Our family's story is one of restoration through God's amazing grace!
One cold November morning, two of my sisters and I were some of the first customers in our local coffee shop. Tree settled on the House blend, while Kel and I decided on a craft pour over. Our prayer was that our conversation would be God-honoring. There was a time when I thought my siblings and I would never be close. We all had made different life decisions that impacted our views of each other. Because of selfishness, we acted and communicated out of self-motivation instead of love for the others. Disfunction, unforgiveness, and brokenness was the norm in our family, and it was inevitable that we would carry those burdens throughout our lives.
But God These two simple words are the Gospel. They tell story after story of God’s goodness, mercy and grace. They loudly proclaim the Good News that if not for Jesus, we would not be… We would not be holy, righteous, saved, forgiven, found, known or truly loved. We would not be healed, chosen, or set free.
But God Ephesians 2:4-5 says, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)..." Ephesians 2:4 can be translated to say that now, currently or presently, God is making us alive by His grace despite our sin. When we are made aware of this phenomenal truth, our response should be humility and praise. Take a minute to meditate and reflect on what that means for you! Let the Holy Spirit bring you face to face with the God that forgave you and died for you while you were still living in sin. While we are still faithless our God is faithful. He pursues us always.
While we are faithless, God is still faithful. He pursues us always.
Our coffee shop conversation was uplifting. We laughed and cried together. As we talked, I had time to reflect. How much I wish we had chosen Christ’s love and maturity so long ago. I mourn for the years lost but celebrate our future as the Holy Spirit continues to transform and mold each of us to His image. As we grow closer to the image of Christ, we grow closer together as a family. Romans 12:16 says, “Live in harmony with one another...” Outside of the power of the Holy Spirit, this command is nearly impossible to follow. The only way we can fully liken ourselves to the character of Christ is by submitting to His Spirit and allowing the old nature to pass away. Today, choose to die to yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to begin a new work in you.
Photo Credit: Peak & Sparrow Creative
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