Psalm 5:3 
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up”.

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

God’s Amazing Grace
(More Than Just A Song)

God, our Heavenly Father, looks upon us with favor and Love. He describes his own personal character as gracious toward all human beings, he’s saying he sees us as treasures, he delights in us, and he is giving good life to everyone, this is the essence of His very nature; for Grace is God’s unmerited Love and pardon toward us (Titus 3:4–5; Romans 5:10). No one who has ever lived, with the sole exception of Jesus Christ, has ever deserved Grace. And no amount of our effort can earn us God’s Grace, for it is a gift from Him. He always shows us favor, even when we betray him or turn our backs on him. Throughout the Bible, we see God of the universe consistently finding ways to reconcile with a hard-hearted hurting humanity. He doesn’t count peoples’ successes and failures to determine who receives his Love, instead, incomparable riches of his Grace, is expressed in his Kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”

Grace is a continuous subject matter in the Bible, and it culminates in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus (John 1:17). We know how to all extend grace to others; but when the word Grace is used in connection with God, it takes on a more powerful meaning. Grace is God choosing to bless us with His compassion rather than curse us as our sin deserves. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves.” Even today we are now “being saved” and we “shall be saved through the life of Jesus” (Romans 5:10).  The good news of Jesus Christ is more than facts to be believed; it is also a life to be lived; a life of righteousness, declared freely by God’s Grace. Don’t think because of the works you may do, you receive His Grace, for then we could boast it is of ourselves, but it is of His good pleasure to give this gift. Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,”
”Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”
“Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Grace began in the Garden of Eden (after their sin (Adam & Eve)) God had a plan, and throughout the Old Testament God instituted blood sacrifices as a means to atone for sinful men. It was not the physical blood of those sacrifices, by itself that cleansed sinners; it was the Grace of God that forgave those who repented and trusted in Him (Hebrews 10:4; Genesis 15:6). What is Sin one may ask “sin or evil” is the disobedience or ungodly ways that goes against God’s definition of righteousness Psalm 119:172, which is defined in the Ten Commandments,  based on truth and love, goodness, and morality. They teach us how to love God and love each other. They paint a beautiful picture of the mind of God and play a key role in the transformation of the whole world that Jesus Christ will return and establish. With the help of God, it is more than that: keeping the Ten Commandments changes us, and helps us not only to understand the mind of God but even to begin to share the mind of God and to think like Him, ourselves. As David writes in Psalm 19:7, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul….”. You see they are essential instructions in Love.

Though the Ten Commandments (His Righteousness) were not given at the time of Adam and Eve, they were incorporated into their lives and they were to spread of His righteousness as they took dominion of the earth, but they made a decision not to be obedient to Him and chose to eat from the forbidden tree of ‘Knowledge of Good and Evil’ setting the course for the world. For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one (Jesus Christ) shall many be made righteous. As it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam [Jesus], a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45

God shows both Mercy and Grace, for Mercy withholds a punishment we deserve; Grace gives a blessing we don’t deserve. In Mercy, God chose to cancel our sin debt by sacrificing His perfect Son in our place (Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He offers us forgiveness (Hebrews 8:12; Ephesians 1:7); reconciliation (Colossians 1:19-20); abundant life (John 10:10); eternal treasure (Luke 12:33); and His Holy Spirit (the power that flows out from God the Father and Jesus Christ)  (Luke 11:13), when we accept His offer and place our faith in His sacrificial Lamb. However, this does not give us a right to continue to sin or be disobedient at the same time living under His Grace. When we repent of sin, we are deeply sorry for having transgressed against God. We no longer have a hostile attitude toward God and His law of freedom. You see, the freedom we have was given to us through Christ Jesus, to produce the fruits of righteousness through a Spirit led lifestyle. We no longer have a carnal or lustful attitude that is hostile against God (Romans 8:7). After repentance, we want to be in harmony with God’s spiritual law of Love. Repentance brings a deep change in our thinking, and a commitment to be transformed and live by every word of God. As Jesus said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Though we have been forgiven Obedience Must remain.

Grace is God giving the greatest treasure to the least deserving—which is every one of us. In other words Grace can be defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence (compassion) on the undeserving.” In His Grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously. Romans 3:23 “….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God….” Romans 5:1-2 says we have been justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ, obtaining access by faith into God’s Grace. The Grace of God is sufficient for us His power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9). Through Jesus Christ the Grace of God appeared, bringing salvation for all people, teaching us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and to live righteously in this present world. (Titus 2:11-12); sin spreads and multiplies in us and has a corrosive effect in our lives, but where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound, (Romans 5:20) for judgment kills but Grace makes us alive. James 1:15 says “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” So, you see the price of sin separates us from God who is Life, but by God’s Grace we can be forgiven, cleansed and saved from Death, for it is His Plan of Salvation. “As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might Grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:21

