Never does a person see any beauty in Christ as a Savior, until they discover that they are a lost and ruined sinner.

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling; Naked, flee to thee for dress; Helpless, look to thee for grace.

Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then you must begin with Christ. You will do nothing at all and make no progress till you feel your sin and weakness, and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him.

Until Gettysburg," she continued, "I was working for the wrong reasons. At first it was to prove myself worthy in someone's eyes. Later it was out of guilt, trying to find atonement in God's eyes. But atonement is free, never earned. And I've learned that the only person I need to please with my life is God.

Brokenness to redemption, where mercy and grace kiss both sides of our face. Brokenness where we are split open. Redemption where God knits us back together. Mercy when we don't get the punishment we do deserve. Grace when we get the lavish love gifts we don't deserve. So here we are.

It's not about you becoming anything. Your soul was made to simply be with Me. And the more you are with Me, the more you will stop fearing what the world might take from you. With Me you are free to be you. The real you. The you honesty called to at the very beginning of this journey. The you whose core is in alignment with My truth. The you who doesn't fear imperfections or rejections, because grace has covered those in the loveliest of ways." Overcoming

God is good. God is good to me. God is good at being God. And today is yet another page in our great love story.

the rest of us with laundry, junk drawers, and cellulite. WEBSITE: If you enjoyed this book by Lysa, you'll love all the

You're giving yourself too much credit, the only reason you have any grace (to give or receive) is through Christ.

I picture myself standing between two boxes. From one the stench is unbearably brutal, bellowing out dark wisps of death. And the other box is full of white lilies. Their angelic blooms are fully stretched and sending out perfume, sweet and pure. A box of bitterness. A box of grace.

Then love is sin, and let me sinful be.

The purpose of his life, death, and resurrection was to ransom you from your sin, deliver you from the clutches of evil, restore you to God - so that his personality and his life could heal and fill your personality. Your humanity, and your life. This is the reason he came. Anything else is religion.