Say a prayer for me, my neurologist is back in town and wants to see me tomorrow; expecting an adjustment.
I may have overworked the word "very" in this poem, so I threw in a definition link at the very end. Enjoy! Jeff
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By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
Ephesians 2:8,9 NAS
SAVED BY LOVE
I am a sinner saved by grace
Grace from God's own hand
From His very hand to my heart
The One in whom I stand
I am a cynic saved by mercy
Mercy from Heaven's very throne
From His sovereignty to my humanity
Came the Truth that can be known
I am a coward saved by courage
The very Courage of the Son of God
He suffered death to gain my purchase
I was bought and paid for at the Cross
I am a sinner saved by love
Love from God's own heart
From His very heart to my soul
In Jesus Christ I am forever whole
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Grace: a worn-out and tired word that people tend to avoid or, worse yet, bounce around flippantly. But the reality is rich, vivid, powerful. Grace: that overexposed and underexperienced gift from beyond, to help us struggle through the dailyness of our time, and perhaps lighten our step and point the way. A glimpse, not just of what life can be, but of what life really is. Grace: a gentle wedge that separates the shadows amidst our crowded and exhausting days. Grace: it is not of reason, but experience---this holy, wonderful, wild, and crazy-beyond-us-yet-within-us life of God.
We can't possess it but, paradoxically, it possesses us. When we begin to let go, to release our brakes, we can taste its transcendence, even though we can't own it and, oftentimes, cannot fully understand it.
What but grace could "turn your sorrow into . . . a joy that no one can take from you." (John 16: 20, 22)
Our limitations can become the very invitation to discover fully the dimensions of grace, the improbable path to God's otherwise hidden blessing. God does his good work within us and wants to continue to expand it, not because of who we are, but because of who he is.
That which appears to us to be limitation can actually become our unexpected advantage and asset. As we're forced to our knees once again, we discover the holy and wonder-full gift of life.
CHOOSING JOY [IN THE MIDST OF LIFE'S PAIN . . . YOU GOTTA KEEP DANCIN'] BY AUTHOR TIM HANSEL
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We often speak of God's Word as the absolute truth by which we are to live. We encourage one another to live without compromise and not to be pulled by the temptations of the world. But this type of discussion always implies a standard for Christian living; and, as much as we hate to admit it, a standard implies rules. Oh, how these words make some uncomfortable - some even angry!
Much of the Christian teaching we receive today is focused on the free gift of God's grace; "For it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:8), and this grace seems to be in conflict with the presence of rules. Since our sins have already been forgiven, and "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1), how can we talk about rules or standards or expectations?
It is absolutely clear in the Word of God that we are saved by grace and can do nothing to earn or improve upon our Salvation - we live and breathe under God's grace. However, it's also perfectly clear in His Word that there exists a standard of holiness for which we must strive. Sin is defined against a standard and the precious gift of God's grace never gives permission for sin!
Romans 6:1-2
"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may abound? By no means!"
As children of God, we now have complete freedom; "the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2). But the freedom we have been given is the freedom to claim victory over sin and live a pure and holy life; "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do" (1 Peter 1:15). We will never attain perfect holiness, never live in perfect compliance with God's standard. And though we who belong to Jesus are no longer under condemnation, we are called to live free of sin.
So why do we strive? First, holiness is honoring to God because God hates sin. Sin kills those our Father loves - those He loves so much that He sent Jesus to die as a sacrifice for the penalty of sin. God hates sin and we ought to hate what God hates. And next, as we strive for holiness (while remembering that our striving plays no part in our Salvation) we will see even more clearly how far we fall from God's required perfection. As we strive, our sin will become even more apparent and we will see with ever increasing thankfulness how much grace and forgiveness we have been given through faith in Jesus.
Salvation is ALL grace!! We live under His grace and have been set free from the law of sin and death. So now, let's truly learn of His grace by seeking to follow in His steps and striving for a thankful heart through a life of grace-filled holiness.
Have a Christ Centered Day!
Steve Troxel
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Scripture references: The Holy Bible: New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
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