Grace By Max Lucado

I had the opportunity to review Grace ~ More Than We Deserve Greater Than We Imagine by Max Lucado.  I was given a complimentary copy of the book from BookSneeze for my honest review.  Grace is his most recent book, released in 2012 and I found it to be an easy to read, thoughtful, inspiring book that explores God's grace in our lives.  Max Lucado is a well known author and minister from the state of Texas who has devoted his life to spreading the Gospel.  What a consolation to be reminded that "God has enough grace to pardon every sin, solve every dilemma, wipe every tear and answer every question.  It's more than we deserve and greater than we imagine."   Max challenges the reader to search his/her own soul to see if "we've been changed by grace" or "shaped by grace."  He uses scripture, quotes from famous saints and theologians to show the reader, where grace has touched them.  Many inspirational nuggets of truth can be found here.  Some of them seem to leap off the page like this one, "trust God's hold on you more than your hold on God." Simple yet so powerful.

Our society desperately needs to hear this message.  The word "grace" is so overused that it's true meaning gets lost in everyday life.  Max Lucado endeavors to call attention to it's true meaning.  He calls it "God's best idea.  His decision to ravage a people by love, to rescue passionately, and to restore justly."  Why does God do it?  Because he loves us and wants to be Our Father.  Nothing we do can merit it.  As children of God, we are incredibly fortunate and blessed to be so loved.  God's grace is what makes Satan tremble.  We don't deserve it yet he loves us, and lavishes it out upon us. Truly Amazing.  This is why you should read Max's book and then pass it on to a friend.  Our families need to hear this, our friends and neighbors need to hear this, we all need to learn more about the Grace of God.  This book will change you.

The last section of the book includes a Reader's Guide by Kate Etue.  It can be used as a tool to deepen your understanding of grace.  Many thought provoking questions about our own motives and actions can be explored.  Then she includes a prayer and an activity to explore grace in your day to day life.

Blessings,
Noreen

A Lesson in Sanctifying Grace

I've been hearing this phrase "sanctifying grace" a lot lately and I have a basic understanding of what it means but I'm feeling nudged (or as my friend Sue says, "God's whispering)  to learn more... and I'm glad I did.  

"Sanctifying grace is an abiding (habitual) or permanent grace, which we gain by baptism, and lose only by mortal sin. By Adam 's sin all mankind lost the friendship of God; that is, we are born in original sin, without sanctifying grace. Our Lord's death won back sanctifying grace for us; it is granted freely at Baptism."

The importance of this is obvious... it makes us holy and pleasing to God because we are free of mortal sin.  This is the gift God gave us in Baptism and continues to do so through the sacraments.  By sanctifying grace the Holy Spirit enters our souls to impart God's graces to us.  It strengthens us but doesn't free us from temptation to sin.  We still have an ongoing battle to resist our worldly desires and follow Christ. 

Can you imagine living life without sanctifying grace?

It sounds horrible but many of us probably are living this life.  And if we are, what happens when we die?  If we do not die in a state of grace?

The church teaches us that mortal sin, by it's very nature, kills our soul by destroying the sanctifying grace within us.  So then we must ask, what is mortal sin? 

St. Paul gave us a long list, he said  "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:19-20)

Wow, when I look at this list and view the world around me, I can't help but wonder... how different our world would be if we understood and accepted this gift from the Holy Spirit and acted on it.  I'm not pointing fingers because I'm looking at myself here and thinking, how different I would be if I understood and accepted this gift... how have I offended God?  What mortal sins are on my soul that I need to confess?

My blogging friends, please pray for me that I allow the Holy Spirit to work within me so I can be the child God called me to be.


Resources:

http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm#II
http://www.aculink.net/~catholic/sangrace.htm
http://www.saintaquinas.com/mortal_sin.html
God Bless,
noreen