Thanksgiving Challenge, Days 27 & 28

Day #27: I'm thankful that God is my Savior.

John Newton, author of Amazing Grace, near the end of his life, was quoted as saying, "My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things; That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour."

I was saved as a small child. At the time, I knew that I was a sinner: I lied to my parents and was mean to my brother. But the older I get, the more I realize the sinfulness of my heart. Left to myself, I could never live the life of perfection required by God (Romans 3:23). I'm so glad God sent Jesus to live a perfect life and die a substitutionary death so that I can be saved.


Day #28: I'm thankful for God's grace.

Grace at its simplest is God's unmerited favor. I remember doing some street witnessing at the University of Wisconsin near where I went to Bible college. One girl's response after hearing the Gospel was, "Are you telling me that someone could commit murder and ask God to forgive them and they would still go to heaven?" She was incredulous. When we really stop and think about the wonder that is God's grace, it is startling! We don't deserve God's favor. There's nothing we could do that could earn it for us. And yet he freely gives it to us. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Grace not only makes us right with God, it keeps us right. We don't have to earn right standing with God, we already have that because when God looks at us, he sees Christ (Romans 3:24; 8:1). And we can't be good Christians in our own power. The Apostle Paul recognized this: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). We need the grace of God working in us to conform us to the image of Christ. Rather than trying to do right, we should "keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). 

Realizing what God's grace has done and continues to do for me overwhelms me. I am filled with awe and moved to worship. I deserved punishment and death; I got freedom and life. I love the chorus that Chris Tomlin wrote for Amazing Grace.

My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing grace

© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, EMI Music Publishing

Thanksgiving Challenge, Days 18 & 19

 Day #18: I'm thankful God is merciful.

"The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love" (Psalm 145:8). "The Lord’s kindness never fails! If he had not been merciful, we would have been destroyed" (Lamentations 3:22).

Mercy is God's compassion on us who were miserable. The modern definition of mercy carries the implication of holding back a deserved punishment (which God did do for us), but the Biblical term, according to Unger's Bible Dictionary means "a form of love determined by the state or condition of its objects. Their state is one of suffering and need, while they may be unworthy or ill-deserving. Mercy is, at once the disposition of love respecting such, and the kindly ministry of love for their relief."

In other words, God saw our suffering and need and came to our rescue with love and grace even though we did not deserve it!



Day #19: I'm thankful God is my Shepherd.

Thanksgiving Challenge, Day 9

Day #9: I'm thankful that God has declared me righteous.

I tend to live with a lot of nagging guilt. I always feel like there's something I should be doing that I'm not. When I take time to relax, I feel lazy because I know that there's something more profitable I could be doing with my time! When I read books and blogs on child-rearing, I feel like I'm doing a bad job of mothering and am somehow not correctly fostering my son's spiritual, mental, and physical growth. (Yes, I realize he's only ten months old!) I worry a lot that I've done something to offend other people especially if they seem down or upset!

This is not how God intends me to live! He has set me free (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1)! And not only has he already paid for all my sins (1 Corinthians 15:3), he has transferred Christ's righteousness to my account. In God's eyes, I have been declared as righteous as Christ! "To the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:5). Abraham believed God and "'it was credited to him as righteousness.' The words 'it was credited to him' were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Romans 4:22-25).

Of course, God did not save me so that I could live for myself and sin as much as I want, but he has freed me from guilt! I should live in freedom and "keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). The more I revel in what God has done for me, the less I will sink beneath the crushing weight of sin that is no longer on my shoulders. Christ has taken it away. May that truth set me free!

What Grace Means

This is from Pastor Jim Thompson's message on Sunday. To hear the whole thing, go here.

"Jesus is more faithful than you are distracted.
He is more wise than your heart is deceitful.
His character is more pure than your motives are diluted.
He is more sufficient than you are needy.
He is more kind than you are self-centered.
His true riches are more abundant than your soul's poverty.
He is more merciful than you are victimized.
He is more beautiful than your idols are ugly.
He is more willing than you are stubborn.

Jesus is a better Savior than you are a sinner!

That's good news, friends. That's grace."