From Death to Life

If we insist on trusting in ourselves first, God will allow us to reach the end of ourselves.Since the Garden of Eden, each of us have lived under a warped version of reality that it is smarter to trust in ourselves than God.If we trust in ourselves first, we learn to depend on our power and abilities, not God’s.As we become more self-absorbed, we close our hearts to God and His love.In the end, if we insist on trusting ourselves, God will allow us to experience the consequences of the path we choose.In the deepest of pits, the Lord hears you, still loves you, and has the power to save you.But even though Jonah made his own grave, God was waiting there to rescue him.God Himself already went ahead of us into death to make a way for all of us to life.Jesus descended to the pit of hell and came back with the keys, so that all who call to Him may know that salvation comes from the Lord.When God’s grace overwhelms our guilt, our hearts overflow with gratitude.Even though his circumstances still stink, his heart is full of gratitude.When we realize that none of what we have is what we deserve, it opens our hearts to the joy of gratitude.“Gratitude is a sort of laughter of the heart that comes about after some surprising kindness.” - David Brooks, New York Times columnist