(9) ...has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,
10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.
12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.
Life is a journey, but, in Christ, our destination is assured. We know that we have been brought out of darkness into His wonderful light, and He is the One who lights our way - Jesus shows us the way to go...there will be times when we stumble, when we sin, when we make mistakes, and when we fail. But, in all these things, we have a God who will stabilize us, forgive us, reassure us, and show us His ways. He will build us up when we are discouraged and will be our fortress when we are disoriented. He is faithful and walks with us as we surrender to Him.
In Romans 3, we encounter these spiritual facts:
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...
If you had to pinpoint an actor who has been synonymous with situation comedy, you might mention someone like Tim Allen. Or Jerry Seinfeld. Maybe even Patricia Heaton.
Got another name for you - how about Kelsey Grammer? For a number of years, he was part of the ensemble cast of Cheers, then spun off into a show in which he was the leading man, Frasier. He has continued to pop up in significant roles, including a recent stint in an adaptation of the unfinished F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Last Tycoon.
But, even though Grammer was playing for laughs during all those years, his life certainly was not exactly funny. According to a recent CBN News story:
That story points out that he has had three failed marriages, had a heart attack in 2008, and he and current wife Katye have endured several miscarriages.
There's a quote found in both articles, which may have come from an iNews interview. Grammer said: "As a Christian, we always fail because we can't become Christ," adding, "But I can try to at least emulate the best qualities, even if I may fall short."
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." That's a poignant and potentially life-changing statement from the Scripture. And, it's a reminder of several principles.
First of all, we cannot save ourselves. We have to admit our utter helplessness in filling the need inside our hearts, the, as its been said, "God-shaped void" that only He can fill. We have to recognize our sinfulness and His ability to save. We have to acknowledge our need for a Savior and invite Him to be our Savior. Then, we stop trying to live life or fix life according to our own human ability, then we cannot experience the fullness of His presence and the totality of our salvation.
Another truth is that we continue to fall short. Even after entering into salvation through Christ, we will continue to stumble because of our humanity, our flesh. But, in relinquishing control and relying on Him in utter, humble dependence, we can know His forgiveness and His empowerment to live in the Spirit.
We also have to say that no failure, or string of failures, can keep us from the grace of God. Kelsey Grammer has made his share of mistakes and that even shapes that statement about always failing as a Christian. I get what he means - we can never be perfect. But, I would take that a step further and say that we have been given a new nature in Christ and He enables us to rise above past failures and to live in obedience and power in the present. That may be a stretch for someone who has suffered like this famous actor, but we can always be reminded of the availability of God's amazing resources. We fail in the flesh, but can soar in the Spirit.
Finally, we can realize that we are a work in progress. None of us have arrived, but hopefully we are progressing, moving forward in the Lord. In these days, standing still is not an option for the believer in Christ; because you are vulnerable to be swept up in the negative currents that are so prevalent in this world. But, we can stay humble and reliant on the power of God within us.
+++++
In Romans 3, we encounter these spiritual facts:
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...
If you had to pinpoint an actor who has been synonymous with situation comedy, you might mention someone like Tim Allen. Or Jerry Seinfeld. Maybe even Patricia Heaton.
Got another name for you - how about Kelsey Grammer? For a number of years, he was part of the ensemble cast of Cheers, then spun off into a show in which he was the leading man, Frasier. He has continued to pop up in significant roles, including a recent stint in an adaptation of the unfinished F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Last Tycoon.
But, even though Grammer was playing for laughs during all those years, his life certainly was not exactly funny. According to a recent CBN News story:
It all started when he was just 13 years old. That's when Grammer's father was killed in a home invasion. Over the years, tragedy struck numerous times. In 1975, his younger sister was raped and murdered. After that, his two half-brothers died in a freak scuba diving accident in the Virgin Islands.A story on the FaithIt.com website says:
The constant heartbreak challenged Grammer’s faith, and at one point he admits, “I probably lost it.”
“There was a time when I abandoned the effort to find a reason to be alive,” he says.Grammer turned to drugs and alcohol, even had a drunk driving conviction. Then, as CBN reports, he went into rehab. According to FaithIt, "It was around this time when Grammer finally surrendered his life—and everything that was out of his human control—to God."
That story points out that he has had three failed marriages, had a heart attack in 2008, and he and current wife Katye have endured several miscarriages.
There's a quote found in both articles, which may have come from an iNews interview. Grammer said: "As a Christian, we always fail because we can't become Christ," adding, "But I can try to at least emulate the best qualities, even if I may fall short."
"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." That's a poignant and potentially life-changing statement from the Scripture. And, it's a reminder of several principles.
First of all, we cannot save ourselves. We have to admit our utter helplessness in filling the need inside our hearts, the, as its been said, "God-shaped void" that only He can fill. We have to recognize our sinfulness and His ability to save. We have to acknowledge our need for a Savior and invite Him to be our Savior. Then, we stop trying to live life or fix life according to our own human ability, then we cannot experience the fullness of His presence and the totality of our salvation.
Another truth is that we continue to fall short. Even after entering into salvation through Christ, we will continue to stumble because of our humanity, our flesh. But, in relinquishing control and relying on Him in utter, humble dependence, we can know His forgiveness and His empowerment to live in the Spirit.
We also have to say that no failure, or string of failures, can keep us from the grace of God. Kelsey Grammer has made his share of mistakes and that even shapes that statement about always failing as a Christian. I get what he means - we can never be perfect. But, I would take that a step further and say that we have been given a new nature in Christ and He enables us to rise above past failures and to live in obedience and power in the present. That may be a stretch for someone who has suffered like this famous actor, but we can always be reminded of the availability of God's amazing resources. We fail in the flesh, but can soar in the Spirit.
Finally, we can realize that we are a work in progress. None of us have arrived, but hopefully we are progressing, moving forward in the Lord. In these days, standing still is not an option for the believer in Christ; because you are vulnerable to be swept up in the negative currents that are so prevalent in this world. But, we can stay humble and reliant on the power of God within us.
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