grace to come
At the end of this letter, the
Galatians are left with choices regarding their response to Paul’s
exhortations and encouragements. Did
they have the strength, wisdom and will to withstand the pressures of
Judaizers, as well as Roman and Greek pagans?
Did Paul have unrealistic expectations of them? Do you find the expectations of this letter
beyond what you feel you can bear?
Really, it probably is too much--too much to resist
temptations on every side and too much to continually say “no” to
selfishness. What were they to do? What are we to do?
We are to take heart!
In Jesus Christ we have peace with God, and though we will have
tribulation in the world, we can be of good cheer because Jesus has overcome
the world. The grace of God was not just
a one time experience when you first asked Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your
life. The grace of God is the ongoing
limitless expression of His nature and of His lavish affection for His
children. As such, our fellowship with
Him allows us access to that grace every
moment of every day!!!
No, you will not be able to just muster the strength
to ‘be all that God desires’. But you
will be able to draw on His grace for the transformation of your heart, soul,
mind and strength. His grace will enable
you to die to yourself and live to Christ bit by bit. His grace is the beginning and the perfection
of all that it is to be truly alive.
As John Piper so aptly says, “My hope for future
goodness and future glory is future grace.”
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with your spirit.
“Amen”
means, “Yes, Lord, you can do it.”
It
means, “Yes, Lord, you are powerful.
Yes,
Lord, you are wise.
Yes,
Lord, you are merciful.
Yes,
Lord, all future grace comes from you
and
has been confirmed in Christ.”
“Amen”
is an exclamation point of hope after a prayer for help.[1]
Amen
Read
and Pray: Romans 11:6, Isaiah 46:9, Jeremiah
32:27, 2 Corinthians 1:20
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