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.

Immeasurable Sufficient Grace

We all want to do great and always have it all together. But the reality is that we are all really just hot messes who so desperately need Jesus. His grace, His immeasurable grace is sufficient and my inadequacies are what makes Him shine through. The weaker we are, the more His grace can be at work in our lives.

I find myself feeling the most inadequate when I am going over school stuff. Why do I always feel like I am not doing enough with school? I mean really we do so much learning. But yet I start to compare with everyone else and find myself thinking that I am not doing enough and want to do more. Not comparing myself and remembering to rest in God's grace that I can do what needs to get done.

Remember to rest in His grace.

Remember to rest in His grace.

31 Days God's Grace

I cannot count how many times I have been asked how I homeschool four kids. I can tell you that it is only by God’s sufficient grace and no other way. That is the only way I can homeschool or be a mom or be a wife or do any of the things that I do at any point in time. I recently heard a message about grace that got me rethinking God’s grace.

"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" ~ 2 Corinthians 12: 9 (ESV)

The word “sufficient” means that God’s grace is cut to the perfect size and shape for what one is facing. God’s gives the exact grace I need to homeschool each of my children. The grace God has for me is not the same grace that He has for any other mom. God’s grace is not a one size fits all; it is specific to each one of us. Not only does God give me the grace I need as a homeschooling mom, but He also gives my kids the exact grace they need to be my homeschool kids. Isn’t that amazing? God is perfect and all He gives us is perfect, even grace.

I'm participating in 31 Days along with over 1,000 other bloggers hosted by the Nesting Place.

God's Amazing Grace

If you have not yet seen the movie Amazing Grace, you must absolutely see it! It is a very phenomenal movie about William Wilberforce a great man of God who was instrumental in the abolishment of the slave trade in England.

Amazing Grace can be defined as the freely given unmerited favor, love and mercy of God that is so remarkable and overwhelming that it is unbelievably astonishing. That is what John Newton (1725-1807) the author of the hymn felt of the forgiveness and love that God had shown him. He was a slave ship captain who saw God’s mercy when his ship was almost sunk during a storm. God softened his heart and transformed him and Newton became a minister a little bit after. Amazing Grace was probably written between 1760 and 1770 perhaps written for a weekly church service. Over the course of time, various people added more verses to what eventually became the most famous hymn in the world. The six stanzas below are the oldest printed version, found in the first edition of Olney Hymns printed in 1779 along with a reference for 1 Chronicles 17:16 & 17

Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)

That sav’d a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.



’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev’d;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believ’d!



Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.



The Lord has promis’d good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.



Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease;

I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.



The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,

The sun forbear to shine;

But God, who call’d me here below,

Will be forever mine.

1 Chronicles 17:16 & 17 (NKJV)

Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: "Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

Romans 3:21-26 (NKJV)

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.