GraCe

Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

So ... I've been learning a lot on grace this past month at church and throughout my life, and it's been on my heart to, so I thought "...why not share??" It's been wonderful realising how errr ... blessed I am. The thing is, when you see life the way you should, your thoughts and actions mimic and change as well... unless your heart is made of stone! Those who've been following the teachings at church with me will quickly admit their thinkings concerning life and God has radically changed. The understanding of God, and the kind of emotions felt towards Him has changed as well... it's all reverence now. When you realise you're alive only because God allows it and not because it's your right or something, you stop trying to feel important and start thanking God for such unmerited favor! Imagine this... Jesus leaves His comfort zone where He is worshipped as God and King and comes down in the form of man (so man can comprehend Him) to live with man and help man out. He then switches places with man, allowing man to go and "chill" while He goes to die in place of man... all to bear man's sins and scars!! Have you ever thought of it this way??

Grace is the best thing that ever happened to man. Without grace... we'd all be in hell! Heaven and Hell are not folklores made up to scare people in order to put 'em on the right path as some people think... they're very real! How do I know?? I encourage you to read Chapter 15 of the first Corinthians. Its verse 19 says: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." Also, there's enough evidence in the Word and even science to prove the existence of Jesus. Many have also had experiences of visiting either one or both places, and I'd sure love to add to the numbers of those that visited Heaven. ...point is, there's no need dying before finding out the truth in this; that would be greatly unwise! The thing about being man is our reliance on our senses, especially in regards to sight and mind (understanding). We (majority of man) are the 'seeing is believing' kind of people; we need to see and comprehend before believing. This is a great disadvantage seeing us God operates on a higher level of 'believing without seeing'. At man's level, limited things are possible, but at God's level... all things are possible!

On Sunday, I understood Grace some more. It was some kind of an odd experience because when it happened Grace just made sense! I like to use my personal life to explain things... it makes explaining easier and more realistic. When things are explained only theoretically with general examples it doesn't carry as much weight as it does when your own life is an example. So... Grace. Grace I would say, relying on how I felt during Sunday's odd experience, can be defined as: "The power to bind or free." A good friend did something I felt was unfair to me and thus I got a little upset. After the one kept trying to figure out what was wrong with me (because in reaction I'd played my favorite card - Silent Treatment) I decided to address the issue. It was then I literally felt the power in my heart and hand to decide what the ruling would be, and how the one was at my mercy. Let me put it this way: you know how sometimes we have something another desires and we get to choose based on how we feel if they get it or not? ...and they can do ABSOLUTELY nothing about our decision on the thing?? That's the exact kind of feeling I got, and then the word "Grace" was whispered into my heart and mind. I then understood a simple truth - we do not in any way have any power of choice when it comes to our lives... such power lies in the hand of God. Everything we do each moment is just by the Grace of God. Walking, talking, jumping, singing, dancing, breathing, dreaming, thinking, playing, laughing, working, seeing, hearing, feeling, and even... getting angry. Yes... weird... I know.

Look, I'm simply trying to get to you to realise that that pride you hold in your heart for various achievements... if God didn't let lines fall in pleasant places, you'd achieve ABSOLUTELY nothing! Your education... your career... your relationships... it's all by Grace. You think you're more important than others and that's why you breathe and walk this earth while another 'sleeps' six feet under it?? Please! ...see the truth for what it is - You are very important to God and as well to some others, but not more important than any other. God's Grace is for all and sundry. Honestly, you're alive and can do all things because God want and allows it. Philippians 4:13 says: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me", and though it was a personal concluding statement made by Epaphroditus, it is a statement that holds true for every single human being walking this earth.

Humble yourself and thoughts, or you will be reduced to nothing! ...I assure you.

One last thing I wanna hammer on is that, Heaven and Hell are real. We even experience a bit of both here on earth. How?? Jesus explains it best in these eleven verses:

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."  ~  Matthew 25 : 34 - 45 (KJV)

Showing kindness, care, and love to people whether they deserve it or not is a taste of Heaven, while holding on to unforgiveness, hatred and anger is a feel of Hell. Wherever the presence of the Lord is, there's Heaven - love and care, and wherever it is absent, there's Hell - hate and anger. Bear in mind that when you love, you share a bit of Heaven with someone here on earth, but on the other hand... it is Hell you so graciously mete out when you do not forgive and choose to hate a fellow human.

Share Heaven with someone today...

~ yoyo

~ inspiredwordz

~ February 24, 2015 ; 10:17am