By grace are you saved and that my friend is just the beginning, by grace. Grace is a vast ocean to swim in. It’s a deep place of diving for pearls and there is no need to fear the sharks. Grace is a love that forgives sin. Grace is not a magic spell but can create a smile in the hardest of situations. Who is entitled to grace? No one. But whoever receives the epiphany of grace has found a treasure worth more than gold and riches.
By grace a friend helped me pay the bank for money owed and I avoided foreclosure. By grace a friend bought me a motorcycle jacket. By grace I received the things I needed in life just in time. By grace I received love, I received an internal peace, I received the promises of God to take care of me all the days of my life. By grace I swallowed my pride. By grace I cried and I learned God has me in His hands and watches over my life.
Why is it so hard to imagine God wanting to give good things to those who diligently seek Him? Can you find that promise in scripture? Why is it so hard to receive a gift from someone who just wants to be generous? “It’s better to give than to receive” is a easy morsel to swallow, but to be the one receiving is to choke on the pride of life rather than accepting love from a brother. It’s a hard thing to receive. Receiving means accepting kindness. It’s a double check of the motive of the giver and it means trust is being built one brick at a time. The foundation must be tested to be trusted. There is a place of looking back in life and asking the questions: Have I done my part in sowing grace and kindness? Have I recognized selfish moments? Have I become aware of how grace has impacted my life?
I know the Word says we walk by faith, but like a little child, I skip to the beat of grace. My life is no longer filled with the worries of figuring out what to do next. Each morning I turn toward God and receive my daily bread. I am living and walking in a new place. I don’t understand how it’s all going to work out but I know in my heart it will. Why? Because God has a plan for my life. “I know the plans I have for you” and you know the rest of the scripture. (Jeremiah 29:11.) Do you believe it, or has it become a flippant expression that lost the impact of what God is saying to you right now?
My life of grace is going to work each day and dealing with whatever the day brings. But it’s so much more by grace. It’s recognizing the plan God has for my life. It’s a richness in understanding I only have to be what He has made me. Amy Grant sings the song “All I Ever Have to Be.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohkdMXx_JlQ
When the heart understands the depth of grace and releases all of the questions of life into the hand of grace, it opens to a new way of thinking. It’s like taking a deep breath of fresh air just after the storms have rolled through. It’s no longer being afraid of the future.
The life of grace is not about what someone has accomplished, personal gain, or being perfect. The simplest way I can say it is” walking by trust.” Knowing all things work together for the good. Knowing!