Have you ever received something that you did not deserve? I have. Have you ever been gracious to others? How did that make you feel when you received grace? How did it make you feel when you gave grace? Did it inspire hope in you?
I have found in my life that it is filled with suffering. Some big like the death of my wife and some small like a sore foot. But when I look to the future, I have come to understand that these things will pass. When I look to the future because of God’s infinite grace I have hope as 1 Peter 5: 10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (ESV)
I have also learned that I must be gracious with others. During my wife’s illness I had people say things that I know were meant to be helpful but ended up being hurtful. I needed to be gracious to them. I needed to think that they were trying to be helpful and not hurtful. It is not easy to assume that the motives of people are of good intention. That may be because God describes the hearts of men to be evil. “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Mark 7:21-23 (ESV) I believe it is by God’s grace that we can be gracious to one another. I have also found that God wants us to be gracious to one another. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) To me these are the attributes of grace. It is clear to me that I am to live like Christ. Since Grist was full of grace and truth I should also be full of grace and truth. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17 (ESV)
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (ESV) These are certainly words of great hope. To fully understand my ability to directly approach God with all of my needs both big and small gives great hope. It is helps me to understand that there is nothing too big or too small for God to deal with in my life. He is concerned about my need for food and clothing. He is also concerned about my struggles with my wife’s death and how it affects me even today, even after almost 11 years. It is by His grace that I get up every morning to live for God’s glory and God’s glory alone.
So, join me accepting God’s grace daily. Knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for all of our needs, not just our big needs but even the small ones. Understand that we glorify God when we accept His grace. Part of the grace God gives us is hope. God is the only One who can give you true hope. He can make all things right. As you receive grace for yourself and give grace to others by living in God’s grace. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because of that we ought to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in choosing Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here.
You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.
eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google.
