Grace

His Grace Is Enough

The word “Grace” is, to me, one of the most beautiful words in the English language. When you think about what the word means, unexpected and unmerited favor, it gives me great encouragement to know that God created the potential of this beautiful quality in all of us so that we can share it with others.

Grace started with Him. His grace is enoughWhen Jesus paid the penalty for yours and my sin, His grace covered all of it.

Do we still sin? Yes, but if we truly repent, God forgives and continues to refine and perfect us. Remember the “potter and the clay” analogy? It’s a perfect description of how God works in all of our lives. God’s grace is a refining fire in the midst of trials.

Everyone has the opportunity to receive His grace. It makes me sad when I hear that there are people who still believe they have to earn their way into Heaven.

They can’t. It’s impossible. We must believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation and that is the path we must take.

A Thorny Path

It’s a path that’s sometimes filled with thorns. Bad things will happen to us – we can expect it at some point in our lives. We may even question God about the injustice of it all.

Take heart, dear one.

God has promised He would always be with us, and if it’s in His divine plan, He will bring healing if it accomplishes His purpose. There is always a purpose.

Cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease – there are so many words like these that strike fear and discouragement when they become a part of our lives or of someone we love.

How do we survive a diagnosis such as these?

faith and prayerWith Faith. It has to be with Faith.

Please add “a lot of prayer from friends and family” to that because God listens to every one. He hears your every heart beat and He hears your every word. Trust in Him and His plan for your life. We know that God is already working your suffering for good, maybe tomorrow or maybe way into the future. We must trust Him, even when the healing doesn’t come in this life.

A friend of mine, Martha F. from Texas, has experienced God’s grace within her own family. We are all sinners in the eyes of God. Here’s a verse to illustrate that from the book of Romans:

Romans 3:23 —

* 23 All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

All is Not Lost However

Taken by itself, one might think that all is lost, that there’s no way we can measure up. But all is not lost. Jesus provided a way for us to spend our lives eternally in His presence and where there will be nothing but joy.

Martha adds:

This verse sums up the human race to me and the grace that is available to all who receive Jesus as their Savior. It is a reminder to me that no one, no not one, of us are pure and blameless, but we have hope in Jesus as He took the punishment for our sins. Everyone has sinned, but everyone also has the opportunity to receive Christ. Because we all are sinners, Jesus died for all, not just an elect few. We all have the opportunity, as we are all sinners, to receive eternal salvation.

Nothing Compares To God’s Grace

We will have an eternal future with Him that will be better than anything we have ever experienced – that means all the beautiful sunsets, fun times spent with our loved ones, personal experiences with grace, exciting vacations, alone time spent with God – when it’s our time to leave this world, we will spend our time with Him in His holy presence and nothing can even compare with that.

His grace will always be enough. Here’s a song I love by Sara Groves. I hope you enjoy. God bless you all this week.

*Bible reference – English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

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Christ Who Strengthens Me

All Praise And Honor To Christ Who Strengthens Me

Christ who strengthens meWhen I’m feeling sad, I know I have a Savior who never leaves my side and knows what I’m going through.

I grateful for the knowledge that, when I pray to God, He’s listening. There’s no “I’ll get back to her later” from my Lord and King.

He loves me AND you THAT much.

(Hold your arms open wide. Christian, He loves you even more than that!)

How great is our God.

Light Bulb Moment, No Replacement Needed

light bulb momentGod will see you and me through every challenge that life throws at us.

That truth alone is so encouraging and I hope it is for you as well.

It took many years before I was finally able to break free from old traditions. Once I realized that I didn’t need any other intercessor but Jesus Christ, the light bulb went off and I felt so much peace.

I am eternally in His grip.

He alone holds my (and your) eternal future in His hands.

No one else.

When Life Overwhelms

life hands you a curve ballAs a loving Father, God can bring us comfort in our despair and much needed strength when we’re feeling down.

We must trust Him, no matter what.

He can give us the courage to endure when we’re handed a curve ball.

 

A Christian Perspective From Wisconsin

A good friend of ours from Wisconsin, Tom G., shared one of his favorite Bible verses. It’s Philippians 4:13 –

*I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Here’s what Tom had to say about why he chose this verse:

“We have had some family trials that have left us feeling a little discouraged as parents. We should get our eyes off of the situation before us and put them on our Lord, Savior, Counselor, and Comforter.”

It’s a powerhouse verse, alright.

We can get so overwhelmed by the circumstances of our troubles that we forget to just be still with God.

I admit it. Being still is not one of my strong points.

But, I’m working on it.

It could be a life-long process, but He knows where I’m at and His patience with all of us sinners is nothing short of Grace.

God Bless!

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*Bible reference: New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

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Will God Forgive Me If

Will God Forgive Me If I …

Will God forgive me ifHad an abortion?

Divorced for non-biblical reasons?

Committed adultery?

Skipped church?

Broke a promise?

These questions are from real people searching on the internet.

They’re searching for guidance about an issue in their life that is weighing on their very souls.

God bless them for recognizing their need for answers about important questions in the Christian faith.

First, some important facts for everyone to remember:

  • We’re all sinners and we will all continue to be. We’re human beings, not God, so there’s no getting around our sinful nature.
  • Will God forgive me if ____________ (insert your concern.) Our loving Father does forgive if we sincerely seek His repentance. And, our infallible God is smart enough to know the difference between a sincere apology and a fake one.

How do we ask for forgiveness?

Talk to God. Pray about it and, if you feel comfortable, find a Christian friend or family member and ask them to pray about it with you.

Heavenly Father, I believe I have messed up.

I’m asking for Your forgiveness and

also Your guidance about this situation.

I’m listening, Lord, and I’m opening my heart

to your eternal wisdom. Please give me strength

and patience as I seek your Will for my life.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

* In Isaiah 1:18-20, KJV, the Bible tells us:

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:  20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

 Lord, Thank You For Your Grace

In my humble opinion, the word “grace” is one of the most beautiful and meaningful words in the English language. It is through His grace alone that we have salvation.  We are forgiven from our sins through Jesus Christ, but we must believe in Him and repent when we sin.

I hope this is helpful to anyone reading this post who has a question like the ones above.

God alone, makes all things new.

God makes all things new

* In 1 John 1:9, Scripture tells us:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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* All Scripture verses are from: the King James Version (KJV), public domain.

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