Encouragement

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Amazing What?

In my mind, “Amazing Grace” is one of the greatest songs ever written. I have heard countless renditions of this song over the years. Growing up in a Christian home, I remember singing this song since I was a small child.

Somewhere in America, odds are someone is probably singing “Amazing Grace” right now. We sing about it, we write about it, but we have such a hard time accepting it. Why is God's perfect gift, GRACE, so difficult to embrace?

I've had fellow Christians — some of whom are ministers — argue over the meaning of Grace. The purpose of this article is not to start a debate over the ways God can manifest Grace in your life, but to discuss the core meaning of the term.

Jesus extended Grace to man when he died on the cross. Whether you believe in the tradition of Grace as being prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying or whether you are more Calvinist and accept it only as irresistible, there is really on one Grace and that is Saving Grace. Arguing over man's perception of it is a distraction, and God warns us against such things.

The simple truth is the greatest truth and it is that Christ extended Grace to us when he died for our sins. This does not mean that we are free to sin without concern, but that he has offered us a path to salvation that was not hidden irretrievably among the stumbling blocks of legalism.

Grace is hard to accept largely because it is free. So many times, the tempter will try to tell us that we have sinned too much, that we are not worthy, or that we are without hope. Don't believe it! Saying that your sins are too great is akin to telling God that the sacrifice of his son was pretty good, but not enough for you.

How frustrating we must be to our Father.

Let God work in your life. Stop handing him your excuses and, as they say in 12 step programs, “admit that you are powerless”. Only then will you find the power that Christ promised to his believers. He said that we would do greater things through faith than he has done. So, why don't we? Faith is built upon Grace, and it's more than something we sing about. No matter how you define Grace, accept it.

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