Made Alive by the Spirit

First, there were some police officers killed in the line of duty in Oakland. It is a sad thing when people, who are doing the job of protecting society from evil doers, are killed in the process of doing that job. But my pastor used this event to again express his love for people. He prayed yesterday for the families of the officers killed. He prayed that God would save at least one of these officers out of the abundance of His grace. And he prayed that through this tragedy others would be drawn to God and more people would be saved. Out of all the tragedies that have happened during my short life, I don't remember ever hearing someone pray, "Save one of these lost in the tragedy out of the abundance of Your grace." It was an awesome understanding of who God is, His power to save, and the knowledge of His love.

Romans 8:9-11 tells us (we) "are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in (us)." If we don't have the Spirit we do not belong to Him. I often feel like my sin begins to rule over my life and I almost freak out with the frustration of that. I hate my sin and do not what it to be in my life. But I do feel the prodding of the Spirit in my life to turn and flee sin. I know that, like the "Crazy Love" book said, "when we love God, we naturally run to Him - frequently and zealously." I know I desire to spend more time studying His word and understanding His grace and love more. I know that love is one of my weakest attributes. But it's a crucial attribute of God, required for my salvation. If God's grace was not revealed to me, I would not have any hope of eternity.

I praise God today for the grace and love and mercy he has shown to me. I praise Him as the one and only God, the Great I Am, my Savior, and my only hope. My prayer is that my life would be a light and my sin would be crushed, so that more people may know and understand God's grace. I am thankful for God's provision in my life and trust that He will continue to provide for my needs. I recognize my true needs have already been met in salvation and my joy is made complete in this truth. Praise be to God.

Praise God.
Praise Him as the Great I Am.
Praise Him for His Grace.