimes it will, and sometimes I realize it's time for something to change because this needs to fit and something else doesn't anymore.
3) Show grace to yourself.
In many ways, this is the most important one. We don't always do this well. We'll fill our calendars and get so busy we don't have time for what should be most important. When we realize that, it's not time to beat ourselves up. It's time to make the decisions we need to make to get our schedules beack under control and start again.
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Getting Close to Others
". . . I'd have to trust that my flaws were the ways through which I would receive grace. We don't think of our flaws as the glue that binds us to the people we love, but they are. Grace only sticks to our imperfections. Those who can't accept their imperfections can't accept grace either."
(Donald Miller, "Scary Close")
Have you ever wondered why you find it easier to connect with someone you know has messed up in their past and come through the other side?
When we hear someone's story with the good and the bad, when someone lets us see their real struggles, we feel a connection to them. When we share the same with others, they feel that way too.
Why? I think Donald Miller explains it well in the quote above. People who share their flaws with others are often the people who have experienced grace for them and they offer us grace for our flaws.
We're drawn to them because we feel safe to be ourselves around them. We know they'll love us and stick by us even when they see our flaws. We don't have to act for them. We can put down the masks and let them see what's behind it.
"Unless we're honest with each other, we can't connect."
(Donald Miller, "Scary Close")
This is why we find it easier to form relationships with people who don't spend all their time trying to hide their flaws. They're being honest with us about who they are and that draws us in.
We were made for connections with other people. That connection requires honesty and grace. Grace flows when we have received it ourselves. And we'll only know grace if we're willing to be honest with each other about our flaws.
Our flaws and our honesty about them are the vehicles by which we experience grace and connection with others. Without a willingness to be vulnerable we will never experience true intimacy in our friendships or any other relationships.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Will You Jump in the Puddle?
The pouring rain has turned the ground into a muddy mess. Puddles are forming as the ground cannot absorb any more water.
From the safety of chapel, I watch out the window. Ladies get out of their cars, grab their studd, and carefully make their way through the muddy parking lot to get inside.
They're looking down . . . taking careful steps . . . avoiding the puddles . . . stepping only the spots that look the like the firmest path to take.
Even as the rain stop, the parking lot remains wet and full of puddles.
It's the beginning of a weekend retreat for all who are here. A weekend away to laugh and have fun. A weekend away to hear from God - to allow Him to speak to us.
As the evening winds down and conversation in my room begins as get ready for some sleep, I hear God ask me a question: "Will you jump in the puddle?"
I'm taken back to the scene I watched earlier in the evening as the ladies arrived - how I watched them step carefully to avoid the puddles.
Stepping in the puddles is messy, dirty, and often unpleasant. As kids we go puddle jumping and find joy in it, but as we grow up we start doing all we can to avoid stepping in the puddles and we definitely don't jump in them intentionally.
I drift off to sleep. The question still on my mind. And I'm not yet sure what it means.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
The question is still there in the morning. I'm still not sure what God means by it yet.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
We avoid jumping in puddles because it's messy, dirty, and unpleasant. And we avoid talking to God about certain things in our lives or going to certain places in our lives because it's messy, dirty, and unpleasant. We don't like jumping in puddles physically and we don't like doing it spiritually either.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
God's invitation comes again.
Am I willing to go with Him into one of those areas I would usually avoid? Am I willing to get messy and dirty and deal with what is unpleasant with Him?
Will I jump in the puddle with Him? Because He's not asking me to go there alone. He will be in it with me.
Will I jump in the puddle and look at what is there that I've been avoiding? And in the process discover it's a puddle because God has poured His grace and love in such abundance on that area. Discover that I can deal with that part ofmy life because God's grace and love for me is more than enough.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
The question keeps coming until I answer it.
I believe this is a question God asks all of us at different times in our lives. He asks us to trust Him and step into the mess where it's dirty and unpleasant. He asks us to step into this so He can do His work - so He can clean up the mess.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
The next time the rain pours, the area that became a puddle last time becomes a firm place to stand. A firm place to launch our jump into the next puddle. Because we've allowed God to do His work there and we know He is full of grace and love to handle the biggest, messiest puddles in our lives.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
Maybe that's the question, God is asking you right now. Maybe He's asking you to take that next step and allow Him into those broken and messy areas of your life, so He can transform them.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
From the safety of chapel, I watch out the window. Ladies get out of their cars, grab their studd, and carefully make their way through the muddy parking lot to get inside.
They're looking down . . . taking careful steps . . . avoiding the puddles . . . stepping only the spots that look the like the firmest path to take.
Even as the rain stop, the parking lot remains wet and full of puddles.
It's the beginning of a weekend retreat for all who are here. A weekend away to laugh and have fun. A weekend away to hear from God - to allow Him to speak to us.
As the evening winds down and conversation in my room begins as get ready for some sleep, I hear God ask me a question: "Will you jump in the puddle?"
I'm taken back to the scene I watched earlier in the evening as the ladies arrived - how I watched them step carefully to avoid the puddles.
