KINGDOM PROMISE: ABUNDANCE, HOPE, & A FUTURE The Freedom of Grace B Y K E L LY W I L L I A M S H A L E
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hat does grace mean? I’ve heard the word my whole life – mostly attributed to my accident-prone self. When walking through the doorway swinging my arms, my hand would inevitably bash against the doorjamb. “Good job, Grace.” Or, walking down the sidewalk with absolutely no obstacles, I would trip and stumble over a speck of dust. Again, grace. But the grace I want to talk about is God’s grace, His undeserved favor. God extends His grace to us despite our failures and shortcomings. But boy, I can tell you it has taken me many, many, MANY years to begin to grasp the amazing wonder of God’s grace. It is by His grace that any of us still walk the earth. His grace allows us to wake up each day and attempt (in our weak, self-centered way) to go about the daily business of living. And it’s by His grace that we are forgiven, over and over and over again, when we fall short OR fall down. (Hmmm… so there IS some correlation between God’s grace and my accident-prone young self’s definition of grace!) God’s grace is what we must shower on those who cause us harm or disappointment. And we must also extend grace to ourselves. Unfortunately, both can be difficult to remember. A few years ago, I had the word “grace” tattooed on the inside of my wrist as a reminder to extend grace to others. But glancing down at that word written on my wrist also reminds me that God gives me grace. And I can give myself grace as well.
God’s grace is what we must shower on those who cause us harm or disappointment.
Have you ever messed up so badly that you wondered, How could God use me after that? I sure have. And I remember so vividly when the Lord reminded me of His grace. I was sound asleep after attending the first day of a women’s conference. I felt God was calling me to ministry, to serve women who felt like their past disqualified them from His purpose. I heard a voice whisper, “My grace is sufficient.” I immediately sat upright in the cozy hotel bed, grabbed my Bible, and located this verse: And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV)
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