Monday, November 28, 2022

When Grace Carries Us

 

Monday, November 28, 2022

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were.  But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.  So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?  Of course not!  Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?  Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death?  For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.  And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  Romans 5:20-21, 6:1-4

If nothing else can be said about the grace of God, this can:

Grace changes us!

The prevenient grace of God draws us to our need of the Father, and understanding it is only through Jesus that can happen.[1]  When people find that truth has changed their eternal destiny from death to eternal life, it’s a wonderful moment of release and joy!  Sadly, too many put a period on what has happened, as if there is nothing more.

Past that salvation experience is a whole ‘nother dimension of the change God wants to bring about in us, for us, and through us.  It starts (and never stops) with God’s sanctifying grace.  It is the power of God that changes the way we live.

Over the years, in the course of pastoral work, I have met thousands of people.  Many of these are former attenders of church.  Usually, when they find out I’m a pastor, they ask me what church I serve.  After I tell them, I ask where they go.  The next sentence goes like this:  Oh, I’m a member of                church; I don’t go there any more, but I believe in Jesus.  That “I believe in Jesus” is a defensive thing, as if to protect that card-carrying-going-to-heaven thing.  They don’t want God to revoke their membership which guards against hellfire and brimstone.  I always have to stifle a little grin when that sentence comes…as if this (or any other) preacher could change anything about whether they’re going to heaven or hell.  What’s really going on is they’re just being defensive about why there’s nothing going on in their life about growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  They trusted Jesus’ grace for salvation, but that grace which makes Jesus LORD over their life just didn’t fit in the way they wanted to live.

This is where the Apostle Paul’s issue with the Roman believers comes in.  They had believed in Christ, but surrendering all of life to His will was a change they weren’t ready to entertain.  There were too many parties to attend, fortunes to aquire, and lands to conquer.  The grace that forgave was refreshing and welcome…as long as we don’t have to change too much

This was the first-century version of getting your name on the church roll as something of a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card.  Put it in your pocket for that rainy day when the Grim Reaper comes knocking on your door.  Whip out that card, and you pass through the pearly gates!  Well…how’s that working for you?

For You Today  

Don’t drown in your baptismal waters by refusing to go further. The same grace of God carrying you away from a life of sin, is the same grace that will lead you into a life of serving, loving, and joy. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

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Images:  Title Pixabay.com   Images without citation are either personal property of the author, or in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©  


[1] There is salvation in no one else!  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

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