October 26, 2012
“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him.” Romans 8:29 The Message
When you gave your life to Christ … When you decided to trust Jesus and what He had done on the Cross … When you believed that Jesus Christ was God’s saving gift for your life. What happened…? Jesus moved in and began the work of making his life real inside of you: his grace .. his truth .. his compassion .. his forgiveness .. his patience .. his sacrificial love .. his abiding unbroken intimacy with God the Father. There is so much more but more importantly Jesus began remaking you from the inside out. You carry around anger? He begins loving you at those places you can’t stand about yourself or others. You want him to just take away the anger or even better just remove it. But instead He invites you to follow Him today: “to walk with Him .. work with Him .. and watch how He does life”. You get up each day and walk around with fear? He begins the slow healing work of telling you a hundred .. a thousand times a day that He is your peace. He’s not going to let go of you. He’s not moving out because you’re afraid. You carry around an image of yourself that is broken .. scarred .. and driven? Jesus is at work in His Spirit healing you at the deepest places in your life. Why does it seem to take so long or go so slowly? Because God knows how deep and wide a “radical life-change” takes for you to truly trust Him with everything. The world holds up an image of what you can be in yourself. God offers the image of His Son as the man or woman you will become by faith. The world says to believe in yourself. God invites you to believe in Him. The world says there is nothing called sin. God says that without forgiveness you will die. Who do you want to follow today? It only takes a moment …
“God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.” Romans 2:4 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to men and women learning to walk and live in the life of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
