“Embracing Grace”

Happy Jesus Day:

God looks at us with deep, unconditional love. He stands with outstretched arms, ready to embrace us if we accept His gift of grace. Here are some ways you can embrace grace. First, embrace doubt, face it, and use it to seek God by asking questions. He will respond, but you must talk to Him and ask God to give you the faith to overcome. Second, embrace confidence and pray for courage to help you advance in faith by trusting God. Sometimes we want to understand how God works and know He will never disappoint us. Believe that He will reveal Himself if you genuinely seek Him. As you come to know God, you move closer to Him and trust Him. Third, embrace the truth; the Bible is the truth; read the word, think about the word, meditate on the word, pray about the word, and study the word. Let the word sink deep into your soul and begin to transform you. Fourth, embrace sin, and don’t deny the reality of our sins. Understand that any sin, no matter how small it may seem, mars the soul and must be confessed. Don’t let fear, shame, or guilt cause you to have a broken relationship with God. Fifth, embrace forgiveness and realize that God deems us worthy of forgiveness even when we don’t feel we deserve it. Finally, Embrace repentance and thank God for his love, changing your life and restoring you to Him. He loves us even though He knows everything about us and does not love us any less. His forgiveness is not conditional but unconditional. Celebrate God’s grace and love by sharing; you will never know who you embrace with His love and how it can change someone’s life.

Circa 1993