Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Grace”
Our Bible verse for today: “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Only a fool would refuse God’s grace.”
We’ve learned this month that there are two broad categories of God’s grace, “Common” grace and “Special” grace. Common grace is that which is common to everyone, they get to experience it just because they live on this planet. It includes things like sunshine and rain, beautiful flowers and singing birds, a good night’s sleep and the laugh of a baby.
Special grace is reserved only for those who are part of God’s family because they have placed their faith in His Son Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. It includes salvation, sanctification, the fruit of the Spirit, eternal life, and so much more.
When a person resists and rejects God, that person is refusing God’s special grace. How foolish! Why would anyone do that? If a person truly understands what it is they are giving up, surely they would choose God and His abundant grace. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:22-23 that the fruit of the Spirit in a person’s life produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” And that’s just one element of special grace. Why would anyone reject that if they truly understood it?
I’ve heard it said, and I’m convinced it is true, that the real test of any worldview (any philosophy of life), is the quality of life it produces in the person who holds that view. So when we’re considering the validity of a worldview or philosophy of life that a person is promoting, we should consider things like how much love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control does this person have in their life? How stable are their relationships? How much of a blessing are they to others? That’s an indication of how good or bad that worldview is.
Well, I can say with absolute certainty that I’ve never met an atheist who had a life that I would want. Not once. Not ever. I have however, met countless Christians whose spiritual maturity and depth of faith produced in them qualities of life that were attractive, winsome, and desirable. They were people who inspired me and whom I found myself wanting to be like. They were experiencing the richness of God’s special grace in their lives and it showed.
Only a fool rejects God, and I believe they do it only because they don’t really understand what they’re missing. That being the case, I encourage you to make sure they can see the fruit of God’s special grace in your life.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 