January 26, 2009

“Your salvation requires you to turn back to me and stop your silly efforts to save yourselves. Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me.” Isaiah 30:15 The Message

What does grace look like…?

Grace is God giving you the freedom to run … to flee … to hide. Grace is God pursuing you … rescuing you … inviting you. Grace is God showing up in the messy places of your life … loving you when all you see is ugly … calling you by name and realizing that He is not going to stop until you come home — to Him. He’s gracious to you  … compassionate to you … unfailingly loving you exactly where you are today. He’s not going to stop. Not now … not tomorrow. Jesus is God’s everything for your life … for everything you long for … and everything He longs for you is found in His Son. You’ll look silly trying to make it on your own. You’ll wear yourself out. You’ll end up exhausted. And that is where Jesus pours out His grace to your life … your marriage … your work … your friendships. Do you need mercy? He has an endless supply. Do you need strength? You’ll find it in Him. Are you tired of running on the inside? Then you need Grace … the finished work of The Finishing One. It only takes a moment …

“But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right — everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.” Isaiah 30:18 The Message

Ken Chester: Grace Gripped is sent M-F to Grace-Gripping Followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One.(ken@priorityone.org)