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by Dennis Wheeler
Sometime back I was leading a men's Bible study group and one of the men in the group, a young believer in Christ, raised his hand and said, "Can you explain this 'grace' thing to me?"
Several other men jumped into the conversation as we attempted to define & describe 'grace'. As we did so, it kind of struck me . . . that I'm fairly confident that there are many Christians who probably need to be reminded of the 'grace' thing!
In my own life I must admit that I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was in the 3grade and I knew that I had been saved by God's grace...BUT, I continued to live my life as though I had to prove to Him that I deserved His grace. AND, I lived my life as though I could lose His 'grace' at any given moment. I believe I was around 29 years old before I understooed this 'grace' thing and now I stand in absolute awe when I try to comprehend His amazing grace for me!!
In 1736,11-year old John Newton went to sea on his father's ship, beginning a life of rebellion and immorality. He often worked on slave ships, helping to sell slaves to wealthy land owners. An ambitious young man, Newton soon owned a slave ship and was proud of his place in a bloody and cruel industry.
However, one night his ship ran into a horrible storm and he feared for his life; and in desperation he turned to God. Newton came face-to-face for the first time with Jesus' sacrificial love, and it changed his life. He eventually renounced the evil slave trade and became a powerful and bold minister.
Years later he wrote the words for a new song for his church to sing. He named the song..."Amazing Grace"...the moving story of his conversion. Newton realized that no crime is too big, no deed is too horrible, no thought is too wicked for Christ to forgive.
Listen folks...let's not limit or constrict God's grace! His amazing grace covers ALL sin. When you accept His payment on the cross for your sin and make Him Lord of your life...you are cleansed completely!! Past failures no longer have a hold on your life. God washes old things away and makes you a new creation.
You don't have to live your life trying to prove your worth to Him!!
That, my friends, is indeed the amazing 'grace' thing! And we need to be sharing it over and over and over and over again until all hear it and accept His beautiful grace by faith!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . the GRACE THING!!
He serves as the Senior Pastor with southwest Virginia church... a loving church family in Abingdon.
He and his wife Sharon have been married for over 27 years and are the proud parents of two beautiful daughters, one son-in-law, and two precious grandchildren, the second arrived arrived on the scene in September 2004!!
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