Grace is a wonderful thing. It truly is the unearned joy of the Christian life because you can never behave so badly that you lose it, nor can you behave so good that you deserve it. Grace, by its very nature, does not demand anything from us; it is simply granted when we choose to trust in Christ’s death for the forgiveness of our sins. When we accept God’s grace, we realize that we can never measure up to perfection, and we accept that God doesn’t expect us to. Yet in Psalm 119 we see someone who does everything in his means to live by God’s Word and by His ways. The truth is, when we allow the reality of grace to penetrate our hearts, the Holy Spirit gives us news desires that we didn’t previously possess: desires to know God more deeply and to please Him with our lives. We don’t strive to please Him for the sake of earning His acceptance any longer; we strive to please Him because we love Him and we want to know Him more and more. That’s how the Psalmist can say, “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” (v. 10, ESV). Are you seeking God? Do you strive to know Him more deeply? Are you pleasing Him with your life? On the other side of grace these desires exist, and they are the mark of one who has accepted the incredible gift.
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