IMMERSED IN GRACE

He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever.

1 Peter 5:10

To believe we are totally and eternally debt free is seldom easy. Even if we’ve stood before the throne and heard it from the king himself, we still doubt. As a result, many are forgiven only a little, not because the grace of the king is limited, but because the faith of the sinner is small. God is willing to forgive all. He’s willing to wipe the slate completely clean. He guides us to a pool of mercy and invites us to bathe. Some plunge in, but others just touch the surface. They leave feeling unforgiven.…

Where the grace of God is missed, bitterness is born. But where the grace of God is embraced, forgiveness flourishes.…

The more we immerse ourselves in grace, the more likely we are to give grace.

In the Grip of Grace
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

NOTE: This will be the final Gospel Pearl for 2007. I have enjoyed sharing the words of Max Lucado through these daily devotions. If you wish to revisit them, they are posted under "What I Have Said In The Past". After the New Year holiday, we will restart the weekday Gospel Pearls. The format will change but you can expect them to remain brief and include a thought provoking scripture. There is always room for a prayer request and/or praise report. Just send it to me via a comment. I know we have some mighty and faithful prayer warriors among our readers. They have a track record that points to God’s glory and grace. Have a Happy New Year!

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 393

ADMISSION INTO JOY

You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness.

Psalm 30:11

The first step to joy is a plea for help, an acknowledgment of moral destitution, an admission of inward paucity. Those who taste God’s presence have declared spiritual bankruptcy and are aware of their spiritual crisis. Their cupboards are bare. Their pockets are empty. Their options are gone. They have long since stopped demanding justice; they are pleading for mercy.…

They ask God to do for them what they can’t do without him. They have seen how holy God is and how sinful they are and have agreed with Jesus’ statement, “Salvation is impossible.”

Oh, the irony of God’s delight—born in the parched soil of destitution rather than the fertile ground of achievement.

It’s a different path, a path we’re not accustomed to taking. We don’t often declare our impotence. Admission of failure is not usually admission into joy. Complete confession is not commonly followed by total pardon. But then again, God has never been governed by what is common.

The Applause of Heaven [1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1] Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 392

THE STRENGTH OF GOD’S LOVE

God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8

“Can anything make me stop loving you?” God asks. “Watch me speak your language, sleep on your earth, and feel your hurts. Behold the maker of sight and sound as he sneezes, coughs, and blows his nose. You wonder if I understand how you feel? Look into the dancing eyes of the kid in Nazareth; that’s God walking to school. Ponder the toddler at Mary’s table; that’s God spilling his milk.

“You wonder how long my love will last? Find your answer on a splintered cross, on a craggy hill. That’s me you see up there, your maker, your God, nail-stabbed and bleeding. Covered in spit and sin-soaked.

That’s your sin I’m feeling. That’s your death I’m dying. That’s your resurrection I’m living. That’s how much I love you.”

In the Grip of Grace
[1]

Today's Scripture in Context

[1]Lucado, Max; Gibbs, Terri A.: Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. Nashville, Tenn.: J. Countryman, 2000, S. 391

Silent Night