The Grace By Which I Stand
2010-04-03

Father, a lot of us are reflecting on this day in history, when Jesus was, at least bodily, laying in the grave. There is much debate on where his spirit was during that time. We reflect on the crucifixion and what effect it had on our lives. But we look forward to tomorrow, because we know that, without Sunday morning, the crucifixion was meaningless. It meant nothing for you to die; unless you defeated death and rose again. So tomorrow, we celebrate that Resurrection Day. Truly, every Sunday morning, we celebrate Resurrection Day. But this is the one when we commemorate the event. We praise you, Father, for the sacrifice, and the miracle of the Resurrection. We thank you that, in this single event, mankind was changed forever.

Psalm 40:5-8

5 You have multiplied, O LORD, my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.

6 Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear.
Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
7 Then I said, "Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

The many wondrous works of God are, indeed, more than can be told by any one of us. It would take a lifetime. The whole of Scripture doesn't even contain them all...even John, at the end of his gospel letter declares "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

Yet, that is the desire of my heart, to spend my life declaring the wonderful works of our God. That is one reason I'm a worship leader, because I get to do that on Sunday mornings (and any other time that we happen to gather). It's also one of the reasons I keep this journal online. I could write it down and keep it private. But then, no one else would read it, and, by doing so, know that God has done great and marvelous things in our lives.


Romans 5:2

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

Matthew Henry says this:
"If the Spirit be in us, Christ is in us. He dwells in the heart by faith. Grace in the soul is its new nature; the soul is alive to God, and has begun its holy happiness which shall endure forever. The righteousness of Christ imputed, secures the soul, the better part, from death. From hence we see how much it is our duty to walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. If any habitually live according to corrupt lustings, they will certainly perish in their sins, whatever they profess...Let us then, by the Spirit, endeavor more and more to mortify the flesh...those who are sanctified have God's Spirit witnessing with their spirits, in and by his speaking peace to the soul. Though we may now seem to be losers for Christ, we shall not, we cannot, be losers by him in the end."
(From Matthew Henry Daily Readings)


Lord, I am thankful for the many works that you have done in my life. If I tried to write them all here, people would get tired and stop reading. But they are many. My gratitude will go on for eternity, and cannot wait for the day when I can express it face to face. The most important one, though, is that you included me in the chosen that would be celebrating Christ's resurrection from the grave. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for that event. There is no "thank you" that would ever be enough. I cannot even live a life worthy of that gift. The life that I live is not intended to be a display of gratitude. It is intended to be proof. Proof that you reside in me. Proof that you changed my life by the Spirit. Proof that I was chosen in Christ before the foundations of the earth.

Finally, I am reminded of a song by the great and late Keith Green:

"But nothing lasts except the grace of God
By which I stand in Jesus
I know that I would
Surely fall away...
Except for grace
By which I'm saved."

Grace and peace, friends.



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