A few weeks ago I finished reading a book entitled The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. Have you ever read a book and the content grips you so much that you find yourself rereading at some point down the road. There are only a few books that I have done that with, but The Ragamuffin Gospel is one of those books. Over the last 10 years I think I have read this book about 6 times. I tell you this not to brag, but to encourage you to check this book out. Next to the Bible it is my favorite book of all time. Brennan Manning captures the essence of grace and the relentless love of God in a way that most Christians have neglected. If you have ever felt like you just can't get your act together spiritually speaking (or otherwise for that matter) then this book is one for you. Manning reminds the reader that it is only through the grace of God that Paul talks about in Ephesians 2, that allows us to have a relationship with God. Let me share two quotes from this wonderful book as I close:
"The call asks, do you really accept the message that God is head over heels in love with you? I believe that this question is at the core of our ability to mature and grow spiritually. If in our hearts we really don't believe that God loves us as we are, if we are still tainted by the lie that we can do something to make God love us more, we are rejecting the message of the cross" (p.159).
"My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it" (p. 27).
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