Grace is the free and undeserving forgiveness and favor God gives to those who seek Him with a sincere heart. God, out of his abundant Love, Mercy and Goodness is willing to forgive us of our sins, (as terrible as sin is before God), if we repent (ask for forgiveness) and turn to him with all of our heart. The Bible shows how horrible, perverse, evil and damaging sin is, and the penalty is death. God gave His Son as a sacrifice for this very reason to save people from their sins. Jesus said “I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.” So, God’s Grace is His willingness to pay the penalty we deserve with the sacrifice of His Son so that we can be forgiven and freed from Eternal death. This Grace of God is a free gift we do not deserve and we can’t earn it, it can only be accepted in faith and God is willing to give us this precious gift to those who repent and truly seek Him (Ephesians 2:8-9). Sin causes separation between Mankind and God, for it breaks the relationship, causing us to become out of harmony with Him. (Isaiah 59:2) However through God’s Grace the relationship is restored, we are reconciled and made right with Him (called justification), without it we would never be back in harmony with God. (Romans 3:24; Romans 5:1-2; Titus 3:5-7) Grace is made possible by the death of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:28; Romans 3:23-25), for its only through Christ’s shed blood that atonement is made for our sin, for this reason Jesus is the Savior of the world.

Grace is a core character trait of God the Father through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 5:10; 1 Timothy 1:14) God’s Throne is beautifully described as the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16) where we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need or weakness. Though Grace is a free gift misunderstanding of this gift can lead to an incorrect response. In Romans 6:1-2; Romans 6:15-16 Paul stated we should not keep on sinning in order for God to show us more of His wonderful Grace, for we should not become slave or obedience to sin, but in obedience that leads to righteousness.  Have we turned God’s Grace into unbounded license to do as we please? Do not think that Grace means we can break or take lightly of God’s laws (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Jude 4), for God’s Grace is ‘Not’ a license to sin or freedom to be continuously disobedient to how He instructs us to live, thus leading to a misunderstanding of His Grace and avoiding the very thing which led to the crucifixion of the Son of God in the first place ‘sin’, revealing the spiritual condition of mankind. So God’s Grace cleanses us of past and current sins, and we must remember His laws were not done away with and we’re free to sin in the future, rather accepting God’s Grace and seeking to obey Him must always go together.

Remember to be in a right relationship with God we have been  forgiven and are being transformed by God’s Grace, by the faith of Jesus Christ, and not what we do by ourselves, for by the Holy Spirit that God has given to us, we grow in Grace and Righteousness, able to receive the gift of Eternal Life (Romans 6:20–22). We have to learn how to prune off our old habits, and cultivate new ones. And as we do this we will find ourselves carried along by the Holy Spirit, as Jesus reshapes our minds and hearts and makes us into people who love God and each other. For by Jesus’ life, death and resurrection now become ours, thus the saying “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:19-20. 

I know our journey in this world may not be easy, but remember, God has not left us, neither has He given up on us, for He gave us redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus, His son, now that’s Amazing Grace.

No one in this world can compare to the horrific suffering Jesus went through, and yet, before His death, he was often deeply moved with compassion for people who were sick, blind, crippled, hungry, or suffering from other problems. Jesus taught and lived the “heart and soul” of the religion that would bear His name, which was to help and care for others. He cared deeply about how people felt, how they were suffering, and the details of their lives. He still does! (Hebrews 4:15) It was all done in Love! As we think about Jesus’ examples, we can grow in compassion, which can motivate us to offer help, support, encouragement, and prayers for those in need, thus allowing us to achieve the marvelous goal of developing Jesus Christ’s beautiful mind (Philippians 2:5).

If we be reproached or criticized for the name of Christ the Spirit of God’s ‘Glory’ will rest upon you. Do not be ashamed if anyone suffers as a Christian or follower of Christ; but Glorify God! 1 Peter 4:12-16. If we see our feelings going from annoyance to anger, from mild irritation to great indignation, or from resentment to rage because what one may say or do things that hurt us [whether inadvertently or intentionally] don’t let your emotions become an angry and unforgiving cancer of your spirit, making choices we later regret. Jesus said blessed are you when people insult you because of me, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. It may be hard to handle offenses as instructed by Jesus Christ, but those are His instructions. Matthew 5:11 He also said if they reject you they reject Him and the One who sent him. Luke 10:16 Jesus who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant. So as he is, so are we in this world.

This may appear not to sound like good news, but it’s not the whole story. Consider the reassuring words of Romans 8:18, where Paul declared that our present sufferings cannot compare with the Glory that will be ours in God’s Kingdom, for we will taste everlasting life and joy.

Yes, we are facing tough times, but have we fallen far from God and His word has become like faded text in our mind? Know this, no word from God will ever fail, for He does not change and He can’t lie, so let us now turn back to God with all of our heart and with all of our soul, and trust in Him, and know “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37 There will be a day when His son, Jesus Christ, returns and sets up God’s government on the earth, so even today, know for certain, God continues to over shadow us with His Grace. Your Bible reveals (in time to come) God’s awesome plan of salvation, which we could never earn. 

Starting today, we hope you will receive God’s Grace with Obedience to His Will, and prepare to enjoy His wonderful plan of salvation to live eternally with Him!

Let our mind and heart be transformed into the life of Jesus Christ; for His teachings are more than a religion—they are the true Way to life. “Let us therefore come boldly unto His Throne of Grace, that we may obtain Mercy, and help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 Seek God with all your heart and soul and commit to His free gift (Grace)! Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.