Grace and Peace

The focus is on Galatians 1:3-5

My marked passages:

Unless we understand grace, we will never understand peace.

I have to admit that this was troublesome for me, mainly because I become so confused about grace.  Maybe my focus when I was growing up was more on pleasing Mom and Dad and I didn't really realize that while that was important, I should have been more concerned or focused on pleasing God, and realizing that He, and only He, could offer me grace.  And...His opinion of me was the most important, plus he would always forgive me.  Mom would not.  And that is what I had to live with.

God created us for His pleasure and ours, and nothing else will ever satisfy us except a deep and intimate relationship with Him, putting Him and His will first in all things.

I did go to Sunday School and church.  I did participate in our rather slim Youth Group program.  But I don't think I ever really understood what an intimate and personal relationship with God was.  When Dad made arrangements for me to talk to our minister about my relationship with Mom, you can guess how livid she was and how she took it out on me.  That was just a very confusing time for me.  Through the OBS and through my talks with friends, I am seeing what I missed in those early years of my life.

We may and should enjoy the things of the world, but God must always come first.
 
I have been thinking so much lately about how much purging I can do of material items.  I then also think about how focused Mom was on her material things and how proud she was of everything and how she delighted in showing off all of her material possessions.  They meant more to her than we did.  I know she often said that she didn't like any of the churches around Wooster and she chastised  Greta and me for our beliefs and our connection to our churches because none of us believed the way she did.  But I am not sure that God came first with her.  Her things did.  I remember also when Dad told her he thought they should downsize to make things easier for both of them and she said that nothing or no one would ever take her away from her house and her things because they were the most important to her...over anyone.  And Dad's face just fell.  How would she feel if she knew that so many of her treasured and valued possessions ended up in the dumpster because no one found any value in them?

The world cannot bging true lasting joy to us.  The important thing is to not get attached to it and to always remember that we are merely passing through.

We may find joy in travel.  We may like driving a new car or moving to a new house (and we have done all of those things).  But we can't take the house or the car with us when we die.  Joyce mentions in the readings that if you drive past a junk yard and look at the items that are rusted and falling apart, you should remember that at some point they were bright and shiny and a prized possession before they became a pile of junk.

Through Christ we can be content while we are on earth, but our complete satisfaction is only found in Him.

One of the things I really enjoy is sitting on the deck and watching the day end.  I also enjoy catching a beautiful sunrise.  How can anyone doubt that God exists when looking at a beautiful sunrise or sunset?  How can anyone doubt that God has a hand in a growing season when watching a field of dirt come alive with green after a spring rain?