"Missing Grace"

 "And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that Prophet?" (John 1:25 KJV)

  "For as the body is one, and hath many members and all members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many." (1 Corinthians 12:12-14 KJV)

  Just for the record, those Pharisees missed out on seeing something, because they skipped over certain things which were spoken in the Word; looking to satisfy the law by the flesh, they totally missed grace, which was freely given. That is very unfortunate for them, as it is still the same practice in many of the religious people today. The point of seeing God's mercy is one that requires feeling relief from the guilt of sin; something that is sometimes passed on by the atonement or sacrifice given, which is then assumed to be adequate enough for relief to be realized. 

  These Jewish leaders were well established in the art of dealing with mercy; so much so, they, as well as others, made quite a good living off of it. Grace on the other had, that is something which is a little bit harder to manage or even communicate. It is very comparable to the raft or log mentioned yesterday, as it has no way to maneuver through or above the water, but is just dependent upon the water to take it where the water will take it. God's grace is a lot like that; we don't have any control, not even the power enough to move in a single degree; it is all God's doing that gets us to where we need to be. 

  If you doubt what I say is true, I don't blame you for doing so, because that is pretty much normal. It is pretty much the reason Jesus said what He said, when He said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." Mercy is God not giving what we deserve; grace is God giving us, not only what we do not deserve, but what we could never obtain on our own; dare I say, what we do not even ask for! Did any of those who crucified Jesus ask Him to be forgiven? Not in the least! They felt as though they were doing God's business; little did they know, but that is exactly what they were doing! 

  This year has been weird, to say the least; but I believe it has caused many of God's children to take notice of what they are meant to be doing: whatever that might be, whether it be ministry or family matters, or even in employment. If God has His hand upon your life, grace is abounding; don't miss out on what you might bump into, because there are no accidents when you are guided by God...

"No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God - his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began. But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us." (1 Corinthians 2:7-12 NLT)