Grace... Expresses Two Complementary Thoughts: God's Unmerited

The Purpose Of God's Discipline Is Not To Punish Us But To Transform Us.

Lord, I Am Willing To Receive What You Give. To Lack What You Withhold. To Relinquish What You Take, To Suffer What You Inflict, To Be What You Require.

From Our Limited Vantage Point, Our Lives Are Marked By An Endless Series Of Contingencies. We Frequently Find Ourselves, Instead Of Acting As We Planned, Reacting To An Unexpected Turn Of Events. We Make Plans But Are Often Forced To Change Those Plans. But There Are No Contingencies With God. Our Unexpected, Forced Change Of Plans Is A Part Of His Plan. God Is Never Surprised; Never Caught Off Guard; Never Frustrated By Unexpected Developments. God Does As He Pleases And That Which Pleases Him Is Always For His Glory And Our Good.

Modern Christians, Especially Those In The Western World, Have Generally Been Found Wanting In The Area Of Holiness Of Body. Gluttony And Laziness, For Example, Were Regarded By Earlier Christians As Sin. Today We May Look On These As Weaknesses Of The Will But Certainly Not Sin. We Even Joke About Our Overeating And Other Indulgences Instead Of Crying Out To God In Confession And Repentance.

Only When We're Thoroughly Convinced That The Christian Life Is Entirely Of Grace Are We Able To Serve God Out Of A Grateful And Loving Heart.