Good morning, dear people.
Beautiful frosty spring-like morning out there. I meant to get in a jog—but I guess I failed. I need to make tracks with my work pressure—then get packed up before boarding a plane tomorrow headed for New York—visiting our eldest daughter and family for a week. Not sure how regular I’ll be with these little messages from there. We’ll see.
Hope you have a great day—living within the boundaries of “God’s powerful grace.”
Blessings. Ray.
That description captures my attention—“…handed over to God’s powerful grace.” It was from that setting that Paul and Barnabas were launched on this first missionary journey. What a journey it was! All along the way there were spectacular demonstrations of “God’s powerful grace.” Verse 3 reports that, “Many trusted in the Lord, for he backed up his message of grace with miracles, signs, and wonders performed by the apostles” (TPT). Besides all the miraculous healings, it is nothing short of miraculous that Paul even survived to tell of “God’s powerful grace.” How can it be otherwise when we read what happened to him at Lystra—“They stoned Paul and dragged his body outside the city and left him for dead” (v. 19, TPT). I have no reason to believe that he was anything other than just plain dead! But I also believe that being dead is no big deal for the Sovereign God who made life in the first place. These angry Jews were DONE with this Paul—but God wasn’t! So I’m not at all surprised at what happened next—“When the believers encircled Paul’s body, he miraculously stood up! Paul stood and went back into the city” (v. 20, TPT).
I love the two additional descriptions of this Biblical Gospel as contained in this reading—(1) “…the wonderful news of the gospel…” (v. 21, TPT), and (2) “…the life-giving message of the Lord” (v. 24, TPT). Then when we add to this the familiar description of John 1:12—“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (KJV)—it all adds up as an overview of “God’s powerful grace”—indeed it’s AMAZING GRACE!
Nevertheless, “God’s powerful grace” is not so powerful so as to overpower the human will—like those described in this reading who “refused to believe”(v. 2 & 4, TPT)—at least, not until it’s too late. Only those who really want “God’s powerful grace” are enabled to get in on “God’s powerful grace.” There’s nothing new about that! Let’s never forget that in the end, “God’s powerful grace” will prevail, even though the benefits don’t. “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11, NIV.
Let’s end with this thought: All who truly embrace this Biblical Gospel have also essentially been “handed over to God’s powerful grace.”