So what enables and empowers someone to live a loving, joyful, peaceful life in the middle of a hating, joyless, and anxious world? It’s called grace. And not just any grace, God’s Grace. Some of my favorite verses are in Titus 2:11-12,
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ
What teaches us to “say ‘No’ to ungodliness’? Is it the ten commandments? Is it church attendance? Is it trying really hard to resist temptation? No it IS the GRACE of God.
And this grace is not some touchy feely thing. This grace is the goodness, patience, gentleness, and concern that our Heavenly Gather has for us. This grace is His blessing toward us, when our lives deserve judgment. I’ve heard it said before that God’s grace is Him giving us what we do not deserve and that is His love and compassion.
To humbly accept that the creator of the universe love us as a person is to be changed. To understand not only that Jesus died for the sins of the world, but that Jesus died for me(you) is to be changed. It’s not difficult to believe that “He so loved the world”, but it’s difficult to even start to grasp that he loves us. The reasons we feel this way is that we know us. We know what we think, how we live, how we lie, how we hate; and yet the 
King of Creation comes down and loves us with all that He is. He washes our feet and our life with the blood from His cross, and we are left blown away; or simply as the old hymn put it, Amazed!
As you think about the love God has for you it will change you. You’ll be encouraged to stop, step down, and turn away from the wicked tendencies in your life because of His grace and love for you. This is where the Power lies. One of the songs that I wanted sung at my ordination a few years back was a song entitled “Were It Not For Grace”. Here are the lyrics. Read them and think about how good he has been to you in Christ Jesus and be empowered to live a “self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age”. By the way you can have all the ice cream you want. Enjoy! (Picture of Ally with ice cream on her face from a beach trip in 2007)
Time measured out my days
Life carried me along
In my soul I yearned to follow God
But knew Id never be so strong
I looked hard at this world
To learn how heaven could be gained
Just to end where I began
Where human effort is all in vain
Chorus
Were it not for grace
I can tell you where Id be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me
I know how that would go
The battles I would face
Forever running but losing this race
Were it not for grace
