Friday April 4, 2008

Day 1
http://www.maxlucado.com/
passage: Ephesians 2:10
Great passage and great message from Max.  Our salvation is not something we earned...so important to remember this at all times.  Being a Christian doesn't make us any better than the next guy.  God gave us the gift of his grace and his grace allows us to move on from our mistakes time and time again but as with anyone else regardless of faith, we will make those mistakes.  "He draws together the disjointed blotches in our life and renders them an expression of his love".  How powerful is that?  Not only does he not get tired of us and give up on us, he takes our mistakes and turns them into something good.  I can look at my own life and I think, wow, what a job he's got...he just doesn't quit.  How often have I made mistakes and got mad about it because things didn't work out, even to the point of being angry with God for making my life so difficult.  But he doesn't give up.  It's my responsibility to take the never ending opportunities he gives to me and grow closer to him.  The last part of the verse: "so we can do the good things he planned for us".  It's not enough for me to just sit back and say thank you God, I need try my best to follow the path he's laid out for me.  I need to pray and ask him for strength so that when I stray I can ask him for forgiveness and have the strength to turn around and start heading back in the right direction!