Journal Entry ~ 10/31/18

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9

"For you know.” It's not the head knowledge Paul is referring to, he's not asking the Corinthians if they have the facts about the grace of Jesus. He's referring to the intimate knowledge of the grace of our Lord. For you know, in your hearts, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you truly experienced His grace?

You can go to church and participate in small group, you can know scripture well enough that you can share verses with others at critical times, you can serve others in the name of Christ, you can teach about His grace, and you can still not know the grace of our Lord intimately. 

It's not enough to go through the motions. Check your heart. Do you know the grace of Jesus. Truly knowing the grace of our Lord comes from individual, quiet time spent with Him daily. It comes from allowing Him to soften your heart to reveal your weaknesses and your sin, and drawing you to a place of deep repentance. It comes from allowing Him to chasten you through the most difficult times and grow you into His likeness. It comes from completely trusting Him through the hardest of trials, when nothing you see makes sense to you.  It comes from trusting beyond a shadow of a doubt that He has good planned for you, even when the darkness seems the most frightening. 

Knowing the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ doesn't come from simply saying the words, or going through the motions of church and small group, it comes from complete surrender - every day, alone with Him. Think about your most intimate relationships - your husband, your best friends, your family. There is only one way that those relationships became close enough to consider intimate - time. Your most intimate relationships are not with those people in your office that you wave hello to as you pass their desk, they're not with the neighbors on your street with whom you spend occasional time. The most intimate relationships are with those whom you spend time, bearing your heart and your pain, crying tears of sadness and tears of joy. 

God needs to be in a higher position than any one of those relationships, which means we need to spend more time with Him, and we need to open our hearts to Him. My heart knows His grace and His love, and He knows my heart because of the time I have sacrificed to Him over time. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

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