It’s only by His grace

“The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” Matthew 19:25,26 NLT

“You are far more capable than what you think. Truly, with GOD, all things are possible. He and only HE, got me through each step. I was not trained for this...my LONG runs are 13 miles, not 32....I did more miles yesterday than I normally do in an entire week. Thank you Jesus and thank you Melissa Martinez for another awesome Ultra Sweaty Santa- 6-hour Endurance Run!! Exhaustedly came away with Most Overall miles and King of the Hill awards. Thanks to my sweet family for the awesome aid station and "motivation" on my last hill climb!” Those were the words my dear friend, brother in Christ, and podcast cohost Mike Wells posted yesterday after having completed an insane number of miles against all odds Saturday morning. Not only was Mike admittedly undertrained for this ultra-marathon that earned him 2,076 ft of elevation gain, but he also battled intense heat and humidity to win the prize. Do you just love that or what?

And you know, when it comes to things that are humanly impossible, the disciples, in response to hearing that even a rich man who followed all the commandments couldn’t be saved, asked Jesus, “Then who in the world can be saved?” You see, the people of that day believed that wealth was always a sign of God’s favor and blessing and so assumed that the man was most assuredly saved. However, having great riches, as Jesus knew, is often-times the very thing that keeps people from seeing their need for Him and being willing to give up everything they have to follow Him. Thus the reason “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” You see, it’s only by God’s grace that hearts can be changed to understand that following Jesus is worth giving up all the wealth this world could ever offer.

So if you’ve been saved by grace today, boldly shout “Thank you Jesus!” my friend. By having made the priceless decision to give your life to Christ, you can be sure that you will gain more in the life to come (an imperishable crown) than you will ever give up in this one (a perishable crown). I don't know about you, but that makes me smile. 

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that we are saved by Your grace and not by our deeds. May our lives show that we value people over possessions that we might be so completely set apart from the world that we will lead the lost to the foot of the Cross by our example. Thank you that “all things are possible” with You so that all might be saved by choosing to lay down their cross and follow You. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!