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| Is God's grace transformational?? |
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Mike says: It seems to me that GRACE ALONE, with God Almighty as the source, can revive or restore ANY relationship… The reason God’s love is so captivating and beautiful to me is because I did absolutely nothing to deserve it! (In fact, if anything I've repulsed it.) In spite of this, in Him I have experienced a vast wealth of riches (both spiritual and material) which He has bestowed on me in His great kindness. (The word for this is GRACE.) How can anyone not adore such a wonderful giver! And why does this give me so much hope for my marriage, as well as all of my other relationships? Because this undeserved love and kindness is so effective at giving (a wretch like) me the desire and power to change for the better, I am confident that I likewise can impart grace to others and thus share with them this divine power to change, in fact to completely transform their lives. Once you experience the overwhelming joy and transforming power of God’s magnificent GRACE, how can you not be hopeful and optimistic about the transformational potential available to every relationship???? |
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| To add a comment to "Is God's grace transformational??" |
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| February 04, 2007 |
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| Absolutely transformational! I am living proof of that. Think about it this way, His grace reconciled man's relationship to Himself through His Son Jesus...
Brother Chris
1st Timothy 1:12-16 |
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| February 04, 2007 |
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| Thanks Chris, and hasn't almost every Christian who has experienced spiritual brokenness as a result of their sin felt that "of whom I am the worst" sentiment!! |
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| February 09, 2007 |
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| Mike, I must have missed this one. I stared you as to put this one back on the "active" list. Good post. Why am I so interested in grace?....Because I need it! He/She who is forgiven of much sin loves much...that's me! Praise God! |
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| March 02, 2007 |
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| I missed this one too..thanks Sue. For such a long time I didn't see grace as much a part of my life after I met the Lord. I clearly realized I was saved by grace! Hallejuah!!
But now I too have discovered God's amazing, transforming GRACE! If we just understand grace as God's unmerited favor, it's not very transforming (for long).
God's grace is EMPOWERING. God's grace is Himself supplying us to live what He purposed and planned. God's grace works within the confines of relationship. My new definition of grace is: God doing for us what we can/could NOT do ourselves to please Him. That's much more than unmerited favor!
"...for it is God who works in you BOTH to WILL and to DO for His good pleasure." Phil. 2:13
Here's the best part -- God initiates it! We can't even begin until He does.
Charlie
PS - "...being confident of this one thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it, unto the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6
P.P.S. - now that's puttin GOOD back in ..eh Mike? ;-) |
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| March 02, 2007 |
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| Charlie,
Thanks for your awesome contribution to this blog! I praise God for you!
Yes, God's grace is empowering. The 1)realization of his GRACE is followed by 2)appreciation which quickly gives rise to a 3)deep love for Him. Out of this love springs fruit!! (1 Cor 13, Phil 2, etc.)
How much are we willing to serve people we don't know? Well, we aren't. Unless we are motivated by our intense love for God! And it all goes back to that wonderful transformation initiated by His grace! ~mike |
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| March 02, 2007 |
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| Grace is not transformational.
It is resurrection. It is taking what was dead (in guilt, sin, etc.) and returning it to life through forgiveness and love.
I remember an incident with a former employer. My negligence cost the company about $50,000 in sales. Although I brought the error to my supervisor's attention, I still had no hope of keeping my job. Five minutes later, the bottom fell out, just as I expected, and the President of the company called me into her office and gave me a solid beating.
It would be another 4 or 5 hours before the owner arrived (her brother) and brought down the axe. Unfortunately, from my corner office, I saw him enter the parking lot, and began sweating profusely. I hear him enter the office area minutes later, greeting the receptionist, then another, and another, slowly making his way closer to me.
Then he was in my office. Retired Marine Captain. Angry. And I'm the focus of his attention.
I didn't make excuse for my failure, and I didn't blame someone else (although 2 other people were responsible for supporting me in the thing I didn't get done).
As a result, he confronted me right in front of the other employees. "What am I supposed to do with you?" he demanded. "I dunno, sir." He glared for a minute, then turned and walked out fuming.
I never heard anything else about it. So far it doesn't seem like there was much grace. But get this. Two weeks later when everyone received a pay increase, I got one too, for the same amount.
As a side note, several months later when he remarried, he told his wife if she needed anything to take it to me because I would be the one she could rely on (not his sister or long-term employees).
I already had my bags packed and ready to leave. Then grace stepped in and made my future even better than it would have been. |
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| March 02, 2007 |
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| So Jonathan, are you saying grace is resurrection?
Or are you saying that resurrection is transformational (in place of grace? (help me understand)
Your story is thought provoking, thanks for sharing it! ~mike |
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| March 12, 2007 |
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I'm saying grace has much more power than we think. Grace is not merely transformational (although it is also transforming), but it is also so much more than merely strong enough to cause transformation. Grace is strong enough to give life to the dead (spiritually). It is God's grace that made a way for the gentiles to enter covenant relationship with Him. And resurrection is transformational because of the inherent grace. |
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| March 12, 2007 |
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| Unmerited favor. An undescribable love that compelled God to become one of us, to bring us back to Him. I like reading Philippians 2 where we're encouraged to have the same attitude as Jesus Christ has. |
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