Skip to main content

Grace Lists

Romans 1:1 (ESV)
1  Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus...
3  ...his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
4  and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
5  through whom we have received grace...

We all need grace.
We all live by grace.
We all know the word Grace.
The credit card company gives us a grace period.
The wayward politician falls from grace.
Musicians speak of a grace note.
We describe a person as gracious, and an artist as graceful.
We leave money for the waitress and call it gratis.

God invented the word, and the idea...and we receive it through Jesus Christ.

Ask anyone in church, "do you believe in grace?" and they probably will answer "yes".

The question isn't do we believe the word, or the idea; but do we believe God's grace has come to change us...to transform us.

I've been studying Romans and it's a book infused with the word grace.  Grace is God's plan for dealing wtih the Fall. 
Romans 3:23-24 (ESV) 
23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 

Grace is the entry point - the doorway - and the pathway that follows.
It's like walking in the darkness, stumbling on the path through a darkened woods, and all of a sudden a doorway stands in front of us and it says  "Grace - enter into God's Kingdom and forever be changed".  

We open the door to stand in front of Jesus and it all becomes clear - it's a grace filled pathway that is front of us, and Jesus invites us to walk along.  As we walk, there are signs all over the place...one after another reminding us we're in a different place - it's the Kingdom of God Grace Lists:
Romans 12:9-21 (ESV)
9  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
10  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
11  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
13  Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
15  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
20  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Grace filled living is much different and it makes us much more aware of just how different the Kingdom is than the world we've left behind.

Peace

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hands Full of Parcels

"A Man whose hands are full of parcels can't receive a gift."   - C. S. Lewis Romans 4:13-16 (ESV) 13  For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14  For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15  For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. 16  That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all... The last four days have been best described by the word "fatigue".  It's not an uncommon word in our vocabulary.  Listless, tired, sore.  1300 miles of car travel, being sick, not sleeping well, and eating poorly all add up to the word - fatigue.   Someone onc...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tabernacle

The readings today are Exodus 36, 37, 38 I wanted to post some pictures of what these various parts of the Tabernacle looked like. It's not the easiest read in the world, but if you persevere through it, you can get a picture of all the different pieces that made up the tabernacle. It is a replica of the various parts of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness: First thing in the chapter listed is the outside of the tabernacle which consisted of curtains tied together and put on cross bars through loops. Next at the beginning of 37 is the table and lampstand: Also, the altar of incense: And, the altar for the burnt offering which was in the courtyard: Finally, the courtyard which made it all come together: Hope that helps with what it might have all looked like. Most importantly, this was their "place" of worship they were building. I hope you have a great day of worship. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
1 comment
Read more

The difference between defending and explaining

The news of recent has focused the suffering of Christians in the middle east who have been martyred for their faith in Christ at the hands of Islamic Terrorists. Through the centuries many Christians have lost their lives as a result of their faith. For us, who live in America, there is little chance that we would have this happen here - but it's entirely possibly that terrorism will strike out at Christians sometime.  But, for many Christians in the western world - especially here in the U.S. - being a Christians who believes God's word there is a form of persecution that is defined by words like "ostracized", "passed over", "ridiculed", and more. What do we do in the face of opposition to faith? When the Apostle Peter writes to the early believers who are undergoing great pressure, even persecution for their faith in Jesus, he gives them this charge. 1 Peter 3:8-18 8  Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly lov...
1 comment
Read more