Grace for the Race

If you’re a regular visitor to “Grace for the Race,” you know that I just concluded a five-part series on God’s very special love for you: God’s love wrought you, sought you, caught you, bought you, and taught you. Today, with Valentine’s Day just two days away, let’s see what it means to be “so loved,” as was described by the apostle John.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

(John 3:16)

Think about this for a moment: writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John could not think of a better word to describe God’s love for us than “so.” This is highly instructive. The last five articles I’ve posted described different aspects of God’s love in Christ for us, all of which fit under this heading of SO LOVED. I believe God wants us to contemplate just how loved we are and apply the appropriate descriptive word that fits the circumstance we are in.

• Are you feeling worthless . . . like you’re some kind of a “second-class citizen”? Perish the thought; God’s love wrought you! You are made in the image of God!
• Are you feeling all alone . . . like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling? Perish the thought; God’s love sought you! And He has promised never to leave you or forsake you!
• Are you feeling like you’ve “blown” your relationship with God . . . like you’ve failed so badly that God would never want anything to do with you? Perish the thought; God’s love caught you! He sought out Adam and Peter—not to punish them, but to restore them. The angels in heaven rejoice when you turn back to God in repentance and faith!
• Are you feeling like you’re “not that special” . . . like you’re just another face in the crowd? Perish the thought; God’s love bought you! He gave His only Son to redeem you from the slave market of sin. You are spectacularly special!
• Are you feeling discouraged because the people around you seem so much more intelligent . . . like you’re just not that bright? Perish the thought; God’s love taught you! As we saw in Wednesday’s article, He has sent His Spirit to teach you all things!

You are so loved! God’s love for you is that great and all-encompassing!

Here are a few more ways to understand what it means to be “so loved.” We are . . .

SO LOVED that God gave us His precious Son, Jesus. God the Father gave God the Son, not only in His life, but in His death. Jesus willingly went to a cross in our place. Jesus Christ wasn’t held on that cruel cross by nails; He was held there by His unbelievable, supernatural love for us. When we contemplate what it means to be “so loved,” we must always see it in light of the cross.

SO LOVED that our relationship is rooted in our belief . . . not our behavior. Look at John 3:16 again. Jesus did not say that whoever behaves in good, right, true, and noble ways should not perish; He said whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will have eternal life. The apostle Paul echoed this truth to the Ephesians: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, italics added). Now that’s a “so loved” worth marinating in and sharing with the world!

SO LOVED that the best is yet to come; we have been promised eternal life! Remember, we are living in eternity right now. This means we have been given both eternal life and everyday life in which to experience the overwhelming, unconditional, unwavering, indescribable love of God!

So as we head into Valentine’s Day this weekend and we remember those we love in this life, may we never forget the One who first loved us with a love that could only be described by John as SO loved! From cover to cover, the Bible is God’s love letter to you. The more you read it through, from Genesis to Revelation, the more you will understand the meaning of “so loved.” And if you really want this Valentine’s Day to be all it could be, share the love of God in Christ Jesus with all those you know and love. Let them know that they too are SO LOVED!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

This is final installment in this series of articles detailing God’s amazing love for you. We’ve seen so far that God’s love wrought you, sought you, caught you, and bought you; today we will conclude by looking at the love that TAUGHT you . . . and is continuing to teach you all along your way to the Celestial City.

Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord?   He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

(Psalm 25:12)

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

(Psalm 32:8)

All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.

(Isaiah 54:13)

It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God.” Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

(John 6:45)

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

(John 14:26)

Time and time again, Scripture reminds us that our great God is also our Truth Teacher. God never saves an individual without a view to sanctifying him. God’s design for all those He WROUGHT, SOUGHT, CAUGHT, & BOUGHT, is that they will be TAUGHT throughout the rest of their lives. This is the process God uses to conform us into the image of His Son.

Think about it this way: God renews our mind, reorients our heart, and realigns our will. He accomplishes this primarily through what I call “Bible intake.” Whether we are marinating in and meditating on Scripture in our quiet time, sitting under the preaching of the Word, or engaged in group Bible study, God’s Word is truth and He sanctifies us by His truth (John 17:17).

