God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you,
always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for
every good work (IICor.9:9)
As God’s grace is as unending as the crashing waves of the sea, so is His
generosity of grace. God doesn’t just love; He lavishes us with love. He
doesn’t just dole out wisdom; “He gives generously to all without finding
fault” He is rich in “kindness, tolerance and patience.” His grace is
exceedingly abundant and indescribable” (1Tim 1:14, 2 Cor. 9:14-15).
· He overflowed the banquet table of the prodigal.
· Filled ALL The vats at the wedding with wine.
· The boat of Peter with fish
· He healed all who sought health.
· He taught all who wanted instruction and saved all who accepted
the gift of salvation.
His grace goes beyond mercy.
Mercy gave Naomi food; grace gave her a husband and a home.
Mercy gave the prodigal son a second chance; grace gave him a party.
Mercy prompted the Samaritan to bandage the wounds of the victim;
grace prompted him to leave his credit card as payment for the victim’s care.
Mercy forgave the thief on the cross; grace escorted him into paradise.
This is the Grace that the Father extends to us each and every day.
His grace is unending. His grace is abundant and generous. His
grace is extravagant.
Give grace away. Grace is one of the great, often untapped, powers of the
universe that God has asked us to set loose. When we receive God’s
grace, we realize that we cannot contain it. It overflows out of our lives
into the lives of others who so desperately are searching for forgiveness,
acceptance, grace. Human society runs by ungrace, ranking people,
holding them accountable, insisting on reciprocity and fairness. Grace
is, by definition, unfair.
In his book Putting a Face on Grace, Richard Blackaby has some tips for us:
• Speak words intended to build up, not to bring down.
• Focus on the needs of others, rather than your own.
• Freely forgive.
• Swallow you pride and say, “I’m sorry,” and “I was wrong.”
• Live your life with a goal of “no regrets.”
• Don’t keep score of what is fair.
• Don’t condemn or give up on people.
• Emphasize mercy, not justice.
• Read 1 Corinthians 13 regularly.
And always keep in mind that it is God’s Spirit within us who will
change us into becoming people who extend grace to others.
If God gives me grace in my weaknesses, how can I not give you grace in
your weakness?
Kindness, however—that’s something different. Kindness can be given
in a patronizing, paternalistic way. We can be kind to a homeless
person or even an animal as an act of charity. Grace is different.
It elevates the one you are showing grace toward. God’s grace toward us
puts us on a whole new level: God now judges us as if we had never
sinned, through the filter of his Son Jesus. That’s quite different than
God deciding to be kind toward us.
Grace should, one would expect, produce people who are cool,
relaxed, laid back, you name it. So often, you meet the contrary:
believers who seem burdened, tense, worried, and stressed. What’s
wrong with us?
Your identity is not in your possessions, talents, kudos,
Accomplishments, or ministries. You are not defined by your divorce,
deficiencies, debt, or dumb choices. You are a child of God. You get to call
Him “Abba” (“Papa”.) You receive the blessings of his special love and
provision. And you will inherit the riches of Christ and reign with Him
forever.
Rather than conjure up reasons to feel good about yourself, trust
God’s verdict. If God loves you, you must be worth loving. God’s grace
requires you to change your attitude about yourself and take sides with
God against our feelings of rejection.
A spirit of rejection whispers, whatever you do is not
enough…whoever you are is not enough…and when we begin to believe
that whisper, it removes our ability to receive grace from “Abba”.
Instead, we struggle and strive to please Him when He says you are
already pleasing.
It was in a moment just like this that the Father’s whisper was
louder than the enemy’s. His whisper said, “Cyndi, you know my grace,
you have received my grace, you live in my grace, do not let the enemy
steal this from you.” How? How do I do that? I don’t know how to silence
the whisper. Abba then said, “it’s simple daughter, extend the same
grace you give away to others to yourself.” That was a life-changing
moment for me. When I wrapped my brain around what He said and all
that it meant, I was amazed and changed(once again)! The grace he first
gave me and then taught me to give away is unending, abundant,
generous, and extravagant. He was telling me to extend that same grace
to myself! I’m human; I falter, I stumble, I make mistakes, and God is
telling me to give myself grace!
This is the gift that God gives. A grace that grants you first the
power to receive love and then the power to give it away to others and
also to yourself.
In the words of Max Lucado:
“Grace. Let it in, let Him, so seep into the crusty cracks of your life that
everything softens. Then let it, let Him, bubble to the surface, like a
spring in the Sahara, in word of kindness and deeds of generosity.”
And in the message God had for me…
Give yourself permission to extend grace to yourself; He already has.
