But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, made us alive together with Christ, (by grace we are saved;) For by grace are we saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyone should boast. —Ephesians 2: 5, 8-9
Not about me
I am not a good person for…
Without Christ
I fail—repeatedly
Make wrong choices—continually
Dwell on wrongs
Act on emotion
And pretty much mess up my life.
Consequences reflected
In hurts to myself
My family
My friends.
Cannot change myself
I try over and over
Wallow in failure
Until I recognize my need
Inability to help or change myself
In any lasting way
And lay my miserable failures before Jesus
Allow Him access
Change my heart for His–
A new operating system
Of forgiveness, hope, peace and love.
I am not good
But God is.
By faith in Him
I make a positive difference
Secure that when I fall
He’ll set me right
As I give it up to Him
For His love, truly, sets me free.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. —Ephesians 2:10
By Carolyn R Scheidies
From First I Bow