February 23, 2010

It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible l0ve, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ.” Ephesians 2:4-5 The Message

The Great Exchange …?

God took your life .. dead .. sin-dead and made you alive in Christ. You weren’t partially dead or partially alive .. you were sin-dead .. incapable of not repeating things in your mind or acting out in ways that left you scared .. shamed .. and lying to yourself. But God is described as immense .. incredible .. and extravagant when it comes to how he embraced you when you no one would touch you. His love is incredible because your death-life was incurable without it. And now your life becomes this prayer of taking in every possible direction and angle of Christ’s love. It there everyday .. today .. this moment .. all for you to drink in and live wide open in the world you live in. But it’s only in Christ .. in His life exchanged for yours. And now your life is about learning to love the life that Christ is living in you .. and not you trying to live a life that pleases Christ in order to be loved by Him. One is a life of rest.. the other is a life of running on the inside and trying to be calm on the outside. It only takes a moment …

“And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all the followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love.” Ephesians 3:15 The Message

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