A Mindset of Gratitude

Part of being a believer is the opportunity to count our blessings. One of those blessings is peace of mind from realizing that we’re no longer under the Old Testament expectations of perfect obedience and endless toiling to please God. Life under the law was exhausting; it demanded perfect obedience, and even one failure brought guilt and condemnation. Thankfully, the extensive curses resulting from a single misstep have been removed.

The contrast between the law and grace is huge. Before the cross, there was no peace, only fear of the consequences of breaking any of God’s commandments. Isaiah prophesied of the coming change when he declared that God would keep in perfect peace all those who whose thoughts were fixed on God, and that the children would have great peace from being taught about the Lord. After the cross, Paul wrote about the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding and keeps our hearts and minds through Christ.

Isaiah called Jesus as the Prince of Peace; His arrival on earth fulfilled that prophesy. When we’re in Him He is our peace, despite the turmoil going on in the world, because He has overcome the world. This is something that can’t be taken away.

Before Jesus, there was no opportunity to get born again or to have the Holy Spirit living inside us. Jesus took care of that when He sent the Holy Ghost; now, believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Under the law, the people had to continually bring goats and calves to make blood sacrifices for sin. Christ took care of that once and for all when He shed His own blood to obtain eternal redemption for us.

We’re no longer stuck in our past or tied down to our mistakes; change for the better lives in us. For anyone in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here. This gives life a joyful, transformational new perspective.

 

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for freeing us from the law and making us new in Christ. Help us to walk in the liberty of grace and live out the righteousness You’ve already given us. In Jesus, name, amen.

 

Scriptures:

Deuteronomy 28:1-68

Isaiah 26:3, NLT

Isaiah 54:13

Philippians 4:7

Isaiah 9:6

Ephesians 2:14

John 16:33

Ephesians 1:13

Hebrews 9:12

2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV