I titled today's post Freedom Friday because, even though I have set the precedent of Thoughtful Thursday, I am free to miss a day, to skip a day, and write some other time. So, I trust my readers will give me grace.
Grace.
Now that is something the Lord brought to my attention a couple nights ago...
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Titus 2:11-15
The Grace of God brings salvation! Salvation--the saving of our souls from eternal punishment, and to eternal reward! The things which we should be most thankful for, aside from Jesus Himself, is this salvation. And it was God's Grace that brought it to us and made it available.
This Grace also teaches us--it teaches us how we should not, and would not want to, live (in ungodliness and worldly lust) and shows us how to live (soberly, righteously and godly). What a blessing to me, because I like being given specifics. I don't do very well with having to figure things out for myself. God's word doesn't just tell us, "Thou shalt not". He tells us, "Don't do this, but do this."
It teaches us how to live in that way--by looking for our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the Lord. He is our hope and if we are truly hoping in Him and looking to Him, our lives will be characterized by that hope.
We will be peculiar. The scripture I quoted above is from the NKJV, but I like what the KJV says about God's people: "...and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." v. 14
I looked up peculiar and this is what I found: The first meaning is 'strange or odd; unusual'. Okay, yeah we are that. But the second meaning was more special to me: 'belonging exclusively to or particular; special'. So we are God's strange, unusual people, but we also are special; belonging to Him exclusively. I love that! I think that makes it a little easier to be thought of as strange!
But the thing the Lord asked me was "Are you taking my grace for granted?" Have I gotten so caught up in the things of the world, my own life, that I am not aware that I owe everything to God and His grace? I am ashamed to say that I am guilty. I had forgotten what a gift Grace is, and at what a price it was bought.
Let us be always mindful of God's Grace and also to share it with those around us.
(Thanks to Pastor Keith at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church for bringing this message!)
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Titus 2:11-15
The Grace of God brings salvation! Salvation--the saving of our souls from eternal punishment, and to eternal reward! The things which we should be most thankful for, aside from Jesus Himself, is this salvation. And it was God's Grace that brought it to us and made it available.
This Grace also teaches us--it teaches us how we should not, and would not want to, live (in ungodliness and worldly lust) and shows us how to live (soberly, righteously and godly). What a blessing to me, because I like being given specifics. I don't do very well with having to figure things out for myself. God's word doesn't just tell us, "Thou shalt not". He tells us, "Don't do this, but do this."
It teaches us how to live in that way--by looking for our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the Lord. He is our hope and if we are truly hoping in Him and looking to Him, our lives will be characterized by that hope.
We will be peculiar. The scripture I quoted above is from the NKJV, but I like what the KJV says about God's people: "...and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." v. 14
I looked up peculiar and this is what I found: The first meaning is 'strange or odd; unusual'. Okay, yeah we are that. But the second meaning was more special to me: 'belonging exclusively to or particular; special'. So we are God's strange, unusual people, but we also are special; belonging to Him exclusively. I love that! I think that makes it a little easier to be thought of as strange!
But the thing the Lord asked me was "Are you taking my grace for granted?" Have I gotten so caught up in the things of the world, my own life, that I am not aware that I owe everything to God and His grace? I am ashamed to say that I am guilty. I had forgotten what a gift Grace is, and at what a price it was bought.
Let us be always mindful of God's Grace and also to share it with those around us.
(Thanks to Pastor Keith at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church for bringing this message!)
And thank you Sunny for sharing it! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't mind I passed it on to my readers :)
ReplyDelete