Monday, April 18, 2011

The Gift of Grace Through Christ, Our Lord!

I have a deep and abiding love for my Savior, Jesus Christ and a thirst for more knowledge of His life and teachings.  During this Easter season my thoughts are turned to the Savior and his final hours. While partaking of the Sacrament on the Sabbath day; I pondered on the Lord's final week. I  desire to understand more fully His ultimate sacrifice for us all. 
I have often heard discussions on the word "grace". The bible dictionary defines grace as; "A word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.
It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold of eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts."


One of my favorite hymns is:
 " I Stand All Amazed." 

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me a sinner he suffered he bled and died.
I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine, That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love, and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to
 die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

Each day this week, I will share my thoughts and feelings about my Savior, Jesus Christ.
He is our Redeemer and through his Atonement we receive His ultimate gift of charity.


6 comments:

Joy For Your Journey said...

What a sweet post. And I look forward to reading more of your thoughts during this special week.

Shawnie Cannon said...

A younger sister sang that same hymn acapella at our Stake Easter Devotional last night. It was really beautiful and set the tone for the whole meeting. I had never thought of it as an Easter hymn, but it definitely fits.

Your explanation on grace is wonderful. I'd like to quote it sometime, are you the author?

Kudos to you.

The WIlloughby Family said...

Thank you for this post!! I love the meaning of the word grace, I have never read the definition before. It really gave me something to think about.

Pitterle Postings said...

I totally love this hymn. It is amazing. I love it, and I love this post today. Your words and your testimony touched my heart.

Susan Anderson said...

I Stand All Amazed, also. Thanks for an uplifting post!

=)

John said...

I need to understand the Savior and His final sacrifice more. I think developing charity must go hand in hand with gaining that understanding. I will be eagerly awaiting your next posts.