overwhelmed by grace

God is SO good!  It is blowing my mind right now!  A few days ago I was consumed with confusion and doubt, and now I am overflowing with His joy and peace.  Thank you Lord!

Right now I'm reading the Bible like it was written solely to, and only for me.  God has worked this out so perfectly!  It takes me about 18 months (rather than the 1 year plans) to read through the Bible.  And lately each book that I'm in at a specific time seems like a God ordained appointment.  I just happened to be reading through Acts during the same month that I was praying and trying to learn more about the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and supernatural power.  And then, once that quest was getting to be too much for me (see my post from a few days ago for details) I finished the book of Acts (yesterday) and started Romans.  It again seems God ordained that I be reading Romans right now.  In a time where I am coming out of confusion and doubt, and desperately clinging to the basics, that is just what Romans seems to be outlining for me.  Thank you Lord!

I was especially struck by Romans 3:19-31 this morning, and want to post it here as a future encouragement to myself;

Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.



But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.


For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,  for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.


Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

And this morning, the concept of spiritual hills and valleys has become so real to me.

Deuteronomy 11:11-12 Rather, the land you will soon take over is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of rain—  a land that the LORD your God cares for. He watches over it through each season of the year!



"Yet the land we are to possess is a land of valleys and hills.  It is not all flat or downhill.  If life were always smooth and level, the boring sameness would weigh us down.  We need the valleys and the hills.  The hills collect the rain for hundreds of fruitful valleys.  And so it is with us!  It is the difficulty encountered on the hills that drives us to the throne of grace and brings the showers of blessing.  Yes, it is the hills, the cold and seemingly barren hills of life that we question and complain about, that bring down the showers.  How many people have perished in the wilderness valley, buried under its golden sand, who would have thrived in the hills?  And how many would have been killed by the cold, destroyed or swept desolate of their fruitfulness by the wind, if not for the hills- stern, hard, rugged, and so steep to climb?  God's hills are a gracious protection for His people against their foes!"  -Streams in the Dessert, L.B. Cowman (January 1 Devotion)

This morning, I am so thankful for the hills and the valleys!