My favorite part of Cooke’s The Secret of a Powerful Inner Life comes early on, as he discusses life in the Spirit and Paul’s declaration that there is no condemnation for those in Christ. Most Christians know this, but my own experience and observation suggest that many Christians don’t really believe it; they have head knowledge–a fact and a memorized verse–but they don’t have the reality of it–belief–in their hearts. Cooke personalizes this vital truth, making it clear and believable:
God does not beat us up over missing it one day. In fact, His love bubbles over for us: “I know the struggle you’re having, but it’s a good fight. I promise, it’s a good fight you can win. Just stop condemning yourself for it. If we don’t win today, we’ll win tomorrow. Every day is a new day, by My mercy.”
The next morning we wake up, and God says, “Okay, it’s a new day. I’ve gotten rid of yesterday; let’s not carry anything forward into today. Let’s have a fresh crack at it, together. I refuse to allow you to beat yourself up over what happened yesterday.”
Meditate on this for a while: can you hear your God and Father saying this to you?
Yesterday, feeling a little flat, I thought I’d find inspiration in a name of Jesus. I have a “Names of Jesus” poster hanging in my office on campus, and occasionally I’ll take one of the names, look at the scripture reference, get the context, and mull it over. I’ve worked my way through about a third, so the next in the list was “Carpenter.”
Charis means grace, and that’s what this blog is about: grace, in all its—sometimes messy, always magnificent—manifestations. I’m Dan Butcher, and I invite you to join me in learning to lead a Christ-centered, grace-filled life. 
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.