His Grace Is Sufficient

Grace: Generous and undeserved favour, love and kindness. From the Greek I read it means "that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune. It’s a gift, you cannot earn it or buy it. God gives us grace even though we really don’t deserve it. He gives it to us because He loves us dearly.

That was my word for the day. God gave me this word before I even had a chance to have a quiet time. It was such a clear word that I decided to write on my glass of iced tea to remind me throughout the day. I quickly understood why this word would be so very appropriate for today. When I woke up, I had no idea what today would hold but God did. He knew that I would need to extend a lot of grace today and that I would need Him to pour out grace upon grace on me.  

My mug posted on Instagram.

 

I read 2 Corinthians 12 this morning. I have read it many times as evidence by the many colored markings on the lovingly worn pages of my Bible. Today God showed me something that I am sure I noticed at one point but as with familiarity it has gone unnoticed for a while.

Paul writes that he has a thorn in his side. Someone is really getting on his last nerve. Someone who is being a stumbling block for him. It's someone who he really doesn’t want to deal with any longer. He is just done; you know? He asked God to take care of this person for him, make him leave Paul alone. God actually said no. Really? No? I mean why would God allow a stumbling block to stay around? God’s answer is something every Sunday School Graduate knows inside out and backwards. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Did you get that? God will allow those who drive us crazy and perhaps even weaken us so that His power will be made perfect. Those circumstances that we really are just finished dealing with even though we can’t be; His power is made perfect in our weakness.

This week I encountered a lot of people and happenings that had God not poured out His grace, I may not have handled the week as I should have. In fact in some moments I really almost lost it. I need sufficiently abundant grace for me and then I can give grace to them. And walk in grace through every happenstance. Today I experienced God’s grace to deal with the day that was thrown at me. It wasn’t a bad day really but after a stressful, overly busy week, I needed a bit more grace to handle one more weekday. And tomorrow I know that I will need His grace to deal with whatever it holds for me.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (ESV)

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.