I’m on a mission to teach you about God’s relentless love and how it can change everything in your life. Romans 2:4 says it’s the love of God and the goodness of God, that leads us to repentance or brings us to change. We don’t have to change ourselves — it’s God’s grace and love that changes us.

Many people think it’s the other way around. They think that if they change, then God will be good to them or God will love them. But God shows you his goodness regardless of our behavior, and that’s what empowers us to change. That’s the real grace of God and that’s what I want to talk about today.

I’ve spent years in the Scriptures to try to really understand what God has to say about grace and God’s love and His amazing gift for us that we can’t earn no matter how hard we try. This is what I’ve found — God’s love is so great for you that nothing you can do can cause Him to pull away or turn His back on you — absolutely nothing!

Paul says in Romans 12:3 “I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me and especially as I have responsibility in relation to you.” He says, “Living then as every one of you does in pure grace.”

How do we live in God’s pure grace — His unmerited love and favor — His power, His strength in the midst of our weakness? His mercy, in the midst of our failure? His ability, in the midst of our lack of ability or our disability?

Most of us are worn out as Christians. We can be discouraged by our Christian walk because we haven’t understood pure grace. We’ve understood a mixture of grace and law – a mixture of God’s power versus our power. We’ve tried to do things in our own power rather than realizing God wants to give us all the power we need to live this Christian life that He created us to live. That’s pure grace.

Romans 12:3 says, “It’s important that you do not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God, NO! He says “God brings it all to you.”

He goes on to say, “The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and what He does for us not what we are and what we do for Him.”

Now pure grace is to understand who He is and what He has done for us. Pure grace will always bring strength, comfort, and encouragement. It’ll always bring rest. It’ll always bring favor. It’ll always bring ability. It’ll always bring answers because the Christian life is not built upon the promises that we make to God. As the Scripture says, the Christian life is built upon the promises that God makes to us.

Christianity is an encounter with a force so great that it heals you everywhere you’re hurting. It fills you everywhere you’re empty; changes you everywhere you’re broken; restores you everywhere you’re sick. My God, His love, His mercy, His goodness and His grace will come in and fill your life! And when your life is filled, you have something to give and then you have something to tell someone.

Why do we think we have to earn it, deserve it; be so holy and godly before God will hear me?

God hears the cry of the weak. He hears the cry of the suffering. He hears the cry of the hurting. He hears the cry of the humble: “God, I messed up; I’m depressed. I can hardly get out of bed. I could hardly smile. I can hardly do anything for anyone including myself, God.” And what does God say? “It’s alright, I’ll meet you there. I’ll touch you there. Arise and eat.”

Aren’t you glad that when you run from God, and even when you ignore God’s touch, He touches you again? When you turn from God, He turns to you. When you run away, He runs after you. When you let Him down, He pulls you up. When you fail Him, He will never fail you. I’m so glad God doesn’t give up on me. I’m so glad He’s the God of second chances, aren’t you?

1 Kings 19:7 says “And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee.”

During the first touch, Elijah saw his own need and just ate & drank and went back to sleep. But God is telling Elijah this second time, to eat and drink and start moving, because I’ve got a greater journey ahead for you. My purpose for you is greater than anything that you could ever come up with yourself. My vision for your life is even greater. My next chapter for your life is greater than the last chapter. Get ready something amazing is about to happen in your life.

In your lowest moment, God is ready to fulfill His highest dream. We think “we have to be so high; we have to be so holy. We have to be on the top; we have to be on the top of the steps like Rocky.” But God says, at the bottom of the hill, in the valley of your discouragement, there I will touch you. And there I will feed you. There I will make you ready for the greater journey.