Prodigal: I’m swingin’ my legs from a dime after that conversation.

Me: There is room for grace don’t worry.

This is from the book In the Grip of Grace by Max Lucado

Had God removed temptation, Paul may never have embraced God’s grace. Only the hungry value a feast, and Paul was starving. The self-given title on his office door read, “Paul, Chief of Sinners.” No pen ever articulated grace like Paul’s. That may be because no person ever appreciated grace like Paul.

Had God stilled the whips, Paul may have never known love. “If I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be no value whatsoever” ( 1Cor. 13:3). Persecution distills motives. In the end Paul’s motives were distilled to one force, “the love of Christ controls us” (2 Cor. 5:14).

Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4:32

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org