In the doctrine of justification; there is a great deal of the cross in that: a man is forced to suffer the destruction of his own righteousness for the righteousness of another. This is no easy matter for a man to do; I assure you it stretcheth every vein in his heart before he will be brought to yield to it. What, for a man to deny, reject, abhor, and throw away all his prayers, tears, alms, keeping of Sabbaths, hearing, reading, with the rest, in the point of justification, and to count them accursed; and to be willing, in the very midst of the sense of his sins, to throw himself wholly upon the righteousness and obedience of another man, abhorring his own, counting it as deadly sin, as the open breach of the law; I say, to do this in deed and in truth, is the biggest piece of the cross; and therefore Paul calleth this very thing a suffering; where he saith, “And I have SUFFERED the loss of all things,” (which principally was his righteousness), “that I might win Christ, and be found in Him, not having, (but rejecting), “mine own righteousness.” (Philippians 3: 8-9). - John Bunyan

'If I never write to you more, let these be my last words: There is none like Christ-- none like Christ-- none like Christ. Nothing like redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. There is no learning nor knowledge like the knowledge of Christ, no life like Christ living in the heart by faith, no work like the service of Christ, and no riches or wealth like the unsearchable riches of Christ.

Little as I know of Christ (and it is my sin and shame that I know so little of Him), I would not exchange the learning of one hour's fellowship with Christ for all the academic learning in ten thousand universities, even if angels were my teachers. Nor would I exchange the pleasure my soul has found in a word or two about Christ for all the pleasures of creation since the world began. For what would I exchange being forever with Christ, to behold his glory and see Him as He is and enter into the joy of my Lord?'

- John Brown of Haddington

Jeremiah 2:1

How many introductions to the books of the bible have this as their openings? How many times have I read these kinds of verses within the confines of the scriptures and just went past them ready for the next verses and so on. This time, I sort of stepped back and really looked at this, or should I say I was stopped in my tracks regarding this particular verse. This is exactly how we are to be given light, liberty, understanding and grace each and everyday of our lives! The word of God must come to us, come down to us, come where we are for surely we can not and won’t ever come to Him or His word on our own. Now I’m not just talking about those of you who have not made a profession, I’m speaking to you who have tasted that He is gracious. We are so dependent upon Him for our very sustenance that if His word (and He is the word made flesh) does not grace us this minute we will surely miss the blessing. Such a wonder that He and His word has ever come to worthless, dead and dying people, why this alone should cause much thankfulness and gratitude from those who name His name and speak His words to others, for ‘without me you can do nothing’. Has His word of grace come to you today? Has He, Himself come to you today? If so, such a miracle even the angles would have loved to have known, don’t take IT or HIM for granted my friend. - Pastor Drew Dietz

We are saved by immense grace and this immense grace of the eternal God has appeared in the person of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11; Jn 1:14). Our redeemer is full of grace and truth" and "of His fullness we have all received and grace for grace” (Jn 1:16). Literally we have received grace "piled upon" grace. Just as there are continual arrivals of waves on the sea shore so we are constantly receiving wave upon wave of God’s inexhaustible grace in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the grace of God in human form. His grace is Glorious.