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The Transforming Reign of Grace

So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead. Rom. 5:21 (NLT)

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Cor. 15:10 (NIV)

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 2:1 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, the more we read your Word the more we see your grace as the most cosmos-transforming, heart-reorienting power in the universe. It’s not a tame kitten, but a disruptive kingdom.

Through the gospel, you haven’t just rescued us from the vanity of self-righteousness and the futility of works-righteousness. You have placed us in a whole new dominion and have released a power in our lives that claims all things and changes everything. The Apostle Paul was a perfect example of the revolutionary freeing power of grace.

When I read his letters, I wonder if I really want to be as “free” as Paul was. Free to live and die for Jesus; free to become all things to all people, that they might rest in your glorious salvation; free to count all things loss for the excellency of knowing Christ; free to forgive people I’d rather judge. Father, forgive me for wanting homogenized, domesticated, predictable grace.

Your plan isn’t merely to get us into heaven one day, but to get more of heaven into us every day. Grace doesn’t just free us from bad and broken religion, pragmatism and moralism, pietism and quietism, and a bunch of other “isms.” It frees us to no longer living for ourselves but for the one who died for us—Jesus.

Father bring a “no-holds-barred,” “no-prisoners-taking,” all-things-renewing grace revival to our hearts and churches. Rescue us from little stories of settling for personal peace and affluence. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus triumphant and tender name.

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