The most important aspect of God’s educational process in our lives is the shift from a secular worldview to a biblical worldview. The Christian must view the world and everything in it through the lens of sacred Scripture. We are to square everything in life with the Bible . . . not the other way around, as far too many try to do today. The foundation of a biblical worldview tells us that there is indeed a God and He is not us! God sits on the throne of life as both Creator and Sustainer; as we draw nearer to Him, we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The only worldview that squares with reality is the worldview presented in Scripture. No one ever more perfectly described the true condition of the human heart than our Lord Jesus Christ. We truly are great sinners in need of a greater Savior! We are broken and in need of mending, and that mending of heart and soul and mind will come only through our Master.

Contemplating the first four aspects of God’s special love that I’ve presented in these recent articles (a supernatural love that wrought us, sought us, caught us, and bought us) should be all the encouragement and empowerment we need to soak up God’s love that taught us and is continuing to teach us . . . not in a day, but every day.

May the truth of God’s special love set you free and may God forever forbid that these words from the weeping prophet would ever apply to our lives . . .

They turned their backs to me and not their faces, though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.

(Jeremiah 32:33)

Living for Jesus and nothing smaller than Jesus is the only life worth living. This is the only place where we find meaning, purpose, significance, and an identity that simply cannot be shaken . . . because it is built on the solid Rock of Christ.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

As we move into the week of Valentine’s Day and our thoughts turn toward the concept of “love,” I am presenting here the fourth in a series of five articles spotlighting the amazing love that God has poured out on all those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ.

We’ve already seen that we were wrought, sought, and caught by the love of God. That is one thing, but to be BOUGHT by His love is another thing altogether!

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

What does it mean to be bought by God’s love? It means we could not possibly pay the bill for the penalty of our sin. Someone else had to pay the price; only one Person could do it; His name is Jesus Christ. Jesus shed His precious blood and gave His life to purchase our freedom and redeem us from our bondage to sin and Satan.

We are all slaves to sin and Satan by natural birth. Freedom comes only through a second birth, which comes only through the redeeming blood of the Lamb of God. God’s love quite literally bought us back from the grave! We were dead in our sins and trespasses—we weren’t sick, we weren’t even gravely ill, we were dead. And instead of leaving us there, Jesus bought us back into a right relationship with God the Father through His precious blood, shed for us on a cross.

Think for just a moment about how profound this truth really is. God’s love bought us—Jesus Christ paid the ransom to set us free. Just as if we were condemned slaves on the auction block, Jesus Christ stood up and BOUGHT us through His sovereign birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection.

Knowing this truth is the key to living out this truth. Keeping the cost for our salvation in view is the fuel for living a life of freedom, joy, and faithfulness to Jesus Christ.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

(Galatians 5:1)

You see, the love of God that bought us also builds us up in the faith. When Scripture says that the truth sets us free, it is instructing us to always keep the truth in view. Living in the shadow of the cross is living in the power to say NO to the things we must say no to and YES to the things we must say yes to. Now, that does not mean we will be perfect on this side of the grave. Far from it! But we must remember that the grace that saved us is also the grace that sanctifies us throughout life on this earth.

So . . . when you consider the fact that God’s love bought you, how does that make you feel? It should be all the encouragement, motivation, and inspiration you need to live for nothing smaller than Jesus. When you do that, you will know that the love that bought you also forgives you . . . and strengthens you!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

As we draw nearer to Valentine’s Day and our thoughts turn toward the ideas of “romance” and “love,” I am in the midst a series of five articles spotlighting the amazing love that God has poured out on all those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ. This is the third article in that series.

So . . . how encouraged are you by knowing that the love of Almighty God wrought you and sought you? Today you will be even more encouraged when you see that God’s love also CAUGHT you! That is all based on a single promise that God made to—of all people!—Satan.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

(Genesis 3:15)

When God makes a promise, you can take it straight to the bank and cash it. God promised to destroy the one who tempted Adam and Eve to turn away from Him. Here the first Gospel message (theologians call it the protoevangelium) was preached to the serpent: that the seed of the woman, the Savior of the world, would ultimately have victory over Satan by crushing his head. To be sure, the Savior would have His heel bruised, but His victory would not be denied. And that victory would grant you and me access to God’s love . . . the love that CAUGHT you!

