From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

Don’t even try to figure it out, 'cuz you can’t—just take the gift of God’s grace and go on. This love of God, this grace of God thing…just let it into your life. Don’t strain your brain over it!

We are so limited by the broken Adam nature, and so used to those limitations, that when God tells us of His unconditional and unshakeable love for us, we just stare heavenward and say, “Oh, you can’t really mean that!” Yes, He does; He means that and more.

He is timeless, so when we complain to Him about things taking so long, He just smiles because to Him it is a blink in eternity. He is forgiving, so when we sin He can and does forgive us, even when we are unable to forgive ourselves and others.

God doesn’t just see you in one moment of time. He sees the whole span of your life and knows your heart. He looks at your potential not just some point in time when you may be royally failing Him. He is full of mercy, generosity, and that glorious grace (tons of favor upon you when you don’t deserve an ounce of it). God is full, we are empty—any questions?

You can’t bribe Him to make Him love you more and you can’t sin so grievously as to make Him love you less! What a God we serve. Don’t “think” it through; just “thank” it through! Endure the fire…it’s producing pure gold!

---