"Timmy had been
misbehaving and was sent to his room.
After a while he emerged and informed his mother that he had thought it
over and then said a prayer.
"Fine", said the pleased mother. "If you ask God to help
you not misbehave, He will help you." "Oh, I didn't ask Him to help me not
misbehave," said Timmy. "I asked Him to help you put up with
me."
God puts up with a lot, but he still loves us in spite of
all that we do wrong. Remember,
God loves us for who we are, not what we do. Yes, God wants our faithfulness, commitment, and our
spiritual loyalty. He wants our
faith to grow. He desires for each
of us to be in the Word. God loves
for us to talk to Him. Loving one
another deeply from the heart is a God trait. And, living the Christians life is demonstrating
integrity. However, no one is
perfect and in all of our inconsistencies, failures and disappointing moments,
God still loves us for who we are and gives grace abundantly.
What is God’s Grace? Grace comes from the Latin and Greek
origin that means, favor or
kindness shown without merit.
When we use Grace in reference to God, this word defines His
heart. Ephesians 2:8 says "For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God." God’s grace
is His kindness towards us in spite of our actions or behavior. Yes, I understand that Romans 6:1 says that we cannot keep on sinning so that grace may increase.
However, in our daily pursuit of living under grace, we do fall short of
the glory of God. This is the very
reason why grace is so important to the believer.
God defines himself in Exodus 34:6 as the merciful and gracious God, who is slow to anger
and rich in unfailing love and
faithfulness." God's grace is amazing because He forgives us of our
sins! Romans 3:24 says that we are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus." To be justified means that we are declared free.
The essence of the Gospel is Grace. Forgiveness. Mercy.
Hope. Never merited, but
always given. I do because I love
God, not because I am trying to earn my salvation, eternal home, or for God to
love me. My faith propels me to be
obedient not because I am earning extra
points in the spiritual life, but because I have a deep and profound love for
God.
God gives grace because He loves us. I give him my life because I love
Him.
Remember, Be God Controlled!
Brian