Saturday, January 24, 2009

Let Your Heart Be Established By Grace

I'm resigning from my job this February. I think I've already finished the learning curve of online teaching and am all set to find my second job. My decision to quit does have a smidgen of regret as I'm going to lose the luxury of being able to buy things for myself, not to mention my ability to contribute to the family's budget. I also feel uncertain about my short-term future. Never before had I been like this. My advance worrying often leads me to doing advance planning. Not this time. My ego has been effectively pinned down by circumstances I have 10% control of. In the past, my achievements speak forcefully on my behalf; they grease me through success. Now, my self could only revel on my achievements, and nothing more.

My friend sent me this email as an encouragement. And I want it to share to anyone who has been inflicted with angst, if not with lack of grace.




Hebrews 13:9
9… it is good that the heart be established by grace…

God does not want your heart full of worries and fears, tossed and turned by every challenge that comes your way. He wants your heart at rest and established by His grace toward you.

But when you think that the breakthroughs to your challenges depend on your ability to obey God, then your heart will not be at rest. It will be full of worries and anxieties. Why? Because you can never obey God perfectly.

But when you depend on God's grace, that is, His undeserved, unmerited favor, the opposite happens — your heart becomes established. When you know that the only thing that qualifies you to receive God's blessings is faith in the finished work of Christ, your heart becomes established. Then, you will walk without the fear of your troubles swallowing you up. You will walk with full assurance that His blessings will be manifested in your life.

My friend, God wants your heart established, knowing that His righteousness, healing, protection and prosperity are yours — all paid for by Jesus' finished work at the cross. God's blessings are sure in your life because they are not dependent on your ability to keep His laws, but Jesus' perfect obedience.

You see, under the old covenant, you receive God's blessings only if you keep all His laws. (Deuteronomy 28:1–2) If you sin and fail to keep even one law, you will be disqualified from receiving His blessings. But today, under the new covenant, your sins no longer disqualify you because God Himself has said, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12)

So let your heart be established by God's grace. Because of His grace, you have full access to His blessings. You no longer have to worry about whether you are good enough. You can stand firm on the promises made in His Word and enjoy His blessings today because Jesus has paid the price. Your part is only to believe and receive!