oh by the grace of God

Today would have been my mom’s 75th birthday, and I miss her greatly.  This coming week will also mark one year since mom passed away.  It is a tough time, but we are so blessed and grateful.

My dad sent my brothers and I a note yesterday and simply challenged us to “do something special for someone unexpected on her birthday.”  I will do that today, and maybe you would like to join this challenge as well.

Judy Harrison was an incredible lady.  She was stubborn, but she was strong, genuine and caring.  There is much more.  In the coming week I will share more about my mom.

Yesterday I came across a passage of Scripture that I would like to share with you.  Read through this a few times and see what sticks out to you:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31  NLT

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the lord .

One of the pieces that sticks out to me would not leave my mind yesterday and continues to teach me today.

God united us with Christ.

We are family with Christ.  We shared His death.  Because of sharing His death we have our sins forgiven and we have hope. 

God made Him to be wisdom itself.

We need Jesus.  He is our wisdom.  He is our life.  He is the one who holds us and will keep on holding until the day we leave this earth and join Him in heaven.

Christ made us right with God.

Because of sin we were enemies with God.  The only way to change our place and our problem was to have a perfect sacrifice.  The sacrifice was and continues to be Jesus. 

He made us pure and holy.

No I am not perfect.  But Jesus made me something I cannot be without Him.  Without Jesus I am not holy.  But Jesus changes everything.

He freed us from sin.

Last Friday I wrote about freedom.  We are free from the penalty of sin. In other words our wrongs will not be help against us.  Yes, we still have to deal with the presence and the power of sin in this world, but Jesus took our sin on Himself by being the sacrifice or the payment for the penalty of sin.  That is why we are not free.

I am reminded by the teaching of my mom and by her kindness that the freedom that God gives is wrapped in the grace and love of God.  I want others to know that same grace.