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Devotional Email for Oct 11

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Galatians 2:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 2:21 Amplified Bible (AMP)
21 [Therefore, I do not treat God's gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.]

You can frustrate or cooperate with the grace of God. It is better if we cooperate with the grace of God, but at times, we have all frustrated God's grace. It just does not make any sense to go against God. God is not some mean tyrant that is trying to stop us from having fun. God loves us and is trying to help us.

When Paul wrote this verse some of the Christians were being legalistic. They believed that you had to follow the Old Testament Law to be saved. Our salvation does not depend on our works. Our salvation is based on the grace of God.

Today we have taken this to the opposite extreme. We live like we can do anything we want to. We act as if it is OK or normal to sin. Sin is the opposite of legalism and it frustrates the grace of God. Sin stops God from working through and fulfilling the call that God put on your life. Sin opens you up to Satan and makes you an easy target. Sin is deceptive and will twist the purpose of the goodness of God.

Romans 2:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

Do not be casual about the grace and goodness of God. Your life does matter. Do not go around sleeping with whom you want to sleep with. Sexual impurity is not OK with God. We have become too casual about any every kind of sin. This is a matter of honor and love. We need to live holy to honor our God and as an expression of love towards God.

Honoring God has to do with our reverence for God. We show our reverence towards God by how we live. We bring dishonor to God's love for us if we allow sin to run our lives. Honor would not do such things.

Love compels us to obey God. Love motivates us to submit our will to God. We know that God loves us and is striving to give us His very best. Let's not frustrate and hinder the grace of God by the way we live.

Speak the Word: Father, I will cooperate with your grace. I live holy because it is a matter of honor and love.