“So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” (John 1:14 NLT)
There are several words with only a one letter difference, but none so graphic for a believer as grace and grave! Apart from Jesus the grave is a terrifying prospect. To leave this life without Jesus is to enter an eternity of misery and suffering separated from the light and life of our only Redeemer.
Five times in the book of Revelation separation from God is described as being “cast into the lake of fire.” Think of the pain of burning your finger by touching a hot surface, yet that’s only one of several ways of describing the agony and torment of being separated from God with no recourse, no hope of ever being with Him again.
The grave holds no fear for those who have yielded their life and allegiance to Jesus, but for those who have no relationship with Him, their “hell” begins long before their last breath leaves their body. Having walked with the Lord for many years I can’t imagine the Lord Jesus not being with me. His grace, mercy, kindness, and goodness are so much a part of my daily living that the thought of not having Him in my life is literally terrifying.
Please, I implore you, if you don’t yet have a personal love relationship with the God of the Bible through faith in Jesus alone, by faith alone, please click the highlighted link and learn how you can begin your walk with Jesus today, before it’s eternally too late. Click on Ron Hutchcraft’s Bridge to God.
Another set of words that is closely akin to grace and grave are fail and fall. One thing that is common to every believer, regardless of when they lived, is failure. No one except Jesus has ever traveled flawlessly in their walk with God, yet, because of God’s grace, failure doesn’t have to be final. While none of us likes to fail in our walk with God, since it’s common to each of us, often the most healing aspect of failure is confession, not only to God, but to each other.
May I assure you, based on the authority of God’s Word, the Bible, regardless of how far you’ve fallen, God’s Holy presence is never far from you. The only sin that’s unforgivable is the sin for which no forgiveness is asked. You haven’t fallen so far that the hand of Jesus can’t reach you. Though you may not believe you’re worthy of forgiveness, and I assure you, like me, you’re not, Jesus died for you and His blood is able to cleanse you and free you from the guilt and shame of every sin.
A few weekends ago I attended a Men’s Retreat in the California mountains. It was a beautiful setting for an enjoyable time together with Christian brothers from several states and churches. We enjoyed wonderful times of worship together in one large group and in many smaller group settings.
On Saturday evening at the end of our worship time, one of the Pastors explained that as a rule men keep secret from others about 10% of things with which they struggle. We may confess to God the things that haunt us – the pornography, lust, greed, pride, unfaithfulness, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, envy, drugs, alcohol, and many other things that seek to debilitate us in our walk with God – but we’re very hesitant to confess those things to one another, as the Scriptures instruct us to do.
An invitation was given for men to come to one of the men standing in front of the chapel for the express purpose of confessing the 10% that was holding them back. After dozens of men came forward to confess and pray with another brother, we all went together to an amphitheater where there was a firepit in the center. We worshipped and shared communion together. It was among the most celebratory and moving moments of my life.
Please don’t rob yourself of an opportunity to be free of what’s holding you back in your faith. Find a brother, if you’re a man, or a sister, if you’re a woman, confess to one another, then pray for one another as James 5:16 directs, and be healed. It’s a beautiful thing when we let Jesus crush Satan and He enables us to let grace win!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 