My grandma lived to be almost 103 yrs. old. She was famous in our family for many things including fruitcakes at Christmas! There’s two things that really stand out in my mind about Gram.
1. She was always shrinking (all old-heads shrink!) My cousin Tom originated her nickname: “The Incredible Shrinking Grandma!
2. One of Gram’s favorite sayings was: “There’s better days ahead!”
It didn’t matter what life threw at Gram, she just knew there were better days ahead. I tell folks I believe I’m going to live to be 114 yrs. old. It’s possible, I’d only outlive Gram by 11 years! If I live to be 114 or if I die in the middle of writing this, I’m happy either way. There’s better days ahead!
Some folks are afraid of suffering, dying a horrible death or losing their independence by living in a nursing home. I’m sure none of those would be your preference and they wouldn’t be mine either. We will not avoid bad things by worrying about them.
While it is true that healthy life styles and choices can help us live longer and healthier lives, we have no control over many things that affect us. We do have control to accept things that will guarantee there’s better days ahead.
Grace is the answer. As a kid, I knew grace as the prayer before meals. As an old-head, I know grace to be the underlying confidence in knowing the hope of better days ahead. I have to tell you, I’ve already been dead. My life before understanding and knowing how to grow in grace was a death march. I made immoral choices. Some things I did required no decision making whatsoever. I did things without thinking. Bad habits became rationalized as acceptable behaviors.
Grace is like a river. You can walk on the dry land of worldly behavior, but sooner or later your feet will get washed as the river of grace rises above your conscience. The wrongs of your life will float to the surface. Your heart will feel dirty and heavy laden. Sin will drag you under. Grace will make you float.
God set a boundary for His river of grace. The way I see it, that boundary is our acceptance. Accept grace and be free, or reject grace and live in fear. Grace is not just something we say. Grace is the acceptance of a gift from God. That gift is better days ahead wrapped in our faith in Christ.
We can’t earn grace. We can’t work hard enough to gain grace. God knows we’re all gullible people. We all fall into temptation as many times as a baby falls trying to walk for the first time. Grace grows in us and through us as our faith becomes stronger. God loves us so much as a Father, he gave his Son as a role model and mentor. Jesus taught people, healed people, served people and in the end of a new beginning, He died for people. Grace paid the penalty of our dirty deeds and made a way for us to have better days ahead.
If I die today or when I’m 114 yrs. old, it’s all cool beans because by grace I’m saved and I’ve got better days ahead!
1. She was always shrinking (all old-heads shrink!) My cousin Tom originated her nickname: “The Incredible Shrinking Grandma!
2. One of Gram’s favorite sayings was: “There’s better days ahead!”
It didn’t matter what life threw at Gram, she just knew there were better days ahead. I tell folks I believe I’m going to live to be 114 yrs. old. It’s possible, I’d only outlive Gram by 11 years! If I live to be 114 or if I die in the middle of writing this, I’m happy either way. There’s better days ahead!
Some folks are afraid of suffering, dying a horrible death or losing their independence by living in a nursing home. I’m sure none of those would be your preference and they wouldn’t be mine either. We will not avoid bad things by worrying about them.
While it is true that healthy life styles and choices can help us live longer and healthier lives, we have no control over many things that affect us. We do have control to accept things that will guarantee there’s better days ahead.
Grace is the answer. As a kid, I knew grace as the prayer before meals. As an old-head, I know grace to be the underlying confidence in knowing the hope of better days ahead. I have to tell you, I’ve already been dead. My life before understanding and knowing how to grow in grace was a death march. I made immoral choices. Some things I did required no decision making whatsoever. I did things without thinking. Bad habits became rationalized as acceptable behaviors.
Grace is like a river. You can walk on the dry land of worldly behavior, but sooner or later your feet will get washed as the river of grace rises above your conscience. The wrongs of your life will float to the surface. Your heart will feel dirty and heavy laden. Sin will drag you under. Grace will make you float.
God set a boundary for His river of grace. The way I see it, that boundary is our acceptance. Accept grace and be free, or reject grace and live in fear. Grace is not just something we say. Grace is the acceptance of a gift from God. That gift is better days ahead wrapped in our faith in Christ.
We can’t earn grace. We can’t work hard enough to gain grace. God knows we’re all gullible people. We all fall into temptation as many times as a baby falls trying to walk for the first time. Grace grows in us and through us as our faith becomes stronger. God loves us so much as a Father, he gave his Son as a role model and mentor. Jesus taught people, healed people, served people and in the end of a new beginning, He died for people. Grace paid the penalty of our dirty deeds and made a way for us to have better days ahead.
If I die today or when I’m 114 yrs. old, it’s all cool beans because by grace I’m saved and I’ve got better days ahead!
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody.
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#ywap4God #JLYASDW
Jesus loves you and so do we.
#ywap4God #JLYASDW
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
9:40 AM MST
9:40 AM MST
“From Death to Life
In the past your spiritual lives were dead because of your sins
and the things you did wrong against God.
Yes, in the past you lived the way the world lives.
You followed the ruler of the evil powers that are above the earth.
That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God.
In the past all of us lived like them.
We lived trying to please our sinful selves.
We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted.
We should have suffered God’s anger because we were sinful by nature.
We were the same as all other people.
But God’s mercy is great, and he loved us very much.
We were spiritually dead because of the things we did wrong against God.
But God gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace.
And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens.
He did this for those of us who are in Christ Jesus.
He did this so that for all future time he could show the very great riches of his grace.
He shows that grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus.
I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believe.
You did not save yourselves.
It was a gift from God.
You cannot brag that you are saved by the work you have done.”
Ephesians 2:1-9 ICB
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