Discovering Grace with Dianna Carroll

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us . . ." (Titus 3:5).

Before Jesus is crucified, He describes to His disciples the marks of a faithful follower of Christ. The very purpose for which you and I exist is to glorify God.

 ”For it is better to suffer for doing good,… than for doing evil.” Don’t fear them or be troubled, but with a good conscience, honor Christ.

Satan’s tactic is to use our past to ruin our future. He wants to use guilt feelings to discourage us.

How does God's Word transform your life? His power sets our sinful souls free through the Gospel of Christ. 

The signs of the end do not tell us when Jesus will return. We only know that it is inevitable that He will. 

We have been bought with an indescribable price, Christ’s precious blood, a price so unbelievable and extreme that no one can adequately describe it. 

God's hand, the Master Potter's hand, can take a marred, unusable vessel and completely transform that vessel into something usable for Him.

We pursue joy and acceptance in the circumstances of life, but Jesus promised to give us something far better: the satisfaction of our hope and eternal life with Him.

Don’t let Christmas bring anything but joy and gladness to your heart. Set your affections on the things above and allow your mind to ponder the glorious gospel of Christ.

The City of David, known as Bethlehem, would experience a miracle while shepherds watched their sheep in the fields. 

What life-changing events our God designed for the world to behold and embrace.  What a magnificent birth!

During WWII, Hundreds of thousands of men enlisted to sail on merchant ships across the Pacific and Atlantic. Two hundred forty-three thousand mariners served in the war, and 9,521 perished while serving. 

It’s harder to judge someone else when looking at your sin. God never uses fear, guilt, or shame because compassion draws us into forgiveness, and we also need to give grace, mercy, and love to one another.

No matter what failures have occurred in our past or how wrong we may have been, there is no situation so impossible or so great that God will not provide all that is needed to meet the challenges of our pain.

Jesus declares, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

What requirements have you heard of as must-haves for prayer to be powerful or effective? James’s letter provides reasons we can trust in the true power of prayer.

We rely on Him for everything, even our very being, and no one can serve Him effectively without being connected to the True Vine by faith.   "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:11).

Have you ever struggled with what you should be praying for? Are there limits to what we can ask? We are not left to wonder what God wants us to pray. In his letter, James has provided four identifiable prayers we can confidently bring before God.

So many people struggle with the assurance of their salvation. They begin to play the guessing game, and questions flood their minds.

Ask God to teach you how to walk through this time of heartache and despair, and trust Him to do His will in you. 

How many times have you thought, "Why this trial, Lord? Why the broken heart or painful illness? Why has the one who called me a friend rejected me and turned their back on me? Why am I being slandered or wrongfully accused?"

What would it be if you could change anything about some past parenting failures? Most of the time, the problem children reveal is faulty parenting.

It is an unconditional love that relieves the pressure of demands, forgives all our failures, and replaces our unrelenting fears with faith. 

Proverbs 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." The capability to inspire laughter is a gift, but a joyful, merry heart comes from putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.