Truth is, God doesn’t owe us anything yet He gave us everything. That’s grace.
Author Archives: Renee Srch
A Prayer
Even when it seems that things are not going my way, I know that they are going your way, and that in the end your way is the best way for me.
Attitude of Gratitude
Gratitude is an exercise of the heart and mind. It’s living with our eyes wide open to God’s many blessings. Every dawn is a gift from God, every breath, every heartbeat. But we’ve become so inured to God’s blessings that we take them for granted and shrug them off as our due. God doesn’t owe us anything, yet He has given us everything; salvation through Jesus Christ, redemption, forgiveness, mercy, grace. As if that were not enough, He pours out blessing upon blessing every day.
God’s Powerful Hand
Miracles are the blessings that bring us to our knees in heartfelt admission of God’s sovereign touch in our lives. The same God who worked in mighty ways for His chosen people is the same God today. His might and power have not diminished over time. His love and mercy remain unchanged. God sustains those He loves – because that’s the kind of God we serve.
Hope Doesn’t Disappoint
Hope understands there is so much more to life than the physical eye can perceive. Christian hope bridges the gap between what we don’t understand – our current situation – and what we know about God; His goodness, His kindness, and His love. His intent is not to hurt us but to give us a future that is far better than our limited human perception. While our hopes and dreams resemble stick figures, He’s working on a Mona Lisa.
What’s that smell?
As we spend quality time with God, through prayer and reading Scripture, we take on a Christ-like fragrance. He should so permeate our lives that those who know us can’t remain indifferent. Some will be drawn to our faith and want to know more, others will be turned off.
Personally, I don’t like to think I’ll be offensive to anyone. Yet God says we must not remain neutral, trying to please everyone we meet. If we are pleasant to some, we will stink to others. There is no middle ground.
I Am Here
I realized I had been focused on my fear rather than my Father. I’d been leaning on my own strength instead of leaning on God’s strength and came up short.
Grieving
Heaven’s greatest loss was our greatest gain. His death is our salvation. Through His sacrifice, we are cleansed from sin. What appeared to be the worst possible outcome, turned out to be the most powerful victory. Tears turned to joy; sorrow transformed into rejoicing. Not just a temporary, shallow kind of joy but one that is eternal and so deep-rooted that nothing and no one can take it away.
I Don’t Measure Up
You and I have a similar problem; we don’t measure up to God’s standards. The Bible tells us God is a holy God and He cannot look upon our sin. Therein lays the rub. No human being, other than Jesus, is without sin. When we measure our sinful nature against God’s holiness we fall short. But the Gospel doesn’t leave us without hope. On the contrary, God gave His only beloved Son as a sin offering. He took our sin, our faults, our shame, upon Himself so we might be cleansed from all sin. When God looks at us, He sees us through the filter of the cross; no longer stained by sin, but white as snow.
Peace
God’s peace is not a temporary peace that needs replacing when it runs out, but a continual and indestructible outpouring of God’s bountiful gifts. His peace is bestowed in proportion to our needs. In turn, this peace circles back, influencing how we think and feel. It turns off the worrisome thoughts and channels them towards God’s faithfulness and love.