It seems like I am always writing about grace –It is my favorite subject after all. It took me many, many years to understand what little I do know about grace, and every day I learn a little more. I grew up in a very legalistic home where I was taught that grace was acquired only after what a person could do to make themselves worthy of it. I was taught to be a Christian, one had to wear their hair a certain length, wear a certain orientation of clothing, make sure there was no make up for the ladies, and to drink a glass of wine would certainly bring damnation.
Wrong teaching will lead to wrong thinking, which will lead to wrong living, which will lead to bondage – The very thing that grace is supposed to free us from. Grace does not bring bondage, it brings restoration and life. If you feel trapped and surrounded by your faith you are not experiencing the grace that Christ died for. The Bible tells us in John 8:36 –If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. Christ has set us free to live in joy and peace. Never again let anyone or anything put a harness on the power of His grace.
I ran across a video this week that brought me to tears just a few moments into it. I am not a gushy kind of a guy that cries easily at all, but somehow the power of grace crushes me and takes away all my self-restraint. I found myself sitting there with tears rolling down my cheeks as I realized that all the people in the video were me.
Each and every one of are so very lucky to be beneficiaries of a gift that is so wondrous that the shallow, conventional thinking of mankind cannot hope to understand or fully comprehend the might, strength, weight, authority, power and endowment of grace. Watch the video at the bottom of this piece and see if you can find yourself there – I did.
My chains are gone, I’ve been set free. My God, my Savior has rescued me. Like a flood His mercy rains – Unending love – Amazing Grace. Thank you Jesus for Your grace.
Here are some clips from the video.
Addicted for 10 years – Clean and sober, helping others get free
Broken by Abuse – Restored by grace
Near Financial ruin – Peaceful, content, debt-free
Rejected and abandoned – Loved and accepted
Full of despair –Full of Hope
Broken Marriage – Restored Love
A life of regret – A life worth living
My son needed a miracle to survive – I believe in miracles
Depressed, empty and lost – Found
Guilt – Forgiven
Broken – Restored
Despair – Hope
Hurt – Healing
Fear – Peace
Rejected – Accepted
Trapped – Free
Amazing Marvelous Incredible Wonderful Prodigious Immense Immeasurable Grace
Video by Central Christian Church
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- Graceology – A Study of Grace – Ocean, Snow and a Spring Rain (darrellcreswell.wordpress.com)
- http://www.faithandentertainment.com/77-bible-verses-about-faith-to-encourage-you-today/
- The Love of God is With You (darrellcreswell.wordpress.com)
- Grace (pattycakesponderings.wordpress.com)
- Do you know how much He Loves You? He loves you with an everlasting love (prepareforthelamb.wordpress.com)
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Categories: Bible, Bible Verses and Scriptures, Christ, Christianity, Comfort, Cross, Finances, God, God's Love, Grace, Hope, Jesus, Love, Marriage, Renewed Strength, Restoration, Salvation, Stories of Grace, Thankful
Darrell Creswell - A Study of Christian Grace 
I am in the process of moving, so suffice it to say, I really needed that. However, if it wasn’t for grace, we would never had found the house we did in such short notice. What pertinent post; thanks again, Darrell!
Thank you Richard for the kind words. I could write a million words and never scratch the surface of grace 🙂 Blessings Darrell
Speaking of the thief on the cross, Max Lucado said it so beautifully a few years ago: “…and somewhere in heaven there is a grinning ex-con, walking on streets of gold, who knows more about grace than a thousand theologians.” You and he have both captured the ‘heart’ of grace. Well done…
Thank you so very much – That is a great saying that I have not heard before -Thank you – I will not forget it -In Christ Darrell
great missed you for a while
Thanks 🙂 Life gets busy sometimes – I love to tell the story of Christ – Blessings Darrell
May I share my story of grace with you? (Darrell, delete this link if you prefer. I will not be offended.) http://littlewordsofhope.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/i-saw-the-light/
Thank you, I appreciate you sharing the link. It is a POWERFUL story that brought tears to my eyes. Honored that you would share it -In Christ Darrell
~ and then you married one!
Love you!
xoxo ~ Your Grace
That I did – you are my Grace too – Love you D 🙂
Love it, Darrell. My church did this with people using cardboard signs. Was powerful seeing their honesty in sharing their testimonies of God’s power to set free and His amazing grace. Grace really is your theme, but that is a good thing! Blessings
Thanks Sue – I can honestly say, Where would I be without grace? Nowhere 🙂 Blessings to you in Christ -Good to see you – Darrell
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Thanks – I needed a good cry today. What an amazing, grace-full God we have. I’ve been set free, too!
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Praising Jesus for His amazing grace!
