Grace and Redemption to Go

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. – (Romans 3:23-24)

 

The size of our sin does not determine our outcome. No matter where we have been, we can still come to Christ and be covered by the cleansing of the cross. The grace of God is far greater than the weight of our former ways. When we come to Christ and receive all that He has to offer by inviting Him to be Lord of our lives, He enters in and washes away the shame and stains of what we once were, so that we may become who He is calling us to be. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross redeems all who choose to believe. In Him, we are set free from all that formerly enslaved us to the ways of the world, so that we may walk in the freedom of His love and grace. May we remember the enormity of God’s grace and redemption that was granted to us when we first believed, so that we too, may offer more grace than we think we ought to, to all those around us.

 

Everyone has sinned,

broken, fallen short;

not done as we should,

unrighteous consort.

Yet Christ entered in,

by His grace He came;

to redeem sinners,

set free in His Name.

O Wonderful One,

we come seek Your face;

lead us in Your ways,

as we run our race.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that though all of us have sinned and fallen short of Your glory, that You justify us freely by Your grace and redeem us through Christ, when we choose to place our trust in You. Thank You for this overwhelming gift of love that is so much more than we can even begin to fathom. Forgive us for taking Your grace for granted, or for forgetting all that You have forgiven. Teach us to trust You more, so that we may be fully aware of both the magnitude of the grace and redemption that we have been granted, and Your power and strength that You offer now so that we may walk in the light of Your truth. Lead us to love others as You so graciously love each of us. May many come into a saving relationship with You, as they come to understand not only their need for a Savior, but the security that is found forever in You. Be glorified O God, as we operate fully aware of the grace and redemption that we have been granted, and move forward in Your power and strength to do all that You call us to do. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us. – Psalm 67:1

Bringing the Bread of Truth

Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth. – (1 Corinthians 5:8)

 

Keeping the Festival, was the commemorating and celebrating of the Hebrews preparation for their exodus from slavery in Egypt when they were commanded to prepare bread without yeast, because they did not have time to wait for it to rise. (NIV footnotes) The old yeast represented various sin. Paul was exhorting the Corinthian church to get rid of all wickedness, and walk in sincerity and truth. Ultimately, Paul was contending with the believers in Corinth to not tolerate flagrant sin among believers within the church body. Just as a bit of bad yeast will contaminate the entire batch, so too will intentional immorality that is being allowed to continue among the body of believers. Our charge is to walk in sincerity and truth, and to help hold one another accountable to steer clear of “old yeast“. May we be faithful to follow our Heavenly Father, and allow His Spirit to lead us to walk in the light of His truth.

 

Let not the ugly,

of old yeast come in;

for the Lord warns us,

before we begin.

Steer clear of malice,

and all wickedness;

trust Him in the truth,

the Lord’s righteousness.

Help one another,

to walk where He leads;

allow not sin’s snare,

to disrupt right deeds.

For the Lord is good,

He’s faithful to stay;

present beside us,

for all of our days.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that in You, we may be as bread without yeast; sincere and full of truth. Thank You that though this is nothing that we can accomplish on our own, that as we trust in You, You keep us from the “old yeast“. Forgive us for the malice and wickedness within us, and help us to give You access to everything. May we be fully submitted to You, so that You can cleanse us from all that would hinder us from shining brightly unto the world. Teach us to trust You more. Lead us to love as You so tenderly love each of us, so that many may come to know the transforming power of Your truth. Be glorified, O God, as we seek to stand in sincerity and truth. Amen.

© Shannon Elizabeth Moreno and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present.

Because of the tender mercy of our God, …the rising sun will come to us from heaven. – Luke 1:78