The Miracle of His Grace - For His Glory, Wednesday, June 17, 2009

1 Peter Chapter 1, beginning with verse 3 and continuing through verse 9, says:

All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

for it is by HIS boundless mercy

that God has given us the PRIVILEGE of being born again.

Now we live with a wonderful expectation

because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.

For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children.

It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled,

beyond the reach of change and decay.

And God, in HIS MIGHTY POWER,

WILL PROTECT YOU until you receive this salvation,

because you are trusting him.

It will be revealed on the last day for all to see.
SO BE TRULY GLAD!

THERE IS WONDERFUL JOY AHEAD,

even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.

These trials are only to test your faith,

to show that it is strong and pure.

It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold –

and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.

So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials,

it will bring you much praise and glory and honor

on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

[WE] love him even though you have never seen him.

Though [WE] do not see him, you trust him;

and even now [WE] are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

OUR reward for trusting HIM will be the salvation of our souls.

[Words - God - 1 Peter, Chapter 1; Emphasis - Mine]

Brothers and sisters, friends - these past three weeks have been difficult - culminating at the end of last week with yet another fiery trial - one involving yet another battle with our drug abusing, angry and wounded son and his girlfriend. I'm afraid, my friends, I did not rise above the fray and at first was mildly irritated at being called on the carpet about how I had and had not raised our son and then became angry and wounded. I said somethings I wouldn't want splashed across the headlines. I reacted out of anger and I need forgiveness and mercy. Oh, my dear friends, I KNOW life is tough. Yet I know that we can thank God for HIS indescribable gift. None of us, my friends, is born with the character of God. We are to "add" to our lives all that character means and that character MUST be developed. Nor are we born with habits — we have to form Godly habits on the basis of the new life God has placed within us. NONE OF US are not meant to be seen as God’s perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of HIS grace. Oh, my friends, I know my true, un-Christ-like nature will rear its ugly head and let me tell you, Satan has beat me up for my humanity. If any man (or woman) be in Christ, he or she is a new creation and I know and will testify with my last breath how the grace and mercy of God have changed my life! It is my earnest prayer that, through my tears, my failures, my shortcomings, my mistakes, my mis-steps and stumbles, that all who know me will see the Miracle of God's genuine grace displayed to me and that I can continue to learn how to demonstrate, without words, the miracle of that Grace to ALL I encounter! Loving you, praying for you and soliciting your prayers for me as we continue to make this journey, by His Grace, For His Glory! Much love - AA