God’s grace is vastly more abundant than our ability to conjure and commit sin.
Acts 15:1-10
Our sin is like the weather.
We don’t have to wait very long for the sunshine to turn into a thunderstorm.
But fortunately, God loves us in all kinds of weather.
Think of it this way… Imagine our universe and it’s vastness.
Now double it…
Then, triple that.
You still haven’t even scratched the surface of how big is God’s grace and mercy.
Now, think of yourself and the sins you’ve committed.
And don’t worry – this isn’t a beatdown sermon that’s gonna tell you what a wretch you are… even though you (we) are.
This is a post of celebration!
As children of God, there’s nothing we can do that’ll drive God away from us.
Personally, I’ve struggled with that from time to time. Knowing my own sin, I’ll think to myself that there’s no way God will let me into Heaven.
But then I remember His promise. His mercy is limitless and His grace in unending to those that have asked His son, Jesus Christ, to be their Lord and Savior.
The Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verse is from a time when the early church was being established. There was disagreement, as well as some distortion of God’s plan for the Gentiles. The Apostle Peter cut right to the chase by telling everyone that God’s grace is given to everyone who believes, regardless of who they are and what they’ve done.
The Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray to see your sin as a thunderstorm in your life rather than a flood that washes away your salvation. Pray for forgiveness and know that God’s promise is absolute and will never change. Give thanks to God for loving a sinner and His infinite mercy on our souls.
And the next time the storms of life toss you into what seems to be the biggest mud hole there is, crawl on your hands and knees to the throne of God and bring Him all your dirty laundry.
And don’t worry if He’ll be there…
His laundromat is open 24×7 and you don’t need a pocketful of quarters to use it!
Acts 15:1-10
1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”