What is Grace ?

Grace is one of those words that is used alot in the scriptures and not really well-understood. Grace is the Greek word 'charis' which is defined as: that which occasions or bestows pleasure, delight, and/or favorable regard. It also carries a suggestion of being undeserved or unearned, as Paul explains in Romans 11.
I have heard grace defined as God's unmerited favor, but that doesn't quite work - it's more than that. Here is an example: I am a Buckeye fan. I bleed scarlet and grey. Don't bother me on Saturdays in the fall because I am going to watch Ohio State play. Period. They have my unmerited favor. Have I ever sent them any money for scholarships or scouted Michigan for them? No. I have never gotten personally involved.
So grace is what God does for you and what He gives you that causes you to regard Him with thankfulness and love. Actually, it's what He has already done for us and given us in Christ Jesus. The gospel is called the gospel of the grace of God in Galatians 1.6. The good news is that grace has provided forgiveness of all sin. All. Grace has given us access to the Father in Jesus' name. All the promises of God are ours because of what grace has done. All of them. Protection, prosperity, healing for our bodies, everything we could need, He has done by grace, meaning we don't have to earn it or measure up to anything . Our performance doesn't qualify us for it and it can't disqualify us either.
We are saved by grace. Through faith. (Ephesians 2.8) By faith we access the grace. (Romans 5.2) We see what God says that we have been given and we believe it. Then when we speak, it is in agreement with what we believe (2 Corinthians 4.13) and God's power (Ephesians 1.19) does the rest. The word is like a seed. Plant it and it has the power in itself to grow and produce (Mark 4.26-29).
The grace of God is really good news. peto verum

My Blog

This blog is a new thing for me. When one makes a decision, one must act or one becomes a procrastinator. At the behest of a close friend, I have created this blog and , not only is it a work in progress, but I don't have a clue what I'm doing. It should be great fun.

I hope to be able to help people. I have sure needed help in my own life and many a time there wasn't much to be found. Jesus said he would never leave me nor forsake me and He hasn't, but at one time or another just about everyone else did.  I also thought I needed an outlet. A place to vent. A soapbox. I like to interact with people, though in real life I don't as much as I would like.

It was suggested that I include the days when I am down. I still have too many of those. I don't wish to paint a picture of myself that renders me as one who has everything figured out and well in hand. I have made great progress, but still have plenty of room for improvement. I will say this: learning the truth from the Bible has made a huge difference in my life. The Word of God is the truth and the truth will help you. Guaranteed. Sure there are still struggles. Sure there are still obstacles that look insurmountable. Becoming a christian doesn't make a person immune to difficulties . But it gives you answers for them.

I will try to be honest at all times with my posts. At the risk of looking like an idiot, perhaps.There are many things that I think about and I will probably cover them all sooner or later. Hopefully, many will benefit, including me. peto verum

9-11

What happened on September 11 , 2001? Have we been told the truth? There is video footage of WTC building 7 falling, available online, that clearly shows freefall collapse, which is only possible with no resistance, meaning : a controlled demolition. This occurred the same day after the two towers came down .Yet I understand there is no mention of building 7 whatsoever in the 9-11 commission final report. Also, papers have been published in a physics journal detailing super-thermite having been found in numerous samples of the dust that covered Manhattan after the collapse of the buildings. Thermite is an incendiary, composed of iron oxide and aluminum, used industrially by the electrical and railroad industries, among others, that becomes super-hot super-fast. I have personally used it. But the type found in the WTC dust is also known as nanothermite, meaning the particles are much smaller and thus more reactive, meaning it gets much hotter much faster. This version of thermite is not so easy to get hold of. Very curious indeed.
There is an outcry for an independent investigation among engineers, architects and physicists world-wide that we are not hearing about in the media. Why? On the contrary, people who question the government's official storyline are marginalized and labeled as kooks and wackos by the press. Americans have been asked to pay for perpetual war, send their sons and daughters to kill and be killed in war, and surrender more and more of their personal freedoms, all directly resulting  from the events of 9-11. I want to know the truth about what happened . I believe every American deserves to know. But what we are hearing on the television news is not it.
Get your news online from alternative sources. The mainstream tv and print media is not reliable. Read. Ask questions. Think independently. peto verum

the Gospel

Gospel means good news . In fact , the word was uncommon in Greek usage other than in the Bible itself . What it really means is 'almost too good to be true ' news , over the top good. What God did for us in Jesus Christ is complete . Our salvation has been purchased by the  shed blood and is paid in full . And salvation does not end at the new birth . Coming from the Greek , soterion , it means simply , safety . It is an inclusive word : safety from whatever . Are you in danger ? There are promises in the Word to cover that . And all the promises of God are 'yes' to those who are in Christ . If you have been born again , you are 'in Him' . Are you sick ? You have promises for that . Broke ? The Word covers that . The bottom line is that God loves us so much that He made provision for us by grace , meaning we do nothing to earn it , absolutely free to us , and when we trust in His Son , we become heirs to all He has done for us. All we have to do is believe and speak . We find the promises in the Word and believe them , then agree with them in our speaking ( this is faith . we are saved by grace through faith  ) and God's power brings the answer to pass . That is really good news . If you are going to a church and the messages make you feel bad , then it's not good news . Good news makes you rejoice , bad news makes you feel discouraged , condemned , fearful and depressed . The Gospel is not a list of things you have to do to make God happy with you , nor is it a list of sins you can't do so He won't be mad . If you have put your faith in Jesus , God is already happy . He is pleased with you . And He wants you to read and understand His Word .( Thy word is truth . You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free .)
There are many people preaching that should instead sit down and listen to someone who knows what they're talking about . Even the devil can quote the Bible .
There are resources online to help . Books , teaching cd's and dvd's , and many websites that have articles and video archived . There are links to some of these on my homepage .
Find a place to worship where the messages make you feel good . Remember , Gospel means 'good news'. peto verum

The Quest

I am searching for the truth. Why? I suppose it has something to do with the Spirit of Truth . I am naturally curious , so it could be I am simply driven by curiosity. In my younger days i was  misled, lied to and was generally misinformed and so I was trying to function without the right information . Not having truth as a foundation is like walking in darkness . You bump into things and trip on things and don't make much progress and in many ways that was my life. Learning the truth is the remedy . Anyway , I have a love for truth . All truth : the truth about life , about God , about the world I live in , about myself , and about others . So if you also love truth , or just want to observe as I poke around , welcome to my blog . peto verum