Devotional Guide

In the two weeks leading up to our Grace Offering we're going to immerse ourselves in grace. That's not to say that we will sin more so that grace may abound (Paul argued against that in Romans 6), but we want to soak up what God has done for us. For it is only when we truly appreciate what God has done for us that grace will flow through us.

For each day from March 23 - April 5 we'll take a look at a Scripture that teaches us something about grace. As I was putting all these verses together I was surprised to see that grace is more often used to express the change that takes place in our life rather than just the forgiveness we experience. Both are important concepts in understanding grace, but I tend to believe we have emphasized the forgiveness aspect far more than the transforming aspect.

Each day read the Scripture (you may want to go a little deeper and read the verses before and after as well), read the brief thought, and then use the prayer to bring your thoughts before our Father.

So join us as we delve into this amazing grace!

Friday, March 20, 2015

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, DAY TEN - HE GIVES US MORE GRACE


Today's Scripture:
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Today's Thought:
There are very few, if any, resources in our world that are truly inexhaustible.  We watch our bank accounts decline and fear running out of money.  We watch the needle of our gas gauge and calculate how many more miles we can travel.  We listen to the ticking of the clock and dread running out of time.  We live in a world where everything is running out.  But we also live in a spiritual world where the abundance of God's grace is never diminished.

James writes these words in the context of people getting involved in fights and quarrels which primarily are the result of losing their cool.  In fact,  we have a phrase that we often use to excuse our boorish behavior:  "I ran out of patience."

Patience, our patience, is one of those exhaustible resources.  On our own we will always come to the end of our rope.  That's why James reminds us that God always has more grace to give us.    In those times when we feel our tank running dry, in humility, we turn to God to refuel us with his grace and we will always find an ample supply. 

Today's Prayer:
God, at times we feel weak and tired.  There are people and situations that continually drain us and we find ourselves running on empty.   Help us to turn to you for the grace we need knowing that you always provide for us.  We offer a prayer for those who are in desperate need of a fill up.  Refresh and recharge them with the overflow of your grace.   We offer this prayer in the name of Jesus, who always seemed to have enough grace for every situation.  Amen.    

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