when a word changes

Growing up, all that grace meant to me was a 15 second cliche saying that happened before dinner around certain people.

Wow, has that word changed for me.

I don't think that I will ever cease to be amazed by the grace of God.  To think that He completely loves people who reject him or that claim His name yet live in contradiction to what He desires is unbelievable.

Literally, it is hard to to believe that someone has that much grace.  But, He does.  I am thankful for that grace.  I am thankful for how much that He has grown me.  I am thankful for how much He has changed me.  I am thankful that He uses me to be a part of His church.  

I really am not worthy of His grace.  But He gives it to me, and for that I am thankful.

i am what i am

A lot of times I do not feel like I deserve to be where I am in life.

because of my......past

because of my......age

because of my......mistakes

because of my......failures

because of my......weaknesses

because of my.....inexperience

because of my.....sin

because of my.....doubts

because of my.....insecurities

Paul talks about not deserving to be an apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:10 and has spoken to me in a very personal way

"by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace will not be void, because I worked harder than all of them; not I but the grace of God with me."

you may not deserve to be where you are - influentially, financially, relationally, etc.... but by God's grace you are what you are.

10 random things about my current daily life

1. I am reading through Proverbs very slowly. I am on chapter 9 after a month of reading and it is changing my life!

2. I have seriously increased the number of meals I eat at home due to health and finances.

3. My Alltel report says that I average over an hour and half on the phone a day.

4. I watch 99% of Pardon the Interruption episodes.

5. I typically wake up at 6am and go to sleep around midnight.

6. I try to listen to a sermon a day.

7. I spend at least 30 minutes studying/discussing a religion besides Christianity.

8. I am experiencing the benefits of deep prayer life for the first time in a long time

9. I enjoy reading (or listening to my wife reading) Cameron a book every night.

10. Everyday,  I am confident that tomorrow will hold great things...

you should be careful around them, they............

It is really interesting to me how people try to convince others on their opinion of someone. We make a lot of judgments of people purely based on someone else's opinion of them without taking the time to truly get to know them. If we make friends or get along with that new person then the person who told us about them tends to get upset or feel betrayed. Why is this?

INSECURITY!

I think that we when we meet someone new and don't know any of the things that they have done wrong in the past towards others we are almost able to see people as God sees them. He looks at the heart of that person and who they are striving to be now, without holding their past mistakes against them (even though He can see them clearly).

We must also be willing to look past people's shortcomings and the way they have hurt us and give them second, third, fourth, and so on chances. We must show each other the kindness/grace that God shows to us!

Usually we judge like this because we are insecure about ourselves!