Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 20, 2018
But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them. Nehemiah 9:17
We serve a gracious God who does not desert us in our time of need, or reject us when we walk away. He knows our secret sins and still loves us, in spite of our indiscretions. Our sin breaks His heart, but it does not disqualify us from His grace. David felt this when he prayed to his gracious God, “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16). Your need is God’s opportunity to extend you grace.
You may ask, “How do I qualify for God’s grace?” Breathe. If you are alive, you qualify. His grace reaches a wife who feels worthless because of the verbal and physical lashes from her husband. The grace of God goes out to a brain-cancer victim who waits in major uncertainty on an unproven clinical procedure. Your gracious God offers buckets of grace at your point of fear, rejection, anger, dismissal, job loss, divorce, and addiction.
Indeed, we are all candidates for God’s grace daily; so take the time to appropriate His great gift. In prayer and by faith, receive what your Sovereign Lord offers in abundance. Isaiah says it beautifully: “O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress” (Isaiah 33:2). In your bankrupt business and broken soul, His grace is sufficient to see you through. Gulp down gallons of grace.
Moreover, because you have the grace of God at your disposal, be a dispenser of grace. In the heat of relational conflict, it is not about you and your way. It is about the Lord’s way. His remedy for relational angst is grace. Give grace to the ungracious, and God will bless your efforts with healing and understanding. People who live in fear have no concept or understanding of faith, but your gracious response gives them a glimpse into grace.
When they lash out, listen. When they accuse, forgive. When they are angry, stay calm. When they are critical, pray for them. When they give up, be there for them. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10). Grace is the governor that keeps the relational engine running smoothly. Be a grace giver, and you will never lack people to love!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I lean into You for Your grace and mercy in my time of need, in Jesus’ name, amen.Application
Do I regularly receive a fresh infusion of God’s grace into my mind, soul, and spirit? Do I liberally live out grace and give grace to the ungracious and undeserving?Related Reading
Proverbs 22:11; Joel 2:13; Ephesians 3:7; Philemon 1:25Post/Tweet today
Our need for grace is God’s opportunity to extend us grace, so we can be gracious with others. #wisdomhunters #graceWorship Resource
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