Please Sir!!

In a little English city,sometime back, there in a workhouse for the poor. A young boy, driven by hunger and desperation dared to ask for more; the indignant response roared back at this brave young boy; ” MORE YOU WANT MORE”, and so unfolds a classic story of all time, whose theme sprouted the failure of charity from the church and government. Thank you Mr Bumble. Yet God was always and still is at work reconciling the world to himself.  John 1:16 And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

Our father wants to apply liberally His grace to our lives, a free gift that we had nothing to do with in it’s planning, or having to beg for. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

A free gift for me ? This is not of my own doing? ,hmmm… you may ask. In today’s world we are so often told there is no such thing as a free lunch, and according to the worldview you are probably correct, however this gift is from another world,a greater kingdom, it is a free gift to us, directly from our heavenly father. A gift to us that came at a very high price to Jesus.

To some perhaps this great question has already been answered, and you have a deep understanding of it, and may well be able to wax lyrical; however I suspect, to many the deep profound yet simple question is still being properly formed in our minds let alone escaping our lips. So to speak the ink is not quite dry on the paper as yet. Simple, yet profound with so many deep adjectives to be discovered.What Is So Amazing About Grace ?.

There are depths to be plumbed, revelation to be revealed, heights to be scaled, as we journey into grace. We are not wanting to simply run aimlessly and shadow box in an outward expression of exuberant exhaustion; in order to gain some insight. As Paul said

1 Cor 9:26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.

We continue to delve deeper into grace, with a hot pin pointed focus, not aimlessly beating the air. Our race will not be in vain, but we will be intoxicated and energized, because when we encounter grace we encounter life.

I am convinced more than ever that each one of us will fall afresh; more and more in love with Jesus each day. We will be transformed from the debilitating “ I have to” mentality to the refreshing “I want to”. When we truly find the pearl of great price in the person of Jesus, we will willing set aside all that attempts to entrap us and run hard after Him.

As we continue to mature in the faith, we realize it is time to get out of the stands and into the race. We run to win. Our strength comes from God — given to us because of His abundant grace, and His unmerited favor towards us through Christ.

Like Abraham we are highly blessed and favoured people, not a religious statement said by route, but through the understanding, that it has nothing to do with us, we are children of His Covenant. It is not what we did that qualifies us but what Jesus did for us

Blessed be His Name

Mark Ellwood

Husband of one gorgeous wife, blessed father, delighted in my daughter, pastor, preacher, pedestrian, follower of Jesus, amazed that I have been chosen. Mark is the Senior Pastor at The Bridge Church For All Nations. Follow Mark’s personal blog