\o/ Indeed 🙂 I am glad it touched you also – Blessings Darrell
Darrell, I’m marveling at your blog–it’s truly a beautiful and inspirational work. Thank you–and I’m looking forward to your articles!
Let me tell you brother I LOVE the boots with Bible at http://thebiblealiveandkickin.com/. Great theme- Bless you – Thanks for stopping by -Darrell
I love your testimony. Legalism is just as much of the flesh as drug use or sexual immorality, it just has a “better” outward appearance. It so easily smuggles itself into our walk we don’t recognize it as another gospel (Gal. 1:6-7). “Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).
Great insight 🙂 Thankfully grace has the power to free us from ourselves – In Christ Darrell
This post shows the absolute need to know how to rightly divide the word of truth! Consider the letter AND the spirit of the law. Grace belongs to us by God’s will. It’s a gift which He knows we need. And none of us will ever be perfect in this life.
Thank you for your visit and for sharing this post.
Stephanos
Thank you Stephanos for stopping by to share – Thank God for grace, where would we be without it? Blessings in Christ Darrell
God allowed us a long time to try and take care of our sin problem, but we just got worse. So, as He always does, God planned a way for us to be acceptable to Him…through Christ Jesus’ sacrifice.
Praise The Lord…
Stephanos
Amen Stephanos – well said – Blessing Darrell
Take care, Darrell…
Stephanos
you too 🙂
Beautirful! Wonderful grace of Jesus working in so many lives and very importantly in our personal lives. Praise the Lord……….for His grace and mercy.
May I share this blessed blog?
pt2010
As always Evelyn – I am honored to share – Thanks for being a part of sharing grace – In Christ Darrell
Thank you Darrell. Sharing on Sunday 25 August,2013. Sunday rest day – the perfect day to revel in God’s grace.
Have a blessed Sunday
Evelyn
\o/ 🙂
Thank you so much for liking my post. I spent a little time reading your blog and I am very encouraged that I have this opportunity to follow it. Look forward to reading more. God Bless!
Thank you Deirdre – I stopped by your blog Crustybreadblog at http://crustybreadblog.com/ and thoroughly enjoyed your site – Thanks for sharing grace with me – In Christ Darrell
Having Grace by accepting the finished work of Jesus on my behalf, removes all HAVE-TO’s from my life but brings the wonderfull opportunity to let Christ live his life through my yeilded body members. I may then aspire to doing all the SURE-WOULD-BE-NICES . Just as the safety net allows performers to do the tripple back flips that they want to do without worry that if they fall that would be terrible.
I enjoyed reading your blog at http://lastingvictory.com/ – Great analogy in the comment- Thanks for stopping by and visiting mine 🙂 Blessings Darrell
Amazing Marvellous Incredible Wonderful Immense Immeasurable Grace ……I feel that is an understatement Darrell, please never stop sharing about our Awesome God’s Grace, it’s all about Love and He is Love!
Jesus did indeed set us free (see below ) so we can live in joy and peace without the bondage of sin.
John 8:34-36 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
I shared recently Darrell that if I could go back and change any part of my life and it has been a troubled one, it would be the pain I inflicted on God and those who were close to me, it has grieved me greatly, I sinned more then most I know…. but Amazing Grace, Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, I came to heart repentance.
I often wonder what would have happened at the time of Temptation if I was taught about the wonderful freedom we can have in Christ Jesus over sin, when we put our flesh to death which causes us to sin and also that we can claim the promise that no Temptation will be greater then we can bear, as we seek Jesus He provides the way out so we can stand up under it and so we can reckon ourselves dead to sin.
Colossians 3:4-6 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
How wonderful that unlike the Old Testament Saints who had to sacrifice for forgiveness, Jesus has made it possible that we can be perfected in Love, He is the final Sacrifice and He protects us from Satan’s deception so we do not sin as we Trust in Him.
1 John 5:18-20 We know that no one who is Born of God sins; but He who was Born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is True; and we are in Him who is True, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Thank you Darrell, I will return soon – Christian Love from us both – Anne
Much love back at both of you Anne , I love reading your comments they’re so full of hope and promise. You sow seeds of faith and hope bringing joy to the heart, thank you so much, in Christ darrell
Awesome! Grace, it’s not about my performance; it’s all about what Christ did for me, that I don’t even deserve.
Amen what Christ did for us is even greater we could imagine. In Christ we have all of our hope and promise. Thanks for stopping by and sharing blessings Darrell
Thanks Yvette, I enjoyed reading My Glimpse of God’s Love the Day I Missed the Bus at http://thegreatplainspoet.wordpress.com/. I appreciate the grace you share, May the Lord bless you – In Christ darrell
Thanks for reading my devotion, Darell. Have a blessed day!
You too -:)