Sometimes in our life everything is going well and smooth, our children are happy at school, our marriage seems to blossom the fragrance of an early spring, things are going well at work, business is good but then adversity strikes. You get a work injury, and you cannot work! We had so much hope for this year but….

ACTS 5: 1… “But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet.”  This is a sad event in the early church but it is a necessary one to understand what grace means.

This Bible Reading warns in no uncertain terms what the outcome is for lying in the Holy Spirit’s Name and it teaches that God is a Holy God who will not tolerate sin.

But He is also the God of infinite grace and compassion! He is the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. This is the Gospel!

With the doctrine of grace, we confess that God graciously preserves us and keeps us. When we are faithless, He is still faithful. We can only stand before God by His grace as He attributes to us the righteousness of Christ.