Grace Abounds

Grace – the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings

I never understood when people would talk about the “grace of God,” how it was on their life, their job or their relationships. I would do the generic “nod and agree” when people would talk about it. When I was especially uncomfortable I would add the head lean with the nod and add a gentle smile. I was CLUELESS!! I was clueless because my relationship with God was about rules and dos and don’ts. It wasn’t until I truly received and knew the unconditional love and forgiveness that Christ offered that I could even begin to understand His grace.

Why would Christ pour out His grace on me, my life, my family, etc.? Why would he love me when I did wrong and missed the mark? It’s only because He loves us so deeply. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and loves us for both of them. There is nothing you could do to make God love you more or to make Him love you less…He just loves!!

At a particularly difficult time in my life, I read this verse and it jumped off the page and literally into my heart. It showed me a true picture of God’s grace and I was personally experiencing it at a whole new level.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (MSG), “Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

This life and all that we do has very little to do with us and our abilities but everything to do with God and what He wants to do. His desire is to use us and the gifts and talents He has given to us for His purpose. When we learn to see, expect and walk in the grace offered from God we can begin to do things we never thought possible. Christ’s strength does move in on our weaknesses and He does take over, if we allow Him to, to do what we cannot. His grace is sufficient and the more dependent we become on Him and allow Him to lead, grow and guide us, the stronger we become.

Today, remember…His grace abounds…it never runs out and it covers all you have planned to do today and in the days to come.