At
New Life pastor Troy
has been teaching a series on “Grace” ,and to say the least is has had a
profound impact on me and my life. The word grace is a very common word that is
used almost if not daily by not only Christians but also non believers .we use that
phrase “By the grace of God’ without even realizing what it really means. How
many times have you said this, "I could care less",,, well think about what you
just said, it means you
care. What you MEANT to say means the exact opposite. Next time Substitute
with: "I could not care less", "I have never cared less about anything”
Are you still with me? You see the things we say can have a great impact on
those that hear it. Our actions can have a profound impact on the people that we
have daily interaction with, and we need to very aware of those actions, and
there impact.
There are two very powerful forces in
the world, which have been here ever since the time when Eve partook of the
forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Those two forces are sin and grace. A
very great power is sin, a power dark, mysterious and full of force.
No matter how
sinful man may be, yet the light of day descends upon him unasked for and
unsought. Such is the grace of God; where it comes it comes not because sought,
or deserved, but simply from the goodness of the heart of God. Such is the
grace of God. It does not visit us because we ask it, much less, because we
deserve it; but as God wills it, and the bottles of heaven are unstopped, so
God wills it, and grace descends. No matter how vile, and black, and foul, and
godless, men may be, he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy, and that
free, rich, overflowing goodness of his can make the very worst and least
deserving the objects of his best and choicest love.
James 1:19 says, be slow to speak, slow to wrath.
if we as Christians took time and did this on a regular basis I truly believe
that the positive impact we have on others would greatly out way the negative.
We also need to meditate on this scripture,
Proverbs 29:20 - Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope
for a fool than for him. We need to Force ourselves to analyze every situation and consider the consequences of
what we might say or do. "If I say or do this, will it be good for others,
or am I just angry and will regret the statement later?" Count to ten.
Maybe take a walk or ask for time to calm down and think. But instead of
clamming up, set an appointment: a specific time to discuss the problem later.
So how many of you are scratching your
heads right now saying,”Tim what and how does this all relate to me being who I
should be?,,, thanks for asking that question ,let me expound on what the word
of god says about it.
Psalm 32:3-5 says: “There was a time when I
wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and
filled my days with frustration. All day and all night your hand was heavy on
me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day until I finally admitted
all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will
confess them to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”
“For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Romans 8:2 The
Christian life is a life of freedom: freedom from guilt and freedom to live as
God intends, which is ultimately the most satisfying life. It is a process of
growth, of becoming like Christ and reflecting Christ. And it takes time to grow!
So I present this question to you,: Are
you who you should be” are you who God wants and expects you to be? Has sin
clouded your relationship with God? Has sin become something that you just
sweep in a pile then push under the rug never to deal with it? As with all sins, God does not just tell us what to
quit. He also tells us what to do to correct our problem.
I read this quote in a book written by Charles. H.
SPURGEON,, To sum up all in one, what I mean is this: there have straggled in here
this morning the poor working man, the struggling mechanic, the gay young fop,
the man who leads a fast life, the wretch who leads a coarse life, the woman,
perhaps, who has gone far astray; I mean to say to such, you are lost, but the
Son of man is come to seek and to save you. I mean to say to you, sons and
daughters of moral parents, who are not converted, but perhaps feel yourselves
even worse than the immoral, I mean to say to you that you are not past hope
yet. God will love you freely, and this is how his love is preached to
you—"Whosoever believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved."
Come as you are; God will accept you as you are. Come as you are, without any
preparation or fitness; come as you are, and where the cross is lifted high
with the bleeding Son of God upon it, fall flat on your face, accepting the
love manifested there, willingly receiving this day the grace which God
willingly and freely gives.
As sinners, without any
qualification, as sinners, as undeserving sinners, my Lord will receive you
graciously and love you freely.
As sinners, without any
qualification, as sinners, as undeserving sinners, my Lord will receive you
graciously and love you freely.
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