“By grace you have been saved”        Ephesians 2:5

There was a time when I was a teenager that my brother and I got caught in one of those south Florida rainstorms that come out of nowhere.  We were in a sailboat in Biscayne Bay when a strong gust of wind turned us over into the water.  Storm was all around, rain and wind against us and we were in the water.  Then, without calling out or expecting help, we were lifted into another boat.

Sometimes we don’t earn it, expect it, or even ask for it, but we are saved.  Grace is that unearned gift that lifts us from…..(whatever).  We all know what it is to be “caught in a storm”.  That is part of the condition of life.  Into that Jesus comes and lifts us and that is grace.

My brother and I were still in a boat, still in the bay, still in the storm but now there was hope.  Grace does not solve everything immediately, but it does bring us hope and strength so that we can go forward.  It may still take work and effort, but we are not alone.  Grace saves and grace fills us with the hope and power we need so that we can go forward.

I pray you sense the grace of God in your life that lifts you.  I pray you feel the presence of Christ.  I pray the spirit fills you, so that you can go forward and serve the Lord with Joy.

Blessings,

Pastor Rafe