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God has been thinking about you since before the foundation of the world. He was planning for all of history past to roll out the red carpet for your life and for all that you would become.
But there was a problem.
Sin separated you from God … but God wanted you back.
The Father was willing to pay anything to cross that uncrossable gap and to hold you in His arms once again.
He bought you back with blood. He paid the debt in rich, dark red blood.
The blood didn’t come from an animal.
The blood that was used as collateral didn’t come from a dove or from a ram.
The blood that God the Father used in the greatest transaction of all eternity came from a Lamb. The only Lamb. The sacrificial Lamb.
God’s Son. That’s grace.
Not only did grace buy you back … but grace changed your past!
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a complete sacrifice in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed.” (Romans 3:23 – 25)
WHAT?!!
My sins are erased … they are eternally gone. There is no more shame. No more paralysis. No more guilt.
There is only grace. I am undone!
“My sin – Oh the bliss! – of this glorious thought!
My sin, not the part, but the whole:
Was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
It is well! It is well with my soul!”
But there is a challenge to grace. A gut-wrenching, knee-shaking, head-dropping, dry-mouth challenge to grace …
Because I have received grace … I must give grace.
Because of Jesus … I must be Jesus to others.
I must cross that chasm of frustration, impatience, and anger … and move towards sinful and difficult people with grace.
I must freely … lavishly … generously … completely … give grace.
And grace will enable me to do so.
The power of grace changes my past … my present … and my future.
The work of grace in me reaches out to you.
Joyful Thought to Ponder: How did Jesus share grace with the woman caught in adultery?
But there was a problem.
Sin separated you from God … but God wanted you back.
The Father was willing to pay anything to cross that uncrossable gap and to hold you in His arms once again.
He bought you back with blood. He paid the debt in rich, dark red blood.
The blood didn’t come from an animal.
The blood that was used as collateral didn’t come from a dove or from a ram.
The blood that God the Father used in the greatest transaction of all eternity came from a Lamb. The only Lamb. The sacrificial Lamb.
God’s Son. That’s grace.
Not only did grace buy you back … but grace changed your past!
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a complete sacrifice in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed.” (Romans 3:23 – 25)
WHAT?!!
My sins are erased … they are eternally gone. There is no more shame. No more paralysis. No more guilt.
There is only grace. I am undone!
“My sin – Oh the bliss! – of this glorious thought!
My sin, not the part, but the whole:
Was nailed to the cross and I bear it no more,
It is well! It is well with my soul!”
But there is a challenge to grace. A gut-wrenching, knee-shaking, head-dropping, dry-mouth challenge to grace …
Because I have received grace … I must give grace.
Because of Jesus … I must be Jesus to others.
I must cross that chasm of frustration, impatience, and anger … and move towards sinful and difficult people with grace.
I must freely … lavishly … generously … completely … give grace.
And grace will enable me to do so.
The power of grace changes my past … my present … and my future.
The work of grace in me reaches out to you.
Joyful Thought to Ponder: How did Jesus share grace with the woman caught in adultery?
Scripture
About this Plan
Have you ever wondered, “Is it possible to experience joy in all seasons of life?” Carol McLeod believes that God has an enormous joy for you that is within your reach. In this devotional, you will discover how to trust God when life isn’t fair, how to ponder Scripture that transforms your thinking and how to turn disappointment into a heart that rejoices in the middle of uncertainty.
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