Today's encouragement comes from the words of Paul, as they are found in 2 Corinthians 6:1:
"We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain."How is the grace of God received "in vain”—even potentially by regenerated, sincere Christians? It is "received in vain" when we *forget* that our right-eousness is all contained in Jesus Christ *alone*. The previous verse, (2 Cor. 5:21), had taught us the glories of imputed righteousness and substitutionary atonement. But our flesh continually recoils at such marvels; and seeks to regain its perverse "credibility" (even with God).
So, when we cease to look to Christ alone for our redemption, (and we gaze upon ourselves or something else), we receive the grace of God "in vain." Is Jesus our righteousness? Then let us look no further.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Christ is never really absent from such as love Him, but He may seem to be so sometimes.” —Thomas Vincent, in, "The True Christian's Love to the Unseen Christ"]
