Do you remember being a kid and not listening to your parent’s direction or advise?
Do you remember thinking that you knew better and do you remember the consequences for some of those independent choices?
I’ve been contemplating God’s Grace and there’s been a lot of discussion about it in my life lately. Conversations, devotionals and commentary, along with affirmation and rebukes. It’s definitely a hot topic these days.
Another of God’s Revelatory Movements? Have we moved from the Faith movement to the Grace movement? I don’t know, I’ll have to ask God, but what I do know is people are coming into a understanding of God’s grace for us. I will remain mostly quiet in public debates, I’m not willing to argue the Word of God, and that is where I am getting this awesome understanding; straight from the Bible, not from someone’s book interpreting the bible.
What I do believe is that God is giving me quite the understanding in my own life.
Here’s what I got just yesterday from a scripture devotion I get every morning in my e-mail.
[ Just a little FYI here for new readers: I am battling some health issues and so is The Hubs (my husband) … quite serious issues. However, we understand our healing and do not claim this issues as “ours” … these issues are consequences from personal choices we’ve made over many years of living. We understand that we were healed the moment we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; we also understand that this requires a physical and mental process to fulfillment.]
Now back to it …
With my mind on the health issues I am struggling with (they are not mine!) this spoke to me this morning, as I was looking into God’s Word and His will for me and YOU too!
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” – 1 Peter 5:10
* Let’s see if I can explain the “after you’ve suffered a little …
God is not causing the suffering! For some it is the suffering we endure simply living in a fallen world; for others we suffer from our choices and/or our inability to comprehend our absolute healing. It’s a process.
In fact, to extend this Facebook post from yesterday, I believe that “suffered a little” can actually mean: after you’ve tried it your way!
None the less, when we come to our senses (decided of our own free will) and enter into that Eternal Glory He has called us to that suffering, that illness, that iniquity that we cannot seem to shed, ends and He will make us strong and firm and steadfast …
God the Father restores … let us let Him restore us today!
I am healed, how ’bout you! ~ My Facebook post on June 13,14 (bold print added for this post in WordPress)
As believers we “understand” that His Eternal Glory in Christ is for right now. We don’t have to wait, it is ours now; we know this because the scripture says the God of all grace.
An accurate, common definition describes grace as the unmerited favor of God toward man. Check here for an awesome and thorough definition of Grace.
However, yes again, even for the growing believer, the developing disciple of Christ, full understanding of God’s Word, His Grace, His Love for us is a process.
We are human. We are fallible. And God the Father knows this, He created us and reconciled us back to Himself, even as we were sinners!
So yes, Grace conquers everything in our lives that does not line up with God’s perfect will for His children. However, like the child,who knew everything, above we wander. I know I do!
Does this mean we are no longer saved? Does it mean God stops loving and healing and protecting and forgiving …. NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow according to Hebrews 13:8.
It does mean, though, that we have to make the right choices, His choices. They’re right in the book and most of them stem on the direction to simply BELIEVE (now there’s a process right there!). It does mean that if we wander from His will there are consequences and those consequences are our LIFE LESSONS.
So I will say again …
God the Father restores … let us let Him restore us today!
I am healed, and I am working the process to complete healing and discipleship in Christ.
How ’bout you?
