Tag Archives: God’s grace

December 19
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“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”  (2 Peter 1:2, NIV)

Peter begins his second letter to the exiled Christians with a message that serves both as a reminder and a blessing: The knowledge of the Father and the Son brings grace and peace in abundance.

It serves as a blessing, because everyone wants peace.

It serves as a reminder because, in our materialistic society, we may soon forget that money cannot purchase peace; in our celebrity-focused culture we may soon forget that fame cannot deliver peace; and in our competitive, “take no prisoners” approach to every challenge we may soon forget that God personally opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Indeed, knowledge of the Father and the Son assures grace in our time of need; and peace in every circumstance.  – Luther

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September 2
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“For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. . .”  (I Corinthians 15:9-10, NIV)

What effect has the grace of God had in you?

Has it made you more humble?  Has it made you more gracious?  Has it made you more compassionate?  Has it made you more obedient to the will of our heavenly Father?

Like Paul, we’ve all come into the light of the truth of God from some very dark places.  In Paul’s case, he was a former enemy and persecutor of the disciples of Jesus.  He took no credit for what he had become: An apostle of the same church that he had previously tried to destroy!

Paul knew that God’s grace had given him another chance to change for the better.  He knew that repentance is the desired effect of God’s mercies: To turn from darkness to the light; from death to life; from the faraway or foreign places to our one true home.  – Luther

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January 7
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“God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil — evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart.” (Genesis 6:5-6, The Message) 

God had made humans in His own image and after His likeness.  The potential for immense good was resident within every creature, and it broke God’s heart to see divine inspiration squandered, and human potential corrupted.

Yet, it was this apparent disregard of goodness, justice, and mercy by the very people that God had created, that He regretted having created us.  Moreover, God was about to hit the “reset” button on the world that He had called “good” at the dawn of Creation.

Even in the midnight of divine reckoning, God does not extinguish the flickering hope of reconciliation. In the case of today’s scripture, God’s immutable righteousness required the “reset”; as His unfathomable mercy allowed a “restart” through the faithful obedience of Noah and his family members.

God continues to seek us — even in our rebellion.  God continues to loves us — even with a broken heart.  How can we resist such love?  – Luther

Special greetings today to Diane L. and to Billie C.: Happy Birthday!

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