JEWELS FOR THE SOUL

In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul experience the power of divine grace and that grace transformed his life and gave him the power to serve his and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 9:1-20). So, it is with believers, when we experience the grace of God, our lives is transformed by the power of God, and we are enabled to serve God because, He has quickened them together with Jesus Christ, (for by grace are you saved). Apostles Paul, and all of Jesus disciples was able to endure adversity with joy and contentment because they knew divine grace was sufficient for their weakness (1 Cor.15:10; 2 Cor.12:9). So, it is with believers, God’s divine grace is sufficient in the time of hardships, tribulations (2 Cor.12:9). We must continue in God’s grace, it is the way we live in full dependence upon Him (Acts 13:43). The favor of God is always upon the believer, every time He delivers us out of danger, strengthens our faith, guide our steps, when the way to go is unknown, and with grace in hand He will lead us through the hard times of life, as He lavish us with His favor.

The word “grace” as it is in the New Testament comes from the Greek word charis, meaning “favor. blessing, or kindness”. We can all extend kindness to others, in fact God commands us to be kind to others. “to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love”. God favored us by giving the greatest gift that man will ever receive, He gave Grace. For the Grace of God, is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as we deserves. It is His benevolence (kindness) to mankind, who’s sins made man undeserving of God’s grace. “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (Psalms 51:5). “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations” (Psalms 100:5)

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves”. The only way any of us can have a relationship with God is because of His grace toward us. As I stated in my blog “The Creation”, God covered Adam and Eve sin in the Garden of Eden in His righteousness. “Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothes them”(blood was shed for their sin). God choose to forgive them of their disobedience, and He made them righteous with Himself. God pattern of showing grace throughout the Old Testament was by the institution of blood sacrifices to atone for the sins of man. It was not the physical blood of those animal sacrifices that cleansed the sinners; but it was the grace of God that forgave those who trusted in Him and followed the commands that God gave to them for a sin offering. “And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year with the blood of the sin offering of atonements: once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your generations: it is most holy unto the LORD”. When Jesus was born to die upon the cross and sheded his blood for the remission of sins only once, God was pleased, Jesus blood was enough, only once was it necessary for the blood of Jesus to be shed for the sins of the world. “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had not pleasure”. “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:6-7)

God chose to cancel our sin debt by sacrificing His perfect Son in our place

Grace comes from God, He is the instigator of grace, and it is from God that all other grace flows. Jehovah. Immanuel. El Shaddai -The all sufficient One, The God of the mountains; God Almighty, showed grace toward the sinner man when He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die upon an old rugged cross at Calvary. Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world, He died on the cross, they put Him in a tomb, “BUT” on the 3rd. day He rose from the grave, Jesus is alive and He lives forever more. He is “God’s Grace to mankind.” God show both mercy and grace. God’s grace and mercy is not the same, the mercy of God withholds a punishment that we deserve, means it (does not give you what you deserve) and grace gives a blessing we don’t deserve, means, man deserved to die for his sins, but Jesus died instead for man sins – “Now, that’s Grace!”

-Titus 3:5 He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

-2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

God gave grace to His enemies:

-Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.

God offered us forgiveness:

-Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more”

-Ephesians 1:7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

“God has reconciled us to himself by the blood of Jesus Christ our Messiah:

_Colossians 1:19-20 “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; V.20 ” And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven”.

God offered us abundant life:

-John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

God offered eternal treasure:

-Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy, provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

God provided for us His Holy Spirit:

-Luke 11:13 “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him”

And God will give us a place in heaven with Him some day

-John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. V.17 “For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”. V.18 “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.

Jewels of Nugget / Jewels for The Soul October 31, 2021 Praise The Lord!