amazing grace

we live in world today where everything we have is earned. we grow up thinking that in order to get something, we must work for it. if we want money, we must work. if we want love, we must work. if we want fame, work is involved there too. if we want to become something in this world, by today's standards, we must somehow achieve it by works. without works, we have nothing to achieve, or so it seems in today's society. we do works to feel accepted or good about ourselves, it gives us a sense of belonging. without this sense of accomplishment, we sometimes feel lost. i find it amazing how people LOVE free things. i know that i always am excited to receive something free, to know that its been given to me. i mean, whats better than winning a prize you didn't have to work for?? aren't buy one get one free deals great? obviously, we as people, think something of free things, otherwise, there would be no such thing as free. i'm amazed to know that some people refuse to accept the greatest free gift of all, grace. what is grace? grace can be defined as a favor, pardon or mercy. grace is God's free gift to all people. He pardons us from all sins. He came to this world to forgive us for every sin we would commit while here. its His free gift to us. it seems totally unnatural by today's standards to accept something such as this grace of God. as earlier stated, we are taught we must work for things. so if this feeling of grace and pardon is so hard to accept, maybe it really is because of the way we are taught. its so simple, yet takes so much humility to accept, to finally realize that there is nothing i can do to save myself. i must put down my pride and let Him have everything. if we never accept this grace He so freely gives, its almost as if we are imprisoned. we are constantly trying to achieve perfection or acceptance. if we can't achieve those things in which we are pursuing, then we become frustrated. its like constantly carrying a burden on your back. let me tell you, if you try to carry a heavy burden for long, it gets quite wearisome. He is there to carry all our burdens. We may not seem worthy of this at all. Again, its a very surreal experience to truly let His grace rule your life. its something that gives me hope and happiness every day. i do think that sometimes i take this grace for granted. to know that He loves unconditionally is amazing. today people think we must work to be loved by everyone. its hard nowadays to find people that love you for who and what you are. Christ loves us regardless of who or what we are. isn't that mind boggling? He can take away all the frustrations, if you just give your life to Him. if you just set down your pride and admit you can't do it on your own. doing works, in the case of grace, well, its not going to get you far. you can try to help God, but He doesn't ask for or need your help. i was thinking about the song He has the whole world in His Hands the other day. most of us grew up singing this song. think about the words, they speak truth. who knew such a great and almighty One could exist? if He has everything under control, don't you think He can work out the most detailed events in your life? He can bring you hope and happiness. (we as Americans search for happiness in all the wrong places.) He can carry your burdens and help you conquer obstacles. Only He can though, we are nothing. i'm encouraged by this. to think that Gods grace is sufficient enough for all my needs. I just have to let down my pride so He can work. i wish some people would choose to be freed from this every discouraging thing known as works. He loves and accepts us, regardless of works. (again, totally unnatural) works can be like a ball and chain we are constantly lugging around.

my chains are gone, i've been set free
my God, my Savior has ransomed me
and like a flood, His mercy reigns
unending love, amazing grace.

if we focus on the fact that His love is unending and is grace is amazing, we see how truly worthless in this world we are. we NEED Him and His saving grace.
ok, i think i've rambled enough for now. :P