Daily Worship, Spirit and Word - May 14, 2024

Grace for salvation is poured out for all to receive through faith in Christ Jesus. In one sense, grace is like oxygen in the earth because everyone has access to it. If grace was oxygen, faith would be lungs. Lungs breathe in the oxygen and disseminate it throughout the body in the blood. Without lungs, the body would receive no oxygen in its blood and the body would die. Both are God’s creation and gift to us. (This is a simple and incomplete analogy.)

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16–17, NKJV)

The just shall live by faith. We are justified by faith. We have received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness by faith. It is the gift of God. Grace for salvation is extended to all. It is accepted by believing. Faith comes from the Greek word “pistis”, which means to be firmly persuaded. How are we persuaded? Persuasion begins when the “word of grace” pricks our hearts by the power of Holy Spirit. We are drawn into believing because of God’s love for us. We are persuaded that God’s grace is real, so we begin our relationship with God by grace through faith. The deeper our relationship with God grows, the more we are persuaded. We are also persuaded by: the preaching and testimonies of others, reading The Bible for ourselves, and encounters with God’s presence, We may call it renewing the mind, but it is effected by the drawing of The Spirit and the earnest response of the heart toward knowing God.