All through my life I can look back on the activity of God’s grace in my life.  So many times he has graciously rescued me from bad decisions, or graciously preserved me when I put my life in peril through some stupid choice, and he has so graciously provided for me and my family far beyond what we deserve and need.  Grace is everywhere in the story and journey of my life!  It is so amazing, and so very sweet.

I am reading How People Grow by Henry Cloud and John Townsend, sub-titled “What the Bible Reveals About Personal Growth”.  They make the statement, “People do not grow until they shift from a natural human view of God to a real, biblical view of God.  The first aspect of that shift has to be the shift from a God of law to the God of grace.”  Now here is the statement that really captures the essence of my thoughts today, “People must discover that God is for them and not against them.”  That is such a powerful truth that I wanted to share it with you in this post.

I hope you might live today with this thought in mind, God is for you and not against you.  No matter what the circumstance of life on this earth today, and regardless of the difficulty that you face or even the heaviness of the challenge that is before you — God is FOR you, not against you.  He is the God of GRACE, that undeserved favor of his blessing and peace.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ you can move forward today in the confidence that comes from that truth.  Even if the difficult circumstance or challenge is our fault – grace brings God along side us to be for us.  When we fail sometimes there are consequences to that failure that are unavoidable, but even then grace carries us through them.  When we are genuinely victims of some outside source of trouble in life, grace is there to lift us up and help us stand.

If you do not know Christ as Savior, or if you are wandering from his Lordship in your life, you need to hear this today — God is for you, not against you.  He loves you so much his Son died for your sins, and Jesus rose again to give you life that is above the guilt and dirtiness of your sin.  No matter who you are, where your wandering from God has led you, regardless of what you have done – God loves you, he is for you, and if you will receive Jesus as your Savior and follow him as Lord, God will come into your life and rescue you for abundant life today, and eternal life with him someday in heaven.

My mom’s favorite song/hymn was Amazing Grace.  Anytime she faced some challenge she would sing that hymn in her mind to get her through.  The 23rd Psalm was also a favorite for her because of the promise that God was with her, even in the valley of the shadow of death she walked through many years ago now.  It’s one of my favorites too, so I’ll leave you with this…

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost but now I’m found was blind but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.  How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come.  ‘Tis grace that brought me safe this far, and grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me, his Word my hope secures.  He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.  We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”   Amen!