Accepting Grace from the Lord is not the same as demanding grace
Demanding grace from the Lord out of entitlement,
because it is your right,
considered your promise from the Father for serving His Son Jesus the Christ is pride and pride has no place before the Lord
In contrast, receiving grace as one who trusts in Jesus
and one who relies upon Him,
treasuring the gift that is offered to those who believe on Him,
is an example of true humility
Without Him, we can do nothing
“…for without Me you can do nothing.”
That statement can be found in John, chapter 15, verse 5
That is where Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches“
The place where we are supposed to realize, Jesus is our life
Where Jesus says He is the one who gives us life,
who gives us our sustenance
Jesus is the only way we can be grafted into the Father
to become a part of His Kingdom
For in Him we live, and move, and have our being;
as certain also of your own poets have said,
For we are also His offspring. Acts 17:28
If we separate ourselves and do anything on our own,
in our own strength, apart from Him, we are dried up, dead branches
He sustains us in Himself
The branches cannot survive if they are apart from the stem, the vine,
the one that gives nourishment and life
A broken off branch cannot bear fruit
and will wither and die soon after it is separated from the vine
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6
Keep in mind, Jesus bears our iniquity,
He continues to bear our iniquities as we continue to rely on Him
and trust Him and continue to commit our lives to Him
It is an ongoing process until we meet Him face to face
We are in the middle of the race until we complete it,
when we meet Him face to face whether that means our death or His return
We have not yet won the race and made it to the finish line
Do not lay down your cross, do not consider what you have done for the Lord Do not pat yourself on the back for your heavenly accomplishments
They are not feathers in your cap, they are gifts to the Lord
Obedience, humility, sacrifices and choices for Jesus
will continue to be our gifts to the Lord until He calls us to Himself
Keep seeking to please Him
Never rest on your laurels
Continue to follow Him
Continue to carry your cross
Continue to use your talents for Him
Continue to obey Him in all that He asks
And keep your heart humble before Him in all that He requires
Listen, seek and obey
For all those things hath Mine hand made,
and all those things have been, saith the Lord:
but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,
and trembleth at My word. Isaiah 66:2