Showing posts with label God's grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's grace. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2011

Are You Afraid To Walk Through This Door?

[caption id="attachment_1743" align="aligncenter" width="153" caption="Enter in the door."][/caption]

The Room of Grace is a safe place.  It's the place you go to take off all your masks and be yourself. As you walk through this door you know everyone accepts you even if you have visible sin and if you are hiding invisible sin you're free to confess it. As a matter of fact the people there encourage you to confess it. Then as you release your 'stuff' more masks fall away.

This Room of Grace holds the key to your true identity. Jesus lives here. He's always been here loving and forgiving, holding out His nail scarred hands to all who will take them. His light shines brightly in the room and yours does too because as His child you feel free with Him. You aren't perfect and He knows it but His love is never affected by your imperfections. You never have to hide in shame from God or the people in the Room of Grace.

There is another room the Room of Good Intentions. In this room you are encouraged to wear a mask every day. If you even think of divulging your sin you know you will be judged by the people here.  In your imagination you think God will condemn you too. So a "perfect" person submerges. Perfect on the outside but suffering of guilt, shame, loss of identity, pain, and hurt on the inside. You have to "pretend" a lot when you live in this room. You can never be who you were created to be because it's all about performing for everyone. Performing for your husband, kids, church family, co-workers, friends, and all the time being someone you don't really want to be.

Maybe you have some fear about opening the door to the Room of Grace. Don’t be afraid just go on in, there’s at least one friend waiting there. Yes there’s probably someone you know already in that room. She/he is ready and waiting to help you along. Waiting to listen, to love and to accept you right where you are right now at this time and place in your life.  Its Jesus extended through flesh and blood.

Maybe what you're reading right now has struck a chord and you realize you are living in the Room of Good Intentions. Isn't it time to be YOU, the new creation you are in Christ? The Christian life lived by working, trying, striving and earning is just too hard and it was never meant to be lived that way.

Which room do you live in The Room of Grace or The Room of Good Intentions? If you aren't able to live as YOU then you are in the wrong room.

Romans 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

1 Corinthians 15:12 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.

Check out GraceFull Women today for a great post by my friend Jennifer. Read her Rescue Story.







Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Does God Expect Me To Be Perfect?

Grace comes in many shapes, sizes,colors, times, places, and people. God’s grace fills the room with compassion for the one nobody else will talk to. His grace walks through the door straight over to the woman who feels judged by other women in the church. His grace will never shun the one everybody turns away from with a quick glance or two. His grace accepts people right where they are without expecting them to change before He will befriend them. His grace holds out His hand and brings the lonely, depressed, and hurting to the seat next to Him.

If I in His grace don’t give the world His love how will they ever know such a love as His? Many have such a huge misunderstanding of Him because of the judgement Christians lay on them. Jesus was living grace in action, read the book of John and see the people He sought to be with. It was the “every man”, “every woman”. It wasn’t the self-righteous Pharisees He called hypocrites, those who judged others by their own expectations.

He never expected us to be perfect and we should not expect perfection of ourselves or each other. Does this mean we need to set our standards low? No. But it does mean that because we are not perfect no matter how high we try to set the standard it will eventually fail. It is Christ who will set the standard as He works in and through us. It means we need Him and each other, and we need encouragement from one another to move on in this world. His grace is the power within us that enables us to love one another, to love Him, and to follow Him.

It is the one thing I have as a grace full woman that empowers me to reach out and go for that dream God Himself has placed in my heart. It is His grace that equips me to live for Jesus, for without it I would be living for myself. Still I have to admit there are days, that I depend on myself instead of His grace within me. Those days are defeated, unfruitful, blah days.

Thank goodness I am crucified with Christ therefore I no longer live but it is Christ who lives within me. Galatians 2:20. This is grace brought to life in me. This is the reason I can live as a Grace Full Woman.

You can too. Grace is a free gift, there’s no cost to you but the freedom you receive is worth more than you could ever imagine. Want to talk? Make a comment, ask a question or contact me at julieemoore@bellsouth.net.

© Copyright Julie E. Moore
www.juliemooreonlife.com