October 2, 2012

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:6 New American Standard

How incredible is it that God loves you so much that he freely gives you the treasure of His Son’s life? He could have required you to show improvement before he moved in. He could have made you clean up all the blemishes and flat spots of your life. He could have made you deal with all of your issues before He invested his Spirit in you. Instead .. He moved in with the simple life-changing acknowledgement that you believed who he is and what he has done for your life. There is no other offer in the world that matches what Christ offers you today. He’s working his grace throughout your whole life at this very moment. He’s not measuring how much grace you receive based on the outside image of your life. He’s making your life new from the inside out. It happened all-at-once when you believed and it is happening every day as you walk with Him and let Christ live his life through you. He already knows you are going to push back at places .. resist him over familiar habits .. and blame him when events and things go wrong. But God doesn’t recall His treasure in you. He never will. It doesn’t take much to remember what life was like without Christ. It was a life with you at the end. And now .. Christ is the beginning and the end of your life. God’s grace is there when you want to give up. He’s there when it feels like it is falling apart. Isn’t it great that the outside of your life is not the real treasure that God is looking at today? He’s looking at something so much richer and deeper in your life. He’s looking at the “you” that his Son is shaping in his image. So you can take a moment to pause .. to breathe .. and to pray because it is God’s power at work in you. It only takes a moment …

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” 2 Corinthians 4:16 The Message

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