Saturday, March 25, 2017

'Equal Access'

He [Jesus] brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

— Ephesians 2:17-18

Assured grace means equal access! Because of Jesus' sacrifice and because of the work of the Holy Spirit, we are all welcomed at the throne of grace regardless of gender, social standing, financial status, race, nationality, political affiliation, or any other differences.

This equal access brings a kind of peace that wars can't accomplish and diplomacy can't achieve. This status is a peace brought to us because Jesus paid the price for the peace and sent the Spirit to give us the assurance that we are loved and heard by the almighty God.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Thoughts on This Verse....

What do you use for your life's compass? No matter how insightful, wise, experienced, or knowledgeable we may be, only God can guide our steps properly. God asks us to trust him and his wisdom even when we can't immediately see the rationale behind it.

He wants us to recognize his presence, guidance, and grace in all we do. As we trust and as we acknowledge his presence, we suddenly realize that our paths are a lot straighter and our destinations are a lot a closer.

Luke 3:22

... the Holy Spirit descended on him [Jesus] in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Thoughts on This Verse....

God spoke these wonderful words to his Son when Jesus was baptized. God feels the same about us when we follow our Savior's example and are baptized, too! Jesus pours out his Spirit on us (Titus 3:4-7) guaranteeing that we are God's children (cf. Ephesians 1:13-14).

No matter what Satan may do to make us doubt it (cf. Luke 4:3), we can confidently know that we are God's beloved children, with whom he is well pleased! Because of the Spirit, we can call God our Abba Father (Galatians 4:6) knowing that the Spirit intercedes for us making even our inexpressible thoughts known to our Father (Romans 8:26-27).

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