The Power of Grace

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8)

When Mark was pulled over by an officer for driving while intoxicated, he was afraid his college football career was over. He was sure he was going to jail. But the policeman instead dropped him off at his college. When Mark asked why, he said, “I’m giving you grace.”

Still, the young man was certain his coach would find out, and he’d lose his scholarship. So when his coach asked to see Mark after practice the next day, he was very apprehensive. Surprisingly the coach said, “I know what happened last night, but I’m giving you grace.” He then suggested that Mark consider attending church the next Sunday.

He went. And guess what the pastor talked about? The grace of Jesus in offering us salvation when we don’t deserve it. Mark got the message. That day, he trusted Jesus as Savior, and he spent the rest of his life serving Him—starting a ranch for boys who need a second chance—who need grace.

It’s by God’s grace that believers in Jesus “have been saved” (Ephesians 2:8). Grace does what good works can’t do (v. 9; Romans 11:6). It’s a gift provided by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.

The burden of our sin doesn’t have to weigh us down. As Mark discovered, God’s grace can free us and give us life “to the full” (John 10:10).

By: Dave Branon

Reflect & Pray;
How have you experienced God’s grace in your life? What are some ways you can show it to others?

Dear God, Thank You for showering Your grace on me. Please help my life to be marked by grace and mercy.

Scriptural Insight;
When C. S. Lewis was asked what makes Christianity unique, he didn’t hesitate: “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.” God’s grace is the overarching theme of Ephesians 2. Paul points out how, without grace, we wouldn’t even be aware of our spiritual condition. “You [all of us] were dead in your transgressions and sins,” he wrote (v. 1). A dead body can do nothing to rescue itself. And we were all spiritually dead, “gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” (v. 3). But God “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (v. 5). It’s all God’s grace, “so that no one can boast” (v. 9). God’s grace draws us to Him. God’s grace keeps us. His grace sets us free “to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (v. 10).

By: Dave Branon

https://odbm.org/

The Gospel of Jesus Christ;
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“”Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces." For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, "Peace be within you." Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek your good””. - Psalm 122:6-9

Bless Israel in ALL Things;
“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." - Genesis 12:3

Why Martha Wasn’t Wrong — Luke 10:41–42

She wasn’t wrong for serving.

She was wrong for letting service become irritation in the presence of Jesus.

That’s the tension in Luke 10:41–42.

Martha is often preached like the villain in the room. The busy woman. The distracted worker. The one who “missed it.” But read carefully—Jesus did not rebuke her for preparing, serving, or carrying responsibility. He rebuked her because she was anxious and troubled about many things while standing in front of the One thing that mattered most.

Martha loved Jesus enough to open her home.

That matters.

Her hands were active because her heart wanted to honor Him. The problem was not hospitality. The problem was that her service turned into pressure, comparison, and complaint. She wasn’t just cooking. She was stewing. Not just serving. Resenting.

And that’s where grace walks in.

Because some of us are Martha not because we are rebellious—
but because we are tired,
overloaded,
unseen,
and quietly angry that others seem free while we carry the weight.

Jesus does not shame Martha.

He calls her name twice.

“Martha, Martha…”

That is not the voice of condemnation. That is the voice of tender correction. The voice of a Savior reaching through her noise. He was not crushing a servant. He was rescuing a daughter.

Mary chose the “good portion,” yes. But Martha’s story warns us that it is possible to do things for Jesus while neglecting to be with Jesus. To minister from anxiety. To serve from insecurity. To perform while the soul is starving.

But here is the Gospel truth:

Jesus did not die only for the scandalous sinner.
He also died for the exhausted striver.

For the one trying too hard.
For the one carrying too much.
For the one whose love is real, but whose heart is restless.

Martha wasn’t beyond grace.

She was standing in front of it.

And so are you.

If your service has become bitterness…
If your responsibility has become resentment…
If your love for God has been buried under pressure and noise…

Come back to His feet.

Not because serving is bad.
But because serving without abiding will drain what only Christ can fill.

Luke 10 is not “Don’t be Martha.”
It is: “Don’t let your devotion become distraction.”

Jesus is still calling your name with mercy.

And the invitation is still open.

Sit.
Listen.
Breathe.
Receive.

Then rise and serve again—
not from panic,
but from peace.

“But one thing is necessary.” — Luke 10:42

From scandal to grace — because Jesus rewrites everything.

Save this for the busy believer who loves God but feels spiritually exhausted.

~John Domino Sanchez

Durham Children's Choir Performs On Eagle's Wings

My morning greetings

In Proverbs, listening is not treated as a neutral skill. It is placed in the category of right and wrong.

