26 lines
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26 lines
4.1 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">March 12</div></div>
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<h2>Reflecting on the Holy Spirit and Grace</h2>
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<div class="block"><i>"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the <b>Spirit of grace</b> and supplication."</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Zec',12,10);">Zechariah 12:10</a>)</div>
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<p>Let's take a <b>reflective</b> look at our meditations on the <b>Holy Spirit</b> as a reminder that we are still studying about the <b>grace</b> of God. In considering how to live by the <b>fullness</b> of the <b>Spirit</b>, we have examined how to live <b>more fully</b> by the <b>grace</b> of God.</p>
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<p>In <a onClick="return mV('Zec',4,6);">Zechariah 4:6</a>, we observed the connection between living by the Spirit and living by the grace of God: <i>"<b>Not</b> by might nor by <b>power</b>, but <b>by My Spirit</b>."</i> Serving the Lord is accomplished by the work of the Spirit in and through our lives, not by natural capabilities. The next verse restates this truth in terms of God's grace. <i>"And he shall bring forth the <b>capstone</b> with <b>shouts</b> of '<b>Grace</b>, <b>grace</b> to it'!"</i> Every completed task in the service of God is accomplished by His grace (God's undeserved resources), not by our ingenuity or merit.</p>
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<p>We also saw how the early church experienced this relationship between the Spirit and grace. <i>"They were all <b>filled with the Holy Spirit</b>, and they spoke the word of God with <b>boldness</b>…And with <b>great power</b> the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And <b>great grace was upon them all</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Act',4,31,33);">Acts 4:31, 33</a>). The boldness they experienced through the Holy Spirit is described as a result of great grace at work upon them.</p>
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<p>Jesus came to establish a new covenant. <i>"This cup is the <b>new covenant</b> in My blood"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Luk',22,20);">Luke 22:20</a>). This covenant was characterized by grace, in contrast to the old covenant that Moses set in place. <i>"For <b>the law</b> was given <b>through Moses</b>, but <b>grace</b> and truth came <b>through Jesus Christ</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn',1,17);">John 1:17</a>). This new covenant of grace is also a covenant of the Spirit. <i>"Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of <b>the new covenant</b>, not of the letter but <b>of the Spirit</b>; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('2Cr',3,5,6);">2 Corinthians 3:5-6</a>).</p>
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<p>When the Lord Jesus returns and Israel humbly bows to Him as their Messiah, this wondrous response will be the result of <i>"the <b>Spirit</b> of <b>grace</b>"</i> being poured out upon them. This glorious title, identifying grace with the Holy Spirit, beautifully sums up the grand truth that <b>living by grace</b> and <b>walking in the Spirit</b> are <b>two</b> perspectives on the <b>same</b> precious reality.</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">O God of all Grace, I long to live by Your grace day by day. Lord, I thank You that grace is not merely some principle that I must apply, but rather a resource You must impart. Would You therefore pour out upon me in fullness the Spirit of grace?</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020"><a href="./devotions/daybyday/03/0311.html">Yesterday's Reading</a>
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<a href="./devotions/daybyday/03/0313.html">Tomorrow's Reading</a>
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