i grew up in a home where the doctrine of "grace" was no where to be seen. we did not understand that there is law & then there is grace that helps us uphold the law. we just always thought we had to uphold the law on our own. God's grace was present & it was His grace that sustained us & still sustains us now. but i'm just getting it, my eyes are just now seeing it, it's just taking root in me. i grew up believing that God was an angry Father that stomped around huffing & puffing because his children were not "doing as they were told." i believed that i had to (in my strength) uphold the law, keep a good face & always please Him. but i completely missed it. i (A SINNER who is completely incapable of doing any "good" on my own) for years, was trying to love & PLEASE my Savior who i believed was always angry. my God felt so distant & unkind, not affectionate. i felt like He only wanted to hear from me if i "had it together."
my Father, by His grace, saw that we would reject Him & turn to our own ways. & so from the beginning of time He had a rescue plan. He would send His only Son to be human & yet was without sin. He would walk among us & then carry all our burdens, sickness & sin to the cross. what pain He carried for us, that we would be free from the curse of sin & death. & we would have life eternally!!! we are no longer separated from God! He made a way for us to know Him as it was in the garden. & we lean on Him daily for the grace to love & serve Him in return. what grace!!!!!
& lately when i error on the side of "grace" it's because it's such a revelation to me now. i didn't understand His grace & it's so amazing! & yes our God is just & righteous & He punishes sin. He is grieved by our sin because it is what separates us from Him, but by His GRACE He draws us in when we repent of our sins & forgives us & He remembers it no more.
up until now i could not comprehend a just God that disciplines for our sins & then graciously forgives our sins. but this is who He is & THIS is what we want to show our children, by the grace of God.
Father, be merciful & may our children understand Your gospel FULLY!
read brit's post & tiff's post.
Father, be merciful & may our children understand Your gospel FULLY!
read brit's post & tiff's post.
4 comments:
Mmmhmm... Same here! I grew up as a Christian, went to a Bible college, married a minister, and at 30 years old, I finally GET it! God's not constantly mad at me! It's radically changing my life. I feel the freedom to grow and learn and I don't fear mistakes the way I once did. I can't believe the burden grace lifts, and the way it's impacting my parenting and my marriage.
I can't believe I lived under that dark shadow for so long! I feel like I can recommend faith in God from my HEART now, and not just because it's one more thing I'm supposed to do.
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AMEN!!!!!!!!!!
yes! i think we miss that mark so much and my oldest already has started to question the whole scheme of things so it's important he too understands this amazing grace which is at time incomprehensible because of how beautiful it is. praise God He is so loving and had that rescue plan. thank you Jesus!
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