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

(Luke 15:4-7)

Our Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one lost sheep. What a beautiful picture of God’s love that CAUGHT us in spite of our wandering. And make no mistake, we are most definitely prone to wander away from the loving care and protection of our Good Shepherd! And yet, just as God went after Adam and Eve to speak words of healing and hope and redemption, the Good Shepherd is not content to lose even one of His flock.

You know God’s love CAUGHT you when you find your heart filled with a godly sorrow as you repent over your sin. Our hearts should break when we know we have broken the holy heart of God. The difference between Judas and Peter was not evidenced by whose sin was more terrible; both men betrayed their Lord. One might even suggest that Peter’s sin was more grotesque; at least Judas admitted that he knew Jesus! No, the distinction lies in the condition of their hearts after their sin. Judas was filled with a man-centered sorrow, while Peter was filled with a godly sorrow. One led to death . . . the other to life.

Now if being WROUGHT, SOUGHT, and CAUGHT doesn’t light the fire of your faith . . . your wood is wet! What a powerful truth to marinate in today . . . to know that no matter where we go and what we do, we are never beyond the loving, forgiving reach of our Redeemer! And once we are His, nothing can separate us from the love of God that CAUGHT us!

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. . . . And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

(John 6:37, 39)

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

(John 10:27-30)

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

As many of us begin to think about Valentine’s Day and our hearts turn toward the idea of “love,” I wanted to present a series of five articles spotlighting the almost unimaginable love that God has poured out on you. This is the second article in that series.

After God wrought Adam and Eve, everything in creation was very good. We know this because God pronounced it so (Genesis 1:31). Our first parents were busily engaged in taking care of God’s creation, yet taking time to walk with Him in the cool of the day.

We saw in the previous article that God gave Adam a Cultural Mandate; that mandate contained only one prohibition. Let’s take a look:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

(Genesis 2:15-17)

Man had authority and dominion over all things in the Garden . . . except God. That was the whole point of this one prohibition. There was nothing “bad” or wrong with the tree itself; the tree and its fruit were part of God’s good creation and had been pronounced “good” by God. The tree was simply a test. In essence, God was saying, “You can come this far, but no farther.”

Would Adam and Eve trust God? Would they submit to His ultimate authority? The moment of testing came, and . . .

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

(Genesis 3:6-10)

I remember Dr. Sproul telling us in seminary, “The word ‘fall’ is one way to describe what happened in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve disobeyed God. But I think a better word is PLUNGE!” I agree. Think about going from walking with God in the cool of the day to hiding from Him in the brush. Think about a wonderful relationship between God and man, one marked by love and trust, now replaced by fear. “Plunge” really does seem like a much better word to describe the fall, don’t you think?

But notice what is unfolding in this narrative. God came after those two rebels who were running away from Him. God’s love SOUGHT Adam and Eve. He refused to leave them in their shame and their sin.

Think about this for a moment: the Creator sought out the creature, two sinners who had just chosen to disobey God and follow the way of the serpent. And yet in spite of their awful revolt, God made a promise that will lead us to the next aspect of His love: CAUGHT!

More on Friday.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

If I asked you which chapter in the Bible is known as the “love chapter,” how would you respond? All of sacred Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is rooted in the love of God, but most Christians would promptly identify the 13^th chapter of 1 Corinthians as the “love chapter” of the Bible.

Now, if I asked you which month on our calendar is known as the “love month,” how would you answer? Most would point to February, the month we have just started, because of Valentine’s Day. So as we move toward February 14^th, that special “love day,” I would like to sharpen our focus on the love of God that has been poured out on you under five headings: God’s love . . .

• WROUGHT YOU
• SOUGHT YOU
• CAUGHT YOU
• BOUGHT YOU
• TAUGHT YOU

Today, let’s see how God’s love WROUGHT you. The word wrought means to fashion, form, or create. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth; He also created (wrought) you.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness . . . So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

You [O Lord] created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body . . .

