RECEIVING GRACE

RECEIVING GRACE

Ephesians 2:1-10


How many times when we were growing up we heard a mother or an aunt or even our

fathers say, "Hold up your shoulders." You can say it now and I see some of you

already beginning to sit up. It's almost a reflex action. We began last Sunday

a study of Christian posture...the great words that are used in the Bible, that

are used as symbols of our relationship with God, and our stance or our position

as Christians. We're going to look at words like sitting and walking, and last

Sunday we looked at the word "running." And then in moving from last Sunday's

study to this morning, I discovered that the next posture is not "resting" as is

mentioned in your bulletin. But there's something else involved in the running,

and, therefore, I insert this word today. As we are running from God - and that's

a position all of us when we think about, know something about - we ran from God

before we came to know Christ, and some of us have continually been running from

God, even as we are men and women in G-hrist. We discoverecl titat as we run from

God that God is like a running father who runs after us. We're running away, God

is running to. And when we slow down, when we stop, when we turn around and let

God catch us, then we have an amazing revelation. That which we were seeking in

our running away is exactly what God gives to us when we stop and receive Him...

that God is not like a hound waiting to devour us and put us down and slice us up.

But instead He is like that running heavenly Father. God is like a relentless

lover who just won't take no for an answer, but just keeps on courting ... keeps on

pursuing ... keeps on calling...keeps on dealing with us until finally He wins us

or we say an absolute "no" to His entres.

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