March 24th
March 24th
Nothing we can do will make God love us more than He does already and nothing we can do will make Him love us any less. It is all by grace. The question is, do you really believe in that grace? Is His grace at work in your life? Is it at work in you?
If you really believe in His grace, you can’t help but allow that grace to work in you and spill over to those in your life. When you really understand how much you are forgiven, then you can’t help but forgive others. When we try to pretend we are better than we are, in our minds we minimize the works of grace and forgiveness in our lives and this makes it easy to NOT offer forgiveness and grace to others. But when we really understand who we are and who we are NOT, and we realize that we have absolutely NOTHING to offer God that will make us worthy of His grace, then we can let go of any pride or arrogance and grab hold of that grace with both hands and cling to Him.
Jesus said that the one who has been forgiven much, loves much.
Luke 7:47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”
It is time we really grasp how much we have been forgiven (undeservedly so) so that we can love much. When we understand this, really understand it, then that grace and forgiveness spills over into every area of our lives onto those around us and produces the good works that James talks about.
James 2:17-18,26 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Verse 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
When we don’t have a grasp on the grace and love of Jesus, then we won’t have the works in our lives that display that grace and love. We are not saved by our works, we are saved by grace. But by God’s design, that grace can’t help but to bubble out into our lives in real tangible ways. So, take a few minutes to let the magnitude of His grace and love for you sink in to every cell in your body, heart and mind. He DIED for us. WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS. HE died for the very worst version of us, not the semi-polished version that we like to think we are sometimes now.
Romans 5:8-10 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
2 Corinthians 9:14-15 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Lord Jesus, there aren’t words enough to thank you for your love and your sacrifice for me. Thank you for loving me enough to rescue me before I even knew you. Thank you for making it all by grace that I am saved, not by works, but help me to be so grateful for your love and forgiveness that your grace overflows into my life and out to others in ways that draws them to you. Thank you for this indescribable gift!
Titus 3:1-8 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.