A Dictionary Journey

Today I've been thinking about some of the testimonies I heard last night at the ladies Annual "Blossom Tea" our church holds. These thoughts led me to Google, and ultimately to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. Obviously this is a blog, and not a dictionary, so I have not posted the entire definitions as found online. However, here are some of the things I've been looking up, and the definitions I've found applicable to my thoughts..

Grace:
1 a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification b : a virtue coming from God c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

Regeneration:
1 : an act or the process of regenerating : the state of being regenerated

Regenerating:
1: to become formed again

Sanctification:
1: an act of sanctifying

Sanctifying:
1: to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use : consecrate
2: to free from sin : purify

Sin:
1 a: an offense against religious or moral law b: an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible [ie: it is a sin to waste food] c: an often serious shortcoming : fault
2 a: transgression of the law of God b: a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God

Consecrate:

: dedicated to a sacred purpose

You can see the track my train of thought is on.. I've been thinking about the grace of God.

What I like about the definition given, is where it says grace is "unmerited".

Merriam-Webster did not define "unmerited", but it does define "merited": 1: to be worthy of or entitled or liable to : earn : to be entitled to reward or honor 2: deserve.

Therefore the logical meaning of "unmerited" would be : to not be worthy of, or entitled or liable to: to have not earned : to not be entitled to reward or honor, and to be undeserving.

That tells me that it really doesn't matter what I've done, or how many mistakes I've made, or how imperfect I am. That even if I did EVERYTHING right, ALL the time, and NEVER messed up, or even if I were PERFECT, it would not earn God's grace.

There is nothing I can do to "merit" God's love. God loves me, and daily, by the hour and minute, even by the second, He grants me grace and forgiveness. Not only does God overlook my failings and shortcomings, but He remolds me, and removes my rough edges. He renews my spirit and my life. He gives me strength and peace. He makes me a new person, and the old me is no more.

I get so excited thinking about this! I recently turned the BIG 30, and am so happy that this isn't it for me! I am not stuck being the same person I've always been, but God still has plans for me, and is still fashioning me into a better me. I'm not quite sure what God has in store, but I will not fault the maker in His design or purpose for my life. I submit to the reshaping process, and trust in the Lord.



2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Romans 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.