The word grace is a short, simple word. But understanding the biblical depth and meaning of grace can take a lifetime of study and application. It's almost a shame that a word describing suppleness of movement or a short, quick prayer before a meal is the same word we use to describe God's unfathomable love for sinners. Nevertheless, it is grace that moves Him to offer us the free gift of salvation and forgiveness.
Grace is what compelled the Apostle Paul to write of a mystery never understood before (1 Corinthians 2:7-13). Grace is also what allows us to relax into another's accepting embrace as he or she gives us the freedom to discover our unique journey laid out by God. So relax as we journey together down the path toward freedom and the wonderment of the surpassing riches of God's grace!
Depravity is never pretty. More often than not it’s ugly and dark, marked by scandal. We’ve all experienced depravity. But the Good News is we can come to Christ just as we are. Our depravity does not disqualify us from salvation.
No matter if we’re four or 84...when we’re told not to do something, we immediately want to. Don’t touch wet paint. Don’t walk on the grass. Don’t fish off the balcony. We’re all guilty of wanting to do what we’re not supposed to. And that’s why we all need God’s grace.
If you want to relax and get rid of anxiety, you need to lighten up. Are you typically harsh or critical? Try cultivating a more gentle and understanding approach to life. “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.”
We have to always work at remembering and forgetting. We need to work and remember what we believe, and what God has done for us. And we need to work at forgetting harmful things from our past.
No one is qualified to judge another. We don’t have all the facts, we don’t know motives, and because we have our own prejudices and worldviews, it’s impossible to be objective. The only one who has all the information is God. He alone is qualified to judge.
Comparison can be lethal. What others drive, or wear, or how others look is no one’s business but theirs. Living in harmony means letting others be—and cutting each other some slack.
Perspective is a wonderful thing. It helps us when we look at the familiar and with fresh perspective see something we’ve never noticed before. It changes our thoughts and our behaviour.
Allowing grace to flow freely means we let others be. You look different? We let you look different. You don’t dress like others? That’s fine, dress like you want to. That’s what grace is all about. Here are some traps we can fall into if we’re not careful.
Grace is a foreign concept to us because the world doesn’t operate based on grace. It trends towards criticism and judgment. Grace says, “I forgive you...I accept you as you are...I value you.”
The reality is that it is not an either/or issue of trusting God to act or us acting alone. It is a both/and issue of trusting fully and acting wisely according to God’s revealed will in Scripture.
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