Don't fool yourselves.  Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people - none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.  Some of you were once like that.  But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT

There has never been a family, a community, a state or a nation that has become better when these sins are the habits of its people.  The sadness of our time is that our nation not only does these things but now calls them good an acceptable. Don’t fool yourselves.  None of these will inherit the kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that.  But there is a living truth that our Lord has provided in the midst of all this, it is called grace. You were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.  Grace is God's love in Jesus Christ to not only release us from habits that are filthy by nature, but to create a new nature that brings righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  (Romans 14:17, 18).  Righteousness is deliverance from the quilt and condemnation of our sin and deliverance from the power it has over us.  Peace is the living harmony of the Holy Spirit living in us. Joy is the results of God’s righteousness and peace.  Grace produces habits that have their foundation in God's love and in that place there is no moral rot.  Today let the life of his grace set you free from habits that do not bless you or anyone else.  In his grace you have been cleansed, made holy and made right with God as sons and daughters, so now let you behavior praise him. This life is now and forever yours because of his grace in you.  Enjoy!

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

There is not a religion in the world that gives any soul rest; in fact all of them pile on burdens, guilt and condemnation. Their picture of god is harsh at best and always willing to find fault with you.  But the grace of God found in and through Jesus Christ has nothing to do with religion. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give your rest… for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  His grace has no stress, no weariness and no condemnation of any kind. Grace can heal brokenness, anxiety and feelings of judgment of ourselves and others.  The grace of Jesus the Christ is always open for our life every moment of every day, you will find rest for your souls. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Today may you experience the full pleasure of his grace for you.  Wherever you may be, allow his grace to embrace you so that you may know emotions and thoughts of gentleness and you will find rest and blessing.  His life, his goodness and his joy are now yours because of his grace forever.  Enjoy!

May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord, the LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me. 

Psalm 69:6 NIV

Thinking about ourselves first seems to be what is common to us naturally.  But what is natural to grace is the awareness of others in our emotions, our thinking and our desires that wants to inspire them.  The living gift of grace changes what is common to us naturally so that we are now aware of the impact our words, our tones, our expressions and even our desires have on those who are around us. May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, O Lord. No one is put to shame when attitudes of grace are heard and seen.  Today, rejoice knowing the impact you have on your family, your friends, your co-workers and even those who do not like you because of the power of our Lord’s grace in you. O LORD Almighty; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me. Your attitude and actions can rekindle hope and bring about a joy that is absolutely renewing.  Ask the Lord to let the life of his grace have its way in you and you will have an awesome day.  Enjoy!

If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.  But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.  Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.  Psalm 66:18-20 NLT

Grace is God’s gift to us so that sin no longer has the power to destroy our emotions, our intellect or our relationships.  Unconfessed sin brings about a condemnation concerning ourselves and others. In that condition our desires, our goals and our hopes that would be expressed through prayer are not listened to by our Lord. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.  The beauty of grace is the freedom to live without sin as the director of our heart.  When we are living in grace we will always find He paid attention to our prayer. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer.  Today may his grace bring to you the joy of praise, the joy of thanksgiving and even the joy of delighting in the Lord.  Let his love overwhelm you in how you see yourself and it will naturally flow through you to everyone around you. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.  This is a very good new day; our Lord loves the words of your prayer. Enjoy!

Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.  Proverbs 20:11 NLT

What we call character is what either builds or destroys relationships.  Character is more than just a family name; it is the definition of our life. Even children are known by the way they act.  Wounded emotions can take individuals down roads to adultery, divorce, drunkenness, slander, unforgivness and survival modes of every kind.  Here families are injured and broken, businesses fail and communities are in disarray.  God’s grace given in Jesus Christ is much more than saving someone so that they may go to heaven someday.  Grace creates a new nature through the Holy Spirit, it is described as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in Galatians 5:22, 23 NLT. Today let yourself experience the life of God’s grace given to you through Jesus the Christ.  His character is now yours, right now in the place where you find yourself.  His blessing is now yours and you can be the blessing of God to your family, your business, your neighborhood and your community. Get your will involved in His grace and you will have a character that will bring about a good day. Even children are known by the way they act, whether their conduct is pure and whether it is right.  Enjoy!

