In the Grip of Grace

I know God's grace. I had the full laser-and-light-show experience a while ago.

I can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that I may receive mercy and find grace to help me in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

So as I start my new regime, I do so by recognising, and depending on, that grace.

Which is all very good in theory, but how do actually live that out? How do I turn the theory into something tangible? How do I make ure I continue living that way?

Well, there are obvious ways:

• Read the Bible
• Pray
• Go to church

But I run the risk of becoming some kind of Christian robot, getting so caught up in the mechanics of the Christian life that God still gets crowded out. Undoubtedly better than porn, but not where I want to go, long-term.

Instead, I've found a book in my collection which speaks straight into this situation. Here's the back cover blurb:

Can anything separate us from the love Christ has for
us?

This is what we want to know. Does God really love us forever? Not just on Easter Sunday when our shoes are shined and our hair is fixed. We want to know (deep within, don't we really want to know?) how does God feel about me when I'm a jerk? When I snap at anything that moves; when my thoughts are gutter-level; when my tongue is sharp enough to slice a rock. Hpw does he feel about me then?

That's the question.

Did I drift too far? Wait too long? Slip too much? Did I out-sin the love of God? The answer is found in one of life's sweetest words -

GRACE.

This book - In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado, along with my Bible, now sit beside my desk, where I can reach them if I get bored or otherwise tempted. I hope it will help me to understand grace more, to appreciate it, and live my life in gratitude for it.

That is the first step of this new journey.