Tag Archives: Grace

2013 Day 55 – Leviticus 15-18, Proverbs 15:18-33

24 Sunday Feb 2013

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I’m not gonna lie to you, reading through Leviticus is not easy. There is so much information that is not longer relevant to us today. But I keep reminding myself that there is purpose in all of God’s word. All of these laws were meant to cleanse the people of their unrighteousness and to keep them safe. More importantly it was meant to remind us how much we are in need of God’s mercy and grace in our lives. While it may be tedious to read through this, imagine how tedious it would be to actually follow these laws. Let us all be thankful that God has provided us with salvation and a means to true relationship with Him through His son Jesus.

2013 Day 43 – Acts 7-9, Proverbs 10:17-32

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

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Once again, there is a lot of information in the three chapters of Acts we read today. There is no clearer picture of God’s grace than the conversion of “Saul the persecutor” to “Paul the Apostle”. He is proof that Christ’s sacrifice is greater than any sin. It is also proof that anyone’s life, no matter how bad, can be changed by the Holy Spirit to be used by God for His glory. God’s grace is sufficient to cleanse us and allow us to be used by Him.

2013 Day 34 – Exodus 21-24, Proverbs 3

03 Sunday Feb 2013

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This morning’s read was a tough one, but it is necessary to fully understand God’s grace. Without the full understanding of God’s law, it is difficult to grasp the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for our sins. This is not the last time we will read about the law. In fact, it will become far more tedious than today’s read, but I challenge you to read it with eyes that point back to God’s righteousness and the mercy He has on us in showing grace through the redeeming power of Jesus’ blood.

2013 Day 27 – Exodus 9-11, Psalm 22:12-31

27 Sunday Jan 2013

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There were a lot of plagues in today’s reading and the thing that stood out to me through it all was God’s mercy. I know, it seemed like He was pretty relentless with the Egyptians, but He kept giving them chances to listen and obey Him. For example, if you look at the plague of hail, He did not destroy all of the crops. He allowed the wheat and spelt to be spared. When Pharaoh once again disobeyed God, He went ahead and destroyed the rest of the crops through the plague of locusts. This is a great example of God’s mercy to us. God will continue to show us grace and mercy through the sin in our lives, but if we continue to disregard His forgiveness and grace He will eventually allow our sin to destroy us.

2013 Day 21 – Skit Guys – God’s Chisel

21 Monday Jan 2013

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If you’ve never heard of the Skit Guys, you are in for a treat. As I researched for something to share for our reflection day, I remember seeing this video five years ago when I needed to see it most. Today, as I come across it again, God reminded me how much I needed to see it again. Be prepared to laugh and cry as you watch it; I know I did. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

2013 Day 13 – Genesis 33-36, Psalm 12

13 Sunday Jan 2013

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Today’s reading went in many directions, but the story that stood out to me the most was the story of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. While I may find Simeon’s and Levi’s revenge distasteful,it is an example of the consequences of sin. Sin ultimately leads to pain. Sometimes it is greater than others, but through the Holy Spirit, God always convicts us of what we have allowed to deceive us in our lives. However, we must never lose sight that God’s grace and mercy is greater than any sin in our lives. When sin is allowed to creep in, we must repent (turn away) and commit our lives to following God’s leading. We will never be perfect or free from sin, but we must always strive to be more like Christ each day we are alive.

2013 Day 11 – Genesis 27-29, Psalm 10

11 Friday Jan 2013

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Today’s reading always makes me wonder how deception and sin could turn into God’s perfect plan. As I read the story of Jacob, I kept thinking to myself how wrong he was with the decisions he made. Then I realized that in the end, none of the things he ended up possessing came without a heavy cost. After all, the deceiver became the deceived when it came to receiving his bride(s). And while this man became the father of the 12 tribes of Israel, it did not come without great sacrifice and cost. Could it have been that the cost came because of the sins of the father? I have to believe that it did. For this reason I must always be careful with my actions and the downstream affect it will cause to my family. God’s grace is sufficient for me, but there are always consequences to the choices I make. I hope I always keep that in mind and work hard for the future of my family.

2013 Day 8 – Genesis 18-20, Psalm 7

08 Tuesday Jan 2013

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There is so much drama in today’s reading. The big thing that struck me was how much God continued to bless both Abraham and Lot. These were not perfect men. In fact, by some standards they were not even close. Abraham continued to rely on himself for protection by offering up his wife to Abimelech and Lot offered up his daughters to the men of Sodom to protect the angels. When looking at these acts on their own, it is easy to call these men unrighteous. But isn’t this the same thing for us? Aren’t we unrighteous when we look at our individual acts of our lives. Our righteousness does not come from our own efforts. Our righteousness comes from a merciful God who gives us grace despite our imperfection. When we act without trusting in God for our needs, He still loves us enough to lead us to ultimate righteousness.

2013 Day 4 – Genesis 10-11, Psalm 4

04 Friday Jan 2013

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The first time I read through all of this genealogy, I have to admit it was a bit boring. However, as I read it this time… it is still boring. In all seriousness, this is the story that sets the stage for everything else that happens in the Bible; including the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ. The key to appreciating these parts of the Bible is to realize there are no insignificant parts. All this information is important. In the end, it all leads us through the story of imperfect humans who need the saving grace of a perfect God.

2013 Day 3 – Genesis 6-9, Psalm 3

03 Thursday Jan 2013

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My big observation from today’s reading was actually made a while ago. When I first read through the Bible a few years back, I came across the story of Noah and realized that there really are no perfect men. If you read through the entire Bible you will see that everyone in it, with the exception of Jesus, had sin in their lives. Noah, the only man God chose to save from the flood, got drunk so drunk that he left himself exposed for the world to see (I assure you, even in my college days I never got THAT drunk!). But here he is; the man God chose to save, and he not only exposes himself, but he causes one of his sons to sin as well. The beauty of it all is that God knows we are Imperfect, yet His plan is perfect! The actions of Noah’s son Ham sets in motion the formation of the Canaanites. These are the same people who will develop the Promised Land the Israelites will later inherit. Don’t let the significance of the future impact of this story pass you by. No matter what happens in our lives, God is always in control and His perfect plan will be fulfilled.