For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Romans 1:21,22 NIV

It is one thing to believe that there is a God or to believe in God.  The beauty of grace, which is God's love given without condemnation, is meant to change how we think of God and therefore how we feel and think about ourselves. Grace lets us know God in a way that refreshes and  brings the desire to express thanksgiving.  The man or woman that lives thankful automatically gives glory to God.  On this new day may you delight in finding ways to be thankful.  Let God's grace express through your words the beauty of a thankful heart.  In this place you will always be known as an encourager and a blessing.  Some of the most difficult situations are changed with a heart of thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

One of the beautiful things along our journey through life is when we feel something and we describe it as feeling it with all our heart.  This is not an academic statement, it is something that touches the very fiber of our being.  The beauty of God's grace is that it takes our belief in the Lord from the academic into a relationship with him that touches the very soul of who we are.  Grace impacts our heart like nothing else can and in this place our desires and emotions become free to express love, kindness and encouragement without the feeling of embarrassment.  Here our marriage, our children and our relationships are refreshed in ways that cause us to praise and give thanks to the Lord.  On this new day that has been given to you as a gift from the Lord, may you enjoy this freedom of his grace.  May your heart be refreshed and encouraged along this new journey and may he then give to you the desires of your heart as you delight yourself in his grace.  In this place there is no regret or sorrow.  Enjoy!

This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers.  Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:9-11 NIV

Pray or prayers, what awkward words these are for so many of us.  We often are not sure how or what to pray for, therefore we miss much of the joy in relationship with our Lord and the blessings that can be given to others.  Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  In God’s grace that is through Jesus Christ, prayer becomes a natural response from us to the Lord who raises the dead.  In prayer we can express our thanks for a life that is described as a new creation.  When thanksgiving is our foundation of our prayer, we will find ourselves delighting in our Lord.  Today may you begin with a prayer of thanksgiving to your Lord.  What comes next in your heart and mind, bring before him with the assurance that what you are praying is now in the process of being accomplished for others.  Then many will give thanks and want to know the same grace and life that is yours.  Enjoy!

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 through our life we seem to be confused about God’s grace in Jesus Christ.  We may think that it is some kind of religion by which we judge ourselves and others. That is so far from reality. Here is the results of God’s grace, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.  He took us, with all our sin and put it all on Jesus Christ, so that we might become the righteousness of God.  God’s righteousness delivers us from the penalty and power of our own sin so that we can live our life as a new creation which he calls the righteousness of God. Today may you in the depth of your heart experience the renewal and life of his grace.  Allow his joy to be yours in every detail of your life as you choose to rejoice before him.  May those who meet you today experience the kindness of our Lord through your words, your actions and your expressions. in His righteousness there is no condemnation!!! It is a great way to live.  Enjoy!

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

This Psalm is one of my favorites.  To delight is a very energizing thought and emotion.  It does not say - exhaust yourself, strain yourself, worry yourself, or condemn yourself;  it says delight yourself in the LORD.  To delight means to find enjoyment, pleasure in and experience joy.  What is so refreshing about God’s grace is that it creates a genuine delight for the Lord and that changes the intent of our desires. Today let His Grace penetrate your soul and you will find yourself delighting in the Lord.  If you will allow this grace of delighting yourself in the LORD to be who you are each new day, things will happen in your journey that will be overwhelming with joy. Those around you will experience that life that is called eternal.  Smiling and refreshment 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.  A good question to ask is - "When someone uses your name, what comes to their mind?" In grace there is a freedom, a richness and a joy in who you are because of the Lord Jesus the Christ. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.  In fact grace creates new emotions which sound like – sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. Today enjoy the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.  Think of who you are now because of the grace of our Lord.  Whatever you do or say, do it as a rep[resentative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks... This message of grace can give refreshment to those around you. Today is a good day for people to know your name.  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

The emotions of always giving thanks are at all times good for us. It is good to give thanks to the LORD.  Almost everybody on the planet wishes to have relationships that can be called good, yet many of us are groaning from the inside out because our relationships within our family and friends are not good.  Many relationships are broken not because the giving of thanks but because of words and actions that had nothing to do with being thankful.  Well, here is some very good news.  God's grace can heal emotional wounds, so that grace becomes what we are to our family and our friends.  Grace frees us up to give thanks and proclaim his unfailing love in the morning and his faithfulness in the evening.  That carries over into all areas of our life.  Today may you choose to give thanks and proclaim your unfailing love to the LORD in the morning and the evening.  This day will bring the beginning of making all things new in your journey with family and friends.  Enjoy!

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.  Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin  Psalm 51:1, 2 NLT

Here in these words we have a man who has become exhausted from all the choices he has made and there results. Most men and women usually think of God as seeing all their failures, all their irritations and then offers nothing but condemnation.  Many do not think of God according to his great compassion, which is His grace. Here is what His grace can do for all of us. blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. Grace is his unfailing love (NIV) given through Jesus Christ that accomplishes this forever.  Here we experience, compassion, kindness, peace and a life that is absolutely breathtaking.  Today are you willing to experience His great compassion that removes all the shame of your sins and your guilt? When God’s grace penetrates your heart like this, your nature is changed. May words like delight, rejoice, praise, thanksgiving and encouragement be words used by everyone you know, to describe you. In that condition your hope will be a full cup. Enjoy!

Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises?  Absolutely not!  If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.  But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.  Galatians 3:21, 22 NLT

What is so amazing about God’s promise is that it gives something to us that we cannot ever accomplish or obtain by ourselves. If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. So we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.  It is called grace and known as a new life.  This new life is given through what God promised his grace would do through Jesus the Christ.  Sin is the conflict of our soul and it has no ability to love; it can only lust because it is always self-seeking.  The law says do, Grace says done!  The freedom of God’s grace lets us choose how we will respond to our opportunities.  We can now see clearly the difference between new life (freedom) and being a prisoner to our sinful emotions.  Today let your heart be refreshed in who you are because God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.  His grace lets you choose what direction your thoughts and emotions will go.  We now know why we sing – “Amazing grace that saved a wretch like me.” Enjoy!

The man said, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. Genesis 2:23-25 NIV

This is how life started in a relationship for the man and the woman, The man said, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh;” and then sin came.  In sin things became shameful, embarrassing, confussing and sexual immorality became normal.  Man began to be angry, irritated and lustful instead of loving and in so doing the relationship with his wife became difficult.  The woman had emotions for something different and things became exhausting.  Sin always desires to overrule God’s plan even in marriage. But Grace can renew all of this and can give a man or a woman a new place to start. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.  Grace (the nature of God’s love) gives the freedom to love and encourage. Being overwhelmed by God’s grace is truly the most renewing way to live through this life. It recreates our nature for holiness, it can heal the wounds of the past; it can give a new beginning every day for marriage and family.  Today please allow yourself to enjoy the life of being overwhelmed by his grace. The victory you are looking for is found in his grace, that is Jesus Christ.  It is a love that expresses itself without condemnation or shame and therefore refreshes the one you are with. In grace, words of kindness, praise and encouragement come naturally. You will find that grace is everything you have hoped for and everything you could desire. Enjoy!