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NIV is used unless otherwise noted.



THANKSGIVING: GRACE THAT IS GREATER THAN ALL OUR SIN


                                  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.                                         John 8:36

Have you ever wondered what your life would have been like if circumstances had been different? At times I think, What if I had been born in another country? What would I be doing today had I married the other guy? What if my husband had accepted that job offer that looked promising? What would my life be apart from God’s grace? The Bible answers the last question—I would be a slave to sin (Romans 6).
In Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, the ghost of Jacob Marley struggles to walk because of chains forged in his earthly life. A person apart from Jesus Christ has invisible chains by which he is bound. He struggles to do that which is ‘good;’ and yet, he can’t. He has no power to withstand that which is evil. Sin is his master. Before God’s grace, that was my life. It is the state of every person apart from Jesus Christ.
The book of Hosea presents a beautiful picture of Jesus, our Redeemer. Hosea’s wife left and became unfaithful. In time she became a slave and was being sold in the marketplace; but Hosea redeemed her. He purchased her, restoring their relationship.
Through grace, that is what the Lord Jesus has done for me and for all who believe in Him. Without Jesus, what would I be? I would be a slave bound to that which I do not want to do, powerless to change. Yet, in love and grace Jesus purchased me with His blood. He gave His life that I might be free. Sin is no longer my master.
Today are you struggling to do what in your eyes is good, but find you can’t? Are you powerless to change your life? Only Jesus can remove the chains.  Only He has the power to set a captive free. He stands waiting in the marketplace, ready to purchase you. Will you surrender to Him?
A hymn of thanksgiving:
“Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!                                             Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin!”

Jan Burkhart

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