we must be different

Today is an ice day. An unusual event in Houston. Freezing rain started coming down overnight, and today there is coating of ice on all the freeways and many side roads - though it sounds like my usual route to work is okay. I can tell my stairs leading down from my apartment are iced over, so that will probably be the most treacherous part of my journey today.

Yesterday, I met with some ladies for prayer and share over lunch (spontaneous rhyme), and we had a really good conversation over how God tells us to treat people and what reconciliation to God means. I really need to go through and reread 2 Corinthians. There is so much that is pertinent to me where I am right now, and so many good truths that I need to commit to memory.

Again, thinking about the problem of sin and guilt, what do we do once we’ve admitted that we are guilty? How do we move forward? We must accept the grace of God that’s freely offered.

“God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them…God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:19 & 21

It’s amazing to me - In Christ, my sins are no longer counted against me! Instead, I am being made righteous through Him. That is amazing grace, and it is powerful, not just to make us feel better about ourselves, but to rescue us from the jaws of death. No wonder then that, when we really take hold of the enormity of Christ’s work on the cross for us, we must be different.

We mustn’t receive God’s grace in vain.

I am thankful to God that I have a warm apartment, a short drive to work, and food for lunch and dinner today. Thank you God that my sins are no longer counted against me. I pray I would be different because of it.