Christian Poetry Books Christian poetry book publisher. Semi-Annual Christian Poetry Contest. Provides publishing services to poets whose work glorifies God's words. Sharing the words of God through poetry. Standing for Something : 10 Neglected Virtues ''Virtue is too often neglected, if not scorned or ridiculed as old-fashioned, confining, unenlightened,'' laments author Gordon B. Hinckley. Even as he enumerates all of America's social ills Hinckley believes there is a remedy. Chapter by chapter Hinckley presents 10 old-fashioned virtues that will return America to the glory envisioned by its founding fathers. These virtues include Love, Honesty, Morality, Civility, Learning, Forgiveness, Thrift and Industry, Gratitude, Optimism, and Faith. In his glowing foreword, Mike Wallace (of 60 Minutes fame) writes that Gordon Hinckley is an ''optimistic leader of the Mormon Church who fully deserves the almost universal admiration that he gets.'' The Greatest Miracle of All Drive Time Devotional Audio CD collection of SheLovesGod study lessons on the topic of Christ's ability to transform your life and help you become the person He knows you can be. Written & read by Marnie Pehrson.

Probably one of the most powerful yet least understood principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that of grace. The Bible teaches that it is the merciful and compassionate grace of Jesus Christ that saves us. When we think of grace, we immediately think of our own inability to save ourselves and how far short we fall of perfection. This leads us to the realization that it is only by the grace of God that we can hope to inherit the kingdom of God.

Grace Justifies Us

In a court of law if someone is pronounced justified, he is pronounced "not guilty." He is proclaimed innocent. The only way for imperfect beings such as ourselves to be pronounced "not guilty" is by Someone else taking the blame for us – Someone else bearing the burden of our punishment. That Someone is Jesus Christ. It is His atoning grace that affords us this mercy when otherwise justice would take her exacting toll upon our souls. Speaking of the Savior, Ephesians 1:7 says, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." (See also Romans 3:24). His grace justifies us and makes us heirs with a hope of eternal life. (See Titus 3:7) G.R.A.C.E. is an appropriate acronym for God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

Through Grace The Impossible Is Possible

But there is more to the concept of grace than meets the eye. Grace is an enabling power. Jesus taught, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27) How are they possible? Through His grace! Grace is the power by which God can work His will in our lives. It is the power that allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

The concept of grace is outlined in Ephesians 2:8-10:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

Because on our own we fall miserably short, our works cannot save us; but the purpose of God's grace is to recreate us in Christ so that we can walk in good works. It is important to note that God gives us grace so that we can do His works and build His kingdom. A natural outflow of being in a state of grace is an abundance of good works (also referred to as "bearing fruit").

In the parable of the vine, Jesus explains that He is the true vine and we are the branches. Every branch that falls off the vine and thus doesn't bear fruit is taken away and burned. (Why? Because it's evidently not in a state of grace. It's no longer connected to Christ.) But those branches that do bear fruit are purged so that they may bear even more fruit. Many times the events that are most painful in our lives are God's purging process enabling us to bear more fruit (do greater works). Jesus said, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing." (See John 15:1-7)

Without Christ's enabling grace, we can do nothing. With His grace, nothing that is God's will is impossible for us.

We are given grace that we might labor in the Lord's kingdom -- "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God." (Hebrews 12:28) Paul understood this principle, "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10) Even though Paul labored for the Lord, he still recognized that the efficacy of his work was magnified far beyond his human capabilities because of the grace of Jesus Christ working through him. In other words, Paul was connected to the Vine, so he was bearing abundant fruit.

Where grace abounds, so abounds good works. (2 Corinthians 9:8) Grace enables ordinary individuals to do extraordinary things in the service of God.

Activating God's Grace

According to Paul, each of us has different God-given gifts distributed according to the grace that is given to us. We activate and magnify these gifts "according to the proportion of our faith." (Romans 12:6)

Faith in Jesus Christ is the beginning. Following faith is humility and repentance. James 4:6 says, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." We activate God's grace by recognizing our own nothingness, our own inability to solve our own problems. We must come to a point where we surrender our will to God's will – where we realize that His way is the blessed way. We must replace self-confidence with faith. The wonderful thing about grace is that it is irrelevant how talented, weak or human we may be, God's grace is sufficient to make us strong. If we lean only on ourselves, we see our own weakness and think, "I'll never be able to do that. I can't commit because I know I'm weak and I'll just mess up." But when we put our faith and trust in God, we can say, "Even though I am weak, I have faith that God will make me strong. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)

Because of and through our weaknesses, Christ can make us strong. Paul was plagued with what he referred to as a "thorn in the flesh." We don't know what it was. Perhaps it was guilty feelings over his past mistakes. Perhaps it was continual persecution, or maybe it was an illness that plagued him. He came to the Lord three times (most likely in three seasons of his life) and petitioned the Lord to remove this thorn in his flesh. But the Lord responded, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul continues, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Paul received visions and revelations and was a great teacher, but he recognized that without this thorn in the flesh, he might have been tempted to be "exalted above measure." Therefore the Lord blessed Paul with humility by allowing him to suffer with this weakness.

It is in our extremities that we become humble enough to look to God and surrender to Him. It is when we wholeheartedly commit to Him and His will and surrender our control of the situation that we activate God's grace in our behalf. It is at this point that although we are weak, through Christ's grace we become strong.

As we replace self-confidence and our need-to-control with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we activate His powerful grace in our behalf. (Romans 12:3) With this grace, "no good thing will be withheld from us as we walk uprightly." (Psalms 84:11)

Grace "builds you up, and gives you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." (Acts 20:32) "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews. 4: 16) Let us "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) As we lean on Him, our best efforts will no longer fall short because through the power of His grace, our weaknesses become strengths and the impossible becomes possible. Of this I leave my humble witness, that when we do our best to do God's will and lean on Christ's grace, He always makes up the difference.

Written by: Marnie Pehrson
Marnie L. Pehrson is a wife, mother of 6, founder of SheLovesGod.com, and author of both inspirational Christian titles such as You Can't Fly If You're Still Clutching the Dirt: How to Stop Worrying and Achieve Your God-given Potential and historical fiction novels like "The Patriot Wore Petticoats". Be sure to download her free ebook Nothing Is Impossible for Those Who Believe. You may read excerpts and samples of her books and ebooks at www.MarniePehrson.com. She also frequently adds to her gratitude column here.

The author may be contacted at http://www.MarniePehrson.com webmaster@shelovesgod.com.

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