Grace Is For Christians Too!

Why are there so many Christians out there that are continually bogged down? There are a surprising number of believers who have to pretend at church on Sunday morning, that all is well and they are happy, happy, happy!
As Christians, it's okay not to feel happy all the time - in fact, Jesus promised us in the Bible that when you become a Christian, life will get harder! The good thing is that He will be with us to get us through the hard times.

There are many reasons why there are a lot of Christians who have to pretend to have joy, but I want to focus on what I think is one of the biggest. Grace. When someone new comes to Christ, we are so happy for them, and even the angels in Heaven rejoice and "party on" because of it. Why are we excited? Because that person has received the grace of God. Without grace, no one would be able to go to Heaven at all!

Let's focus on this new believer...he learns more about God, reads the Bible, prays, converts some of his family and friends, goes to church, worships with other Christians, and life is good. Fast-forward a few years. He is still going to church, still prays and reads his Bible (sometimes!) life is still good (sometimes!) but he still sins. Maybe he has a reoccurring sin that is weighing him down so much that it is all he thinks about.

Now he feels guilty, ashamed and condemned. He probably hears Satan whisper things like: "You're a hypocrite!", "How can God forgive you for this over and over again?", "God has given up on you because of this!", and "You might as well do it again because its the only thing that is going to make you feel good now!"

He starts to believe these lies, and he gets trapped further in his sin. But it doesn't make him feel any better; instead he feels more guilty, more ashamed and more condemned.

He will continue on like this unless he remembers how he came to God in the first place - empty-handed. You can't earn God's grace as an unbeliever, and you can't do anything to earn it as a believer either! His grace remains the same no matter what. It is us who change, not God's grace. Jesus died for ALL of our sins, not just the ones we committed before we knew Him! Also, He knew everything we would ever think or do (good and bad) before He died for us, and before He brought us to Him. You can't surprise God!

It doesn't matter how long you have been a Christian, or how much you know about the Bible, or how big your sin is. His grace is enough to cover ALL of our sins, and it is one of the many gifts He gives to anyone who chooses to take it - whether you're new to Him or you've been around for years.

Accept His grace, read Romans 8 and live a free life!