The Grace of God

 The grace of God is truly amazing. He is so good to give us what we don't deserve because of His great love for us. Without His grace we would be nothing, and we could do nothing worthwhile. However, I am afraid we don't appreciate God's grace the way we should. We think we are good because of the things we do. We think we deserve for God to bless us. None of that is true. We are nothing, unless God makes us something by saving us from our sins and unless He empowers us to live by His grace. Paul realized this vital truth. (I Corinthians 15:10) He declared that he was who he was by the grace of God, and that God's grace toward him was not in vain. He worked harder for the Lord than anyone else, yet not in His strength, but only by the grace of God that was with him. I pray we will all see the validity of this truth.

We are not self-made people if we are born again believers. We are saved by grace through faith. We are new creatures in Christ Jesus. The old person we were before salvation is dead. Now, new things have come. We are different, not because we are trying to be like Jesus, but by the grace of God working in us. Now, we do God's will to accomplish His plan for our life and to do the ministry for which He gifted us. Yes, we have to put forth the effort to do His will after coming to know Christ, but we can do nothing apart from the grace of God. Therefore, when we stand before the Lord, if we get a crown or a reward, we will gladly lay it at His feet, and confess that anything we had become and anything we had done was a result of God's grace working in us His supernatural work. Praise the God of grace! Thank You, Lord, for the grace that makes me who I am, and empowers me to do what I do for Your glory.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Corinthians 3-6.