Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. It runs contrary to our life experience. We live in a transactional world; the cosmos owes us nothing, the Declaration of Independence only promises us “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Success or failure is mostly up to us, hard work and sound decisions give us a better chance of achieving our goals. We live in a transactional world; we earn an educational degree or a promotion, we work hard for a paycheck, we earn the respect and trust of others by our actions. We live in a transactional world; mostly reaping what we sow. Even the love we share with others is in the end transactional. In the world we live in, the reward comes after the achievement.
Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. “For no human being will be justified in God’s sight by deeds prescribed by the law.” Romans 3:20.
Grace is unearned, undeserved, it cannot be bought or sold. God’s grace is not swayed by our good deeds or misdeeds. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less. Most religious people have no use for such grace. This cheap grace is offensive to those who take pride in their resumes. Goodness never enters the equation. How could God possibly put known sinners on par with good religious people? We live in a transactional world, but we worship a non-transactional God.
Grace is a very difficult concept for us to understand. “There is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
Does it matter then what we do? Not when it comes to our salvation. God’s grace is sufficient for us. You either earn your salvation or you don’t, and the Bible is clear that we can’t earn God’s favor. Does it matter then, what we do? The answer must be yes! Though you do not have the ability to ruin God’s day, you most certainly have the ability to ruin yours. More than that, those daily freewill decisions have the power to enhance or destroy the quality of life of those that you love the most. We live in a transactional world; where good decisions tend to bear good fruit, where honesty and faithfulness make for healthier relationships. Living with integrity and loving your neighbor won’t punch your ticket to heaven, but it will make your life better.
I want to encourage you to live a grace infused life. Live joyfully knowing that you are loved, forgiven and never alone. Show your gratitude to God for receiving the reward at the beginning of the journey and be set free to pay that grace forward.
“Mine is the Church where everybody’s welcome, I know it’s true cause I got through the door.”
One beggar telling another where to find bread, I am your
Pastor Jim
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