The Necessity of Grace and Faith

Today, Friday October 30 - If I had to choose two words from the Bible that best sum up the key to understanding and experiencing the reality of God and are so necessary to live out our Christian life, I would choose "grace and faith."  Everything begins with God's grace! "For by grace are you saved through faith..." (Ephesians 2:8)  Grace has been described as "God's unmerited favor".  It is that for sure, but much more!  Biblical grace is God giving us everything we need, the desire, the will, the power, the ability, and the strength to live out by faith the life that pleases God, and brings the greatest satisfaction to us. God's grace is only given to us when we humble ourselves and recognize we are helplessly and hopelessly lost and totally unable to do anything to save ourselves or to please God and meet His standards of righteousness and holiness!  "God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)  Today's devotion in "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers best describes how this grace is found in the person and reality of Jesus Christ. (Please take time to read it today.)  He sums it up with these words, "Faith is the whole man rightly related to God by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."  God bless and have a great day!