Shalom to you all - not just peace for all the goodness and blessing of God be on you all.
Here are some thoughts that for me flowed out of our discussions at Wednesday Morning Study Group this morning, where we have been doing the 40days journey reflection booklet that I hope and pray you have all been doing too. I want to tease out a little about Grace. I’m a hugger. I like to hug. Growing up, hugs were few and far between so I’ve allowed myself to be embraced by others and now I am an embracer. I’ve noticed as a hugger that some people are not good huggers. It’s not their fault - they like me obviously never learned how to hug back. You try to give them a warm bear hug, and they turn sideways and bounce you off their hip. Or they hug on the same side you do and you almost kiss. Or they get all tense and rigid, and you feel like you are hugging a an ironing. Those are awkward hugs. Grace is hard for most people to define, let alone embrace. The word is found throughout the Bible. In fact, it is arguably the most important concept and term in the Bible. Grace is the foundation of Christianity and the essence of salvation. John, who was one of Jesus’s disciples and closest friends, wrote this about Jesus: “We have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14–17 ESV). Jesus was full of grace and truth. That means that grace and truth aren’t enemies. They are on the same side. We don’t need to balance grace with truth or truth with grace, because they are both embodied in Jesus. If we just get more of Jesus, we will have both grace and truth. Second, this passage says that the grace Jesus brought replaces the grace Moses gave through the law. Jesus is saying rules are good and the law had its place. But ultimately, the law isn’t how we get to God. Grace is. Most important, these verses say that Jesus was “full of grace and truth,” and that from His fullness we have received “grace upon grace.” In other words, He embodied grace. He oozed grace. He was grace. After people met Jesus, they probably said things like, “That man is different. That man has grace all over Him.” Jesus gave people a picture of grace. They watched Him and listened to Him, and for the rest of their lives, they didn’t have to wonder what grace looked like. They knew. What will people say about you after they have meet you? My favorite definition of grace is from Jack Hayford, a great pastor and author: “Grace is God meeting us at our point of need in the Person of Jesus Christ.” In other words, we need help, so God gives us grace. And His name is Jesus. May you embrace Jesus today for He is Grace May you be a living example of Grace to others May your heart embrace the grace and love God has for you Why don't you flick to this link and let it wash you https://youtu.be/fiyYoe678yI (Broken Vessels - Amazing Grace) Much Love JD
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AuthorPastor JD Drower Archives
May 2017
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