Enjoy this revisit from- In His Word! 7-11-05
Today is a beautiful day, it is not too
hot and it is not too windy. It is calm and peaceful in my house. I can hear
nice music playing and each child is off doing his or her own thing. It is easy
to be graceful and think of being full of grace toward my children at the
moment. How can I keep this peaceful
graceful feeling? Where can I go to find help to be more full of grace?
In His Word!
You are fairer
than the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed
you forever. Psalm 45:2
So all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth and they said “Is this not Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22
But He gives more grace. Therefore He
says:” God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit
to God. Resist the devil and he wil flee from you. Draw near to God and He will
draw near to you. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift
you up. James 4:6-8
&10
Life is not always so calm. More often
than we like the children are at each others faces saying ‘mine’ or ‘you’ or
‘give it back!’. No grace abounds in
those words!
While enjoying watering my garden today
and fellowshipping with the Lord in song and praises I thought about how a group
of us have been reading the book of James.
Now James talks about a lot of things
that are important but today I was thinking first on my speaking setting the
mode, like we spoke of before, but also how I can cause grace and peace to flow
in my surroundings.
I know that what I say effects those
around me, because I know that what others say effects how I react to them. So
what can I do to understand this ‘grace’ I hear about?
I know that Jesus spoke with grace.
In Luke 4 it tells us of this fact. In
fact it also shows us what happens when we speak with grace! His words came out
with humbleness and kindness and those around Jesus questioned if this were the
boy they knew as Joseph’s son. They could tell by His speech that He came from
God the Father! Though they may not have made the connection at the moment they
knew He was more than just a carpenter's son who had such wisdom.
In James we read that Grace is something
that was given. God gives grace to the humble, which would be those who submit
to God and allow His will to be their own.
Okay, so grace is given to us when we
humble ourselves and follow His lead. How can we bring grace into our homes?
First of all, we have to know whom grace comes from.
Jesus- He perfomed the biggest act of
Grace when He died on the cross for us! If we know Him,then we can have His
grace with us always.
So how do we share His grace with others?
By putting them before us. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He put us before Himself
when He died for us!
So if I want my children to behave I need
to give them grace?
Yes! But that does not mean I let them
get away with murder! Jesus died for us so we could be saved, basically from
ourselves! We have the choice to follow Him and share in His grace by doing
what He wills in our lives. So Grace and
obedience are on the same side of the coin as they would say. They are on the
same team!~
So if I want to speak grace, I need to
remember that it is not about me, but it is about Him and my wanting to please
God!
I can choose to be angry with the people
around me when they fail to line up to my expectations, or I can choose to not
let it get to me and love them and speak with kind words and still get the
point across. Jesus did not mix words, He did however speak the truth in love!
Remember the woman at the well, from Samaria? He told her exactly what she had done in her life, things she had not told anyone else. He did not let her get away without knowing that He knew her heart. In the same way when we speak with grace, we can share the truth about what is bothering us, with out using hateful or hurtful words.
In James 4:11 it tells us plane and
simple, “do not speak evil of one another brethren.” Instead we are to give
grace to those who are ignorant of what the right thing to do is, and yet hold
accountable those whom we know have the knowledge to do the right thing. Call a
cat a cat and a dog a dog! But don’t go pushing buttons just to get what you
want.
It is not about you, or me! It does not
matter if our dinner is cooked on time, or if we eat when the Jones’ eat. It is
about Him, and His love, and His grace
being filtered through us. We are God’s ambassadors and our job is to stand up
for Him. So if He gives grace to rotten descusting little old me then I need to
give grace to the person who spilled the milk and did not clean it up.
Okay, that is a
lot of word pictures but I am hoping to get across the idea that today we all
need to work on giving out grace as Christ would do. Remember that the Pastor
is a person first, as frail and fallible as the rest of us, and remember that
the woman at the grocery store who opened her door and nearly smacked you in
the hip is just a person too! Whether it is the fact that the laundry does not
get done with out you doing it, or the toys don’t get picked up unless you tell
them to do it a hundred times…
Grace will abound
when you speak the truth in love.
I was able to
test this out today, while standing in a long line at the local store I noticed
another line had opened up. I looked at the line I was in with shopping carts
and full ones at that, and decided to go to the new line. I proceeded around
the long line so as not to push my way through the people in front of me and
possibly offend them. On the way to the, still one person, line I grabbed one
more item, a paper bag. Just as I turned my head back to my line… I was stepped
in front of and the person who had been in front of me in the first line, cut
in. Exhausted and tired from waiting behind this family to start with as they
doddled alone I was upset. I thought to tell them “Ex-cuse-me! But I was here
first!” then dropped my basket in disaproval and slowly made my way to the
register behind them.
It took a lot of
strength not to say anything, cause gee I was the one carrying a basket as
apposed to pushing a cart, and I was the one who was there first, and I was the
one who had tired feet, one of which was fighting to get out of the shoe it was
wearing… it wasn’t fair! But then again… I had no idea what that other family
was going through in their day. They had a cute little baby sitting in the
cart, and maybe that little one needed to get through faster.
So I thought on
it for a moment and realized I gave them grace! I got a smile when they left
too, not a mean “ha ha we cut on you” but a nice “have a great day” type of
smile. Grace is good.
On the way home I
took a wrong lane change and had to do a U-turn to get back where I wanted to
be but it did not even bother me as it would have before. I figured God had
some reason for me not to get in that turn lane when all those other cars came
barreling into it first.
It felt good to
keep that attitude of grace flowing all the way home. I didn’t even get too mad
when I came in to markers on the couch ( in a case but still) or the fact that
I had to fix lunch for the child who had stayed home before I could sit down.
God is good, His grace and mercy endure forever.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could be like Him?
Dear Heavenly Father, help me to continue in an attitude of grace today and
each day as I grow more and more like you. Help me to shed off that old man and
put on newness in You each day. In Jesus name, amen.
Suggested Readings for this week; Monday: Psalm 45-all ,James 5:1-12,1Peter 1:3-9, 1Peter 3:8-4:11
Weekend
readings: Hebrews 3-4 all
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In His love,
Teresa M. Wilson
www.teresawilson.com
Copyright © 2004
by Teresa M. Wilson.
Rom 8:24-25
For we
were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one
still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we
eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
NKJV
Dear Heavenly Father, help me to continue in an attitude of grace today and
each day as I grow more and more like you. Help me to shed off that old man and
put on newness in You each day. In Jesus name, amen.