to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. " Ephesians 1:6 (NET Bible)
This is not a repeat post but rather a change in emphasis. The focus is on what God has given to the world--and to believers. http://www.championsinchirst.net/
What it brings to mind is how gracious and kind Our God is to us. While we were still sinners he sent his only son to die for us, to redeem us from our sin and ourselves. I can only think how I have taken this and cheapened it with my own sin, treading on the very blood that saved me.
I believe there is a call for Christians to dig deeper, to grow more and more in Christ, to be truly committed to Jesus and the cause of the Gospel. We see pictures of Christ on the cross--They have been cleaned up to be more fitting decoration for our churches and our homes.
God sent His son to die a very bloody and painful death. He called Jesus to suffer beyond what we can imagine; suffering we don't want to think about; suffering we forget in the midst of our sin.
Some (preachers) may say, you need to remember God's kindness more than God's suffering and our sin. I cannot. What is true today must be addressed. We have in the body of Christ, easy "believism" Discussion of sin is taboo and yet, by our lives, we either mock what God has done or we are truly His ambassadors.
This week a pastor friend revealed to me the betrayal of a elder in his church. How painful it was and how unchristian and unbiblical his actions were. The seeking of power--the seeking of success, money and pleasing of ourselves before God and others is a fact of life in us an our churches.
I preach this to myself, more than anyone else--if the apostle Paul called himself chief of sinners, I must call myself a General.
Yes, God is kind. We must be grateful for his grace. Our repentance must be final. Our resolve must be firm. Our job is to draw others to Christ--and we do so with not so many words, but rather the gospel we LIFE out in Christ--being committed to Him, being students of His, following His example and doing what He would do at every turn.
In God's kindness, He has given us the GRACE to do that--all we need to do is apprehend it.
This is my prayer for me and for you my brothers and sisters in Christ.
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