And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
To me it means ‘unmerited favor’. So God gives us unconditional love – despite all we do to him and each other. Take a moment and ponder on this last statement...God is willing to give us His unconditional love, and unmerited favor...He loves us so much that He wants to show us how much He loves us. This blessing can be on a grand scale or on a much smaller one. For example, I am currently going to school to receive a Bachelors in Nursing. One area I struggle is in Math, with much prayer, blood, sweat and tears. I possibly have a fighting chance in passing this class. This past semester I had an amazing teacher who believed in me, he was like my personal cheerleader! One of the requirements to pass his class was to make a Math notebook. The last day of the final I turned it in with a heavy heart, for I felt I haven't given it my all. I turned in my final and my teacher came up to me didn't hand me my notebook right away, but begin to tell me how proud of me he was. He knew Math was a struggled for me and he saw how hard I was working to get all my assignments done. As he was talking to me tears were starting to form in the corners of my eyes. Then with a big smile he opened my notebook pointed to the grade he gave me...I looked down...then the tears started to flow, and I was not ashamed of this. My score was a 10/5 making it a 200%!! He had written down some of what he had already shared with me. My final combined Math notebook score was a 92% making me pass this class with a B!!.
I know this may seem small scale to someone else, but it was grand scale for me. As I drove home from school that day all I could think of how He showed me unmerited favor, I personally felt I did not deserve the grade I was given. God comes through for us in an amazing ways. There have even been times when God has blessed me even before I knew I needed that blessing.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 2 Corinthians 9:8
As we receive grace by our Heavenly Father we need to also extend grace. This not as easy as one think it is. To extend grace is to look past the flesh and into the heart of a person. Say you are in a conversation with someone and he/she says something that is really hurtful. The first reaction is to be hurt, and respond back in anger. Proverbs 15:1 states: A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. I know this is hard to do, I have to keep telling myself this on a daily basis, and some days it is minute by minute.. before responding to a person relax, ask God for His words not yours and take a moment to respond. This person may have said this out of hurt, out of anger, but sometimes there is a deeper emotion behind the remark. Such as fear of rejection, fear of getting hurt more, or just as simple they are trying to speak in love. Grace can be given in a heart beat or in a moment of reflection. Don't worry if there are times when you respond back in anger...remember you can go back to that person, apologize for your words and then move on. If they don't respond or accept your apology don't sweat it. You did what was required of you and the rest is between God and them. In addition, if you did this with a sincere heart then you are golden. Just love them as God loves them for that is what is required of you.
Grace is a wonderful thing to receive and give. The more you receive it from God, the more you realize how much He truly loves you. What a wonderful feeling it is to bask in the glow of His love. In addition, the more you give it to someone else the freedom you will feel. As a side note whether a person deserves grace it or not it is not for us to decided, it is up to us to walk in obedience and extend it. ~Missie
leave your gift there before the altar and go
. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and
offer your gift.
Matthew 5:24
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