US columnist CAROL ROUND says spending time with God each morning sets her up for the day…
Claremore, Oklahoma, US
PICTURE: Zwaddi/Unsplash
“Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory” – Romans 5:1-2 (CEB).
Rarely am I outside at 5:30am. But, the whining of my ailing dog roused me from a deep sleep recently. Normally, I would just let him outside to do his business. However, he’s recuperating from a back injury, requiring me to assist him onto his favourite chair or to carry him up the stairs. While the vet said he could go down the stairs, she didn’t want him climbing back up.
Finishing with his business and inspecting the backyard, he walks slowly to the bottom of the eight steps leading up to my deck. He knows to wait until I climb down to carry him to the top. It’s not easy toting a 23-pound dog up a flight of stairs with one hand while grasping the railing with the other.
“Prayer, meditation, journalling, and a mug of hot tea reinvigorate my tired body and spirit and help me face the day with hope.”
As I stood on the deck waiting for Harley to finish, I listened in the pre-dawn hours to the birds singing. I was filled with joy, listening to their happy songs. A peace settled over me. I understood why Jesus loved to spend time with His Heavenly Father in the early morning hours.
Before leaving my 30-year teaching career in 2005, I was an early riser. After rededicating my life to God in 2001, I would spend the early hours before the sun came up in communication with Him. Reading Scripture and writing in my prayer journal drew me closer to Him and helped me start my day on a positive note.
As each birthday has passed, I’ve experienced a change in my sleep patterns. According to the National Sleep Foundation, it’s part of the aging process. Like most people my age and older, falling asleep and staying asleep is more difficult than when we were younger. With aging, our bodies experience a physical decline, leading to pain and discomfort.
Changes in my sleep habits mean I can’t always get up as early as I’d like. But, when I do rise, my day begins with my Heavenly Father. Prayer, meditation, journalling, and a mug of hot tea reinvigorate my tired body and spirit and help me face the day with hope.
Without God’s amazing grace would we have hope? Think about it. If not for God’s unmerited favor and the death of His Son on the cross, would we have eternal hope?
In an article by Justin Holcomb, he writes, “Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, and not getting what you do deserve. Christianity teaches that what we deserve is death with no hope of resurrection.”
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Not only does hope arise from His grace, but the peace that comes from knowing where we will spend eternity can’t be replicated by any other means. We have peace with God through Jesus Christ.
We live each day by God’s grace. It defines who we are as Christians, forgiven by God according to the riches of His grace. The Apostle Paul tells us in Titus 2:11 that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.”
Does spiritual growth happen overnight? No, we must “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 2:18). Grace transforms into a new creation, changing our desires, our motivations, and our behavior.
We can’t earn God’s grace. But, we can accept His offer and rest in His peace, knowing our hope comes from the transformation He has begun in us. Grace – His amazing grace.
