GOD's saving grace removes my guilt. then comes GOD's strengthening grace which reshapes my life. it helps me to become the person i really want to be, that GOD wants me to be. it molds me and reshapes me. GOD remakes my life.
listen, GOD loves you just the way you are but HE loves you too much to let you stay that way. the bible says, in jeremiah, that GOD is the potter, we are the clay. HE's got us on the potter's wheel. HE's making us and molding us and shaping our lives. we say, "thank you, LORD. i'm just going to jump off the potter's wheel. i'll take care of myself. i can shape myself into the right thing." we blow it!
hebrews 13.9 (nlt), your spiritual strength comes from GOD's special favor, not from ceremonial rules.
the biggest problem in CHRISTianity is people start with a relationship and revert to rules. they start with just being in love with GOD and then fall back into a religious syndrome of rituals and regulations.
a brand new CHRISTian is excited and happy and rejoicing how great it is to be in love with the LORD. then all of a sudden he makes the fatal mistake of beginning to watch other CHRISTians, how they dress, how they act, the SPIRITual sounding phrases. he no longer says "it was fun!" he now says, "it was a blessing." we never say "we're going to eat food" but "we partake of nourishment." we don't get angry anymore but say, "i was grieved in my SPIRIT."
you stop using english and revert back to a religious thing trying to earn GOD's pleasure by trying to keep certain rules and regulations. paul says that was the problem with the galatians. they started one way and ended up going back to a religion.
if that's not the way to live a CHRISTian life, then how do you?
colossians 2.6 (niv), just as you received CHRIST JESUS as LORD, continue to live in HIM. the way you became a CHRISTian is the way you continue as a CHRISTian.
how did you become a CHRISTian? by promising to do good? by promising to be perfect? no. how do you live the CHRISTian life? by promising to do good? no. simply by receiving GOD's grace and letting it come into your life.
the bible says grow in grace. the bible says GOD is working in your life. the more you trust in GOD – the more you let HIM work through you – the faster you're going to grow. GOD's saving grace removes my guilt and GOD's strengthening grace reshapes my life.
just a thought from the front porch…
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