A Fresh Start

     So, officially this is my last week as a 29 year old...INTERESTING...lol...In just seven days, my twenty-something year old status will be changed to the big 3 0. It is a new stage in my life!  However, I want to share with you some thoughts that have troubled me and how the Grace of God continuously empowers me to overcome.

     Entering this new phase of life has brought certain questions to mind which has caused me to dwell on the past. I would think about the decisions that I made, the mistakes, the waste of time, the regrets, the gains, the loses, the nonsense, etc.  I would compare myself to others in my age bracket and tell myself, wow, I am so behind. Have you ever felt like that?

      It is interesting to note  that in the process of reminiscing on the wrong decisions made and regretting the time wasted, you end up wasting even more time because now you are in this state of paralysis. Condemnation grabs a hold of your heart and a heaviness seems to come over you. You want to move, you want to expand, yet you are in this sluggish state and it seems so hard to "snap" out of it.  It feels like there is no hope for you, you missed out on life's best opportunity and now it is too late.   I am speaking of myself, but I know I am not the only one that has gone through this.

HOWEVER, I HAVE GREAT NEWS, THERE IS GREAT HOPE AND IT IS IN JESUS!!!

Check this verse out:

ROMANS 8:28   And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

What does this mean?  It means that because I am HIS, ALL things in my life are worked out for my good.   The bad decisions, the mistakes, the waste of time, and even the heartaches are all worked out for me because I love Him and He has given me His purpose to live out.  God has a way to take our mess and make it into His masterpiece!  And check this out, when Jesus died for me on the cross, He paid for ALL of my sins! This means that my PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE sins have been FORGIVEN by Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. He has given me a FRESH START and now by His Grace I am who I am. I don't have to compare myself to others or much less believe what the world or the devil can say about me.  I am FORGIVEN, LOVED, ACCEPTED and RIGHT ON TIME. Jesus has worked it ALL out for me!!

SO, 30 is not a bad thing. It is the start of the best in my life! Friend, if you identify yourself with this know that Jesus is your hope! It does not matter wether you are 15, 27, or 87, you are not too late!! Receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, say goodbye to the past, and begin to move forward!

PHILLIPIANS 3:13

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead..

START FRESH TODAY!

   

The weight of performance

     Music has been a part of my life since I was a child.  I was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and remember the times when the electricity would go out, setting the stage for my dad to grab his accordion. I remember he also had a keyboard(was it a casio?? lol) in the house that I would fiddle around with.  My true passion for music however began in an elementary school in Virginia where I began to play the violin. I loved to perform with the orchestra at our school. I then began to play the saxophone which I did throughout middle school, high school, and some college. I participated in all types of events, evaluations, contests, and concerts. Because of my love for making music I decided to pursue the piano during college and it is my principal instrument today.

     

     I am sharing this with you because as a musician, I am familiar with the pressures of performing. If you were to go to a piano recital for example, you would notice that every note, expression, or nuance is heavily scrutinized. A singer's reputation can hang on the performance of a well known song.  Someone's interpretation of a Beethoven symphony could potentially cause a disruption in the earth's inner core(ok, I am exaggerating a bit, lol).

     

     The point is that life is the exact same way. We are expected to perform and produce acceptable results consistently. Pressure is felt from every direction wether it be from our jobs, family, etc. Even the Miami Heat are expected to win not just one, but several championships(Help them Lord, lol!)

     

We live in a performance based society and higher value is given to the top performers.

     Unfortunately and tragically, we tend to take this performance mentality and apply it to our relationship with God.  We think we have to perform, perform, perform, in order to please Him. The day we fail to perform correctly, we tend to beat ourselves down and distance ourselves from our loving Father. Being performance conscious towards God is like trying to drag an extraordinary amount of weight that we were never designed to carry. One of the main reasons why many people, especially believers, are constantly stressed and weighed down today  is because they are so performance conscious, therefore hindering the flow of God's grace in their lives. 

     Friend, the truth is that the Father is already pleased with you. If you have accepted Jesus as your only Lord and Savior, then know that Jesus has fulfilled every demand that was written against you.  Check this awesome verse from Colossians 2:13-14: 

     

     When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

     God is completely and eternally satisfied with the sacrifice that His beloved Son did for you and me.  Without Jesus, attempting to please God in our own efforts and good works is pointless.  Rest and believe today in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and you will see that good performances are just the results of His grace in our lives! Till next time!

    

Captivated by His Grace

     Hello everyone, and welcome to Jonra's first official blog! My name is Jonathan Ramirez for those who might not know(Jonra is my music business name).  It is a blessing to be able to write about what God has been doing in my life. I believe that what I will share with you all today will benefit you greatly. 

    

     As you can see, the title of my blog site is Grace Without Limits.  My life has never been the same ever since God began to reveal the riches of His grace in my life. I am very thankful for my spiritual father, Pastor Alberto Santiago, who has been instrumental in my life and many others in the understanding and revelation of the grace and unmerited favor of God. 

     

     Grace is not a lesson, or message, or teaching; it is the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus IS the grace of God.  

John 1:17 states: For the law was GIVEN THROUGH Moses, but grace and truth CAME BY JESUS CHRIST. In other words, Moses GAVE the people of Israel something that came from another place, almost acting as a "third party". On the other hand, grace and truth  CAME BY Jesus Christ. You can not separate grace and truth apart from Jesus. JESUS IS GRACE AND TRUTH PERSONIFIED!  Grace is the unmerited favor and kindness of God.  It is a gift.  It can not be earned; otherwise it would no longer be grace!  

     In my personal life I have struggled with condemnation for years.  I have always believed in "doing right" which actually led me to be quite hard on myself. Don't get me wrong, I BELIEVE IN DOING RIGHT, LOL. The problem was that when I did wrong, I would go into this condemnation frenzy in my mind. I would put myself down constantly.  I would think that God was completely angry and ashamed of me which led me to distance myself from Him.  It was almost like I was expecting something terrible to happen to me in order for me to learn my lesson. I knew that Jesus died on the cross to pay for my sins, but I thought that righteousness was something I had to maintain. I thought I had to do x,y, and z in order to be blessed. If you are in this state my friend, know that this is not God's will for you! 

     

So what has changed me and still working in me?? THE GRACE OF GOD! It is not anything of me, but all about HIM! 

Check this verse out from Ephesians 2 verses 8-9:  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

     Today I am saved, blessed, and at peace with God not because of what I do, but because of what Jesus did for me and you at the cross!! He paid the ultimate price for the forgiveness of our sins, and was raised from the dead for our justification. I am experiencing victories like never before because His grace is my strength in my weakness. It is all by His grace. Open your heart to receive God's abundance of grace  today! You will be captivated by Him!