Grace

Grace- It is only by grace we are saved. 

Ephesians 2:8 NASB

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Isaiah 30:18 NASB

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

Day 110: Grace saves us

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. '

         There is one area where I have never struggled with in my life, my ability to take credit for what I have done, especially when I believe it was a good thing. This speaks to my nature to boast and be prideful in my work. It stems from when I was a kid. I emotionally shutdown in the 5th grade and turned off everything. While this may be hurtful to my family to admit, it was due to lots of changes happening in our lives and my mind and heart assuming responsibility for things beyond my capacity as a child to process. I felt like I was to blame for everything in our family. Any time my parents were upset, to any little trigger, I thought I was at fault.

         As a result of those misappropriated perceptions, I shutdown as a human. I had some struggles in school that also contributed to my delinquency. As a result of what ended up being about a year of my life, I then went the opposite way as my pendulum swung from one extreme to the other as a child. Branded as a failure, as I repeated the 5th grade, in a small k-8 country school, I developed an arrogance to protect myself. I boasted in myself to rebuild my heart and mind. The patterns established during these seasons of my life have been difficult to overcome at best and they are the slippery slope that the enemy uses against me whenever he can.

         These experiences led me down a path that has brought me to where I am today. Since I assumed the emotional turmoil of those seasons, I became a chaos coordinator. I learned how to outthink emotional trauma and plan for the absolute worst in every situation, so I would be prepared to deal with the fallout of emotions. I became good at hiding and keeping everyone at a distance. Even at 17 when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I knew there was nothing of myself I could offer, but I stilled worked to manage the pain associated with life. I knew I would never be able to take credit for my salvation because it was by grace we are saved.

         What I did not know until I became an inner room fanatic is that it is by grace we are to operate in everything in our lives, including our BOASTING. We can take pride in God’s grace because it is from HIM, by HIM, and for HIM! We were saved from experiencing God’s wrath through Jesus’s gift on the cross. He took on His wrath to offer us this beautiful example of God’s grace poured out in our lives. Then, He grants us work in the sharing of His grace to others, thus increasing His glory and beauty being multiplied in this world. This grace is an abundance in our lives that we must embrace and boast about to all we see and meet. In this section we will see examples in God’s word where God has poured out His grace, counter to times of wrath, thus exploring the nature of God’s grace.

Dear Graceful Father,

         Your authority and grace are abundant. We cannot begin to fathom the depth, the height, the width, or the length of Your abundant grace and love for us. You overcome our sin with Your grace. We do not deserve such favor from You Jesus, yet You give it so freely. Let us share in this good work with others helping plant the seeds of faith You will cultivate in others’ hearts increasing the acceptance of Your grace and gifts to Your creation. Grant us the ability to serve out of Your grace and boast in the works of Jesus Christ alone. We love you Jesus. Thank You for Your grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 111: Abundance of love

Ephesians 3:14-21

“For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

         Four-dimensional love, is this even possible? Notice the wording here, “…you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth…” This speaks to God’s love penetrating so deep within us that we have no way to fully comprehend it. We will always fall short of full understanding for it is beyond our capacity to understand. Reading this whole passage is beyond encouraging for it grounds us in the rooted truth.

         When I was a kid, I would often go on trips to Fall Creek Falls area with my dad and grandfather in Eastern Tennessee up on the plateau. This part of Tennessee is full of rolling hills and rocky terrain. One of the things I remember is a story my grandfather talked about how to survive a cold night if you got caught out in one and you were trying to stay warm. You see, all around the hills and mountains in this area whenever you walk through the woods you encounter trees that have been blown over by storms. When those trees were pushed over, it would turn up a huge root complex.

         Now those trees were grounded in that they had significant ground attached to them, but they lacked something. They lacked a depth of roots that would hold them in the aggressive winds that Tennessee is known to encounter. Many times, those trees grew on large flat rocks that made their roots spread wide, but not deep.  When the soil becomes saturated with water and the wind becomes high, the tree falls turning up a place where shelter was naturally made. My grandfather said that with a little effort, you could crawl up in one of those root balls and make yourself shelter in the most difficult of situations and find yourself a place to be insulated from the cold.

