Grace

The grace of God best fills a man who empties himself of himself.   C.S. Lewis

Loss

2 Cor. 5:1-10   1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from  heaven,  3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.  4 For indeed while  we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.  6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the  body we are absent from the Lord.  7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.  8  we are of good  courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.   9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  10   For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Perspective

Phil. 3:7-9   7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.      8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

Self control

Pro. 17:27 He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.           

Security                                                                                                                              Ps. 91:1-2  1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”

Our strength                                                                                                                         2 Cor. 3:5-6 5    Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,  6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Security

Psa. 145:14 The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.