Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound..... 5/2/2017

Grace, I don’t see it abounding, do you?

This week I came across something that has left me pondering and a tad skeptical.  It pricked my heart and my spirit the moment I saw it because others see our actions and they hear our words.  We, as Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are a walking billboard for Him and His church.  

What I saw was a lady that had the word “grace” tattooed on her forearm, a person that in my own life has not shown grace, in fact has done just the opposite.  I made small talk with her later and mentioned, “Grace, what would we do without it?  So many people don’t understand what grace is, really, what would we do without grace?”

It got me to thinking about the Christian slogan t-shirts we wear and the bumper stickers on our vehicles.  What we are professing, is that what we really are walking out in our lives?  It was a good wake-up call for myself!  

I shared this with my Pastor because he loves me and I know I can trust him with my heart.  I respect him and it is important to be held accountable, if I’m off track I expect his loving correction to get me back on track.  I loved what he said back to me.  Grace was never meant to be kept or hoarded for ourselves, it was always meant to be a gift, to be given away.  

Would you be intentional today, tomorrow, this week and give someone the much needed grace that our world so desperately needs?  Would you help me make a difference in our world by allowing grace to begin to abound?  Would you and I be aware of what we are wearing to help align with our actions and choices to bring God glory and honor?  

I thank God for getting my attention and reminding me that I am His and encouraging me to allow my actions to reflect that He loves me and that He loves you!  Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound……

Love-Yolanda 

What does God require of you and I?

 

What does God require of you and I?  

 

For some time now my heart has been burdened with how we treat one another inside of the church walls and outside of the church walls.  I’ve seen some down right nastiness in my 50 plus years of living as well as some amazing love.  I am making a choice to no longer allow the cold, bitter, negative people have such a say in my personal life any longer, they are toxic and cause me to spiral in a direction that does not please my Lord.  Instead, I am giving them to God, placing a smile on my face, and loving them the best way I can.  

 

1 John is helping me through encouragement of what it means to be a child of God.  To not be a participant in sinning, to not allow myself to be used as a pawn for the enemy, to not be un-loving.  Instead I am to be pursuing righteousness, and that is an on-going process until the Lord calls me home.  Meaning, I will back slide, I will not be perfect, and that I will find myself sinning, BUT it will not be a habitual sin.  Meaning I have a choice to make: will I choose Christ, or will I choose self? Will I choose to love and extend grace to mankind, or will I instead be nasty, mean, and unforgiving?

 

Brothers and Sisters, we have a choice to make as well.  Will we put aside our denominations, our preconceived notions, our thoughts on who is right and who is wrong?  It dawned on me yesterday during the early morning hours that I really deep down don’t care if you use a certain version of the bible, or use musical instruments in your worship, or have a prayer language.  What I do care about is this…..that YOU have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  That you will be spending eternity with Christ versus eternity with the devil.  That Heaven is your home not hell.  That we begin conquering sin, unforgiveness, and hate. 

 

How does that happen?  It happens by being able to answer my opening question…..what does God require of you and I?  A relationship!  God gave us a very firm command, To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind. And to love your neighbor as yourself.  

 

Let’s get out there and do it! 

 

**I saw a quote today (4/20/2917) from Charles Spurgeon and I couldn’t agree more.  “I do not ask you whether you are a Weselyan, a Baptist, or a Presbyterian; my only question is, “Are you born again?”**