Stepping in the puddles is messy, dirty, and often unpleasant. As kids we go puddle jumping and find joy in it, but as we grow up we start doing all we can to avoid stepping in the puddles and we definitely don't jump in them intentionally.
I drift off to sleep. The question still on my mind. And I'm not yet sure what it means.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
The question is still there in the morning. I'm still not sure what God means by it yet.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
We avoid jumping in puddles because it's messy, dirty, and unpleasant. And we avoid talking to God about certain things in our lives or going to certain places in our lives because it's messy, dirty, and unpleasant. We don't like jumping in puddles physically and we don't like doing it spiritually either.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
God's invitation comes again.
Am I willing to go with Him into one of those areas I would usually avoid? Am I willing to get messy and dirty and deal with what is unpleasant with Him?
Will I jump in the puddle with Him? Because He's not asking me to go there alone. He will be in it with me.
Will I jump in the puddle and look at what is there that I've been avoiding? And in the process discover it's a puddle because God has poured His grace and love in such abundance on that area. Discover that I can deal with that part ofmy life because God's grace and love for me is more than enough.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
The question keeps coming until I answer it.
I believe this is a question God asks all of us at different times in our lives. He asks us to trust Him and step into the mess where it's dirty and unpleasant. He asks us to step into this so He can do His work - so He can clean up the mess.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
The next time the rain pours, the area that became a puddle last time becomes a firm place to stand. A firm place to launch our jump into the next puddle. Because we've allowed God to do His work there and we know He is full of grace and love to handle the biggest, messiest puddles in our lives.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
Maybe that's the question, God is asking you right now. Maybe He's asking you to take that next step and allow Him into those broken and messy areas of your life, so He can transform them.
"Will you jump in the puddle?"
Monday, November 3, 2014
It's All by Grace
Am I good enough? What do I need to do to be good enough for God to love me? How can I earn God's love?
God has been continuing to take me back to the basics of what being a follower of His is all about. And this weekend was no exception. I was at a retreat with a group of ladies from my church. Our theme for the weekend was Delighting in God's grace.
When you get right down to it, following God is all about His grace. His love for us is all about the grace He has shown to us. There is nothing we can do to be good enough for Him to love us - He just loves us.
"See what great love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1)
The love that God lavishes on us, is a gift from Him. We can't do anything to earn it. And we can't do anything to make Him stop loving us.
The Old Testament outlines God's Law that the Israelites were to live by. The rules and sacrifices that were a required part of life as one of God's people.
When Jesus came, He fulfilled the Law completely - He was the perfect sacrifice for sin. And that perfect sacrifice for our sin is offered to us by God as a gift. There's nothing we can do to earn it. We just need to accept the gift that comes by grace.
But, that is more difficult than it sounds. Our human nature likes the rules and things we have to do to earn God's love and grace. We make rules and requirements of what we should do and what we should avoid.
In the process of that, we forget about God's grace. We miss His grace. And we struggle with feeling good enough for God to love us. Except that we don't have to try to be good enough to be loved. God doesn't ask us to be good enough - He just asks us to accept His gift of grace.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Five Minute Friday: Begin
God provides us chance to begin again each day, each moment.
We stumble. We sin. We mess up.
When we confess it to God and ask for His forgiveness. He freely gives us His forgiveness and a chance to begin again. We start over with a no record of what we have done.
That chance to begin again is something we need constantly. A chance to begin again is something we need each day, each moment.
I'm thankful that God offers us that chance. As many times as I may need it.
All I have to do is return to Him and ask Him for that chance again. I don't have to try to do the right thing so He will give me that chance. I just have to ask and it is given. God's grace poured out on my life.
The chance to begin again is available to all who are willing to confess their sin and ask God for forgiveness - for a chance to begin again.
Joining in with Five Minute Friday again today. This week's word is "begin."
We stumble. We sin. We mess up.
When we confess it to God and ask for His forgiveness. He freely gives us His forgiveness and a chance to begin again. We start over with a no record of what we have done.
That chance to begin again is something we need constantly. A chance to begin again is something we need each day, each moment.
I'm thankful that God offers us that chance. As many times as I may need it.
All I have to do is return to Him and ask Him for that chance again. I don't have to try to do the right thing so He will give me that chance. I just have to ask and it is given. God's grace poured out on my life.
The chance to begin again is available to all who are willing to confess their sin and ask God for forgiveness - for a chance to begin again.
Joining in with Five Minute Friday again today. This week's word is "begin."
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Lacking Nothing?
"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (Psalm 23:1)
I've this verse hundreds, possibly thousands of times. Psalm 23 is one of the first Scripture passages I memorized. I love the psalm.
But when I read it a week ago, I couldn't get past the last three words of the first verse, "I lack nothing." They wouldn't sit nicely for me.
Is that really true? Can I declare those words in my own life? What about the many Christians around the world whose lives are filled with persecution, poverty, violence, fear? Can any of us really say we lack nothing?
