Apr8Written by:host
4/8/2011 9:13 AM 
I can’t help it. I’ve just got to start my blog with a word about grace—because everything, as far as I’m concerned, begins with grace. John’s Gospel begins with a powerful word of grace, too.
All things came into being through Him, and without Him not one thing came into being. Jn 1:3
and
From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. Jn 1:16
I call what John said in vs. 1:16, “grace2” (grace squared—exponential grace). Anyone who knows me knows that grace means everything to me. Grace is the only way that I know Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life. Grace is the only way that I am able to do anything that serves God’s purpose and desire for my life. It is only by grace that I serve Christ and not myself or anyone else.
I would not expect that many (if any at all) of you would have a problem with what I’ve said. Where I begin to get the puzzled looks and some pushback is when I claim that I didn’t do anything to receive this thing I’m calling grace. Usually the pushback comes in the form of a statement or question that goes something like this, “You have to accept grace, don’t you?” or, “You have to believe to benefit from grace, don’t you?”
My response, “You bet! But, whatever I (or you) experience as ‘accepting’ or ‘believing’ is grace, too.”—because, it all begins with grace.
Understanding grace this way is the secret to happiness and a full life. Any part of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ that has the least amount of dependency on you or me puts that whole relationship at serious risk—and guarantees its failure. You see, I count on the cross 100% for my relationship with Christ—foolishness for those who are perishing, but for those who are being saved it is the power of God. (1Cor. 1:18)
I say this is the secret to happiness and life because it means that I trust Jesus Christ and Him alone for my belief, my faith, my purpose in life, and my happiness. Complete happiness only comes from complete trust. Anything less than complete trust is insecurity and insecurity blocks happiness. Nothing or no one else—except Jesus Christ—is worthy of this kind of trust. Therefore, this makes the grace of Jesus Christ the only source of true happiness.
It’s this simple. The cross of Jesus Christ gets all the credit for everything good in my life (including the grace to get through the bad stuff). When you can really trust that—you’ve got grace!
Thanks for getting here with me. I’ll be writing more about grace and life—life that is real, hard, difficult and disappointing—yet, hopeful. I hope you’ll take the time to share your thoughts with me and others.
Pastor Jim