         I never doubted his knowledge, and I have always taken him at his word. Even as a wildlife field photographer I have been on excursions where guides have led us to the root balls for bear dens, so I know there is truth found in my grandfather’s wisdom. All of this suggests the reasons Paul is instructing us to not only be grounded but rooted in love. God’s message is one ultimately of love. The absolute truth is He loves us and we are to be grounded in His love through Jesus and His grace. Yet, we are to allow ourselves the ability to root deep into His word and seek Him through this life. This is why we have the Holy Spirit in tune with our inner self. Finally- a little nugget of wisdom- if we are to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self- are we not supposed to do that in our “inner” rooms??? That Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith…

Dear Gracious Father,

         Your might and power are overwhelming to our souls. We have no idea how to breathe in Your expansive nature and overwhelming love. We desire to seek You first and for You to be our final thoughts in each day. Lord, we desire to be found in Your will as we are thankful for everything this day would bring. Let us seek Your promises and understand glimpses of Your beauty and love in our lives. We will never fully comprehend the abundance of love You have for us. Even in Your wrath, You love. In Your discipline, You love. In Your grace, You love. Our response, we love and worship You Jesus. Thank You for Your sacrifice and forgiveness to save us from Your wrath, which allows us to be overwhelmed with Your love and compassion. Thank You Jesus, amen.

Day 112: Grace and Peace

         The apostle Paul wrote 13 letters of the New Testament. In every letter he wrote the same phrase, grace and peace. Paul knew that true peace only comes through the grace offered by Jesus Christ. We must accept grace before we truly know peace… Let God’s word speak grace and peace over you today and manifest itself in God’s beauty being revealed in your day.  

Romans 1:7

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. '

1 Corinthians 1:3

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '

2 Corinthians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '

Galatians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, '

Ephesians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '

Philippians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '

Colossians 1:2
'To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

1 Thessalonians 1:1

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

2 Thessalonians 1:2

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '

Titus 1:4

To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. '

Philemon 1:3

Grace and peace to you#1:3 The Greek is plural; also in verses 22 and 25; elsewhere in this letter “you” is singular. from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. '

1 Timothy 1:2

To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. '

2 Timothy 1:2

To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. '

Dear Grace and Peace-filled Father,

         Thank You for Your overwhelming grace and peace. Your power is unmatched in bringing contentment and peace through Your presence. Jesus, Your grace has covered me when I was broken, restored, bitter, and full of joy. Your grace has led me to peace and rest in You Father. I cannot thank You enough for the overwhelming knowledge of Your grace. It has led me to glimpse the depth of Your love. Your love has given me such hope in temporary situations. I trust Your will for my life Jesus. Let me always lead with thanksgiving for grace for it leads to peace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 113: By grace, not works

Romans 11:1-6

I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me.”

And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. '

        The gift of grace has been around since before the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. If you believed that it only came in with Jesus, that would simply not be true. Grace and mercy came into the world prior to the sacrificial system that was established to cover our sins. There was pre-fall grace in God’s provision for all of Adam and Eve’s needs and when He walked in their presence. While just created beings, they did not necessarily deserve that kind of access to the Creator. They received His un-merited favor. This is the same grace and mercy we receive today!

         During the fall of Adam and Eve, God did not jump straight to His wrath but sought Adam and Eve out after they had already sinned. He desired reconciliation with His creation. This was His grace on full display. Adam and Eve did not deserve this kind of love and favor from the Lord, but they received it anyways, even giving the fact that they did the opposite of anything that would earn it…

         There was grace in the curse of the fall, as God provided coverings and barred access to the Tree of Life to prevent us from living for eternity. Yet, He still provided a future hope in the promise of the seed of a woman would crush the serpent, thus providing hope for redemption (Genesis 3:15).

         Ultimately, grace has been around before any work was ever done by man alone. Since it has existed prior to the fall of man, it is the only thing that can possibly save us from experiencing God’s wrath. You see this same notion echoed in the scripture for today, where Paul was educating the Romans about Elijah. God’s grace provided seven thousand men chosen by grace.

         We too are chosen by grace. Jesus Christ chose to come to earth through the seed of a woman, live a perfect life, model how we are to live, was crucified, accepted the full wrath of God the Father, forgave us all, died, and rose again promising us the ultimate act of grace in that He gives us a part of Himself to walk with us everyday like we once did in the garden, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is one of the greatest gifts of grace we will ever receive. We did nothing to receive this grace; therefore, our work will never earn us grace because grace pre-existed our existence.  

