God’s Riches

Thursday, March 16

God’s Riches  

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. Titus 2:11

God’s grace is the opposite of pride. As I mentioned yesterday Grace is the doorway to God’s heart. It is the essential feature of God’s love. God’s grace releases us from striving, people- pleasing, and perfectionism. The world says, “Try harder. Do better. It all depends on you.” Grace says, “Trust me. Rest in me. Let go and trust God.” The world makes us feel unworthy, dependent on self-effort and doing more. Grace makes us worthwhile and valuable for who we are and not for what we accomplish.

It’s not difficult to fall into the performance trap and believe the lie that everything depends on how we perform. Grace cannot be earned or deserved. It is a gift and has to be received. Our relationship with God is one hundred percent grace. It doesn’t depend on what we do, but it depends fully on the work Jesus did on the cross for our salvation.

If we are willing, God’s grace shapes us into the likeness of Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit. Grace is transforming, so we need to learn to think in entirely new ways. It is no longer ‘I’ but ‘He’ who lives in me. This means letting go of our current ways of thinking and exchanging the lies of legalism for the truth of grace.

Prayer for today: Father, thank You for Your grace in giving Jesus to die for a lost world. Thank You for the free gift of life through Him. Please forgive me for the times when I have failed to trust You, relied on my own understanding, and kept control of my life instead of surrendering everything to You. Help me to live by the power of Your Holy Spirit, so that I will know and live by Your truth. Amen.