Having "a past" is inevitable - everybody has one. But you don't have to let your past define your future. The Apostle Paul didn't - he was party to the murder of Christians before he became one and called himself the "chief of sinners". No matter how rough your past is, you're not beyond grace, forgiveness and freedom. Paul showed us that we, ultimately, are the author of our story.

Don’t let your measuring stick get in the way of grace. The Jews back during the early days of the Church had a measuring stick centered around circumcision. They believed you had to do this step in order to receive grace. But God says there’s nothing we have to do to be under grace - it’s all about what he has done on the cross. It’s not about works, it’s about the heart. And now that we are under grace, we have been made new creations - the old has gone, the new has come!

Continuing from last week, grace requires that we not just share one another’s burdens but also share the good we have to offer. It’s our job as Christian to put good out into the world - this is the kind of sacrifice that pleases God. Each of us will reap what we sow - if we sow grace into others’ lives, we will reap the same. Choose good!

Grace ultimately is an action. It’s our job as believers to restore those caught in sin - gently. With grace, not judgment. But if we hold our tongues, we can’t extend grace. If we aren’t willing to share one another’s burdens, we can’t extend grace. We have to act.

Pursuing pleasure will leave you empty and separate from the King. In Galatians 5:19-26, the apostle Paul breaks down some sin categories and what the results of those sins are. But the good news is this: coming in contact with grace changes our pursuit and our behavior changes.

God has given us the gift of grace but it's not to be kept to ourselves - we've been shown grace to share grace. Just like grace gave the apostle Paul a purpose in life, so it does for us as well. We ought to give grace to people around us to the same degree that we would like to receive it, knowing that the absence of grace is destruction.

Because of God’s grace, we have freedom! God calls us to freedom, not slavery to the law. Therefore, legalism has no place in Christianity and we don’t have to prove ourselves to God every day. Some Christians unnecessarily cut themselves (metaphorically speaking - like circumcision in Galatians), thinking that will purify their sins more than God already has. But we all need to grasp grace and realize that it has set us free from works.

We have to ask God to get involved if we want to see Him move. That means regular prayer. Pray for the people who are building the Kingdom. Pray for those for whom we are building the Kingdom. We have to be devoted to prayer if we want to see the Kingdom grow.
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If we want to build the Kingdom, we need to teach others about the King. When we get excited about our story (what God has done for us) we can’t help but share it. When people hear about Jesus, they may want to come and see him with their own eyes. But we have to be bold or they may never get the opportunity to hear about him.

God owns everything in the world and we need to treat every blessing that we have as something he ultimately has possession of. That mindset leads to the idea of giving the King what he's due, which helps the Kingdom grow. Yes, there is a monetary aspect to this, but it is much deeper than that. We have a responsibility to give God all that he deserves - that includes our time, our talents, our thoughts and more.