(Psalm 139:13-16)

The unbelieving world tells us that we are merely a product of time plus matter plus chance; God reveals something altogether different. We are wrought by God, for God, and created in the image of God. Do you really believe God created you without a purpose in mind? Of course not! Everything that has been made has been created by its Creator for a purpose. The car maker has a purpose for creating the car. The watchmaker has a purpose for creating the watch. The ice cream maker has a purpose for creating the ice cream. And God has a purpose for creating YOU!

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Then God said, “I give you ever seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

(Genesis 1:28-30)

As an image bearer of the Most High God, you have been designed by your Maker to reflect His glory in all you think, do, say, and desire.

All of this comes under the heading of what theologians call the Cultural Mandate. You were wrought to be a creational caretaker of all that God has made. Now, since the fall in the Garden (which we will explore in the upcoming “CAUGHT YOU” devotional), our cultural caretaking must be accomplished by the sweat of our brow as we wrestle with the thorns and thistles of God’s judgment. Nonetheless, we have been given the very same mandate—both before and after the fall—to care for and have dominion over all that God created.

So . . . how are you doing in this very important area? Are you acting as a good steward?

More on the God’s amazing love for you coming on Wednesday.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

In the previous blog, I wrote of “The Silence of THE Lamb,” and explained how that seeming silence is always a good thing. Today, I would like to speak of another kind of silence . . . one that is always sin.

Far too many saints of God hold their tongue when they should speak up on behalf of their Lord Jesus Christ. This is what I call “The silence of the saints.” We must remember that the Great Commission has been given to every saint from the pew to the pulpit. We have all been commanded by God to “Go and make disciples,” and the only way that can be done is when we speak what the Lord God has spoken to us.

Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.

(Exodus 4:12)

God uttered these words on the day when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush and commanded Moses to go back to Egypt to free the people of God. Moses feared Pharaoh, but truly Pharaoh had far more reason to be fearful of the slow-speaking Moses. The reason for that was simply . . .

Moses had God on his side!

God was not sending Moses back to Egypt alone. God promised to go with Moses, to help him speak, and to give him Moses the words to say. Moses was merely an instrument in the hands of the Almighty, one who would be used by God to free the Israelites from 400 years of bondage. The natural weakness and infirmity Moses experienced would now be connected to supernatural omnipotence. Nothing would be able to stop Moses in answering the call of God, because the call came with the assurance that the Caller would be with Moses every step of the way.

All of this is true for you and me today! How can we remain silent when God has called, equipped, and empowered us to expand the cause of His kingdom in this world? When we don’t have the words to say, God will give them to us. When we don’t have the strength to go, God will give us the strength. When we don’t have enough faith to believe, God will help us in our unbelief.

God’s Word to us is wisdom. God’s strength to us is empowerment. God’s presence with us is comfort. What have we to fear when our God has promised never to leave nor forsake us? As David sang to God,

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

(Psalm 56:3-4)

Greater is the power that is in you than any power that comes up against you! The fear Moses felt at the beginning of his call was quickly dispelled when God demonstrated His awesome power and might in the land of Egypt. God will not be mocked and His Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). All we need to do is GO, knowing that our God will help us speak and teach us what to say to all those we meet.

Silence of the saints? May God forbid that this would ever be said about us, regardless of the cost or the circumstance!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Every Christian knows that prayer is the pathway to communion with God. And yet we also know that there are those times when it seems like heaven is silent. For some of us, the silence of the Lamb of God seems like a regular occurrence. Our faith is tested as we wait to hear from God after we have knocked on heaven’s door . . . only to find that the door does not swing open.

I called him but he did not answer.

(Song of Solomon 5:6)

All those who have been followers of Christ for some time can relate to this lament of the wise preacher by way of personal experience. We storm the gates of heaven . . . yet they seem to us as immovable as they are unconcerned. We petition and plead with our God, yet the Lamb of God remains silent. We are living out the experience of Job and Jeremiah.

I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer . . .

(Job 30:20)

You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

(Lamentations 3:44)

Why does this happen? Time and again, Scripture exhorts us to ceaselessly pray; then why does it seem like no one is home in heaven? Because our Lamb knows exactly what we need, moment by moment; when we are looking for a YES to our petition, our Lamb’s seeming silence says one of two things: either NO or WAIT.

