February 12

Strengthened by Grace

"It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace." Hebrews 13:9

I never remember seeing this scripture until a friend pointed it out to me, but what truth rings from these words of Paul! When we reflect on the grace that has been given to us, our hearts are warmed and we are strengthened in our walk. When we lose sight of grace, we can become overwhelmed by life. I love these words of Max Lucado, taken from his book, In The Grip of Grace. "Where the grace of God is missed, bitterness is born. But where the grace of God is embraced, forgiveness flourishes. The longer we walk in the garden, the more likely we are to smell the flowers. The more we immerse ourselves in grace, the more likely we are to give grace." Receiving grace is good for our hearts, but so is giving grace. We will be strengthened by grace each time we receive it AND each time we pass it on to others. Let us resolve this day to be filled with God's wonderful grace. His grace grabbed us from the prison house of death, from the wall of misery, where we were shackled by sin. It loosed our chains, cleaned us up, gave us a robe of righteousness to wear and made us children of the King! Do we truly appreciate what it cost our Lord to set us free? Do we understand what he freely chose to go through for us? When we truly appreciate the grace that has been given to us, how could we possibly withhold grace from those around us? The more we understand the grace that has been so freely bestowed upon us, the more we will shower those around us with grace, forgiving them as freely as we have been forgiven. When our lives are thus immersed in grace, we will be strengthened in heart. Let us remember that the call to those who have received of God's grace is to live a gracious life. That is how grace works, it must be passed on!

Grace is such a precious commodity, Lord. I can never fully comprehend it, but I am so grateful for it. It strengthens my heart to know that despite my failures, despite my unworthiness, despite who I am, your grace reaches me and is transforming me into more than I could ever hope for. Thank You for that grace and the work it is doing in my life! Amen