and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [romans 3:24]
must a guilty man remain under God’s wrath? . . . JUSTIFIED.
being made righteous by his grace means we are never too far gone, that there is a way made for us. it is by faith in Jesus Christ, that he died taking on ALL of our sins, paying the price for our iniquities, and rose from the grave, conquering death! by paying our debt with his sacrifice, we may be justified and cleave to him.
salvation is because of God’s GRACE, not our merit.
must a guilty man earn justification? . . . GIFT.
his righteousness is given to all that believe. what greater gift can there be? he paid the price; he freely and willingly paid our ransom by shedding his own blood.
this may be a free gift for us, but we may never understand the true cost that he paid. there is a cost; God’s righteousness demands it. our exposure to the truth may leave us feeling numb about the depth of this cost, but i pray for a growing understanding of the gravity of what was paid.
Lord, remind us of the cost of our redemption. bring us to a deeper thankfulness of your gift so freely given! bring our heart to joy, gratitude, and praise for saving us.
rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. – 1 thessalonians 5:16-18
for the next few minutes, spend some time in prayer asking him to reveal areas of your life where you have forgotten his grace. ask him to remind you of the price that was paid. ask him to remind you of the gifts that he has given.
as you do this, list out what he shows you. if you have a pad of paper or other means to take notes, write it out. if you are able, continue this throughout your day, praying for the father to reveal and for your gratitude to grow. i pray that today we are reminded of his goodness and brought to a state of rejoicing throughout the day!
~ joe lorsung