From Evernote:

From Disqualified to Defined by Grace

There is no pain quite like the sting left in the wake of self-rejection. Yet, our own failures open the door to the possibilities discovered in the feeling and knowing of regret and guilt. It is bravery of the highest degree to plumb the depths of our secret war with ourself. "To thine own self be true."

Freedom is sweetest once we are released from the dark dungeons of denial. It begins while allowing pain to push us toward the light found only in the brutal, honest, fearless, inventory of our-self. Beyond that veil we begin to discover the boundless realities of Grace!

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, BUT shouts to us in our pain." C. S. Lewis

God shouts Grace, Grace to us in our pain! Only the shouts of Grace drown out all the other voices. Beginning to listen more to the shouts of Grace, "we find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand--out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise."

We discover in the midst of all these shouts of grace, that "He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway...God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him." (Romans 5, Msg.)

Christ arrived right on time, in the midst of our failure and deepest denial. "And that's not all. We throw open our door to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us." And in the open door of Grace, we are flooded for the first time with the light of true self-discovery!

1Cor 15:10 While my own doing completely disqualified me; his doing now defines me. I am what I am by the grace of God. I am because he is! His grace was not wasted on me; instead I am inspired to labor beyond the point of exhaustion, more than anything I ever did under the law of performance; whatever it is that I accomplish now has grace written all over it. I take no credit for it. (Mirror Bible www.mirrorfriends.com)

"In Jesus Christ you individually discover 'who' you are." (Romans 1:6, The Mirror)

"Through him (Jesus) we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus. You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!" (The Message) Here we also discover our true meaning and purpose.

There's something bigger going on...but; that is the rest of our story! Ron Ross

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyA9I_w1p54&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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