Gracious living flows into us from God’s grace to us through
the gift of Jesus. Some of the definitions for “grace” or “graciousness” include;
Unmerited favor
God’s love
A prayer before a meal
Beauty in movement
Kindness
Take in God’s
gracious love for you in a real way. Let the living water wash over you until
it soaks into the depths of your soul. He can heal the missing pieces. As He
heals us and makes us whole, we become filled with that same love and grace. Shower
favor on others, pray for them, and share God’s love and kindness. Nothing is
impossible with Jesus. He changes everything!
Follow
God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love,
just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2
Remember
on the days of struggle, the days you wonder how to get through, the days of
doubt and worry, God’s grace is sufficient. It is all we need.
But He
said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in
weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so
that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
What a promise! He shines even brighter at our weakest moments, as we
rely on Him for grace for the moment. Put on your spiritual clothes and flow
with grace.
Therefore,
as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12
Heavenly Father,
Lead us by example. We are Your children sent into the world
by You and through Your beloved Son. Let grace flow through us as we carry on
the heritage of our Father, through Jesus.
Amen
Our need for grace and more grace continues throughout our lives. The reason I asked God for more graciousness leads me to a
confession. Does God ever put something right in front of you over and over?
You hear a Scripture a few times. Other people are put in front of you as an
example. Both happened to me this week.
First of all I witnessed what true
graciousness looks like in the lives of two pastors. One, the friend I spoke of
earlier this week. The other passed away on Friday at the age of 88. As his
funeral service began, behind the casket walked his wife of 67 years followed
by their five children and spouses, their 21 grandchildren and spouses and their
21 great-grandchildren. Wow! The words the children and grandkids spoke were
filled with love and gratitude for a gracious man; loving, kind, patient and
most of all, a servant of Jesus. He left a heritage behind him. He sacrificed,
he served, he loved, all with a twinkle in his eye, along with a humble heart.
Gracious living towards everyone leaves a legacy.
I blew my
opportunity to be gracious this week. I have what I call, and maybe you have
heard the term, my “sandpaper” person. My stomach turns to knots when I speak
to her. I always feel put down, let down, less than, and that I don’t measure
up after I speak with her. This time, I became a bit mean spirited. I said a
couple of things that came out of nowhere and to be honest, I felt a bit proud
of myself. It felt good.
And my Father in
heaven checked my spirit. I felt and
maybe heard, “What did you just do, child?” Now, I hope you see God as your loving
Father. He sees you as a beloved child no matter your age. And just as any
loving father would, He disciplines. He chastises. He improves us. And He has
His work cut out with me! I asked His forgiveness and I recognized the fact that
I acted in the very way and with the same attitude that had hurt me. And I
wanted to hurt back.
And what does Jesus ask of us?
But I
tell you, love your enemies, and pray for them who persecute you. Matthew 5:44
The Holy Spirit
convicted me. God never condemns. He only changes us for our own good. I prayed
for my “sandpaper” person, through gritted teeth. (This is a confession after
all) The prayer released me from guilt and next time, (please Lord) I will wait
for the Holy Spirit rather than lashing back on my own. My loving Father asks
me to do just that. Luckily, the Spirit of Christ is within us, ready to step
in.
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you
another Advocate to help you and He will abide with you forever. John 14;16
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the examples of gracious living and the
difference graciousness can make in the lives of others. Forgive me for my
harsh words and the times I want to hurt and pay back evil for evil. You ask
us, instead, to love, to see the need and the hurt within others and to offer
Your love, Your gracious, compassionate and abounding love. We ask for the Holy
Spirit to guide us today.
Amen
As we become familiar with God’s character; with His undeserved
graciousness, His compassion and His abounding love, we begin to exhibit and
imitate those traits ourselves. The image of Christ can work through us, even
to those we believe don’t deserve it. After all, that’s where Jesus asks us to
serve, showering those around us with the grace and mercy they don’t deserve.
The book of
Proverbs was written by the man many believe was the wisest man who ever lived,
King Solomon. God was pleased with him, when he asked for Godly wisdom as he
became king of Israel. He wrote all of these Proverbs, along with the books of
Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes.
Solomon reminds us of the power of graciousness.
The Lord
detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in His
sight. Proverbs 15:26
The wise
in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. Proverbs 16:21
Gracious
words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24
Words
from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own
lips. Ecclesiastes 10:12
A pastor friend of
ours is accepting a call to a church in another state. A young woman from his
congregation wrote words to him of gratitude, telling him that he had shown
her, by example, a loving God that looked beyond her faults and beyond what the
world saw in her. He saw her shyness rather than believing she was a snob, as
others had labeled her, and told her the anger stirring deep within her could
be turned into passion for her calling. He used wise words filled with grace,
given with the heart of Christ. I am asking God to give me gracious words, a
compassionate heart and a loving attitude. Gracious words promote wisdom,
healing and instruction.
Dear Father,
On our own we look for the fault, criticize what we don’t like
and put others down. Give us your graciousness today as we look for ways to
speak to a hurting world and seeing others beneath the surface. Let the Holy Spirit give us those kind words
for everyone.
In Jesus name,
Amen
God’s pure grace and His new mercies each day have forgiven
me, comforted me, picked me back up time and time again, and sustained me
through stormy days. They have been poured into my life no more powerfully,
than in the love He has provided for me in my family. Today marks the 31st
birthday of our oldest daughter. What joy she has given us over the years and
continues to bring to our lives. There is no greater gift than seeing our
children grow into amazing adults and into friends.
I look forward to
our daily chats. My husband always asks,
“How do you find so much to talk about every day?” There is never a lack of conversation and I
treasure the moments we get to spend together, all of us as a family, and just the two of us.
