For our sake.

As I sit here tonight in the quietness of my room, my heart and spirit can not stop dwelling on and rejoicing in 2 Cor. 5:21 and Ephesians 2:4-5. This blog will be simply put...so here it goes

2 Cor. 5:21 - "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Ephesians 2:4-5 - "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved -"

MERCY-God took the away the wrath, punishment, and death that we deserved as sinners and gave us grace, mercy, and life through his son, Jesus when we were so undeserving.

It blows my mind that we did not have to do anything to ask for the gift of grace, but God lovingly showed us his grace through the death of his son. If anything, we deserve eternity without God, but he loves us so much that he sent Christ so that we now might become his TREASURE.

Last night, Bible study was on this topic. I have thought about the significance of grace often in my life, but never really mercy...until last night. I can say that my mind, soul, spirit and every thing else about me has fallen so incredibly in awe with the fact that though were we detestable and haters toward God, though we were living in our flesh day after day after day, God still looked on us with love and sent Christ to cover our sins! FOR OUR SAKE he sent Christ who knew no sin to be sin so that we might become the righteousness of God...wow...that makes my heart rejoice! 

I think that this song best explains what I feel tonight:

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

And make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory 

Behold the man upon the cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished 

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

So all this to say, just the realization that we deserved wrath but instead get mercy through Christ leaves me standing in awe of who God is and how much he LOVES us and desires for us to know him personally! Just by this truth being revealed to us can change the way we minister to people drastically! As christians, we are living examples of mercy and grace...how great of an impact can that have on those who do not know Christ as their Savior...to say that we were once objects of wrath, but now are walking examples of objects of righteousness, salvation, and GRACE!


This honestly brings me only to a place of humility..when i realize that nothing is from me..and everything is from God..then my heart bows in reverence to the one who holds all things together for our good and works for OUR sake.

Like Paul, I pray that we .. "may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the LOVE of CHRIST that surpasses knowledge, that your may be filled with the fullness of God"....(Eph. 3:18)

My prayer for you is that you may know Christ and the power of his great grace and mercy! Take a few moments to fully understand this concept of mercy...I hope that the Spirit radically changes your heart and thoughts of Him


"i think mercy is so captivating because it's so against our nature" - my good friend Laura Hollifield.

Sufficient

2 Corinthians 3:5 - "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God".

The word "sufficient" means - enough to meet a need or a purpose

I sure do love this verse and the reminder that it leaves with me: I CANNOT DO ANYTHING ON MY OWN! In my own strength, I find often that I am weak. When I am not satisfied in Christ, then I am not satisfied at all. Thank God that he knows we are weak, and meets our needs every time! Scripture promises that he does not forsake us or leave us!

Furthermore in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Paul writes: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Some of you reading this may know that last October through about mid-January I struggled with some pretty intense anxiety/panic attacks. I thought everything was wrong with me and stayed in bed for most of the time. I would go to the doctor at least once a month in this time frame because I seriously thought something was wrong with me...but there wasn't. This all made me realize that I do not hold myself together, Christ does. He is the sustainer of my life and the things that happen to it. He alone is SUFFICIENT to supply all my needs. He keeps my heart beating and my lungs filled with air. I absolutely can say that I did not trust the Lord in this season of life. I felt like He was not in control of anything and ultimately, the root of the problem was that I did not trust in Him. We are not sufficient in ourselves! Through all of that this is what I learned: Through my weakness, God was glorified because it gave me proof and a reason to trust in Him even more! As I said above, He is sufficient in supplying the needs for my life such as keeping my heart beating and alive. Through this experience I can boast in the fact that Christ was glorified through it.

When we are weak, we are made strong! What an encouragement to think that God is enough for us...even in our weakest points. The Lord has graciously shown me lately that trusting in Him and believing in faith that His word is true are keys to being satisfied in Him. Christ is glorified and exalted when through our weakness, his glory shines and his work is displayed. When we are weak, all pride goes out the window. Here we realize that we can not do anything on our own. We must humble ourselves!

Acts 17:24-24 - "The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything."

God is the Creator of all things. He himself is sufficient. Today the pastor at church said this: "We ourselves are not the resource of all things, but we are connected to the resource of all things".
Christ makes us sufficient to others because he himself is sufficient.


Praise God that he meets our needs! Praise God that His power is displayed in our weaknesses because we can not do it on our own!! Praise God that he meets us in our weaknesses and struggles to show his glory through our lives. He is the sustainer of all things...and in this my soul rejoices today! : )