Colored By Truth - John 8:31-36 - Reformation

 

John 8:31-36 NIV

³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³ They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. ³⁵ Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Colored By Truth

There is a Gate to freedom. It’s a Gate marked with eternal Truth. A Gate that IS Truth. A Gate of Truth that will color in your life with forgiveness, freedom, and eternal gifts beyond anything you could ever seek, attain, or work for, on and with, your own strength.

The Gate that IS Truth is Jesus. Jesus frees from sin and HAS the power to free ALL from the power of sin, death and eternal damnation.

These words sound so condemning of my life. And they were probably meant to be. Dark words but dark words that lead to Light.

But how do I come to believe in this Gate, this Truth, this Jesus?

I first need to open my eyes. God finds me. I don’t find God. God finds me and Jesus colors in my life with the real color of His crayon. Color that takes me from the dark into the colorful bright Light of His salvation and growth in Truth.

Truth does NOT enslave.  But Truth challenges me. Do I think I need to be free in the first place? The LAW convicts me of my slavery to sin…  AND…  the Truth frees me from the slavery in which I am trapped.

There are different ways to believe all of this. One way is the phony way…

John 2:23-25 NIV

²³ Now while he (Jesus) was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. ²⁴ But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. ²⁵ He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

 

John 6:14-15 NIV

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

 

Can you see it? Look for signs. Look for proof. Make God prove Himself to YOU! That’s putting yourself above God!

 

Then, by contrast, there is a deeper way to believe in Jesus.

 

John 13:35 NIV

³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

 

John 15:8-9 NIV

⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

 

John 8:36 NIV

³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

 

Can you see it? Freedom comes from the Truth grounded in what Jesus does. Freedom is not my doing, but rather the Love of God active in me. The deeper way to believe is something you can’t help. The deeper way to believe, is God active and growing in your life, coloring you in, with love and compassion and understanding the way to love from God and the love to neighbor. The deeper way to believe is NOT to look for proof, but to BE proof of God’s love active in and through you TO your neighbor.

 

Are you a slave to sin then? See and listen to these words of Paul from Romans…

 

Romans 6:15-23 NIV

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefits did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or even here in 2 Peter…

2 Peter 2:19 NIV

¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

 

So, it sounds like one kind of slavery leads to another. One slavery is in the darkness of shame, another slaver is in the Light of God’s Love, Truth and the Gate to eternal life with God.

 

This Truth, this Jesus, frees me from the bondage of sin.

 

Simply put, Jesus frees me from sin. But hold on! I still sin! What’s up with that?

 

Remember the “Chasm” of a few weeks ago? The one where the rich man, commonly named Dives was separated from Lazarus (not the one Jesus raised) and Abraham. The Chasm could not be crossed. Dives wanted Lazarus to give him a drop of water to cool his tongue as Dives suffered in Hades. Well, here we experience this “Chasm” once again but in a different way.

 

We have a “Chasm” between slavery to sin and freedom from sin through and in the forgiveness of Jesus.

 

Does this freedom from sin come through Abraham, through Jesus or from myself? What’s the deal with this freedom from sin?

 

I think, I need to push my right or wrong, past the Truth lens of Christ. I need to see Jesus Truth first and all else will fall into place after that.

 

My slavery to sin falls silent to the Truth and Freedom that only Jesus can give.

 

I can’t pull myself up to defeat sin and death by anything I can humanly do on my own. That’s NOT for me anyway. The defeat of sin and death IS God’s work.

 

Once again let’s turn to the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians…

 

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

 

Jesus does not and will not leave you behind. He comes to you in the midst of your sin, forgives you and colors your life with the Holy Spirit TO BE His and His alone.

 

God is IN our midst. And God justifies you and me by a faith that He freely gives.

 

May God reform you daily and color in your life with His Spirit of Love, Truth and Light, day after day after day.

 

So, live in the fear of an awesome loving, truthful God. Repent and let God turn you from sin to judge you through the loving lens of Jesus freedom. See the Light in your midst. A Light, a Truth, a Gate, that is near to you. Let the Truth color in your life as you bear the fruit of love… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen

 

I leave you with this Reformation Hymn written by Martin Luther….

 

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6aZiDzhVE&list=RD1v6aZiDzhVE&start_radio=1

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

A Black Eye to God? - Luke 18:1-8 - Nineteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Luke 18:1-8 NIV

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

A Black Eye to God?

How do we make it in life? Is it prayer? Is it money? Is it power and prestige? How about education? Is it faith? Is it by the help of others? Or is it by doing all the things that bring joy and happiness? Sometimes, I’m at a mystery as to how I have made it so far in my life. I want to contribute my way to things that I have done, but some of the things I have done have been the very roadblocks to making it in life. So, for me, I feel the need to turn away from my ways and seek other ways, to make it in life.

There are only a few verses of Scripture to this Parable of the Persistent Widow. Just a few verses, most all Jesus’ own words, teaching, once again, His disciples about prayer. Teaching about persistent, patient, prayer to a God that is always just.

This passage is about when Jesus returns. About when Jesus returns or when He comes. Maybe at the end of time, or maybe at the end of your time in your attempts to “Make it in life,” on your own, without God and by yourself.

A huge question pops up, at this type of thinking. Will you be faithful in this persistent prayer to a just God to the end? Or, will your struggle in life keep you away from prayer, when it gets really bad and God doesn’t seem to answer? Maybe you need to pray for the “Judgment Day” to put all of this to a stop?

Do we want easy, cheap, fast answers? Do we pray to God as a genie in a bottle? Don’t forget, Jesus also prayed, three times in Gethsemane and He really didn’t get an answer. But Jesus did submit to the will of the Father. A will that resulted in pain, suffering and death. Doesn’t seem to add up, does it?

Prayer may not always be a “get rich” scheme. Prayer may not always result in a quick and easy solution to how to make it in life.

Sometimes the result of prayer turns into a long walk rather than a quick and easy trip to the answer. But, either long, short, slow or fast; God’s answer to prayer is faithful, loving and wise. An answer that is faithful, loving and wise may not be easy or fast.

Now let’s look at the peculiar statement from the judge in the passage from Luke 18…

Verse 5… this is the judge speaking… “yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”

Huh? Is this like God the Father speaking? If so, why would He say this? Is God afraid that we may give Him a black eye, or slap His face? I, myself, don’t think so. I think this is Jesus, once again, teaching His disciples and us too, about how to pray.

Jesus at another time was asked how we should pray. This is where we see the Lord’s Prayer given to us. And for this Gospel from Luke, I can’t help but to think of the Second Petition of the Lord’s Prayer… “Thy kingdom come.”

Luther explains this short petition like this…

What does this mean?

God’s kingdom comes indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come also to us.

When does this happen?

God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life on earth now and in heaven forever.

Well, for me and for many disciples of Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit at baptism as a gift from God. A gift that we didn’t earn or even pull up our bootstraps to receive. And this gift of the Holy Spirit leads us to God’s Word and the gift of God’s faith that leads us and guides us to believe and respond to that gift with the actions God sets forth in us to live our lives and to “make it in life.” We “make it in life” not for ourselves, rather in love to God and in love of neighbor. You know, all those God places in our lives each and every day of our lives.

It seems that this is where God is more than willing to take my slap to His face or the black eye, I may give Him.

Faith is given at just the right time. When we are at the end of ourselves, helpless and destitute, maybe even when we are dead in the waters of our baptism to ourselves and rise to new life in God with the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Word, forgiveness from Jesus and hear God’s call.

FOR, Christ IS faith and the source of life. SO… as a disciple, we are called to stand firm in our gift of faith, to endure this life, so that we can tell of our witness… BECAUSE… Jesus will come when he comes.

May we endure to the end in persistent prayer to keep the precious faith that God so freely gives.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 NIV (Paul speaking…)

⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

So, rejoice, God will take that slap in the face. God has suffered that black eye and He loves you anyway. Be persistent in prayer and pray… “Thy Kingdom come… thy will be done… on earth as in heaven.”

Thanks be to God!

I leave you with this YouTube Music Video that I listened to in my preparation during this reflection…

“When We Pray”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DJ3NjA9ZjA&list=RD4DJ3NjA9ZjA&start_radio=1

When We Pray

 

Drop It! - Luke 17:11-19 - Eighteenth Week after Pentecost

 

Luke 17:11-19 NIV

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Drop It!

These past few weeks we have been on a journey with Jesus as He walks with His disciples to Jerusalem. Jesus has set His face like “flint” with determination to complete the call that the Father had given to Him for His earthly purpose. Yes, even though Jesus had told His disciples several times what was up, Jesus was going to His own suffering, persecution, death, burial, resurrection and ascension back into heaven.

For a moment though, I want to recall the time recorded in the book of Matthew, when Jesus called Peter and Andrew, as they were fishing, as was their occupation at that time. Jesus told them to follow Him. What did Peter and Andrew do? They dropped their nets and followed Jesus. Yes… they heard “Drop it!” and they did. Keep this “Drop It!” in mind as we reflect on this passage of the Ten Lepers.

In this reading, we are in the final stages of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. Jesus comes upon ten leprous men seeking Jesus’ pity on them. And, Jesus, as always, full of compassion, heals them. Not a Benny Hinn healing either, you know, a knock you on the head and you’re healed kind of deal. Rather this healing from Jesus was a healing as you go, type of healing. A healing that sneaks up on you and then you realize, “Hey! I’m healed!”

I can’t help but to think of Naaman in 2 Kings chapter 5. Naaman came down with leprosy and wanted to be healed. Naaman was an outsider too, he was commander of the army of the king of Aram. Naaman was a “big deal” so to speak in the eyes of his own people.

Naaman wanted healed and he heard from a servant girl, from Israel, how she thought that if Naaman would seek help, perhaps the prophet Elisha, from Samaria, would heal him.

So, Naaman seeks some help from the king of Aram, and the king sends a letter to the king of Israel, to seek the cure of leprosy.

Well, the king of Israel can’t cure leprosy and figures this letter was a trap from the king of Aram. Elisha gets word of all of this and tells the king of Israel to have Naaman come to see him.

So Naaman comes to Elisha. Elisha doesn’t even come out to see Naaman, but tells him to wash seven times in the Jordan. No Benny Hinn healing here! Naaman is indignant that Elisha wouldn’t even come out to see him and hit him on the head in front of a large congregation. (That’s my own stuff there…)

Naaman says he could have washed in the nice clean waters of his hometown Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus, rather than in the dirty creek waters of the Jordan. So, Naaman storms off.

But as they were leaving, the servants of Naaman, convinced him to wash in the Jordan. So, Naaman does just that and his healed. See the connection? This wasn’t an instant Benny Hinn healing, this was more of a healing like in the Luke passage, a healing as you go along healing.

And Naaman, now seeing that he has been healed, went back to Elisha to thank him. See, how this goes along with the Luke passage as well?

Back to the Luke passage now. A Samaritan in a group of Jews was not normal, to begin with. But in leprosy as in other diseases, “misery loves company.” Typically, leprosy would show on hands and feet, making walking or touching difficult. The flesh on the face may turn the gray of death. Yet, through Jesus the lepers were healed as they went on their way to see the priest.

One leper didn’t show himself to the priest. Maybe because he was a Samaritan? Anyway, this Samaritan leper turned back from the ceremonial of presenting himself cleansed to the priest, to go back to thank Jesus for the grace from God in Jesus. This Samaritan leper was a healed witness to God’s grace and truth.

In a manner of speaking, as the Samaritan leper left Jesus, he “Dropped it” --- He realized healing --- He “Dropped” what he was doing and returned to thank, and praise Jesus; not only in word but in work as well.

The passage really doesn’t say if the other lepers returned to thank Jesus after they saw the priest, but I don’t think they did.

With this in mind, I must say, it seems that unthankful hearts are a much worse disease than leprosy.

The Samaritan leper’s return to praise Jesus, made Jesus’ healing truly complete, in body and soul. After all, praise and thanksgiving are a response to ALL Jesus has done. Jesus gave this Samaritan leper faith and the Samaritan was healed by that freely given faith.

Praise IS a RESPONSE to God’s love. Praise flows from grace revealed in Jesus. The gift of grace flows forth in praise and worship.

Kind of like what Paul told the Colossians… and by extension you and I as well…

Colossians 3:15-17

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Yes, we too are called to “Drop It.”

Now, let’s flash back to the call of Peter and Andrew and the “Drop It” of nets. Let’s move along with Peter and Andrew and the disciples as Jesus taught them along this journey to Jerusalem and a little beyond.

At the end of Jesus earthly ministry, in the Gospel of John, the disciples are once again fishing. This is after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus, from the shore of the lake tells the disciples to “Drop it,” in a manner. Jesus tells the disciples to “drop” the nets on the other side of the boat. The disciples had been fishing all night and were coming up empty. So, they “Drop it” like Jesus told them to do on the other side of the boat, and a huge catch of fish is made then and there.

You, see? The disciples received the faith, grace and forgiveness all in that command to “Drop it.” And it was in so much abundance that it was difficult to drag the net to shore.

What happens? Peter returns to Jesus in joy and praise.

Likewise, here in this passage a Samaritan on a journey is healed. AND HE “DROPS IT!” He recognized what REAL healing Jesus gives and RETURNS to Jesus in joy and praise.

And it’s time now…

It’s time you and I, “DROP IT!”

Realize the gift of healing, forgiveness and salvation God has gracefully given us in the disease of our sin, and return to Jesus in joy and praise as well.

Return, turn back and go back to God. Jesus saves and Jesus shares salvation to and for ALL- Jew, Gentile, Samaritan… ALL … today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!

I leave you with what else? A YouTube music video – Now Thank We All Our God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_OgVO7ftFI&list=RDg_OgVO7ftFI&start_radio=1

Now Thank We All Our God

Stumbling - Luke 17:1-10 - Seventeenth Week after Pentecost

 

Luke 17:1-10 NIV

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. ² It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. ³ So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. ⁴ Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Stumbling

I stumble all the time. I can stumble right over myself. I hate it when I stumble and bump into someone else and hurt that person. Yep! I stumble all the time and I hate it!

So, what’s the deal here with these few verses of Scripture?

This passage is Jesus teaching His disciples. Most of it is about forgiving one another. About being unwilling to forgive. In this attitude of unwillingness to forgive, it’s easy to lose yourself into an attitude of revenge, hate, and blatant neglect of the 8^th Commandment.

I fall into this trap all of the time. So, may I review the 8^th Commandment for myself and you as well?

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor”

And as Luther puts his explanation to this…

What does this mean?

We are to fear and love God so that we do not betray, slander, or lie about our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain his actions in the kindest way.

Well, when I fail to be empathetic and understanding of someone’s sin against me, I tend to strike out in revenge. I form a hate for the person with whom I have been offended or ever just disagree with and speak to betray, slander and lie about them to harm them. Why? Because I feel better about it when I do.

Oh, how sinful I am. I’m a sinner and cannot free myself. That’s the awful truth of it. So, in my unwillingness to forgive, I lose myself.

Here’s a real- life case. Just this past week, as I asked for help from my wife, Sue, I got upset when I asked her to get me a tape measure. First off, I didn’t explain myself very well, secondly, when she was slow to respond I yelled at her, telling her that she was incompetent. Man, what an Ass I was! It was all my own fault. Every bit of it! And I sinned, and no doubt sinned boldly. Sure, I sought her forgiveness. But did I really expect that to come instantly from her? I hoped so, but how could that ever happen?

So, I spent the rest of the day depressed, praying, and realizing how sinful I was. What had I just put my wife of almost 50 years through? How could I ever expect her to fully forgive me? What could I do to make it up?

Did I have faith the God or even my wife could forgive me? I was even studying this passage of Scripture daily and ended up living it out. I wanted more faith.

Faith comes from God’s eternal power. Faith does NOT come from some effort or thing that I can muster up or gut out from inside myself. I realized that I was in bondage to sin and cannot free myself. I kept hearing this over and over and over. When I prayed it became so apparent that it turned my stomach and wounded my soul.

Stumbling blocks and sins are inevitable in this world and my life. BUT, when I stumble against one close to me, I need them to point to my sin and call me out, before I can expect forgiveness.

And if the shoe, in this case the sin, is against me; I need to heed Jesus’ advice to point out the offender’s sin and forgive them. Over and over and over again. For me? Well, this sin of mine was not the first time I had shouted out meanness. To my wife and to other’s as well. Each time I hate it and want to do better, but then, it slips out again.

Even when I ponder the Post-it notes next to my recliner that remind me how to act…

I’m reminded of the Fruits of the Spirit…

Love-Joy-Peace-Patience-Kindness-Goodness-Faithfulness-Gentleness-Self Control

And again, in the second Post-it note from 1 Timothy 6:11

1 Timothy 6:11 NIV

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Boy, oh boy, have I ever stumbled all over myself and hurt my wife, and God!

My heart is wicked and I trap the weak in my sin. As other’s witness my responses in this manner, I hurt them as well. Forgive me, I pray!

It’s just as bad and probably worse, when Church leaders who trap the weak are full of false ambition, intolerant, assertive and indifferent to new people of faith, that act in this sinful manner, to be unforgiving. Who do we think we are? We are all in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves, the new Christian, the fresh in understanding convert, even the elder of the Elders. We all are in bondage to sin and stumble all over ourselves and into one another. Forgive us Lord, forgive us! Lord, God, cast these sins out!

I turn to the face of God and my wife to forgive me.

At this point faith is in control. I look for forgiveness and blessing.

Ephesians 4:32

³² Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

And in this passage, and in Jesus words, I learn, no matter at which end of the sin I am on, my response, and the response I wait upon.

For me and for all of us, forgiveness must follow repentance… constantly. I, we, are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves.

I am called to forgive others constantly. And when I forgive, to lay aside revenge. Lay aside rebuke and repayment AND live with each other in healing and love, and forgetting about getting even.

When I fail to forgive, I’m trapped in a circle of fight on fight, bringing forth hate and revenge in me AND all, I’m with or against.

But, when I forgive, or am forgiven, all doors open to loving one another.

We, like the Apostles, are taught by Jesus. It’s Jesus that joyfully gives us all the faith we need.

And with Jesus, living in His grace and love, we serve God. Lord, I pray, that you would cure us of our imagined reward that we think we are due for serving You. May I and all of us see what God does.

God deals with me and you on law and duty NOT grace and faith. We need not feel proud of our works of faith. After all Faith and Grace are gifts, NOT works.

With the gifts of Grace and Faith from God, we disciples, serve in a spontaneous response to how God has forgiven us, over and over and over.

I am in bondage to sin, and cannot free myself. But God can! And God does! Through Jesus in my world and in my life as he came to give forgiveness to me and you… over and over again and even once and for all time. I’ll leave you to ponder that for a while.

May I hear and see the message of God in Jesus. Through God alone grace has been given in Jesus.

Forgive me Lord Jesus for my stumbling sins. Forgive me Sue for my stumbling sins… both today… tomorrow… and forever. And I ask God to help and guide me all along this way.

Never thought I would post a Jelly Roll song but this one speaks to how I feel…

“Forgive Me, Lord”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqPO-mzieo4&list=RDkqPO-mzieo4&start_radio=1

Forgive Me Lord