This short devotional series has been focused on God’s Grace, and His willingness to give grace to all who would accept it. At Grace Chapel, we focus a lot on this concept of grace for many reasons, but mostly because we are all so much in need of it. Recently our pastor preached a sermon during which he described this need for grace and how people will say they need God’s grace daily. He then pointed out that the fact is we need it more frequently, moment to moment. People who don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior have an critical and immediate need of His grace, because without it they will be condemned to hell and eternal separation from God when they leave this world. For those who do know Christ, we also find ourselves in need of His grace. For as long as we are present on this planet, we will be tempted by and subjected to sin. Even on our best days, we will never measure up to the perfection that is our Lord and His example that He lived while on earth. But all are blessed simply because God is who He says He is, He is not a liar. He has made and kept His promises and we can count on Him to be true and righteous always. His nature and personhood never changes. There is a big seminary word for this idea of God never changing – immutable. Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines immutable as not susceptible to change. God is not subject to changing – He is the same now as He always has been and always will be. And the bible teaches us that His grace is available to all: 2 Peter 3:9(KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-word, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Not only did God fulfill His promise to provide a way for sinful humans to be reconciled to Him, but He did it perfectly. God’s timing is perfect, His execution is perfect, and His provision is perfect. His heart is for you, and He longs for a closer relationship with you. In the end, that is what it is all about – a relationship. Religion, ritual, tradition, these things are important and have a proper place in a Christian’s life. However, without a living, thriving relationship with the Lord these things become something that we do because they have always been done, and that is hollow and meaningless. God is not about hollow and meaningless things, nothing He does is a waste of time. What is the state of your relationship with Jesus today? Thriving, neglected, not existing? If its thriving, keep feeding that fire and don’t stop. A roaring fire will degrade and eventually go out if not fueled, so you must keep that fire going. Reading His Word, prayer, serving others – these are all critical to keeping your relationship with God hot and vibrant. Is your relationship neglected? This is probably the most common state we Christians find ourselves in. We know the Lord, we love Him, we worship Him once a week, and then it’s back to life as we know it. When a camper finds his camp fire has died down to lukewarm coals and embers, what does he do? He blows oxygen onto the coals. He injects something that will quicken the coals and get them hotter, and then he adds fuel. God has so much more to offer us when we have a thriving, strong relationship with Him. Inject His word into your life now, pick up your bible and read it. Spend just a few minutes today in prayer. Seek Him and His guidance in your life. He is not hiding from you, He is right there, and He is waiting for you to engage more with Him. If you have no relationship with God, then I pray you will take a moment and start one. God is not a bully and He will never force Himself on you. He is a gentleman, and He is perfectly respectful. He will only take what you are willing to give Him. The truth is He wants all of you, but if you can only give a little He will take it, and if you choose to not accept Him, He will allow that too. God does not send anyone to hell, people choose to go. But as we read in the scripture, that is not God’s will. His grace is available to you, won’t you accept it? At the bottom of this post I will write a prayer that you can pray to God and secure your gift of His grace and salvation. If you need to establish a relationship with God, than I do pray you do so. Psalm 139:13-14 (KJV) For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. A prayer for salvation… God, I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. Jesus, I believe You died for me, for the payment of my sin debt, so that I could be forgiven. Thank You for the sacrifice You made in my place, and please accept me as Your own. I pray You will come into my life now, help me to learn to live for You, help me to build and grow this relationship, and to find the path and purpose that You have for my life. Thank you for saving me. Father God we pray today for all those who would approach You today with a heart of repentance. Being in close and lively relationship with You is the most important thing for us, and for those who have come to this newly today, we thank You and we praise Your name. Help us father to keep You in the proper priority in our lives, and to continually work on our relationship with you and to build even closer bonds. Our eyes are upon You now Father, help us to keep it so. We love You and thank You, Amen.
