God’s Grace

God’s Grace

Audio Version Coming Soon!

As I sit and enjoy lunch on my deck with all my feathered friends I mull over a book I’m reading: Bold Love by Dan Allender. A profound work indeed. It is thought-provoking and takes me on a side trail about love that brings me to grace. Grace, we receive from God. Grace, we extend to others.

Grace is mentioned over 246 times in the Old and New Testament. There is a reason for that, it is the exhibition of God’s unending, unyielding love for mankind.

But what does grace really mean in the light of God’s love? Grace is unmerited favor perhaps undeserved kindness. Unwarranted – Unearned – Unfair –  Unjustified: pick the word that fits the circumstance but the bottom line is receiving or extending grace from God saturated in His Love.

When we least deserve God’s love, He extends it. When we reject His love He doesn’t demand our love but is ready and willing to embrace us when we reach toward Him. When we stop and turn to Him He extends forgiveness, love, and grace even when we were stubborn or have run in a different direction. When we look back to Him; He simply says come.

“Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Mathew 11:28 English Standard Version

Grace: an extension of God’s love. Sometimes it is difficult to receive; often it is difficult to extend.

But, God.

We see God’s love overwhelmingly when we consider where we would be without Him.

I have joked from time to time saying, “We are all grateful God did not go on vacation and appoint me, or any of us, to take His place. If He had I’d wipe us all out, including me, in the blink of an eye. We are such a grumbling, ungrateful bunch.” I remember studying Exodus and thinking my goodness do they have short memories of God’s miracles, grace, and love. Then I consider I have a short memory. All of us have short memories of all that God has done in and for us.

This does not mean life is always easy. It is not. Mine for sure hasn’t been. I haven’t always understood why either. But what I do know is that “God’s grace” has always been enough to get me through to the other side of whatever the challenge. He loves me enough to allow me to grow and to know that as I lean on Him I gain strength, wisdom, understanding. And more than I can say, an abundance of grace.

There are times when offering grace to others that are gnarly is not easy but needed. It is in the grace we receive that gives the opportunity to give as it has been given; freely extended without a price other than to accept and receive.

Sometimes we need to remember to see the others through God’s eyes. It doesn’t mean we enable crummy and inappropriate behavior. It means we can have grace and kindness in how we respond. We can say “no” without being ugly or resentful. We are able to say, “that’s inappropriate, unacceptable.” We are able to choose our response instead of reacting to someone’s unkind words or actions.

Grace is freely given by our Heavenly Father to us and for us and with the Holy Spirit, we are able to generously give grace in wisdom and love. When we don’t think we have it in us to be graceful or kind we need to remember we have the Holy Spirit to draw upon. It is a choice. We must choose to reach inside and ask the Holy Spirit to give us what we don’t believe we have to give.

We have the “Freedom To Choose”: to get up when down, move when frozen by fear, be strong when challenged by circumstances, re-fired when tired of being strong, love even when we feel empty, give when we think we have nothing of value left to give.

I have found it is at this point God steps in and gives us all we need to go on, to succeed, to get up, to give out, to love more. We have the freedom to choose to look up and become better, stronger or freer, or choose to be like a ship wallowing in stormy seas, constantly striving and focused on the storm.

This is grace abundantly saturated with God’s love. We are not alone. He is always with us. His Spirit dwells within us when we invite Him into our hearts. It is in the surrender of our will, motivation, and spirit to Him that we gain His insight, strength, and capacity to respond with grace and courage to the challenges we face each day.

It is with God’s grace we find the way; His way to live, love, and thrive with passion and purpose.

Today are you willing to ask God to help you see how His grace can be evidenced in your life?