If we look at this psalm and this verse specifically from a physical perspective, I don't know if we could ever really say and completely mean the words. It seems to be the reality of life on this earth after the fall that we lack something at least some of the time. For many, it's the basics of life - safety, food, shelter, clean water. But, even for those of who have those things, there are times where we do lack.
But, maybe, David wasn't speaking of physical or earthly needs when he wrote this psalm. My Bible doesn't give details about when David penned the psalm, but David's life was not one of ease. He spent years on the run form Saul - knowing nothing of safety or comfort or regular food during that time.
Yet David chooses to begin this psalm with the words, "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." I don't think David was speaking specifically of physical needs when he said this. Even in the midst of his running from Saul, David knew of God's provision and care; after all, David was still alive because of it.
And David had a relationship with God where He knew that God could and would meet his spiritual needs. God was always there and caring for David's needs.
When I begin to look beyond just earthly needs, the way I read this verse changes. If I start to think of it as God looking after my spiritual, relational, emotional needs it changes how I say those words. I'm not just looking at whether my earthly life is good. I'm looking at far more than that. It's about seeing God as enough in life, no matter what.
My walk with God has proved this to be true over and over again. God does look after me and He doesn't leave me wanting for anything when I'm allowing Him to care for me.
I get into trouble when I try to go it alone, but as long as I'm living as if the first part of Psalm 23:1 is true, the second part is true as well. If I'm allowing God to be my shepherd - the One who provides for me, protects me, cares for me - then I really do lack nothing.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (Psalm 23:1)
How are you doing at allowing God to be your shepherd? At allowing Him to care for you, so oyu can declare that you lack nothing in your life?
I've this verse hundreds, possibly thousands of times. Psalm 23 is one of the first Scripture passages I memorized. I love the psalm.
But when I read it a week ago, I couldn't get past the last three words of the first verse, "I lack nothing." They wouldn't sit nicely for me.
Is that really true? Can I declare those words in my own life? What about the many Christians around the world whose lives are filled with persecution, poverty, violence, fear? Can any of us really say we lack nothing?
If we look at this psalm and this verse specifically from a physical perspective, I don't know if we could ever really say and completely mean the words. It seems to be the reality of life on this earth after the fall that we lack something at least some of the time. For many, it's the basics of life - safety, food, shelter, clean water. But, even for those of who have those things, there are times where we do lack.
But, maybe, David wasn't speaking of physical or earthly needs when he wrote this psalm. My Bible doesn't give details about when David penned the psalm, but David's life was not one of ease. He spent years on the run form Saul - knowing nothing of safety or comfort or regular food during that time.
Yet David chooses to begin this psalm with the words, "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." I don't think David was speaking specifically of physical needs when he said this. Even in the midst of his running from Saul, David knew of God's provision and care; after all, David was still alive because of it.
And David had a relationship with God where He knew that God could and would meet his spiritual needs. God was always there and caring for David's needs.
When I begin to look beyond just earthly needs, the way I read this verse changes. If I start to think of it as God looking after my spiritual, relational, emotional needs it changes how I say those words. I'm not just looking at whether my earthly life is good. I'm looking at far more than that. It's about seeing God as enough in life, no matter what.
My walk with God has proved this to be true over and over again. God does look after me and He doesn't leave me wanting for anything when I'm allowing Him to care for me.
I get into trouble when I try to go it alone, but as long as I'm living as if the first part of Psalm 23:1 is true, the second part is true as well. If I'm allowing God to be my shepherd - the One who provides for me, protects me, cares for me - then I really do lack nothing.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." (Psalm 23:1)
How are you doing at allowing God to be your shepherd? At allowing Him to care for you, so oyu can declare that you lack nothing in your life?
Friday, November 1, 2013
Five Minute Friday: Grace
It's that time again. Five Minute Friday. This week's word is "grace."
The greatest gift we could ever receive . . . grace.
And it truly is a gift. There's nothing we can do to earn it.
All we can do it accept the gift. And allow it to change our lives.
God's grace is the greatest thing available for us all the time. He gives us what we don't deserve.
But, we often try to do everything we can to earn His grace. We try to be good enough. We try to do the right things . . . say the right things . . . and we wear ourselves out in the process, because no matter what we do we can never earn it.
The only way for God's grace to make a difference in our lives is for us to accept the gift.
The gift has been offered to you. Will you accept it freely? Or are you still trying to earn it?
The greatest gift we could ever receive . . . grace.
And it truly is a gift. There's nothing we can do to earn it.
All we can do it accept the gift. And allow it to change our lives.
God's grace is the greatest thing available for us all the time. He gives us what we don't deserve.
But, we often try to do everything we can to earn His grace. We try to be good enough. We try to do the right things . . . say the right things . . . and we wear ourselves out in the process, because no matter what we do we can never earn it.
The only way for God's grace to make a difference in our lives is for us to accept the gift.
The gift has been offered to you. Will you accept it freely? Or are you still trying to earn it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)