The Greatest Gift

Some new friends have stopped by jessicamweber.com. Welcome!!

Your comments have truly touched my heart and I thank you so very much!

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As I sit down to write this post, I realize a couple things pretty quickly:

A.  I’m pretty tired. Why are these letters blurring together?

B.  I have nooooo idea what to write about right now.

This is not a good place to be when you’ve committed to a blogging challenge, am I right?

So, as I’m staring at my blank computer screen and texting a friend on the side, I throw out the fact that I need to write something but am coming up dry. And then, for fun but also in the hopes that it actually WILL spark an idea, I ask if he has any himself.

He did and I’m so glad I asked.

Psalm 130:3 reads, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”

My friend shared one of his favorite verses and then suggested I write about the beauty of grace. I thought, well that would be my most sincere pleasure.

So, friends, here we go…

I don’t know if you know much about God’s grace but my heart longs that you would. I know I didn’t know much about it for a long time and eventually, that caused me to hit the proverbial wall with my faith. Nothing seemed right. I was wearing life like it was an old, scratchy sweater two sizes too small. The sheer discomfort of even getting out of bed in the morning was almost more than I could achieve.

It wasn’t that I was a “major sinner” in the eyes of the world around me. In fact, many would call me a “good girl” in comparison. But I knew something wasn’t right in my heart. I knew I was too overwhelmed, too frustrated and far too many times, too angry. No one was living up to my expectations…

and that included myself.

Why did I feel that way? Because I saw everything outside the lens of grace.

Grace is God’s great gift to us. You can read all about it – I do not make this stuff up. Grace is the assurance that God feels the same about us whether we are helping little old ladies cross the street or making angry hand gestures at the driver in the next car.

God loves us. Period. There’s really nothing we can do about it.

We have a hard time with this concept though. Because we believe in punishment being given where punishment is due. When we start comparing our “little sins” to the world at large, we want to pat ourselves on the back, feel pretty good about our accomplishments and look down on the rest of the sinners for the shameful mess they are.

Truth is,

we have ALL fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

In God’s eyes, sin is sin. He sees lust as adultery. He sees hatred as murder. (Matthew 5:28 and 1 John 3:15)

We have ALL fallen short. We ALL deserve the punishment.

God knew our lowly state. God knew we were separated from Him. God knew our most complete selves would be in the reunion. So, God made a way.

If you don’t know Jesus, please learn Jesus. Please learn why the God of Christianity is unlike any other god worshiped on this earth. Please begin to really and truly understand how this God never asked you to earn your way to Him, His heart or His heaven. Rather, He came to get you. And He stopped at nothing until the task was finished.

See, our God does NOT mark iniquities. He does NOT keep a record of our sins. That’s what Psalm 130:3 is all about. If He did, who could stand?

Something happens in a heart when it begins to understand the grace of God. Humility replaces pride. Gratitude replaces bitterness and disgust. Good choices replace bad. And quite surprisingly,  joy replaces pain.

Even those who reject God are loved by Him. We can’t comprehend a heart like that. It’s ok – we don’t really have to try. But if we miss the opportunity to allow a heart like that to fully love a heart like ours, we miss out on everything. God came to earth so that you would have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). When we open our hearts to receive His grace, we become coheirs with Christ. A joy-filled life eternal is only the beginning, as if that’s not enough. If you allow God to live through you, everything begins to change. God wants to open your eyes until your world is colored by Him. He wants you to know the peace and fulfillment of His love right here, right now – on this earth and in this life.

I hope you’ll come to know the depth of God’s grace and what doors Jesus opened for you when He took your sins to the cross. I hope you’ll read His Word and come to see that nothing, yes nothing, separates you from that love. No sin you’ve ever committed or ever will can separate you from the love of God if you receive Jesus as your Savior. He doesn’t have to go to the Cross again. What’s finished is finished. You only need to accept it to have the assurance of a life lived with Him.

And that life begins now.

Thank you, Father for sending your Son. He is my Savior. He is my greatest joy. He is the reason the people I love and have loved in this world will be with me in the next. He is the reason I have clarity where I once had utter confusion and heartbreaking pain. He is the reason I can look forward to tomorrow…and every day after. He is the reason I never have to feel alone…or lost…or helpless…or scared. He is the love that overwhelms my heart and spills into the lives around me because I simply cannot contain all He gives. He is the reason I sing even when it seems like there’s not much to sing about. He is the reason my prayers are heard and the work of my hands matter. He is the reason I see goodness in the world around me, Your loving touch where I once saw abandonment, and Your light where I only saw darkness. He is the reason I am known – fully understood and yet fully loved, right where I am. He is the reason I will see Your face and He is the reason I am held in Your everlasting arms. He is the reason I know Your joy now – before I meet You in the place where suffering can no longer touch me or the ones I love so dearly. Jesus is my Savior. I am Your child. And nothing beyond that seems to matter anymore.

Now and forevermore, thank you.

Friends, I hope you live from grace today. Replace it with whatever’s been eating you or hurting your heart because in light of it, everything else seems to fade. His grace is yours for the taking and the price has been paid in full.

 

 

 

 

 

5 Comments

  1. Kudie

    For someone who had no idea what to write about, you sure hit it out of the ballpark! Wow! Once again, I start my day thanking God for the miracle that let us keep our Baby. I knew He had special plans for you. There is great joy in watching you fulfill them! Your words seem so carefully chosen, but for you, it’s effortless. What a gift!

  2. Anne

    Your friend Donna directed me to your site. Thank you for reminding me of the greatness of God’s grace. I know grace but sometimes forget to let it fill me. I continue to be amazed by the gift of grace that I DO NOT have to earn – just welcome.

    Thanks for the reminder.

  3. Lois

    Awesome, dear child! Just awesome! Too few people understand the true meaning of God’s grace. But, you have just expressed it in a way that lacked nothing. I wish all of those who are searching knew about your website. Thank you!

  4. Linda McCormick

    Wow….tho you felt empty, He sure filled your cup and it overflowed with the greatest grace the universe has to offer. Thanks friend. I agree with Lois and pray many find your site because in doing so, they will find Jesus.

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