Grace of God

I wrote about Grace in an earlier post (sola gratia - Latin for grace alone), but grace is such an inexhaustible subject - we can never fully capture the wonder of it.  The grace of God surrounds us on every hand.  He tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

In her Bible study, Entrusted, Beth Moore writes, "Grace is the divine means by which God makes Himself everything we need to utterly abound."  Ponder that truth for a moment.

When I read the section Beth wrote on grace and all its wonders in our lives, I was so overwhelmed with it all, I started weeping.  As I continued thinking about it, I imagined grace like a gentle rain on the thirsty ground of my heart.  I soak in its refreshing, healing touch and I'm surrounded by the warm, secure feeling of a heavenly hug.  I smile through my drying tears and rest in a joyful feeling of peace (:

The God of all creation works in such mysterious and wonderful ways to help us see/find that needed grace for whatever it is that we're going through.  We tend to try and take care of our needs in our own strength - it's human nature.  That's why Paul reminded his protege Timothy, "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" 2 Timothy 2:2.  Strength and grace come from God, not from our selves.  That's something we have to remind ourselves of and to deal with on a daily basis - but, God has grace for that too.

I'm using a picture I took of stained glass from Christ Episcopal Church in New Bern, NC.  What greater evidence of grace is there than the cross of Christ.  Everything about Jesus life and death and sacrifice, and God's pursuit of mankind is permeated in grace.  We can't even comprehend the depth and width of such grace.  We can, however, fall on our knees in praise and thanksgiving to the One who offers this free and generous gift of grace to all who believe. 

Just a few thoughts this morning on the wonder, sufficiency, and joy of the grace of God.

Amazing Grace, O how sweet the sound!