So today at church our scripture reading before the sermon (in between worship songs) was from Romans 12:3-21. Being my turn to sing this week I was on stage at this point.
The 2nd guitar player (a sweet lady) and I were seated on the pew in the back of the stage, sharing a Bible and following along as the passage was read. As the scripture progressed, our happy faces turned somewhat to frowns as we realized how far short we fell of the ideals of our Lord.
I whispered in her ear, "I got a big fat 'F'," motioning a letter F across the Bible page. She agreed that was her report card grade too.
In second service when we took our seat on the back pew for the reading, she whispered, "Here we go again!" This time I said, "Yes, but because of His grace this is our grade," and motioned a letter A across the Bible page...
We had briefly talked about the goodness of His gospel after the first service, and how we need to constantly remind ourselves that it is never by anything we have done that we are approved in Him...
At the first we are saved by His grace, and even now we only continue to stand by His grace... There is NEVER anything we can do or say to add or diminish from this...
And for THAT I am eternally thankful!!! AMEN.