Three years of blogging!

Before June 12, 2006, I didn't really know all that much about the world of blogging. I had heard of blogs but I didn't know of anyone who blogged. I had my website on which I wrote an article or two, but it was nothing like having a blog. But then Dave Lesniak asked the question "Do Any One Of You Have A Blog?" on the Grace Walk Forum. Within a day or two, this blog was up and running and life has never been the same since! It's been a BLAST getting to know so many wonderful other bloggers and commenters, both on this blog and on many other blogs!

Here's what I wrote on my first post:

Hi there! Thanks for taking some time to be here. "Grace" is what this is all about - grace that saves and grace that is the power for everything in life. If you've ever felt frustrated in your Christian walk, struggling and striving to get it right but never quite making it - and even knowing you've fallen far short of God's holy standard - then I have good news for you! God's grace certainly is what saves us, but His grace goes far beyond simple forgiveness of sins! God's grace is the power in us, that is not "us," that provides all we need for Christian living. ALL we need! Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing" and Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

So if we can do nothing apart from Jesus, and we can do all things through Him, I think that goes to show that we are completely dependent upon HIM, and not our own striving and struggling to make it all work. There is peace and rest in this! As we rest in Him (abide in Him), His very life in us is what animates us and provides the power and energy for all He has called us to do. If it's up to our own personal efforts and struggles, the work produced will amount to nothing more than wood, hay and straw. If it's His life working in and through us, we will have adundant fruit that lasts forever.

So if you're riding the up and down rollercoaster of self-sufficient Christianity, stop fooling yourself and stop being so hard on yourself! You CAN'T do it! You will never do it! Besides, "you" have died - you have been crucified with Christ. Stop trying to bring that old man back to life to work the works he could never do in the first place! Let go and let the life of Christ - which is now your life ("I no longer live but Christ lives in me) - become your sufficiency. God's grace is not added to our efforts. God's grace is not a "part" of our lives. God's grace is the complete power for Christian living, and God's grace is - sufficient!