Finding Grace
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THE BIBLE
The system of chapters was introduced in A.D. 1238 by Cardinal Hugo de S. Caro, while the verse notations were added in 1551 by Robertus Stephanus, after the advent of printing[1].
DAILY READING : GENESIS 4 - 6
TEXT : Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
THEME : GRACE
In these chapters we discover the beginnings ["Genesis"] of man's history, which unfortunately begins with murder ? the slaying of Abel by his brother Cain. From the start, once Man decided to break God's commandments, there has been nothing but misery in the world, both personal and corporate.
People have trouble understanding that all the problems we face today and have experienced throughout history comes from what the Bible calls sin. God defines it as - "missing the mark." Therefore, Man falls short of God's purpose for His highest and most noble creature which is companionship and friendship with Him. Sin is the cause of every evil we see, have seen, or will yet see. All our troubles are a result of Man's estrangement from God. Whether is it war, sickness, poverty, fear, divorce, depression, etc. ad ifinitum, all of it originates from sin ? the breaking of God's laws.
More than that, Man cannot believe that God is going to condemn all sin in a final, terrible judgment. Jesus spoke often about the dangers of Hell, and that He had come to save Man from going there. Still, most do not have confidence in the words of Jesus, the prophets, or the apostles. They do not believe there is a place called Hell, or in a judgment to come. Further, most do not accept the result of sin is eternal separation from God, and therefore a severance from all that is good [since God alone is good and the author of every good thing]. The truth about sin and judgment is foolishness to most people.
Yet, the Bible, the most popular Book of all time, repeats this fact constantly through both Old and New Testaments. However, the New Testament states that "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." This is the Gospel, which means ? "good news." We read that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and because of this, he was spared from the judgment that fell on the Old World in the Great Flood. He and his family were "saved" from God's judgment upon sin, as he obediently built the ark in the fear of God knowing what was coming on the earth.
TRUTH FOR TODAY : "FINDING GRACE!"
You too can find grace, similar to the way Noah did. God offers a reprieve from the penalty of sin's effects [judgment] through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible states that ? "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:? Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." [Eph. 2:8-10]. With the grace of God, we are set free from the judgment to come. Also, we can be free from the fear of anything this world can bring against us, since God's grace delivers us from His wrath, and restores us to fellowship with Him. A fellowship I might add, that brings an inner sense of peace, joy, and confidence, needed so much in this fallen world.