“The way of a fool is right
in his own eyes, but a wise man
listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).

“Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future”
(Proverbs 19:20).

At first glance, these sound
like practical counsel.
Advice for making
better decisions.

But the contrast in Proverbs 12:15
begins to show something deeper.

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…”

The issue is not lack of information.
It is the posture of the person.

The fool is not described as someone
who has never heard truth.
He is described as someone
who is already convinced of himself.

So when Proverbs speaks about listening,
it is not simply talking about hearing words.

It is talking about whether
a person is willing to be corrected.

That is why listening
becomes a moral issue.

Because it reveals what a person
does with truth when it confronts them.

To listen, in the sense Proverbs uses it,
is to allow one’s direction to be shaped
by something outside oneself.

To refuse to listen
is to remain the final authority
over one’s own life.

That is not merely a matter of preference.
It is a matter of orientation.

This also explains why teachability
is closely tied to wisdom.

“Listen to advice and accept instruction…”

The second phrase clarifies the first.

Listening is not complete
when words are heard.
It reaches its fullness
when instruction is accepted.

Which means that a person
can appear to listen,
and yet remain unchanged.

Proverbs is not concerned
with outward attentiveness,
but inward openness.

The kind that allows
correction to take effect.

This begins to expose
something uncomfortable.

It is possible to be familiar with truth,
even to agree with it,
and still resist it in practice.

Because the deeper question is not,
“Did I hear?”

But, “Was I willing to yield?”

In that sense, listening
becomes a test of humility.

The fool “is right in his own eyes.”
He measures everything against himself.

The wise person listens,
because he recognizes
that he does not begin
with complete understanding.

That recognition is not
intellectual weakness.
It is moral clarity.

In the wider witness of Scripture,
this pattern continues.

The problem of the human heart
is not only ignorance,
but resistance.

People do not only lack truth.
They suppress it, reshape it, or refuse it.

Which is why the call to listen
is not simply about learning,
but about repentance.

A turning away from self-assurance
toward a willingness to be led.

This is where the teaching of Proverbs
quietly points beyond itself.

Because the call to listen
reaches its clearest form
when God Himself speaks.

“This is my beloved Son…
listen to Him” (Mark 9:7).

In Christ, listening is no longer general.
It becomes personal.

To hear Him is not only to gain wisdom,
but to come under His authority.

And so the instruction remains,
but with greater weight.

To listen is not merely to improve life.
It is to take a different place before God.

Perhaps that is where these verses settle.

Not asking whether
we hear many voices,
but asking which voice
we are willing to submit to.

Because in Proverbs,
the difference between wisdom and folly
is often not what a person knows,
but whether they are willing to listen.

~Undaunted Disciple

Renewing Your Mind Daily — Romans 12:2

Your mind is being discipled every day.
The only question is: by truth or by pressure?

Romans 12:2 is not a soft suggestion. It is a rescue line from heaven:
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”

That means the battlefield is not first around you.
It is within you.

Every day, the world preaches.
Through fear.
Through lust.
Through comparison.
Through pride dressed like ambition.
Through lies that sound normal because you have heard them too long.

But here’s what we miss: Paul does not say, “Try harder.”
He says, be transformed.

That is deeper than behavior management.
That is God reshaping the inner life by His truth.

When your mind is renewed by Scripture, you stop calling darkness normal.
You stop calling bondage freedom.
You stop chasing what looks shiny but leaves the soul starving.
And you begin to discern the will of God — what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

This daily renewing is not a one-time altar moment.
It is a daily surrender.
Open Bible.
Open heart.
Open hands.
Again.

And yes, some days the mind feels tired.
Clouded.
Pulled in ten directions.
But the mercy of God is still new this morning, and Christ is still able to break old thought patterns and build holy ones.
Jesus does not just forgive sinful actions.
He renews corrupted thinking.

So bring Him your anxious mind.
Your distracted mind.
Your tempted mind.
Your wounded mind.
Lay it before the Lordship of Christ.

Because when Jesus rules the mind, peace starts returning.
Clarity starts rising.
Desires start changing.
And the life you live begins to look less like the world and more like the Savior.

Renew your mind daily.
Not with empty positivity.
With the living Word of God.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, renew my mind today. Break every lie I have agreed with, and plant Your truth deep in me. Teach me to think in a way that honors You. Transform me from the inside out, for Your glory. Amen.

Save this for the days your thoughts feel louder than your faith.
From scandal to grace — because Jesus rewrites everything.

~Gospel Warrior