| Daily Thought — January
7, 2008 |
|
| LIVING THE
SOLUTION WITH DAILY INSPIRATION |
It wasn't
so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn,
dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands,
going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and
hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior
God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was
all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave
us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed
inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus
poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored
our relationship with him and given us back our lives.
And there's more life to come—an eternity of
life! You can count on this. (Titus 3:3-8 — The
Message)
That’s grace; “It was
all His doing; we had nothing to do with it.” So
often we forget that. When we are confronted with our
sin, go to God and confess, and ask forgiveness we also
feel that we have to somehow make amends for what we
have done. The truth is we can’t, and when we try
we remove ourselves from grace. All that needed to be
done for our forgiveness was accomplished by Jesus. All
we can do is bring our sin and brokenness to Him and
receive His gift of forgiveness, love, understanding
and compassion. There is no amount of “extra” prayer,
singing songs, reading the Bible, or giving to the poor
that will help cleanse you or restore you. God has done
it all. Now this does not mean that we should not read
our Bibles, sing songs, give to and serve the poor and
others. We should, but out of a heart of gratitude and
thanks for what God had done for us, not out of a sense
of duty or obligation.
God has given us back our lives, but not so we can grovel
at His feet in sorrow over our sin. Rather, so we can
live, be free and be the men and women He created us
to be. This new freedom allows us to walk away from our
sins and our past and leave them there. Move on, move
forward into the life He died to give us.
Live intentionally, purposely, free and with passion,
Pete Reinbold
|
| You
can see past Daily Thoughts - visit
the archive. |
 |
Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of
International Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks
of International Bible Society. Use of either trademark for the
offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent
of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible,
New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189, USA. All
rights reserved. |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
You'll also receive Practical
Biblical Solutions for life's challenges with our free
e-zine
|
| |
 |
|
