I want to share something that God was telling me this morning. It was such a great reminder to not only give others grace, but give grace to ourselves as well.
Christians are NOT perfect.
A Christian makes mistakes, sins, makes bad choices, and sometimes even wanders off from their relationship with God. This does not make them a hypocrite or unworthy of love. It does not make them less of a human being or “just like everyone else.” It does not take away their belief system.
As a Christian, believe me when I tell you that we know that our mistake is not good. It is not something that we should be doing.
But the deceiver is a strong foe!
He is hard to fight against here in the natural world and even more difficult to fight against in the spiritual realm.
Last night I was watching the news and one commentator asked something to the effect of “How can they [Christians] speak against this sin or that sin when there is sin within their own home?” (That was a much nicer rendition of how it was said.)
I just want to say, as a parent we do everything that we know to do in the power and knowledge that we have. As a Christian parent we guide our children in the path that leads to Jesus. But, we still fail at righteousness. Our children still make mistakes.
We still make mistakes.
But, I am constantly amazed by how much my God loves me, forgives me, blesses me, shows me grace, corrects me, cares for me, talks to me, guides me. Did I say He loves me? Can you believe that?
The amazing thing is that He loves me whether I believe in his Son or not.
He loves me whether I follow after his heart or run away. He waits for me to return to Him. My God will heal the faithful believer and the non-believer. He cares for us ALL!
He wants to have a relationship with every one of us.
To be a Christian does not mean that I live a perfect life. It does not mean that I never make mistakes and never have bad things happen to me. Being a Christian means that I have faith in the powerful and unconditional love of Jesus Christ to get me through whatever comes my way in life. It means that I have a BIG friend to talk to through the most trying times and difficult circumstances. And it means that I strive to be more like Him every single day. I fall short ever single day, but I will not stop trying.
I will not stop showing love to the sinner, because I myself am a sinner. I will not accept the sin. I will not condone the sin. I will not promote the sin. But I will love the sinner. If I didn’t love the sinner despite the sins there would be no one on earth worthy of my love.
God knows every secret that you have, yet He still loves you. Still seeks after you. Still wants you to know Him. Still wants to have an “all the time” relationship with you. Jesus paid the ultimate price to bear the punishment for the world’s sins so that we may have a direct relationship with his Father. Our Father.
I am a Christian. I am a sinner. I am loved and called precious child by my Father. I am forever thankful for His love, mercy and grace.
My mission is to encourage women to trust in themselves in life and in business. With love and faith I lead women business owners to find freedom in their God-given identity so they can live out their purpose with confidence. By helping you set expectations that lead to action, your dreams become a reality!
Stephanie Ferrara
Coach, Speaker, Freedom Fighter
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