October 6, 2017

If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7 The Message

God’s put a treasure in you. It’s right there for all to see. Most of the time you don’t even know it’s there. That’s probably a good thing. He could have just cleaned you up on the inside and pointed you toward the goal of earning this eternal treasure .. one day .. if you live up to your part. But He didn’t. When you believed .. with all your flaws and imperfections .. He put the treasure of His Son in your life. Believing is how you live out this LIFE everyday.  It shows how you treat others .. conduct business .. and love your spouse. Some days are better than others. There are overwhelming moments and God-designed circumstances. That’s to show you or help you realize that it really is God’s incomparable power and not your own that you are living on. The temptation is to try and arrange your life the way you want it .. and ask God to bless it. God knows the daily pressures you face in your life. The world whispers: ‘It’s up to you .. it’s your life’. Jesus says: “I” will be your life .. let’s face this together. Life in Christ is you trusting Christ for everything about you. When you know that this treasure is God’s power through Jesus, you’ll quit trying to make life work for your own ends. You’re no longer trying to force life because now you’re free to live it. It frees up a lot of space on the inside. That’s because you aren’t gripping everything so tightly. You don’t have to. It only takes a moment …

“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may life in His name.” John 20:31 New American Standard

Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent to wildly loved mudpies showing the world what Jesus can make out of a little grace. (kchesterp1@gmail.com)