“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:21-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

http://bible.com/59/rom.3.21-25.esv
All,
This stands out because Paul says, “justified by his grace as a gift”. A good friend of mine asked me why God makes it so hard to follow Him. It’s understandable that he would think that, but he is forgetting that God didn’t chose for Adam to sin. Since we all “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, we should appreciate daily the gift of grace that we have and ACCEPT it. When we really understand the gift, we are so appreciative and trusting that it is easier to trust God and what he nudges us to do. Please pray that we and our friends dwell on this gift of grace today. Please pray for the CLC PRayer breakfast with Bill Curry on 2/18.