Grace….what exactly is grace? Christians define grace as the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. It is a generous, free gift that God gives us because He loves us so much! So, what does God say about His grace? In 2Corinthians 12:9 God tells Paul….”My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength/power is made perfect in weakness”… Remember the song we sang as children; “Jesus Loves Me” How does it go? Jesus loves me, this I know, For the Bible tells me so! Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong! God sends us all a powerful message in this famous song! The chorus is even more powerful….“Yes, Jesus Loves Me! Yes, Jesus Loves Me! Yes, Jesus Loves Me! The Bible tells me so!” So we are taught at a very young age that Jesus is strong, we are weak, & He loves us. Praise God for His grace! There have been many songs written & sung about God’s grace. “Grace That Is Greater” also comes to my mind. The chorus says: Grace, grace, God’s grace…Grace that will pardon and cleanse within… Grace, grace, God’s grace…Grace that is greater than all our sin! WOW! God’s grace pardons us/sets us free! His grace exceeds all of our sins! And then there’s the all time favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace” published in 1779 which is still a favorite in 2019! (That’s how “Amazing” it is) I’m not gonna write every verse of the song, but I am gonna pull out the highlights of the “Amazing Grace” of God that it is describing. It states that even the sound of God’s grace is sweet…it saved & still saves wretched sinners like me & you. When we are lost & blinded by our sins, with His “Amazing Grace”, He finds us and opens our eyes. When someone is spiritually blind, they are separated from God. A newer, slightly different version is sung by Chris Tomlin…“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” The chorus goes like this: My chains are gone…I’ve been set free…My God, My Savior, Has ransomed me…And like a flood, His mercy rains…Unending love, Amazing Grace. WOW AGAIN! He breaks the chains of sin that have bound us! He ransomed “me” (and “you”‘)! Jesus took our place (even though He was perfectly Holy and undeserving of any punishment) and paid our debt, so that we might go free! His mercy rains down on us like a flood! Mercy…He didn’t give us what we deserved, but instead was compassionate and forgiving. His love for us never ends because of “His Amazing Grace!”
We have already established that we are weak in comparison to God. What makes us weak? Our trials, temptations, infirmities and sufferings. Our weaknesses often lead us to being broken. [The dictionary definition for broken is: fractured, smashed, not functioning, overcome with grief, shattered, incomplete, etc…] You may wonder what value could there possibly be in weakness & brokenness. Well…when we accept our weaknesses and the fact that we cannot handle life on our own, that’s when God goes to work in our life! Whatever brings us to our knees in weakness carries the greatest potential for our personal success and spiritual victory. If/when we are facing a season of trials that leads us to weakness & brokenness we should embrace the promise of Jeremiah 15:19a “If you repent (return), I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman…. So, in other words, if we trust in God and learn from Him through our trials, He will reveal Himself to us and work through us in wonderful ways. The Lord has 1 goal in mind for our brokenness; spiritual victory. BROKENNESS is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.
On my next blog, I would like to share with you about some times in my life that I have been weak and broken. I would like to take this time, now, to thank God for His Amazing Grace that He bestows on me and my family daily.