Dear Graceful Father,

         Your grace has been on display for all to see before sin even came into this world. Your wisdom and power are unmatched in this world. We cannot fathom or understand who You are that You would love us so well despite our sins. Your grace saves us from Your wrath. Thank You Jesus for Your forgiveness. Thank You for Your promises. Thank You for Your provision. Thank You for the Holy Spirit guiding us. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your eternal promises. Thank You that it is by grace we are redeemed and not works. Lord, I know I would never measure up to the standard of perfection and that my work would be wholly inadequate for your presence. Thank You for making me into who I am through Your grace. Your grace is more than sufficient for me. Thank You for this day. In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Day 114: Multiplied grace and peace

2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
       
        Abundance, plethora, a lot, many, tonnage, ample, copiousness, profuse, plenitude, opulence, bountiful, multitude, slew, heap, and myriad are all synonyms. Yet, they do not capture the fullness of Peter’s greeting in this letter. The original word is Plēthunō (πληθύνω), which literally means to increase, multiply, or cause to be full. This is particularly interesting in that Peter is telling us that grace and peace are to be multiplied to us. Peter is essentially praying for a blessing of exponentially increasing grace and peace over all believers. Yet, he adds in a qualifier…

         Peter says explicitly that grace and peace would be multiplied “through the knowledge of God and or Jesus our Lord.” This is explicit in terms of not just factual knowledge in the original text. Peter is calling his readers to seek the deep, experiential, intimate knowledge of God and Jesus, (ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis)). This kind of knowledge can only be gained through grace and peace lived out through life. Yes, death bed conversions still happen, but for those of us that have the privilege of learning about Jesus early in our lives we have significantly more to gain and grow throughout our lives in following Jesus. Our opportunities abound in ways that we can only imagine!

         Jesus has blessed me with the privilege of walking with Him for over two decades of my life. He has carried me through some of the most difficult trials a man can face. I can boast in what Jesus has done despite me constantly getting in His way. Sometimes, I feel like I am more of a hinderance to Him working in my life because I am constantly learning new things and how to apply those new things. Do I have it all figured out, absolutely not! I am nothing without Jesus and the Holy Spirit in my life. However, I can tell you that the grace and peace that Peter is praying over us all will exponentially increase in your life the closer you grow in the intimate knowledge of Jesus. In seeking Him, He will add grace and peace onto you in abundance. We all want and desire peace, yet true peace only comes through resting in grace.

Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for Your abundance of grace and peace in our lives. When we live under the shadows of You, You provide us with views of Your grandeur and beauty. Glimpses of what You can do. You have revealed Your beauty in my life more times than I can count. You have never let me down and always been present even when I felt like that was not true. You still loved me through Your grace and have offered me deep multiplying peace. It has been me rejecting that when my life gets chaotic. Thank You for Your forgiveness when I get in my own way of understanding and living in Your grace. Lord, I love you. Thank You for Your overwhelming work in my life. May I always praise You for the peace that transcends my comprehension. In Jesus’s authority I pray, amen.

Day 115: Grace is the greatest equalizer

Romans 3:23-24 NASB

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…”

Romans 3:23-24 NLT

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”

         Sin is the great equalizer. We tend to try to compare ourselves to others. We look at others’ sins and think to ourselves, well at least I have not done that… or well I did not murder anyone… or look how humble I am compared to so-in-so. We deceive ourselves so much with comparison. This is not at all what Jesus taught. He said we were all guilty of sin, which is absolutely true. There is no one- except Jesus- that has lived and walked on this earth that did not have sin. We all will experience it at some point in our lives and subsequently struggle through it.

         Sin is the great equalizer. I know I have already said this, but it is worth repeating. Sin keeps us from ever encountering a perfect, righteous, and just God. He cannot be in the presence of sin without first granting grace. Think about the pre-fall garden grace that existed and then the post fall garden grace that abounded when Jesus was calling to Adam and Eve and they had hidden themselves. Why did they hide? They knew they had sinned against God, and they had no place to walk with Him any longer. They had to be separated from God because of His perfect state. They naturally, due to their sin nature and new knowledge of sin, hid themselves from being in the full presence of God.