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself.  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross.  This includes you who were once far away from God.  You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.  Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.  Colossians 1:20-22 NLT

Many times through our life we will hear someone say, "If God is so good why does he let bad things happen?"  Well, bad things happen because that is the nature of sin in which our world exists. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions.  It is while we are in this condition that God poured out his grace for us through the blood of Jesus the Christ on the cross. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.  Grace brings us to life so that we may have the faith to trust, enjoy and love God and be a blessing to each other. Grace by nature encourages, trusts and blesses, therefore relationships are strengthened and refreshed. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. Today may you be willing to be renewed in how you feel and think because of the grace of God that has been given to you. Do not let your old habits from your old nature have any place to express themselves through you on this day.  May your very presence bring peace to all who come in contact with you.  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself.  Enjoy!

Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Proverbs 16:24 NLT

Words, what overwhelming power they have. Think of how many broken relationships have taken place because of words and tones that had nothing to do with kindness.  How many still feel wounded because someone said something that overwhelmed them with grief.  What is so amazing about God’s grace is the new creation it brings to our thinking, which changes our words and tones into blessings. Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.  Would you like your emotions to feel better, then ask God to pour out his grace upon you through Jesus Christ.  You will find a joy coming from you that sounds like - Kind words are like honey – sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.  Today let this grace be expressed through you and you will experience a joy that you had only dreamed of.  The souls of men and women around you are waiting for this blessing.  Enjoy!

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

When God makes all grace abound something brand new takes place within the soul of our emotions. In that place we find ourselves refreshed so that we are actually abounding (being fruitful) in good works. These good works will bring joy and appear as gifts of encouragement, kindness, and the meeting of physical needs.  God's grace allows us the freedom to live this way twenty four seven, Wow!  Talk about being blessed, how about actually living in a place, no matter where we are found, that grace is given and expressed through us.    Today let yourself become overwhelmed with his grace and you will abound in every good work.  God's grace just makes a good day and allows you to see with new eyes as well as hear with new ears.  Feel free to have tones in your voice and expressions from your face that cause others to desire the grace that you have experienced. Enjoy!

Imitate God, therefore in everything you do because you are his dear children. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity or greed among you.  Such sins have no place among God’s people.  Obscene stories, foolish talk, and course jokes – these are not for you.  Instead, let there be thankfulness to God.  Ephesians 5:1,3, 4 NLT

What is commonly called salvation in Jesus Christ is the transformation that his grace gives to our character. Imitate God, therefore in everything you do because you are his dear children.  If the iniquities listed here in God’s Word were somehow renewing to our nature, we would have stayed in them and would have had no interest in the life of his grace.  In the grace of Jesus Christ we can experience a refreshing nature, we would recognize it as thanksgiving in our thinking, our emotions and our attitudes towards God, family, friends and co-workers. Imitate God therefore in everything you do… let there be thankfulness to God.  Today allow yourself to celebrate the life you have in his grace, that joyful attitude of thanksgiving.   You and everyone around you will experience a delight in relationships with the Lord and each other. As you imitate God in the life of his grace, no one around you will be irritated, hurt or ashamed.   Your day will be just down right refreshing when your heart is filled with thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  Psalm 63:1, 3 NIV

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you. There may be moments in our life when we can be in a great throng of people and yet feel drained and alone.  It is as if we are in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  There in that place we discover emotions that never give any life, they only seem to exhaust whatever we thought we had.  We name them as hopelessness, despair, sadness and depression.  But right in that moment our God offers his grace which is water for our soul.  It is his love that quenches all our thirsts and brings hope, joy, refreshment and an abundance of kindness. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. That is why his grace is called amazing and overwhelming.  This would be a great way to start a new day!  So allow yourself to desire the life of his love and grace.  Let your lips glorify Him and you will experience thanksgiving and rejoicing in the depth of your soul.  Enjoy!