The Power of Grace

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1

Healing is an amazing experience to receive and to watch. God's healing goes to the heart of the matter, and it gets to the deepest places of our soul.

I shared with you several months ago a piece written by Charlene Warren (along with her painting) who was a member of FBC Angels Camp. Over several years, we worked to bring God's healing to her wounds and to her weariness. And God has been faithful to do His work and accomplish His promise as Jesus said in John 8:32, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you FREE!"

I would like to share another recent writing of Charlene's with you in this blog. You will be blessed!

"God has been teaching me so much about His grace. These lessons don’t always come easy, but if we can really look at what He’s doing in those tough moments, we can see how much love is behind them.

I started this painting years ago. A fortress...which was meant to represent the strongholds that the enemy gets a kick out of helping us build in our hearts. And the sun rays meant to represent God's love...hitting those hardened walls, and making them crumble.

I haven’t thought about this painting in years, and in fact it still remains unfinished. But as I went through some of the hardest events of my life these past two weeks...and as God helped me to deal with them through His grace, compassion, and love...He drew me to this painting as a representation of what God's grace can do to our hardened or even numbed out hearts.

It’s an amazing thing, God's grace.

In fact, I would even go as far as to say that it’s depth is unfathomable. And this is why so many of us struggle to actually accept it. It’s a gift that instinctually we know we don’t deserve, and the kind of love that it represents can’t easily be grasped by the human heart.

But that my friends, is what makes it so incredibly powerful! He knew when He was on that cross every mistake we would make. He saw our faces, personal and individual, and He died for us anyway. Our job as we choose to follow Him, is to accept and acknowledge the power of that gift...the power of His grace. To really let it sit on our hearts how much He loves us despite our flaws...and to LET IT CHANGE US!

Once we really do that...once we really accept His grace and His love, those sturdy fortress walls around our hearts can come tumbling down, and we can be free to live the life He wants for us.

Have you accepted His grace? Or are you still fighting it because you don’t think you deserve it? Whether you are new to a relationship with Him or seasoned in your walk, today is the day. Open your heart, let in His love, and let His amazing grace change you."

Have you let God heal your wounds with His grace? Have you experienced strongholds demolished through His power? God's grace is powerful as promised and so liberating!

Never forget that our church exists to be a place for grace, and I am here to help anyone at anytime.

God bless you,

Pastor Dave