How Do Blessings Come?

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. - John 1:17 (KJV).
Grace. What is the definition of grace? Some call it unmerited favor. Some call it God doing through you what you cannot do through yourself, but the truth is that grace is not an it. Grace is a Person. Grace is Jesus. Jesus is Grace.

Jesus died for us. He didn't have to be mocked, beaten, spit upon and nailed to a cross, but He did. He didn't have to take the full punishment of our sins on the cross, but He did. Why? Because He loves us. He took our place because He loves us.

He knew that we couldn't do anything right on our own.. That's why His shed blood puts us in right standing with God.

Not only does His shed blood make us righteous. It cleanses us, sanctifies us, justifies us, protects us and makes every spiritual and physical blessing ours for the taking.

In other religions, it is good works that earn us our blessings. With God, though, our good works, our righteousness, are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

We cannot earn our blessings through our good works. They are gifts through the shed blood of Jesus.

When Jesus cried, "It is finished," He meant everything we would ever need or want had been taken care of at the cross. Everything. Without exception. Even those problems we created by our own doing.

Now that's grace.

- Annagail Lynes