God made him (Jesus the Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Sometimes along our journey through life we seem to be confused about Jesus Christ. We begin to live our lives as though he were some kind of religious standard or a system of beliefs by which we judge ourselves and others as to our standing with God. Well here is the beauty of God’s grace, that he took us, full of condemnation about ourselves and others, he put it all on Jesus the Christ so that we would have the freedom to live our life in the beauty, the peace and the joy of our Lord. Today may your heart and mind experience the renewal and freedom of his grace. May his rest and joy be yours in every detail of your life as you choose to rejoice before him. Let those who meet you today experience the beauty of our Lord through your words, your actions and your expressions. In him you are completely free from all your forms of condemnation. Enjoy!

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

What a refreshing thought and emotion this is. It does not say - exhaust yourself, strain yourself, worry yourself, or condemn yourself; it says delight yourself in the LORD. What is so refreshing about the grace of our Lord is that it changes the foundation of our focus about who the Lord is and therefore who we are. Today let His Grace refresh your soul by delighting in the Lord. If you will allow this grace of delighting to be who you are each new day, things will happen in your journey that will blow your hair back. You and those around you will experience that life that is called eternal. Smiling, joy and encouragement will be just who you are and each day will seem like you opened a new gift. Enjoy!

Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:16,17 NLT

When we were young we began to learn the importance of who we are and what we are called. Our name and the name of our family became important. Then as we grew and went to work we found out that the people or company we worked for thought the same thing about their name or the name of the company. They wanted to know that when someone used their name or the company name that it carried significance and value. A good question to ask is - "When someone uses your name, what comes to their mind?" It is here where grace refreshes everything. There is a freedom, a richness and a joy in who you are because of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no one else just like you and every new day brings with it a new beginning. Today which has never been before, nor will come again may you enjoy who you are in the grace of our Lord. Whatever you do or say can give refreshment to those around you, be a blessing to you and reveal the beauty and thankfulness of the grace of God in you. Today is a good day for people to know your name.

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Psalm 100:1,2

What a great way to start a new day. The journey through life has so much noise, distractions, stress, worry, broken relationships and at times even anxiety. It is good to take a deep breath each morning concerning the joy that can be ours because of the grace of Jesus the Christ. Here we have words such as "shout for joy, worship the LORD with gladness, joyful songs." Something happens to each one of us when we pause along our way to take time to be thankful for the life we have at the moment. These moments can give us such refreshment that we can see and hear the details of our journey in a new way. Today may you shout for joy to the Lord and find yourself filled with delight for the freedom that has been given in his grace. Let your continence be refreshed so that all those who meet you may see and hear what it is to live with gladness in the Lord. Your smile and expressions will be contagious. Enjoy!

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Isaiah 5:20 NLT

In the midst of such sorrow, the grace of God can be found for an individual or a nation. Billy Graham is now 93 and has prayed this prayer for our nation. 'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable... We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and Set us free. Amen!' Today may you be refreshed in the power of his grace and the freedom it brings to you, your family and your work place. You are the renewing expression of his grace in all that you are.

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34

What a picture of the emotions of grace that we have here. Jesus had been falsely accused, punched in the face, spit upon, had his flesh whipped off his back, beard pulled, carried his cross to the point of overwhelming fatigue emotionally and physically, nailed to a cross and crowned with thorns. It was in this condition that he said - "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Grace goes beyond the situation and sees the love of God for the souls of men and women. In the midst of pain, grace gives the freedom to not carry the bad attitude of accusers and therefore it finds a sweet relief in forgiveness. As we can see clearly here, there was and is no condemnation in the grace that is in and through Jesus the Christ. Today, may you enjoy that freedom of his grace that allows you to bless, encourage and forgive in such a way that the love and kindness of our Lord is seen and heard through your life and voice. You will be so relieved and renewed that you will hardly be able to contain it. So lift up your heart, your voice and praise the one who loves you. This will be a day to remember.

The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. Psalm 33:6,7 NLT

When we were children, at least for most of us, our parents protected us, provided for us and cared for us. It was here we learned the beginnings of trust hope and love. No matter how rich or poor we were, we never thought about it, we just relaxed through the day and when we went home from school or play, we knew that food, shelter and love would be there. Our emotions just believed that all was well and somehow all things would be good. Somewhere along our life we learned about stress, anxiety and peer pressure, none of which we enjoy. The grace that is found in Jesus Christ gives us the freedom to relax, enjoy and have expressions of thanksgiving, for we know the Lord is in the details of where we are just as he was in the details of creation. When we are living overwhelmed by grace, worry leaves the room as well as attitudes that are less than refreshing. Grace does much more than save us for heaven, it sets our emotions and mind free to experience the love of God through the details of our journey. Today may you enjoy living right smack dab in the middle of his grace. You will enjoy the relaxing freedom of his presence; know the whisper of his voice and the joy of his salvation that calls you son or daughter. A smile is appropriate and your emotions and thoughts will be refreshed.

Taste and see that the LORD IS GOOD. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him. Psalm 34:8 NLT

What beautiful gifts taste and sight actually are. Without them so much of our journey through life would be missed. Without taste, what joy would there be in food or drink of any kind? Here the invitation is to experience the Lord as a delightful taste in our journey through life. In him you will not taste bitterness, resentment, condemnation or all the foul flavors of lust. Through his grace you will taste and see his joy, his love, his kindness and his delight in you. Today may you find yourself enjoying all the flavors and sights of our Lords grace in you. May you know and experience all the freedoms of his grace through your emotions and thoughts. Let your life be the goodness and encouragement of our Lord to anyone who meets you. Enjoy!

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening. Psalm 92:1,2 NLT

Almost everybody on the planet desires to have relationships that can be called good, yet many people are groaning from the inside out because their relationships within their family and friends are not good. Many relationships are broken because of what someone had done or said that wounded those around them. Well, here is some very good news. God's grace can heal brokenness and make us alive, so that thanksgiving becomes what we are to our family and our friends. Grace frees us up to rejoice in our relationship with our Lord and that carries over into all areas of our life. Today may you know in the depth of your heart that it is good to give thanks and proclaim your unfailing love to the LORD in the morning. This day will bring the beginning of making all things new in your journey with family and friends. It will blow your hair back in all the right ways.

To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:25,28

It is an amazing journey we are all on, when we think that the mention of God has to do with some kind of religion. As if he is some vague thought, hope or even some kind of distant probability. In this condition we make up our own rules as to what we think is good and fun. But what we experience even with our own rules is condemnation, guilt, irritations and a view of ourselves that is less than good. But the grace that is found is Jesus the Christ changes everything. God is not some kind of vague thought, hope or distant probability, he is the Lord and we can know him instead of believing in the distant probability. In fact we discover his grace and experience his presence. We begin to enjoy him and are invited to call him Father. Here in his presence we find a love that overwhelms us with joy, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness. Today may his grace overwhelm you, so that you know afresh his love for you on this day. The one you call Father has no one to be compared to and if he had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. So enjoy his love for you without condemnation. Delight yourself in him and the desires of your heart will be given to you for your joy and the blessing to others.