Time for Grace-April 18, 2024

Time for Grace-April 18, 2024

1 Peter 1:17-21

If you call on the Father who judges impartially, according to the work of each person, conduct yourselves during the time of your pilgrimage in reverence, because you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, not with things that pass away, such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot. He was chosen before the foundation of the world but revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We call on You today to forgive us from all the empty ways of this world: vanity, anger, pride, and everything else that wants to make its way into our lives and lure us away from You. The world comes at us with all its desires and the enticements for our flesh; sin draws us away from You.

However, through faith in our Savior and his salvational work, we have been redeemed from all our sins and the world’s empty ways. As we live by faith, we know and trust that Jesus has forgiven our sins and restored us to You. Peter reminds us that our redemption was not of anything from this world but by Jesus’ holy, precious, innocent blood.

Jesus’ holy life—his innocent suffering and death—was Your plan of Salvation established before creation. Jesus was selected and willingly carried out Your plan so all who trust in Him are united with You forever.

Please forgive us our sins and strengthen our faith so that we are securely united with You also through faith and that our hope is not in the things of this world but in You. Let us also share the good news of our hope founded in Jesus’ redemption with those who do not know you; send your Spirit to work faith in them so that they, too, will know and trust in Jesus and have eternal life. Amen.

Written through Pastor Roger Emmons

God is faithful to all who believe in Him and judges each impartially. Those who trust in Jesus have been covered in His righteousness and declared not guilty by Him, and because of Jesus’ work, they are holy, perfect, and without a single blemish or spot.