Grace on a Thursday: in Rachel's words

Today I'm so happy to be hosting Rachel's words for Grace on a Thursday. Her happy little corner of the blog world known as No. 17 Cherrytree Lane had me at 'hello'. Rachel is full of passion and the pursuit of God. She is vulnerable, feisty, and her faith has a fearless quality to it that challenges me to the core. This recent post of hers on her 4-year blog anniversary kinda sums it up. Please check her dealio out over there, particularly on Tuesdays, when she has an open forum for sharing prayer requests. She's awesome, and so is what she has to share today. Thanks Rach. {I felt a little like Monica when I said that just now.}

GRACE.

How much do I give? Is it rational to end grace and to stop handing it out? Is that even Biblical?

You see, in the past year I have struggled with the idea of grace, insomuch as I wrestle with the idea of continually passing it out.

Clearly, none of us are perfect and we all need it, but OH MY WORD sometimes I am at my wits end.

 

People:

Disappoint.

Abandon me.

Hurt me.

Isolate me.

Ignore me.

In sharp contrast, I recognize how I sometimes treat my Master.

The Lord.

He is my Saviour, after all.

Yet:

I disappoint Him.

I abandon Him.

I hurt Him.

I isolate Him.

And yes....

I ignore Him.

For some reason, beyond my limited understanding, He continues to take me back.

He shows me grace, time and time again. There is no, "I told you so" or "You deserve a swift kick". Just pure, simple, beautiful grace. The same grace that I withhold from those that hurt me. I selfishly hold that grace so close to my vest, in order to save myself from hurt but always expect overflowing, perfect grace from Him. It's so unfair.

He gives the grace that I refuse to.

Where would I be without the Lord's grace? I would be lost and truly alone, suffering from a major case of anxiety because a life apart from His merciful hand, isn't worth living. It goes to show the wide chasm between my selfishness and His plentiful abundance.

The next time I plan on clenching my fists tightly around grace, I will graciously extend it to whomever needs it. Simply because that is what my heavenly Father does for me, on a daily basis.

Who am I to decide who deserves it?

Romans 5: 15-17

"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."