Great post from Jody Early on WHY we serve God. I find myself fighting this inner battle more as I get older which probably means I did ALOT of things for the wrong reasons in the past. Thank God for GRACE and for PROCESS!
1 Samuel 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
God is more concerned about WHY we do something than WHAT we are…
The Hope of Grace
We always talk about God’s grace and its power (though I doubt if we truly understand the fullness of that power) but have you ever thought about the HOPE of grace? Romans 6:14 says:
“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
The rule of sin and the claim that it holds on us is broken not by spiritual laws or religious rules but by GRACE. The difference that is inferred in that statement is huge! The Law assumes our failure and enslavement to sin with no hope except the arduous task of perfect obedience. Grace, however, assumes freedom and assumes that we WILL overcome our sin through the power of Christ. The Law says follow because if you don’t you are damned. Grace says follow because you WERE damned but are now REDEEMED! As I try to reach out and grasp a true and cleansing repentance in my life; I am finding a great HOPE in the grace of God. Through it I am free to walk out of the dominion of sin and into the abundant life Christ has for me. Will you join me?
Total time in prayer this week: 1 hour
I’m simply awestruck this morning by the ONE who paid it all and has called me into a life of abundance and togetherness with Him. If you don’t know the peace, the power, and the completeness of Jesus, call on His name today and allow His grace to cover you and make you new.
Fail
No early morning time with God today…. nope I instead snoozed until it was time to get ready for work. One day I’m going to kill this flesh and dominate it enough to do more things right than wrong, I hope….
Used lunch instead today to get away to a treadmill and spend some time worshipping and praying. As much as I hate exercise, it was AMAZINGLY enjoyable. I just ran, lip-synced with some solid worship tunes, and let God direct my thoughts to the things I needed to pray about. I repented for not living like His grace is enough for me, for denying it by chasing after other pleasures and for turning from by my sin. Also spent the time praying for the guys I workout with, my Sunday School class and leadership, and our church staff as well as our church. Good workout, and GREAT time with God.
Total time spent in prayer this week: 3.5 hours! (It’s coming)
