Mark 2:17

Grace, God’s precious grace, His gift to all who accept the salvation He offers to mankind.

 Jesus died so that we could live. 

The battle has already been won.

When we start to believe that we have earned God’s salvation remember this: there is no one righteous.  Jesus, the gift of God, is the only way to the Father. Nothing else matters.

3 John 1:2

2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 

Romans 3

10 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 

Luke 19:10

for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Blessings are one of the most common themes in my prayers. I pray for blessings for my family, friends and anything else I want God's favor to be upon. I surrender the limits of my abilities and hard work to His ultimate power in my life. I trust Him to do what I cannot, and more, because of His great love for me.

We can pray both for God's blessings for ourselves and God's blessings for others. 

This concept of blessing brings to mind the importance of the words we speak over others and allow to be spoken over us, as life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). May God help us keep a watch over our lips (Psalm 141:3). First5 

Heroes are ordinary souls who carry the weight of ordinary life. And heroism is born in every act of kindness and compassion and inclusion, no matter how small. Because in a world cynical and afraid, it takes courage to be kind and generous of spirit, and to fight for compassion and mercy and justice. SabbathMoments 

To accept grace is to admit failure. We opt to impress God with how good we are rather than confessing how great he is. We dizzy ourselves with doctrine, burden ourselves with rules, think that God will smile on our efforts. He doesn’t. God’s smile is not for the healthy hiker who boasts that he made the journey alone. It is, instead, for the crippled beggar who begs God for a back on which to ride. Max Lucado

Mark 2:17

17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” The New King James Version 

He is simply pointing out that the call to repentance and offering of forgiveness are for those who need it—sinners. Faithlife Study Bible

In this instance Jesus was speaking tongue-in-cheek when He used the word righteous. None are righteous, though some, such as the Pharisees, fancied themselves as such. Instead, Christ came to call sinners to repentance—a change of mind that recognizes the need of a Savior and recognizes Jesus Christ as the only Savior. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 9:12 When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

Matthew 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”