His Grace is Sufficient

Have you ever had a really hard time with someone you are around on a regular basis – a family member, student in your class, co-worker, co-student, etc.?  When you’ve done nothing wrong – really, you haven’t – yet this person gets downright mean toward you, thoughts of more time with them leave you less than happy, to say the least.

After experiencing this myself, I awoke to the anticipation of more of the same antagonistic words and actions.  I prepared myself to “be nice” in my own strength, while dwelling on what had already been done.  How thankful I am that the Lord interrupted my thoughts (vain imaginations) to remind me, instead, of His Word:

Philippians 3:13 Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead

Of course, Kay!  Leave the past in the past.  God’s grace was sufficient in the past.  Even if I am treated the same way the next time, God’s grace will be sufficient for me then, as well.  I will be able to walk in His love, not receiving the offense – no matter how many next times there are – as long as I draw on His grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP  But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness.

Even to leave the past behind and forget what has been done to me requires me to walk in His grace.  From there, I can lean on Holy Spirit to guide me through whatever comes, also in His grace, so the light of Jesus’ love will keep shining through me – even towards the most difficult individuals.

Leaving the past behind and pressing forward in His grace with you, my sisters!

A Friend in Grace

As I transcribed my handwritten journal to the computer, there was a paragraph that reminded me of my sisters who are far away from your natural home.  In this particular entry, I wrote about the ground I had lost in my communication with the Lord while on vacation.  It wasn’t the vacation itself, but the lack of quality time with the Lord alone, as well as no heartfelt conversations with others concerning the things of God.  It’s those things together that keep me invigorated in Him.

It may not be vacation that moves you out of that place of regular fellowship, but cultural differences that require you to do everyday life so differently, taking much more time and effort than when in your native land.  Add to this the time spent on the work of the ministry, and you might find your one-on-One time with the Lord sorely lacking.  As for conversations with others about the Lord in ways that refresh and renew you, the language and cultural differences create barriers in relating freely and easily – the way you can with someone sharing your native tongue.

Actually, the only way any of us can stay invigorated in Him at all is through His grace.  It’s not what we’re doing right or wrong.  It’s not our works.  Spending lots of time with His Word every day helps, but only by His grace.  Likewise, we don’t lack because our time is taken up with the needs of everyone else, with nothing left for quiet time with Him.  Whether in our preferred spiritual environment or not, it’s a simple matter of coming boldly to God’s throne – because of what Jesus Christ has done.  It’s there we find His grace to be in Him and with Him no matter what our schedule or surroundings allow.

Once He reminded me of it all being His grace anyway, and not my works, I realized that my journal is my friend when there are no kindred spirits with whom to share of the Lord.  I connect with my best friend, Jesus Christ, as I scribe what I see, think, feel, or understand from His Word and Spirit – even as I question.  I suspect you, too, have a friend, though it may not be a journal; perhaps it is art, cooking, decorating, gardening, etc.  If you allow yourself to connect with Jesus Christ – by grace – in your special friendship, you, too, will be reinvigorated.

Strength, peace, love, and grace to you, blessed women of God!

Ephesians 6:23-24 AMP  ²³ Peace be to the brethren, and love joined with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  ²⁴ Grace (God’s undeserved favor) be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying and incorruptible [love]. Amen (so let it be).

Not in My Wiring

You’d think, with the pictures in recent posts and my comments about the beauty of spring, that I love working in the garden.  That assumption, however, is completely wrong!  I appreciate the beauty of the flowers, trees, and grass, and the work that many others put into their beautiful gardens, but that’s where it ends.

As I struggled this morning to plant just four additional plants to extend the beautiful ground cover at my retaining wall, it was all I could do to finish.  I’d look over and see a weed that needed to be pulled (since it rained last night making the ground soft for such a chore), or a stick that needed to be picked up, and attend to that instead.  Anything to avoid why I was there.  Finally I finished, and hope my gardening for this year is done – and it’s only early April!

I told Daddy, as I “sort of” worked at it, that He is the Master Gardener, but He apparently didn’t see fit to put much of that inclination into my wiring.  In the same way, I reflected on an episode of Holmes on Homes the other night on HGTV.  In the midst of replacing a concrete porch and stairs, he brought in a true craftsman to make the concrete look like slate and decorative brick.  It was interesting to see him create this masterpiece, and I truly appreciate his gift and the time he takes with it, but I cannot imagine ever doing this “tedious” work.  Obviously, this man is wired for his work, and I’m not.

On the other hand, there are people who cringe at the thought of writing, while thoroughly enjoying what others have written.  For you to put words, sentences, and paragraphs together to make a point – not to mention the grammar involved – is about as interesting as watching grass grow.  On the other hand, I thrive on bringing words together to make clear what is in my heart, even if I’m the only one who ever reads what I write.  It isn’t always easy, but God wired me for it, so I am able to persevere in His grace – with joy.

Psalm 139:13-14 NIV

¹³ For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Grace, peace, and joy to you, beloved of the Most High God!

Days of Grace

May Jerry Bridges’ quote, from Chapter 5 of Wild Goose Chase, by Mark Batterson, minister to you as it did to me:

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace.  And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.  Every day should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone.