DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY – WE HAVE IT ALL, TO LIVE A GODLY LIFE. Part 1.

God's mercy ... goes before the unwilling to make him willing; it follows the willing to make his will effectual. - Augustine of Hippo.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. - 1Cor 1:4-9. ESV

You're worried about permissiveness--about the way the preaching of grace seems to say it's okay to do all kinds of terrible things as long as you just walk in afterward and take the free gift of God's forgiveness. . .

While you and I may be worried about seeming to give permission, Jesus apparently wasn't. He wasn't afraid of giving the prodigal son a kiss instead of a lecture, a party instead of probation; and he proved that by bringing in the elder brother at the end of the story and having him raise pretty much the same objections you do. He's angry about the party. He complains that his father is lowering standards and ignoring virtue--that music, dancing, and a fatted calf are, in effect , just so many permissions to break the law.

And to that, Jesus has the father say only one thing: "Cut that out! We're not playing good boys and bad boys any more. Your brother was dead and he's alive again. The name of the game from now on is resurrection, not bookkeeping.” – Source Unknown.

By God’s grace we have everything we need to live a Godly life, yet in our day-to-day lives we find it so difficult to see it worked out. We are still burdened down with guilt from the past, unforgiveness towards other people, etc; etc; and that makes us say and do things we shouldn’t. How can we really live so that we receive the grace of God?

The most important thing to understand, in order to live a Godly life, is that in Christ Jesus we have received all we need to live a godly life…

We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. - 2Pet 1:3.

God's Grace Is Given To Us In Jesus

Although out of pure grace God does not impute our sins to us, He nonetheless did not want to do this until complete and ample satisfaction of His law and His righteousness had been made. Since this was impossible for us, God ordained for us, in our place, One who took upon Himself all the punishment we deserve.

He fulfilled the law for us. He averted the judgment of God from us and appeased God's wrath. Grace, therefore, costs us nothing, but is cost Another much to get it for us. Grace was purchased with an incalculable, infinite treasure, the Son of God Himself." - Martin Luther.

We have all done wrong and all of us have sinned… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, - Rom 3:23, but we are all are justified freely by His grace… and are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. - Rom 3:24. Justified means ‘Just as if I’d never done it!” Wow!

And that means that grace is greater than our sin… The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 5:20-21.

Whether in the world, or in the heart of the individual, being discovered by this most pure and righteous law, grace did much more abound: not only pardon for all that is past is offered by the Gospel, so that all the transgressions for which the soul is condemned to death by the law, are freely and fully forgiven; but also the Holy Spirit, in the abundance of his gifts and graces, is communicated, so as to prepare the receiver for an exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

Thus the grace of the Gospel not only redeems from death, and restores to life, but brings the soul into such a relationship with God, and into such a participation of eternal glory, as we have no authority to believe ever would have been the portion even of Adam himself, had he even eternally retained his innocence. Thus, where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound. – Adam Clarke’s Commentary.

Hallelujah! Praise the wonderful Name of Jesus. What a blessing, what a joy, what a God! God’s favour is bestowed upon us in Jesus! That makes for a good start in living the Godly life that He wants us to live! Hallelujah!

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to freely receive your grace, that I may live a Godly life, just as you intended. In the wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen

Be encouraged!
GBYAY