Posts Tagged ‘ Grace ’
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21, ESV
How many ways can it be said?
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Love your enemies.
If your brother sins against you, forgive him.
We continue looking at hymns and songs that impacted my spiritual life – and with another reminder to check out the other blog I contribute to, ProverbialThought.com, and the daily thoughts on the Bible (specifically Proverbs) – with another song (No direct relation to last week’s hymns.)
Come, Thou fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
(Romans 3:11-12, ESV)
We are all – every single human who has ever or will ever live (save for Jesus) – sinners. We all have refused God in some way, and none of us have wanted to seek out God … without His help.
Even me.
But Jesus came – God took on a body of flesh – and lived a sinless life so that He could be the perfect, spotless, stainless sacrifice for our sins. After His death and resurrection, He ascended to the Father’s right hand, and they sent the Holy Spirit to draw us to in, save us, and sanctify us. (Big words, but you can look them up!)
If we truly understood how big this act is, how much grace God has and is showing us, we would be unable to stand under the weight of it. Instead, we would not be able to do anything but fall to our knees in gratitude and sing His praises for seeking out and saving lost sinners.
Like us.
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”
John 7:38, ESV
The natural result of salvation is the outpouring of God’s love, compassion, and grace through you via the Holy Spirit of Christ.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Psalm 27:14, ESV
We are all too often restless and impatient. We must learn God’s patience.
Remember that He has been patient with us, throughout all of history and until Christ returns, saving even us.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13, ESV
Love is sacrificing for others. Your time, your energy, your possessions, your dignity, even your life.
For God. For others. Even for those who hate you.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV
We are utterly sinful.
Christ is completely pure.
He took on our disgusting, separating sin on the cross, so that, when the Father looks at us who believe this, He sees the purity of the Son.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Colossians 4:5-6, ESV
Do not complain about the sins of non-believers. Do not berate non-believers nor treat them with disrespect.
Show love and grace. Speak kindly, but truthfully.
And remember: treat a wayward brother as a sinner (non-believer).
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10, ESV
We are wicked, unclean people unable to purify ourselves.
God is able, through the power and grace of Jesus’ redemptive blood!
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
Titus 2:11-12, ESV
In a western society, it is incredibly easy to give in to our passions and follow the world’s example.
That means it is hard to live rightly.
Praise God that He sent His Son to show us grace, and they sent the Spirit to strengthen us!
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
Psalm 51:1-2, ESV
Mercy: Not getting what we deserve.
Grace: Getting what we do not deserve.
We did not deserve forgiveness, but praise God He sacrificed His Son to give us just that!
a simple man of God 