God's Gift of Grace

 

December 2020

Message from Pastor Tom:

During this past Thanksgiving holiday, I hope many of you found time to reflect on your blessings and the many things you have to be thankful for. And if you're anything like me, all your Christmas decorating was complete either before or during the Thanksgiving break, getting ready for the fast approaching Christmas season with all the splendor and anticipation this time of year brings. The wonder of watching our loved ones, children and grandchildren alike, as they look forward with hope for what’s to come. Yet for others, the Christmas season can actually be a sad and lonely time. A rather hopeless reminder of a lost loved one, the loss of employment, or an illness, especially with Covid-19 still running rampant. But no matter what has gone before, the one thing we can always be assured of, by God’s Grace we have HOPE!

It's strange how we can find it much easier to trust God’s miracle of resurrection, rather than God’s miracle of grace. We all fear failure to some extent, and most of us have been guilty at one time or another of creating an image of perfection, feeling we are somehow not worthy, falling short of God’s expectations. We're then left with trying to please God either by our works, or some other monumental accomplishments and expectations we force upon ourselves. Instead, we should remember God’s promises are always kept, God’s love is unconditional, and we don't have to do anything in order to deserve God’s grace, because it is truly a free gift. All we need to do is accept it and cherish it.

Our emphasis therefore, should be on living a full Christian life of holiness, which stresses the importance of loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love one another as Jesus loved us (Mark 12:30-31). God’s grace is the love and mercy He freely gives us, not because we have done anything to earn it, but because God wants us to have it so we can understand faith and what it means to live a Christian life. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast” God’s grace freely flows because of His great love for us, and we can know how much God loves us with the incredible gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, the source of our faith. This faith is what gives us our heart change when the Holy Spirit takes over our spiritual senses and gradually begins our spiritual birth. This new birth is a process allowing us to experience a new beginning living in Christ, seeing and hearing spiritually.

As God’s children we seek perfection because Jesus Christ calls us to be good Christians, building up others in the faith so we may show His grace to the unsaved. We are no longer sinners needing salvation, but born again believers seeking perfection. Since only God sees into our hearts, the only way a person can know our heart is by our actions, witnessing our good works and seeing how we live every day as children of God. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and repent our sins, we do so because our mind and heart has changed. We turn away from all that dishonors God, and embrace all that brings honor and glory to Him.

While we are justified through faith in Jesus Christ alone, what we believe should be confirmed by what we do. Faith should inspire not only our living a Holy Christian life displaying Christian morals and ethics, but also performing works of service. Scripture reminds us, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become transformed, turning away from behaviors rooted in sin, and toward actions that express God’s love as we strive to become as Christ-like as possible. It is by our good deeds and outward evidence of our faith we will show others the way to the Lord.

We have no better example of what it means to truly love unconditionally and without hesitation than Jesus. It is not just that Jesus sacrificed Himself in our place, but that through His resurrection we are given the perfect gift of a new life in Christ. We will therefore demonstrate the authenticity of our faith by how we live each day with the light of our Lord shining through us, as we share our love and knowledge of Christ by our deeds as willing servants of God. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). So please this Christmas reach out for God’s Christmas gift to each and every one, the gift of His Amazing Grace. With Grace there is HOPE.

Heidi and I ask you join with us in praying for peace for our country, our new leaders and those who are racially and spiritually persecuted worldwide. Until next month, may God richly bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you. Merry Christmas and may each of you enjoy a very happy and prosperous new year in Christ.

Blessings from a pastor and his wife

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6