Grace-Filled

Deuteronomy 4:29 - But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

I am thankful for a God who is so grace-filled. I'm thankful He is never finished with us. I'm thankful if we continue to seek Him He shows Himself to us repeatedly. 

If you have no idea what this means you may not truly know Him. But God...is always waiting and ready to reveal Himself to you if you seek Him...with all your heart.

I've had three things happen this past week that have been revealing, cleansing, healing and freeing. It's not necessary to go into detail. One is a wound that goes back 55 years, one which I pushed so deep I thought I'd overcome it. I was wrong. It resurfaced but this time because the right words and the perfect timing of God, I believe it won't be the ache it had been for so long. God has shown me through another what Needs to be done.

Another was based upon the 55-year-old wound. I have finally realized, which is almost embarrassing, how much God loves me, how He will not leave me nor forsake me, even when I fail. 

And then Sunday morning God allowed me to hear three times, in a sermon on the radio on my way to church, in Sunday school and then in church...three words which convicted me of a besetting sin...for which I was able, three times, to ask for forgiveness and thank God for showing me. He showed me in the loving way only He can. Conviction with love. Unless you have had this happen it's hard to imagine. 

Step by step this week He has taken the time to heal, convict and cleanse. What an awesome God He is. What grace.

And then as we learned in church, grace is divine influence in man. He puts a desire in us to know Him before we really do. This desire causes our salvation...in sometimes no more than a moment. It is up to us, however, to respond to that desire. If we do not we reject God. 

He puts a desire in me to become righteous. His grace brings conviction in love, all God's influence in my life. He longs for us to change. I can add yet another thing I read this week. God will take us as we are, but He doesn't want us to stay as we are. There must be a change. 

Here's the best thing: there is nothing we can do to initially receive His grace. He first loved us. He always does, even if we reject Him to our grave. But He also respects our offense to Him...but not without consequences. Those who choose not to bow their knee to Him will not receive a rightful place in heaven. We cannot earn His grace. He willingly gives it. Something we will never be able to explain happens when we respond to Him and His grace. Our salvation. 

We are not saved by infant baptism or growing up and attending any church or being any denomination or how good we think we are. It comes freely from God. It's all about Him. We cannot take any credit for it. It's a mystery how God's grace appears, says our pastor.

'twas grace that taught

my heart to fear, and grace, my fears relieved. 

How precious did that grace appear,

the hour I first believed.

The hour, the minute, the second we first believe. I know this happened to me. Do you? It is available every day for all people. His grace is sufficient for any circumstance or trial. It's sufficient for me today and tomorrow, for a lifetime of tomorrows and is available today for 
all who seek Him now. God's grace is the author and finisher of our faith. His is the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. He holds your future in His hands. Which future do you wish to have: life or death. His desire for you in life. Do you share that desire? Have you humbly gone to Him and received His precious gift of grace? He waits for those who want it. He desires to heal us, bind up the broken hearted, bring conviction of sin so we can ask for forgiveness and allow healing, with new life, to take place. 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.