"Woven Into His Grace" -2

"For Thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: Thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head." (Psalms 21:3) I know that there are some among us that seriously doubt whether God bought them through everything that they have been through for a specific purpose; Lord knows, I have had those days where I fail to see the logic in some of that garbage being anywhere close to something that can be used for His glory; but, if anything else, I have come to understand the saving power of God's forgiveness, because if I needed to be judged for some of that stuff, I think that I would be in a whole lot of trouble. The shame alone is sometimes more than I can bare to think about; yet, as I give everything over to the Lord, He comforts me and confirms that all is forgiven. That is the beauty of God's great grace and mercy; for our sin should have yielded us a great punishment and damnation for all eternity; yet His mercy has met us with blessings of goodness that far exceed just forgiveness, but lift us up and place us in heavenly places with Him. This is one of the most precious things that Paul felt within his own life, as for he himself had been guilty of great crimes against the church; yet, he experience great grace and mercy from being forgiven and set upon a path that yielded power and deliverance for kingdom of God; so much so, that the majority of the New Testament writings are inscribed by him, because he had received such a great gift of forgiveness. Do I believe that Paul still felt shame for his crimes against the church? Yes I do; even though Paul had been forgiven and cleansed of all his unrighteousness, he still felt remorse for having done what he had done, and he used that remorse to keep reminding himself of God's great forgiveness! David too was one that dealt with great remorse, especially when it came to the sin he committed with Bathsheba, and having had her husband killed on the battlefield to help cover his sin. I believe his remorse was portrayed in the appointment of Solomon to take his throne, being that Solomon was a child born of Bathsheba. If you really think about it, some of the ugliest sin pictured in the Bible, and some of the most unwarranted characters, have been woven into the family record of Jesus Christ. Then again; that is all the more reason that grace takes us where we never deserved to be taken... "And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:1-10)