         Sin is the great equalizer, but grace is the greatest equalizer… Without grace we cannot stand in the presence of God. Without grace, we will never be co-heirs with Christ. Without grace we will never experience the peace of God. Without grace we cannot be in true communion with each other. Without grace we stop functioning as a body of Christ. Without grace we are not grafted into the vine. Without grace eternity stops. Without grace… fill in the blank… We cannot exist without grace. We have been granted God’s un-merited favor for everything that we experience in this life. Without grace none of us can go before the Father presenting our requests to Him. Without grace we do not have a high priest that intercedes on our behalf… Without grace we cannot stand equally beyond the consequences of our sins…

         When we wrap our minds around this, we begin to see the beauty in everything, including the most difficult of situations, because we can see God’s perfect grace flowing through everything. Then we stand in awe and reverence for the grace that abounds and frees us from the penalty of our sins- God’s wrath… Without grace we face God’s wrath; therefore, God’s grace is the most beautiful aspect of our Creator, it is by His GRACE alone that we are redeemed, free, equally chosen by Jesus, all we have to do in return is submit to His authority and trust in His will.

Dear Grace Giving Father,

         Thank You that Your grace is the greatest equalizer. Thank You that You so lavishly pour it out before us. Thank You that it covers our sins and permits us forgiveness. Thank You that You have provided much more than we ever deserve in this life. Grace abounds in our lives because of Your steadfast faithfulness Jesus. We are nothing without You. Our very existence is predetermined by Your grace. Thank You for creating us and granting us the opportunity to pursue Your heart through Your grace. May God grant us a minute ability to comprehend how much He loves us through His grace. Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for us. Thank You for forgiveness and grace. May we encounter Your beauty through it today, Lord. In Jesus authority covered through grace we pray. Amen. 

Day 116: Grace is incomparable to sin

Romans 5:15-17 NLT

 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:15-17 NIV

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

        The gift of grace is incomparable to the gift of sin. Whether we want to accept it or not, sin is an unfortunate gift given through Adam. Since his sin, we have dealt with the consequences of sin throughout history all the way into the daily events of our lives. Sometimes we receive gifts that we do not want. Even this notion is supported by scripture, we see this in Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV), And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”  You can still see God’s grace and provision for His people even in this scripture. It is hard for us to wrap our brains around the full implications of sin. While the sin is directly addressed with the person, the iniquity of a father’s sin has generational implications, see Deuteronomy 24:16; Ezekiel 18:19-20; Numbers 14:18; Acts 16:31.

         While the consequences of one man’s sin have been passed down and we are all equal participants in falling short as Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all have the same opportunity in the consequences of grace through One man, Jesus. Jesus brought redemption to us as a consequence of His actions. I know- we consider it a reward or gift, but consequences are considered direct results of an action. The consequence of Jesus’s death was grace and justification of all that would accept Him. HOWEVER, unlike Adam’s sin, we were all not gifted the generational consequences of grace…

First off, Jesus did not have children, while we may be considered His creation, we are not generationally bound to the consequences of grace in the same way we are to sin. The next reason is that we are not granted direct access to this grace is that we have to choose to accept the gift of grace. We have the option to ignore the gift of grace as a consequence of Jesus’s actions. Which is where scriptures are clear, we have action steps that demonstrate our acceptance of the gift of grace:

Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16-17- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 8:1- There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Now if we pull those out and compile them together this is what you get:

         It is a universal truth that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and because the wage of sin is death, we find ourselves in need of redemption. However, there is a free gift of God which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This serves as a testament to the fact that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but rather so that the world might be saved through Him; therefore, if we profess our belief in Jesus and confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ultimately, for those who seek His path forward in life, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for Your sovereign authority and power being manifest through Jesus Christ. Just as one man’s sin entered the world and we have the generational consequences of that sin, we have the opportunity to encounter the Righteousness of Jesus Christ’s actions. In choosing Jesus’s will for our lives, we live with the consequences of His actions. Grace abounds and we are granted un-merited favor from You Father. Who are we to deserve such grace? Yet, You love us beyond our comprehension, and it is our response to love You in return. Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your willingness to take on the wrath we have as a wage of our sin. Thank You for justifying us through Your actions, not our own. Lord, we know that there is nothing we can do to earn any of this grace. Thank You for the gifts You have granted us through grace. In Jesus name and gift of grace we pray. Amen.

