I love the fact that HE looks for us! He wants to spend time with us. Not just hear our prayers, but he longs to just spend time together.

Isn’t that an amazing thought?

The King of Kings and LORD of Lords wants to spend time with us?

We wake in the morning and God sees us in our sleepy slumber and thinks, “THERE she/he is…. I HOPE they spend some time with me today!” or maybe it is something like “I hope we can sit and remember the wonderful things that made him/her smile yesterday! What a smile it will bring again today!”

OR maybe it will be, “I can’t wait until she/he sings today! I know it’s never on key, but it’s pure joy to my heart!”

But I wonder how often God may think “ Well, at least they talk to me in prayer, they think they need so many things…I wish they would just trust me more.”

Are we guilty of that?

Are we guilty of using and abusing the grace that God so freely gives us? We know His grace will reach farther than our minds can even imagine.

Do we use HIS grace as a get out of jail free card? Saying “well, I know that isn’t right but God will forgive me.”

It’s true, HE will – but intentionally trampling all over the gift of God’s grace is not a way of keeping the sweet fellowship that we all need, not to mention the horrible image of God that we are reflecting.

Imagine how your heart would sink if your children did that day in and day out. Imagine how your heart would feel if your child was known as the child that took advantage of your good graces. It’s not a feeling I want to endure.

God thinks we are so amazing and so precious that He sent His only Son to die for us. His grace is a blood bought gift that I treasure from the King of Glory.

I HOPE that you treasure it as well.

Majesty gives us grace.

Royalty paid our debt

The King of Kings loves us more than we can ever know.

Yes, we can come as we are, but think about bringing your best after we are part of HIS family.

Yes, HE calls us friend, but gladly show the respect that Royalty deserves.

Yes, we are his child and He will always adore us, but let’s love and ADORE our Father!

God’s Grace….don’t take it for granted.

1 Timothy 1:14
And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men

Col 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

1 Corinthians 1:3
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Marie is the founder/President of Spreading Joy Corporation, a Non Profit that is dedicated to reminding others of the simple joy of giving. To find out more about making a difference for others without breaking the bank, more encouraging articles and more about her book Spreading Joy Daily please visit her site at http://www.spreading-joy.org

The post Gifts Of God’s Grace first appeared on CHRISTIAN REP.

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ¹⁶ The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Abounding grace. That very phrase should make you want to know what that means, what’s the implications, why did it need to abound? Grace is one of God’s most profound works, and one that few are comfortable with. It means that in Christ God has done all that needs to be done for us to please him. There’s nothing more to do to find favor with God. If you have trusted Christ as savior you are his child, his son or daughter and you DO please him. He not only loves you he actually likes you just as you are right now. His grace has abounded above all your need and provided everything required to bring us into relationship with God, to provide forgiveness of sin, to give us security for eternity, to do all that needed to be done so there is nothing left for us to do.

Books have been written on this topic. I know in these few paragraphs I will not satisfy many hearts and minds with answers, there’s simply too much to discuss, but there is a reality in our Christian world that needs to be resolved- Do you believe it’s all been done or do you believe there’s more that you must do? It’s one or the other.
I know, as I write this, that many are saying, “Yeah, but….” And here begins the discussion about what I must do. Frankly, to please God there is nothing you can do. All that was needed to please God was done by Christ at the cross. The harsh reality of grace is this- there is NOTHING you can do to please God other than to say “yes” to the grace he has already provided.

Justice says I get what I deserve. Mercy says I don’t get what I deserve, but grace says in Christ I get what I don’t deserve. In this abounding grace I come to God and find that by simply trusting Christ I please God! That’s it. Nothing more to do. Grace says it’s all been done already. My response? Worship. Praise. A life that obeys him, but these are all just responses. They merit nothing for my salvation. That’s been done. Now, all that I do is respond to grace and in that response I find God’s joy.

Many in our culture call this simple idea “cheap grace,” but what they don’t understand is that it must be this way. If any of my works, my deeds, my performance for God are part of grace it’s a statement to the world that what Christ did on the cross wasn’t enough. When he said, “it’s finished” he just didn’t understand. You can’t have it both ways. Either he did it all or he didn’t. And if he did it all then your only response it to simply say “yes” to his gift and bask in that grace.

Abounding grace….abounding far above my need, abounding far above my understanding, grace to do for each of us what we could never do on our own.

Today I joyfully rejoice in God’s abounding grace to me!

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The post Abounding Grace first appeared on CHRISTIAN REP.