A Journey of Grace

Scripture Passages for Further Reflection

Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV)

 1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

       "Do not be afraid, Abram.

       I am your shield,

       your very great reward. "

 2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit  my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."

 4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Well, the story of how that has happened for one family, at this time, and in this place, is what Pastor Jon talks about in the sermon this week, "A Journey of Grace."

Click Here if you would like to listen to the sermon.

"As we are saved by grace,

so we live, serve, follow and lead by grace" 

- Wayne Anderson

At the hear of the story that Jon share are a number of core convictions about the way God leads:

God initiates the journey toward to life that our hearts long for

    Question:  to what extent do you live in the awareness of God initiating and awakening within you a sense of where God may be inviting you to go?

God leads us through the process

    Question:  to what extent to you live focused on allowing God to be the One that leads in where you are going, and the way you go about getting there -- as opposed to relying on other sources of guidance or other ways of living or doing things to get you there?

God completes the process

    Question:  while in some senses we never fully arrive, to what extent are you aware of what God has grown in you, and/or the places of resolution or closure God has brought about in your life's journey? 

Where are the places, even if you're not quite there yet, that you feel like some good ground has been covered?

Hebrews 10:35-39 (NIV)

 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while,

   "He who is coming will come and will not delay.

    38But my righteous one will live by faith.

   And if he shrinks back,

      I will not be pleased with him." 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but

Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What does our response to this process look like?