BOOK OF GRACE

God  loves me, He chose me and continues to show His ways to me so that I may continue to find favour with Him.

12Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ 13If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” 14The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33

11Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.

12I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

13For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. Psalm 86

He out of His love for me chose me to be His beloved.  He showed me trying to be perfect is living under Law. Living carefree, enjoying God’s goodness & honouring His love by depending on His love for all things, hoping that he will abundantly provide all my needs as always, is Living under Grace which is made available to us through Jesus Christ.

But it is not possible to live under Grace and Law at the same time. That is why Jesus said, “21No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. 22And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” Mark 2.    

Through His Love, He showed me the difference between both,

Imagine I am  building a new house, people working in the worksite are resting often and hence they are working only 7 hours instead of the 8 hours they should be working. What shall I do now ?   

I can be rude to them to make them work properly, sacrificing my happiness in the process. This is trying to be a perfect person through Law.

God is gracious enough to show me, why he desires Mercy and not sacrifice.

But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:13

Under Grace:  I can be merciful to them, without  worrying   and relaxing about the work at my house, instead thank God for not letting me work in sun like them for livelihood, pray for them so that they can have a peaceful rest, hoping that the work will be done perfectly, claiming the promise of God, ‘ Everything I do will prosper’, through Christ  who is the Hope of Glory in us.

Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, Deuteronomy 30:9

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

The Bible says this ‘hope will never put you to shame’. This is living perfect life through grace in Christ.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

I don’t have to sacrifice and work hard to be perfect, I can rest in Christ. Jesus had told about it repeatedly in the following verses,

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10

25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

God’s men from David to Paul had written about it in their scriptures,
Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say : Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
David said, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Prophet Habakkuk said,

“16 I heard and my heart pounded,my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

17Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3

Jesus told His disciples about it whenever He appeared before them after His resurrection, because He knows that he had earned it for them on the Cross.  

19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” John 20

Although I am letting those workers in my house take advantage of me. I am being that way only because, just like me Jesus also desires it.

And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:40-42

He due to His love for me, lets me put the blame for my sins on Him. So that I may receive the Gift of Righteousness through Him.

At first I hesitated to let others take advantage of me, because I thought people might think I am a fool and disrespect me. But God showed me how much his son Jesus was respected wherever He went. Even the soldiers who came to capture Him fell before Him and worshiped. God asked me, “Don’t you know how gloriously I raised Him from the dead and seated Him on my right hand side”. Thanks to my Father whose superabundant grace and the Gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ has redeemed me.  Amen :)

“For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17