The gift of GRACE

GRACE is undeserved favor.  As a believer, I receive grace freely and abundantly all the time from a loving God, who rather than giving me what I deserve: death, He lavishes me with a blanket of grace that covers me from head to toe.  Because of the sufficient grace He has given me, I should be EAGER to extend grace to others without delay, even if they have wounded me, wronged me, stolen from me.  It is easy to reach out a hand of grace to those I deem lovely, but that is not what God calls me too.  In fact, it is evidence of Him in me when I reach out a hand to one who has just slapped it, right?  It is wrong to withhold grace from others because God did not withhold grace from me - not yesterday, today or tomorrow.  Each and every time I mess up and turn to Him with a repentant heart, He gently tosses the warm, fuzzy blanket of grace upon me.

I recently experienced a communion service in which it was suggested for each one to take a big, HUNK of bread and a LARGE GULP of juice out of a large cup, which was meant to represent God's ABUNDANT grace which HE gives FREELY for me (and you!)  It was a very powerful representation of the message of grace from the Lord.

Imagine yourself walking over to someone with whom you have been struggling with and offering them a hunk of grace.  Doing so may be very difficult, but the act of offering grace to others will set you free and bring healing to your soul.  Someone I care about did this very thing for me, offered me a big hunk of God's abundant grace, and it instantly brought me to my knees and brought healing to a tender spot that needed the salve of grace on it.  I can receive grace freely from God, and in this case, the Lord used a person who was listening intently to the Lord to deliver it to me.  It was a beautiful moment.

Is there someone that you have been withholding grace from?  Someone that you have not forgiven or have judged harshly?  Is there someone with whom you struggle that you need to offer a hunk of grace? It is a gift that you have received, and it will be your joy and the Lord's love in you when you offer the gift of grace to others.