Scandalous Grace Day 5
Day 5: Transformed by Grace
God's grace creates both unity and division, as seen in Acts 14 through Paul and Barnabas's ministry. While grace transforms lives completely, it also offends human pride and self-righteousness. Many reject grace because it challenges their belief in earning salvation through good works, religious performance, or personal merit. The appropriate response to rejection includes perseverance, dependence on God, and wisdom in ministry. True biblical grace remains scandalous because it freely gives what we could never earn - perfect righteousness, forgiveness, and eternal life through Christ.
View Sermon HERE
Devotional
Grace is not just a concept to understand - it's a power that transforms. When we truly encounter God's grace, we can never remain the same. It challenges everything we thought we knew about earning God's favor and redefines our understanding of love and acceptance. This transformation isn't always comfortable. It often means letting go of our pride, our self-reliance, and our attempts to earn what God freely gives. But the end result is freedom - freedom from having to prove ourselves, freedom from the burden of earning God's love, freedom to live in the joy of being fully accepted in Christ.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1
Reflection Question
How has God's grace transformed your life in ways you never expected?
It will either offend you or save you.
But it will never leave you the same.
~Pastor Mike Mura
Prayer
Heavenly Father, continue to transform me through Your grace. Help me to embrace the changes You want to make in my life, even when they're uncomfortable. Amen.