May Contain Peanuts

I woke up this morning thinking of 'may contain peanuts' statements on food labels. An interesting thought.

God's grace has no impurities because nothing else is processed in the same place as grace. Our grace must come from God and not ourselves. Our 'processing plant' has impurities.

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." - 1 Peter 5:10 ESV

He Is the God of ALL grace. That speaks of purity and of sourcing. He has all of it all the time.

If we are truthful about our labeling it would say, 'Unconditional Love' but in the fine print it would say, 'may contain conditions because of my fallen state.'

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 ESV

Some amazing promises there!

I must think of myself as poor in this area or better yet as a steward of someone else's goods. God has the grace. I get it from Him for myself then I have something to give.

Trying to muster up something that only God possesses leads us down a road that Lucifer went down long ago.

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' " - Isaiah 14:12-14 ESV

The 'son of the dawn' soon became the 'accuser of the brethren.'

We have the power to operate in the divine because we have received the God-man.

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, 'This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.' ') For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." - John 1:12-16 ESV

Jesus is the 'fullness' of God. We receive Him once and we are changed forever that reception formed a connection where grace can flow. That flow can be inactive if we live in a mental self-sufficiency. Salvation isn't part of that flow. We can't ever lose our salvation but we can at times lose the experience of our salvation.

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:28-32 ESV

People use passages like this to teach that our sinful actions grieve the Spirit but what is says is that our lack of willingness to proactively receive is what grieves Him. The actions become a result of not receiving.

None of us can afford to go into this day 'empty handed'. That is why we go to God 'empty handed' first and get what He freely gives us.

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