Grace

Originally posted on http://geppy.gephart.info

So, I was laying down to go to sleep - but felt I was required to say one more thing. In many of my internet discussions, it usually goes to what we should not do, say, or think. It focuses more on the law of deeds instead of the law of the Spirit. It does not focus on what a child of God does.

Reading Romans 7-8 it is clear that Paul went thru this same discussion - and dilemma. But he had the revelation that those things that we should not do, but we do anyway due to our still existing sin nature, are not things that we do; but it is in fact sin that does it. And we are not sin, for we have been bought at a very precious price. So with this in mind, he reminds us that we are no longer condemned for what the sin of our old nature does. We have been freed from sin and its consequences.

So it is our duty to move on; to get past discussions of sin and consequence. It is past time to move on to what we will do. What are the fruit of the Spirit that we are called to do? How can we show the Spirit of our LORD in our daily actions? It is in fact the actions that matter, and not the discussions. The discussions are a tool to help us grow and to help us understand what actions we have been called to do.

My earthly father is a Gideon and as a result I've learned plenty about the organization. But I've always wondered just how many Bibles are stolen from hotel rooms? Turns out the answer is "lots". But the Gideon's are always there to replace them.

Luke 17:12-19

12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy {12 The Greek word was used for various diseases affecting the skin-- not necessarily leprosy.} met him. They stood at a distance
13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-- and he was a Samaritan.

Abundance:
This two part word is derived from Latin. Ab meaning from and unda meaning wave or surge.
If you've ever watched the ocean as the tides were rising you get an excellent grip on it's meaning. As the tides roll in each wave hits and begins it's recession only to be overcome by the next wave before it is gone. The combined effect continues to grow until the beach begins to shrink and each successive wave builds upon the last to cover the once dry land with the vibrant life of the ocean.

The combination abundo serves as a wonderfully descriptive picture of the grace of God.