How has God’s grace
been showered in your life? Let’s praise Him with thanksgiving for giving us
grace upon grace. Savor each moment. Declare His love to others and thank Him. I
thank You, Lord, for the gift of our Angela. May you continue to bless her
life. And may God continue to bless each of you with grace and more grace.
And out of His fullness, we have all received
grace and more grace, in place of grace already given. John 1;16
Father,
Thank You for the greatest gifts You can give us, love and
family. Pour out Your blessings to those we love. Bring birthday blessings to
our daughter today and throughout this year.
In Jesus name,
Amen
For the inspiration
to write about grace, today’s blog is for my friend, Susie, who never tires of
showing graciousness and kindness.
The pure,
sacrificial grace of God saves us, sustains us, secures us and seals us. The unimaginable grace of our God came to us
in Jesus Christ. The world around us demands justice. If we break a law, we pay
the penalty. Our lives are viewed by merits. Are we good enough? Have we
measured up?
But God’s grace
came down to us when we did not deserve it. His grace finds us and loves us just the way we
are. His grace forgives our past sins, our present transgressions and all of
the missteps we will take in the future. His unmerited favor and His love were
given to us freely. Jesus died and suffered for you and for me. God’s compassion
and grace are given to us liberally and lavishly.
And He
passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate
and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Exodus 34:6
But You
are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding
in love. Therefore You did not desert them.
Nehemiah 9:17b
But You,
Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love
and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15
The Lord
is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. Psalm 103:8
The Lord
is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Psalm 145:8
Rend your
heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious
and compassionate and slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from
sending calamity. Joel 2:13
Do you have days of
doubt? I do. We believe we aren’t doing enough. We don’t measure up.
How can God love us? Right now, this minute, read the verses above once more.
Meditating and placing God’s words in our hearts and bringing them to mind when
we have those moments, those days, those doubts can move us to where we belong,
as children of our compassionate, loving, and forgiving God.
God’s grace flows
with compassion and love. Not just love, but abounding love! He is rich in
love. He is faithful to us, even when we are not faithful to Him. Bask in His
grace and love and remind yourself daily. He is gracious and compassionate, slow
to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness toward you and me.
Dear Father,
Thank You for reminding us and repeating over and over again
in Your precious word how much we are loved. We need to hear it. We are Your
children, called for a purpose, united in love. Be gracious to us today.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Our ultimate trust and hope are in our victory over death. Death?
Most of us want to avoid the topic all together. Our earthly goodbyes are heart
wrenching, our grief overwhelming. It is so difficult to go on without our loved
ones. But in Christ, we have the promise of forever. In this life, we always
find hope. Our short lives will end (no matter how we try to avoid that truth)
and we will move on to a better forever, our true home in heaven. Heaven bound?
Believe in the risen Christ!
In the meantime, we
are in a spiritual battle against the ways of this world, that will grow
ever-stronger until the return of Christ. He promised there would be an
increase in storms and earthquakes, in wars, in evil and depravity. There would
be times such as haven’t been seen since the days of Noah, times of violence,
anger, of disrespect, greed, power and pride.
Sound like the headlines?
Trusting in God, as
we have spoken about each day for these last two weeks, offers us hope in Christ
and His power until our death or until His return. He overcame this world for us. Spread the word.
He is risen. He has conquered death. Our heavenly home awaits.
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who
believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:5
“I have told you these things so that in Me you
may have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart! I have
overcome the world.” John 16:13
Do not fear. This
world will pass away. Everything we see is temporary, but in Him we can remain
calm and peaceful. Focus on things above. As we age and our bodies wear out,
our spirits will be able to grow stronger and filled with light. I have seen this truth over and over again in
hospice patients. Here are two verses I have used in ministry to the dying.
They are filled with God’s glory and hope forever.
Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly
we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are growing day by day. For our light and
momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs
them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for
what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
I consider that our present sufferings are not
worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
Such precious words
to end the week. An eternal glory that far outweighs it all. As we trust Him
with our lives, we are moving ever-closer to our home.
Father,
You bring us back to hope as we trust in You throughout our
lives. Keep us strong in weakness, fearless and unafraid, as we remain Your
beloved children.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Last of the summer vacation days next week. The blog will be
back on August 26th.
Trusting God in all things requires a strong faith. Faith
beyond what we see. Faith beyond the grave.
Faith in Christ even when we don’t understand. Faith in His
resurrection. Faith in the truth of His word. Faith that He cares about us. Faith
brings trust in the only true God.
I don’t know about
you, but my faith can become weak when I want to control a situation, when my
worries overcome my peace, when the questions don’t seem to have any answers.
When I ask, “Why?”
Time and time
again, He answers me. He delivers me from fear again. He provides a way out. He
works miracles through suffering. He offers hope to others through what I have
experienced. It is a wildly exciting ride to follow Him. Have faith today!
Trust in our very capable, understanding, never-sleeping Savior.
He is praying for
you. He is interceding for you through the Holy Spirit. He is working for you
and through you. Relax in the freedom of Jesus. And surrender it all in true
faith, hope and trust.
Our trust grows
with each experience lived with Him. Our faith and trust please our God.
Without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards
those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
All God asks of us
is to keep our faith steadfast and strong. He will never leave us. He loves us.
He is longing for us to be with Him, but He needs us here to be His servants,
to find ways to talk about Him and our faith. Believe and trust in His ways
above our own wants and desires, above oud daily worries, above it all.
Father,
Our help comes from You. You are big enough, strong enough,
loving enough to get us through the days. Keep our faith strong. As we rely
more and more on You, it pleases You. Let us make You smile today.
In Jesus name,
Amen
