“Dear Lord, I promise if you forgive me today I will never sin again and if I do, you can send me straight to hell. Just please give me another chance to be good today. Thank you, Lord, Amen.”
That was my daily prayer as a senior in high school on my way to school. Knowing nothing of God’s grace, I begged each morning for one more opportunity to earn my salvation. The lie I believed said unless I lived perfectly every single day I was headed straight to hell.
Dear sisters, grace is not and has never been based on what we can do perfectly or about working to earn our salvation. There is nothing we can ever do–in all eternity–to earn salvation. Nothing. Nada.
Christ’s work on the cross paid the debt we never can. Grace says we get what we do not deserve–all because of the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. For so long I did not understand–and I was a believer! A believer who constantly worried whether God truly loved and wanted me.
My greatest fear was there would come a day when God finally said enough was enough and left. Life consisted of all kinds of deeds based in fear, rooted in trying to prove myself and earn His love. All of it was a lie from the very pit of hell. Works have their perfect place as scripture tells us–they are the outflow of hearts in love with Jesus. Works are not what we do in order to gain salvation. Works are to bring glory and honor to the Lord alone.
Grace is the undeserved, unmerited favor of our Lord Jesus Christ. He fully took our sins upon himself so you and I can be saved and spend eternity with Him. As a believer, grace means I can rest secure in Christ’s love–He will not change His mind and leave me.
Grace also means I can embrace His active work in my life to change and grow spiritually. Praise the Lord I am not who I was ten years ago. Lord willing I will not be the same five years from now. When I sin, His Holy Spirit convicts my heart and leads me to confession and repentance–and then I walk away from that sin. Never does grace condone, justify, or give license to my sin. Grace always shines the light of God’s holiness–pointing me to repentance and obedience to His Word. Some lessons take a while, I may stumble, but He never gives up.
The day I learned of God’s grace is etched forever on my heart as the day I realized it wasn’t what I could do for Him, but what He did to save us all. If you’re running exhausted like I was, trying to be perfect and work for your salvation, just stop. Ask His forgiveness and rest secure in His grace.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
To leave a comment:
• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’. That’s it! We look forward to hearing from YOU!
• If you are reading this post in email form, click the article headline. This will take you to the article on MMCW’s website.
• Scroll down until you see the box entitled ‘Speak Your Mind’.
• Enter your name, email (it will not be published) and your website or blogsite if you have one (you do not have to have one).
• Click on the big empty space and then begin typing your comments.
• When you are done, click ‘submit comment’. That’s it! We look forward to hearing from YOU!
About Kellie Renfroe
Kellie and her husband Greg have been married 32 years and have four children ranging in age from 17 to 28. She co-founded Mentoring Moments for Christian Women in 2005. Kellie is a homeschooling mom who enjoys reading, studying the Bible, writing, photography, and learning how to cook.
- Web |
- More Posts(342)
