Grace by any other name

Treatise on Grace by Jonathan Edwards (excerpt)

'Tis common for us to speak of various graces of the Spirit of God as though they were so many different principles of holiness, and to call them by distinct names as such, —repentance, humility, resignation, thankfulness, etc. But we err if we imagine that these in their first source and root in the heart are properly distinct principles. They all come from the same fountain, and are, indeed, the various exertions and conditions of the same thing, only different denominations according to the various occasions, objects, and manners, attendants and circumstances of its exercise. There is some one holy principle in the heart that is the essence and sum of all grace, the root and source of all holy acts of every kind, and the fountain of every good stream, into which all Christian virtues may ultimately be resolved, and in which all duty and [all] holiness is fulfilled.

Grace this weekend was the fact that God saw fit to let my father in law have a small stroke. One that he is going to be fine from, happened why he was at home. Best time of day and with all of us nearby to assist. Have been thinking about how much he means to our family and the impact he has had on me and our children. We are all better for knowing him. I am thankful that he knows Jesus and that he loves Him.

So how is that looking for you as a man? How are you impacting those around you? Can they say that being around you has made them a better person? Do you have any relationships that go deep and not just surface relationships?

I have been praying for different brothers I know without jobs, in a life change and Gary put it real well this past week. (He co-blogs on here with me) He has been suffering from back pain and he said that it is awful hard to focus off of self when you are in pain. So true.

Think about God. Think about your situation, Talk to Him about it. Give the pain to Him, You only have one shot at this fallen world. You and I need to run the race well as Paul encouraged us too. I look at those Christians in the New Testament and even during the tough economic times we go thru now, it is nothing compared to them.

May we enjoy this time, push thru to the next side and take many with us!

The picture above is our new mascot @ Oakwood Christian Academy. He made his debut at the first home game two weeks ago. GO EAGLES! It is good to see the twins enjoying friends and athletics. Fletcher starts keeping the scoreboard this week and Sarah Beth was a whiz working the concession stand last week with her mom. Being six she can almost make you buy anything!

Me? I was just glad to be able to get away from work and make the games. Two this week.

Happy Labor Day ! May God Bless you and encourage you today to get into His Word, see how much He has loved you and I and what we can do while here to make a difference!

Selah.