God has been tenderly speaking one word to my heart repeatedly these past few weeks. That one word is… GRACE.
I am so incredibly astounded by the endless and unconditional grace that Jesus so excruciatingly bought for me on the cross at Calvary. The depths of Christ's love are unfathomable and they are ETERNAL!
For so long, I had been living in bondage to guilt. And while being imprisoned by the lies of the enemy, I was unable to be a contributing servant to the Kingdom of God and to His children. I felt so used up, useless, and broken.
But Jesus has been fiercely pursuing my heart! In our quiet times together, He has led me to His extraordinary truth. On my continuous journey to awaken my heart to Christ's grace, the first verse I read was 2 Corinthians 12:9.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
When I felt like I had nothing of value to offer, God reminded me that all I need is His grace. He gave me hope that He can actually use my weaknesses and my "brokenness" to bring glory to His almighty name. Jesus makes beautiful things out of our messes!
The second set of verses that resonated with God's message of grace was 2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
Being raised in the church, I had heard/read these words countless times over the years. But just so recently, have I really been able to grasp the depth of God's grace and his power over sin. Amen! To know that God does not count my sins against me because of Christ's sacrifice for me is incredibly humbling. I am inexplicably grateful for the ability that Christ has given me to start over. The freedom to walk in the truth of His promise "the old has gone, the new is here" is life changing!
I have also been encouraged by the spirit to reflect upon what it is that I am now called to do with the grace that has been bestowed upon me. I have no desire to "receive God's grace in vain." The Lord has brought so many awesome people into my life to keep me accountable and to embolden me to take action for the Kingdom. I just returned from a mission trip to Rocky Point on Sunday. My team and I were able to build a home for a family in evident need. It was amazing to have the chance to share how much Christ has blessed me… by becoming a blessing to others. It brought such a sense of healing. I am so excited to have the continued opportunities to share Christ's "ocean" of grace and love with His children through the World Race!
I am so thankful to all of you for your continued prayers and support!
Love,
Cassie
My Rocky Point family and our finished house!
