Well, it's been a while hasn't it.
Galatians 1 (MSG)
We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we're in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God's plan is that we all experience that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!
Well, I must admit that I never knew that grace and peace that Paul mentions actually is connected in this way. I always thought of it just as a customary greeting. But it does flow in line with the opening of this passage.
Grace.
I don't think I really know the meaning of this word. To me, everything still needs to be earned, and it's so hard to just receive grace. If it's one prayer that I would offer after this, it's just to allow myself to be a recipient of grace, and then a giver of one as well, without devaluing it.
I guess without really accepting the grace of God, I'll never fully come into the peace that Paul mentions next. Grace is too hard to accept because in a sense, it makes me worthless. It destroys everything that I've done to earn my right, to gain my reputation. Grace can only be truly accepted when I know that I have to depend on God everyday, continually. It's not about me becoming the best person so much as God wanting that for me. The real difference here is that I rely on what God has in store, rather than use God to get what I want.
And it makes perfect sense, that if I'm not a recipient of grace, I am still not rescued from this evil world. Sort of reminds me of water-skiing. If you try to pull yourself out of the water, you're not going to get out. In the words of Grant, "You, V8, V8 wins". Every time I forget to hang on and try to pull myself up, I will unfailingly fall. But if I choose to not rely on my strength, but on the V8 that is a little scary at times, I get pulled up, and I ride over the waves. Well, not quite there yet with riding over the waves, but you get the picture.
Ok, I'll call this a day for now. Prayer time.