Day 117: Slave to Grace

Romans 6:14

'Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

         Thank God for His grace! Sin is gone… or not. Jesus did not come to rid you of your sin; He came to save you from His wrath. Sin is still present and working all the time, because the law- the ten commandments (Old Testament Stuff) is still at work revealing our sin nature to us. Yesterday, we discussed the implications of generational sin at work in our lives, and it is still present even under God’s grace. It is up to us to learn how we leverage grace in our lives. Each of us will have struggles as we work out our salvation under grace.

         After stating this about grace, the Holy Spirit in Paul knew there would be people that would leverage this against the nature of grace and feel freedom to sin because grace covers all. Therefore, the very next verses are of greater instructional value than Romans 6:14.

Romans 6:15-19 NLT

Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

The illustration of slavery is powerful in that we will serve something in our lives. It is ultimately up to us to choose what we will serve. Grace is the axle in which everything rotates, without grace nothing is feasible.

         Sin is dangerous. It is something we all should wrestle with in our lives. We all have it. Sometimes, we can deceive ourselves with it. It is a subtle manipulator of our flesh, and it infiltrates our minds in ways we never see coming. The only true way to combat it is through confession and accountability. We have to have people that are willing to call us upwards towards the truth of the gospel. They have to know us well enough to speak life into us by calling us out. Perfect love cast out fear. If we are to truly love our neighbors, then we are to call out truths in each other’s lives. This is one of the most difficult aspects of following Jesus Christ. We have to learn to discern the differences between a plank in our own eye and the speck in our neighbor’s…

Dear Discerning Father,

         Thank You for Your overwhelming grace and power on full display in my life. Lord, I know I would continue to be a slave to sin without Your power and Holy Spirit driving me forward in grace. I know Your grace abounds more and more. I am guilty of so many things in my life where I have become a slave to sin. I need Your help more and more to sustain me every day. Jesus You are so discerning in how You teach me and help guide me towards Your Holiness. Father, I am beyond thankful for You in all Your ways and You direct my steps when I choose to submit to Your will in my life. May I always submit to Your will for me. Help me love others today, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Day 118: Grace should lead to a sin-less life

2 Timothy 1:8-10

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,  who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

         This cannot be stressed enough in our lives; it is by grace we are saved not our work. This echoes throughout all of scriptures. Here again we see that grace pre-existed God manifesting creation and all within it. Grace is an essential component within the nature of God. It coexists with wrath, another quality and characteristic of God we have to try to grasp.

         We have to be very careful in how we walk out of grace. Sometimes people equate God’s grace with a free pass. It means to them that they can do anything they want and it is covered by God’s grace. Another common practice in the church is that we are always going to sin and there is no real point in trying to do anything about it, so thank God for His grace and just keep on keeping on. These ideas simply stand in stark contrast to what scripture teaches us. Sin should grieve our hearts because of the grace that generously covers it, consider James 4:4-10.

James 4:4-10

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

         Now, a sinless life is not in the cards for us mortal beings. However, a sin-less life is. Throughout the working out our salvation with fear and trembling, we are not doing the work of grace, but just like Adam and Eve did in the garden, we have a work to do. Our work is to build our relationship with Jesus through prayer, careful study of His teachings, and practical applications of biblical truths in our lives.  We do this out of a reverent fear of the Lord, not fearing punishment, but out of a deep place of joy and security driven by grace. We should have this innate desire to see all those far from Jesus, desire a relationship with Him because of His grace.

Generous Heavenly Father,

         Thank You for Your sovereign power that contained grace far beyond our understanding. Knowing that You Lord, love out of grace and that grace was pre-established in You before creation is humbling. Knowing that You desire to see us grieve over our sin nature because it is hurtful to You, should help us shift our perspectives to Yours Father. You took the punishment of our sin nature upon Yourself because of grace, and we know we would be nothing before you Jesus without Your redeeming act upon the cross where You died to Yourself for us. This is a concept that goes far deeper than we can understand, but we trust in that sovereign act of faithfulness and we accept Your grace. Your grace is the most beautiful thing that saves a wretch like me. Thank You Jesus for everything, may we be seen as humble in Your sight and seek You first every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.