Tag Archives: Grace

2015 Day 258 – 1 John 1

15 Tuesday Sep 2015

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We are all sinners and just like people who struggle with addiction, the first step in recovery is to admit we have a problem. 1 John 1:8 says, If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. There is no greater deception than the deception we believe about ourselves. When we believe we are justified in sin, we not only lie to God, but we lie to ourselves. Once we realize how much we need God’s grace and mercy, we can then see how broken we are without the love of God, and this is when we begin to heal.

2015 Day 229- 1 Peter 2

17 Monday Aug 2015

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Having ill will or feelings for another person is never productive. In 1 Peter 2:1 Peter says, Therefore, rid yourself of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. When you hang onto these feelings, it does more to harm you than the person you are feeling it towards. More importantly, it is against what Jesus called us to do when He told us to love Him and to love others.

2015 Day 217 – 1 Timothy 1

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

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Today we begin 1 Timothy, which is the first letter Paul wrote to Timothy. The letter is meant as an encouragement and Paul is blunt about needing Christ’s presence in his life just as much as anyone. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul says, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. None of us is without sin. Even in our best of days, we are not sinless. Christ died for us because we cannot do it without Him. Praise God He did.

2015 Day 208 – Ephesians 3

27 Monday Jul 2015

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When we become a servant of the gospel and we trust in God, He gives us the ability to effectively share the gospel of Christ. While we may not be apostles or evangelists, God still gives us the ability to tell others about Christ. More importantly, he gives us the ability to show others as we reflect Christ in our own lives. In Ephesians 3:7 Paul says, I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Our ability to share and reflect Christ is a power given to us. While we should boldly share this and not shy away from it, there is a right and loving way to do this when we rely on God to lead us.

2015 Day 205 – Ephesians 1

24 Friday Jul 2015

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Our salvation is 100% up to God. It is through His grace that we have been saved and it is His choice to extend grace to us. In Ephesians 1:4 Paul says, For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. God’s desire is for us to be holy and blameless at all cost, including at the cost of the death of His son. It is at the feet of Jesus and His sacrifice that we are brought into holiness and blamelessness in His sight.

2015 Day 203 – Acts 28

22 Wednesday Jul 2015

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Today we come to the end of the book of Acts. This marks the end of Luke’s account of the history of the early church, but in actuality it marks the beginning of the history of our Faith. Without the boldness of Paul to force the hand of the local Roman leaders to appear before Caesar, he would not have been sent to Rome. Though Paul was imprisoned, he was still given freedom to preach the gospel and share his faith with anyone who would listen. Let us learn from Paul’s and other early church leader’s examples of taking every opportunity to share our faith with others. In doing so, we are to remember to follow Paul’s example, which he learned from Christ, to love others and help to provide their needs before expecting them to understand God’s love for them. We are the Hands and Feet of Christ, just as Paul was over 2,000 years ago.

2015 Day 188 – Romans 11

07 Tuesday Jul 2015

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God owes us nothing. In the grand scheme of things, we have done nothing that requires God’s repayment to us. In the doxology at the end of this chapter, in Romans 11:35, Paul says, “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” God has given to us even when we did not deserved it. When we question God for not giving us our own selfish desires, we should be thankful instead for all He has given. If God had given us nothing more than salvation from eternal death through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, it should have been enough. Anything else we desire says more about us than it will ever say about God.

2015 Day 180 – Romans 4

29 Monday Jun 2015

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In Romans 4:8 Paul quotes David in saying, “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” David, while characterized as a man after God’s own heart was not without sin. In fact, he had a few big ones including adultery and murder. But that did not exclude him from becoming everything God intended him to be. By God’s grace our sin is not counted against us. When we think we cannot be used by God because of our imperfection, let us all be reminded that God’s grace has purified us and we are able to be fully used by Him.

2015 Day 177 – Romans 2

26 Friday Jun 2015

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God’s grace, along with our acceptance of His grace, is sufficient. When we seek to serve Him in every way, we are blessed. We may not feel the blessing at times, but our reward is clear through the gift of eternal life. In Romans 2:6-8 Paul clearly states 6 God will give to each person according to what he has done. 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Paul is clearly comparing the outcomes of the believer versus the non-believer. Those who believe and accept Christ’s gift of eternal life through His sacrifice will be blessed according to that grace. But those who choose to reject Christ, and in turn seek selfish endeavors, will be condemned.

2015 Day 175 – Acts 20

24 Wednesday Jun 2015

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The world’s definition of worth is different from God’s definition. In Acts 20:24 Paul says, However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. Being obedient to God’s calling on our lives and accomplishing the purpose for which we were created is all that matters. All else is of little to no significance.