Charles Spurgeon explained it this way:

Thus have true saints continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased Him who is a Sovereign, and who gives according to His own pleasure. If it pleases Him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall He not do as He wills with His own! Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials. We must not suffer Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers.

What we must always keep in view is that God’s delays—“delays” from our perspective—are not God’s denials. God hears every prayer, and not a single one goes unanswered. Looking back in life, every seasoned saint will agree that we are truly grateful that God did not say YES to many of our petitions because NO was exceedingly better for us! And we can also testify to the truth that we emerged better and stronger Christians for the many times God made us wait on His response to our cry. Faith untried and untested is faith underdeveloped.

So the next time it seems like the LAMB is silent to your heartfelt cries, do not fear that you are unheard. God knows your heart before you can utter a word. Cry out and carry on, knowing that your Lord knows what is best for your life and will give you everything you need to do all He is calling you to do. You have His Word on that . . . even when you are facing the silence of the Lamb!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Did you know that school is ALWAYS in session for the Christian? I’m not talking about the formal education of “reading, writing, and arithmetic,” but rather about the school that is in session for every one of the saints of God, who have been commanded to love God—not only with all their heart, soul, and strength, but with their minds as well!

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.”

(Matthew 23:37)

As my mentor and friend Dr. D James Kennedy was fond of telling the congregation, “Don’t check your mind at the narthex when you enter this church.” We have been saved by God to think: to think God’s thought after Him. In other words, we are to think “Christianly.” School is always in session for the saints of God.

The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

(Proverbs 15:14)

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.

(Proverbs 18:15)

Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

(1 Corinthians 14:20)

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 3:18)

God tells us we are to be continually involved in holy higher education throughout our lives; there is never a time when we “graduate” and complete the schooling process. It is not enough for the Christian to have a heart that beats for Jesus, as important as that is. We must also have a mind that thinks like Jesus. We are commanded to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2). God saves the soul, and in that process He also saves the mind.

The Christian mind knows that absolutely everything in this life has everything to do with God. We are to know nothing apart from Him, “For from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). We are to look at life through the lens of the Scriptures and make sure everything we think, say, and do, squares with God’s Word. The Bible provides the framework for living the life God has called us to live, and we are to live according to the wisdom of the Word . . . not the world. And that is why school is ALWAYS in session!

So . . . what kind of a student have you been? Have you been skipping any classes lately? Sleeping in? No worries! Every day is a new beginning and every new beginning is a new opportunity to become a serious student, committed to growing up into Christ. But it won’t happen by accident; it will only happen when we intentionally set our minds to the lifelong study of God, so that we may fully develop the mind of Christ.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

There is a battle raging, and it rages inside of the heart of all those who, by grace through faith, are in Christ. To be sure, sin no longer reigns in the heart of the believer, but make no mistake; it still remains!

I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.

(Romans 7:23)

Imagine if you did not know this truth; could you ever believe you truly are a child of the Most High God? Praise God for this truth, given us from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul. He knew full well the battle that raged within; he knew it personally! But Paul also knew that this is a battle that we are called to be faithful in fighting. We must never become complacent about the sin that remains in our lives. We are to take sword to the enemy, not only daily, but moment by moment. This is the command from our Commander:

If you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

(Romans 8:13-14)

A word of caution here: this is not a command that will cause you to live a perfect, sinless life on this side of the grave. Nonetheless, it is a command to desire nothing less! We cannot use the tired, worn-out, pagan phrase, “Well, that’s just the way I’ve always been and will always be.” Not true! All believers have been saved by the same grace that also sanctifies them. Grace is given us, not only to pay the penalty of our sin, but to defeat the pleasure of it also.

So . . . how faithful have you been fighting the sins that have been affecting you lately? Remember these words from D. L. Moody . . .

The ship belongs in the water of the world, but woe be unto that ship when that water gets into it!

Because God is faithful to forgive, we can come boldly to the throne of grace every day and confess our sins. We can admit our failures, knowing that our God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sin on the cross—all of our sin—God has already forgiven us of every sin. And herein lies the key to fighting faithfully: knowing that we are fully forgiven and unconditionally loved. Keep that truth before you each day as you do battle with the enemy—not in your strength, but in the strength of the Almighty.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!