Over the past few weeks at church, there has seemed to be a common theme. I don't know if this is supposed to be the main thing I'm taking away from all of this, but it's definitely the thing that's been sticking out to me the most, and I just really wanted to share my thoughts on it. That theme has been grace. It seems as though all of our Sunday school classes and all the sermons have something to do with grace; even if it's in the most subtle ways.
A couple of weeks ago, our Pastor said something in church that really stuck with me. He said,
"Only if you own and understand the depth of your sin can you fully own and understand the depth of God's grace."
We cannot fully grasp God's grace if we can't even fully grasp our sins yet. Being a Christian is a constant hamster wheel of trial and error. We must repent of our sins in order to be forgiven, we cannot continue to live a life of sin just expecting that God will forgive us because that's His job. If we do not acknowledge our sins and repent and ask for forgiveness, we won't be motivated to change the way we are living. Recognizing your own sin is necessary in order to accept forgiveness from God.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
"Being free from your sin can be as simple as knowing the truths of scripture and accepting them."
-Pastor Don Roe
Christ does love all of His children - and it's because of that love that He can't stand to see us stumble and fall in our walk with Him, but trials bring perseverance and we can learn through our hardships. Even if you are a Christian, you can still face temptation; it's whether or not you fall into that temptation that dictates whether or not you sin. The Christian life is not living by your own feelings and desires, but by living by God's truth and by faith in the Word of God. As Christians, we must constantly be reminding ourselves of the truths of God's Word, as to not fall for the "truths" taught by the people of worldly nature.
"For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge the duties of your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:3-5 CEV
"...this is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:3-4
"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24
God's grace is undeserved. We have done nothing to earn or deserve the grace that God pours on us. With that being said, we cannot continue living our lives in sin waiting for God to give us His weekly grace because it doesn't work like that. So many people have become so accustomed to living their lives according to what they desire that they forget what they're on this earth for.
God cannot continue to be placed on the back burner.
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