Grace
is one of the sweetest, yet most powerful words in the Bible. Due to Adam's
sin, death now reigns in the spirit of every person ever born, throughout all
generations. The condemnation of sin is on each person as a result of Adam's disobedience
Yet,
justification and life is ours through the obedience of Jesus who paid our debt
on the cross and gave us eternal life (Romans 3:23, 5:18-20). God's abundant
grace and righteousness are available to all of us through Jesus Christ (Romans
5:17).
Jesus'
sacrifice of His own life restored our fellowship with God (Romans 6:23). Though
we do not deserve this love, Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates to the world the
true definition of God's grace (Romans 5:8).
Though
we often hurtle headlong into sin because of our freedom to choose, amazing
grace convicts us to repent and to submit to God’s will for our life. It is in
this place of abiding that we find true peace, joy and provision for all of our
needs.
God
does not condemn the world, but desires that everyone might be saved (John
3:17). Grace grants us a relationship with Christ that begins at salvation,
continues through a lifetime of sanctification, and ends in our glorification
when we see Jesus Christ face-to-face (1John 3:2).
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for making a way to restore our fellowship with You and for
showering us with Your grace. Walk in us and with us through every step of our
journey in life. Keep us on Your path for us (Ephesians 2:10), and help us
to convey your grace to others by living as an example of your unconditional
love.
Your
love covers all of our sins, and Your grace gives us strength to do better the
next time in our pursuit of holiness and intimacy with You (1 Peter 4:8).
Remind us that it is Satan who condemns and heaps unforgivable shame on us;
however, Jesus convicts and brings blood-bought freedom and forgiveness to
anyone who will believe in Him and be saved (Romans 10:9).
Thought
for the Day:
There
are so many people who believe that if they are good, they will go to heaven;
or that if they get baptized, work in the church, or serve others that they
will go to heaven; the truth is that salvation is only available through grace,
by faith in Jesus' finished work on the cross, and not based on our efforts at
all.
-
Ephesians 2:5-9; Exodus 31:13; Titus 3:5-7
