A question that was asked in response to my last blog post was “what does it look like to receive Gods grace and to abide in it.” In this blog post I will try to answer this question to the most biblical and God honoring way possible.
I once heard a pastor quote “if someone tells you that they got hit by a semi truck while crossing the road and they approach you completely unchanged, then how much harder is it to believe someone that says they’ve had an encounter with Almighty God without portraying any noticeable change in their life?”
I have now been following Jesus for the past 3 years of my life and have experienced a radical transformation in the way that I view God, the way that I view myself, and the way that I view others.
The redeeming blood of Jesus has transformed my heart and mind and has reconciled me to our Creator, our God, our heavenly Father. This needed to happen because I was naturally born into a life of sin, with a hardened heart towards the things of God (as was all humanity), and I continued to live a life that was steeped in sin and shame.
By the grace of God, He called me by name and invited me to inherit the heavenly calling that has been extended to us, through the revelation of His gospel of grace and the imparting of the Holy Spirit. Fun fact: the same invitation has been extended to you.
He bore all of my iniquities (Isaiah 53:5) and cleansed me of all sin, which leads me to respond with a life filled with joyful praise and thanksgiving. That is the source. That is the answer.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalms 16:11
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – Ephesians 2:8
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31
The joy of the Lord is our strength. When we claim to be set free by the gospel of Jesus, we are called to put away the sinful desires of the flesh and cloth ourselves in the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ our Savior. We are called to give our lives as a living sacrifice that is purposed towards glorifying God through our every word and deed, obeying His commands and making His ways known throughout the earth.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4?-?9 ESV
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Colossians 3:1?-?3?, ?10 ESV
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
Ephesians 6:14?-?17 ESV
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19?-?20 ESV
Abiding in Christ will look different in every individuals life. We are all uniquely created and uniquely gifted to glorify God in our lives but we are unified with that central purpose; to worship God and extend His glory. We are united in faith by His holy Word and guided by His holy Spirit which has been freely given to those who ask of Him.
We are united in a call of faith and obedience, a call to bring the light of heaven to lost souls of the earth, a call to crush the spiritual forces of the enemy and bring the good news of God to the ends of the earth.
In this season of life God has called me to journey to 11 countries and intentionally share His grace with everyone that He places in front of me. I often disobey Him and fall short of what He asks of me, but I continue to strive to grow deeper in faith and obedience. The call to travel to 11 countries in 11 months is definitely not for everyone but I will leave you with this question:
Are you striving to bring glory to God in your life?
