sola gratia

Strange how that which should drive us toward Christ so often seems to bar our way.

Who else but our Lord can cleanse us from our sin? Where else can we find restoration and renewal after our failures? And yet I find that my sin often leers at me from where it stands in the forefront of my mind, demanding what right I, a besmeared and corrupt mortal, have to approach the One whose purity is matchless, who alone is the ultimate image of holiness and sanctity.

It is truly one of the great traps faced by us, a veritable catch-22 of the soul, put in place by our pride and unbelief. There is difficulty in accepting the concept that we are unconditionally loved, and that regardless of our current state or feelings, our God is willing to receive us and plunge us once again under the tide of His glorious grace. Yet it is true nonetheless.

Lord, give me the humility and faith to see that you are not one who judges by merit or performance. Open my eyes to the true extent of your love and grant me the confidence to approach your throne of grace and mercy.

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
~ Titus 2:13-14