Two days after giving a sermon on grace I received a phone call from a small home church group who wanted to talk to me about the sermon which had been posted online.
They had all been moved by similar things...God loves them (and everyone) no matter what. But such love posed a problem for them as well. Knowing God loved them as much as the next person she them somewhat uncomfortable. Do some reason it made them feel less special (so to speak).
This lead to a great phone conversation about how vulnerable God would become to rescue them, the length God would go to save them.
Side note: I was standing in the blazing hot sun on a used car parking lot trying to by a car. The conversation was cut short when Kathleen wanted me to take a test drive.
Before I hung up we talked quickly about how amazing God's grace really is...and invited them to reread the lyrics to the classic hymn of the same name. More than amazing, Paul reminds us the grace is enough. With it, we are covered...freed to do all we need to do to share that good news with others.
A few hours later, at home without a new used car, I stumbled upon this from my daily devotional (Bible in a year 2017) app. I found it to be an appropriate and refreshing addition to our conversation.
Here's an excerpt:
"The people of God depend on the grace of God. Mother Teresa wrote, ‘I don’t think there is anyone who needs God’s help and grace as much as I do. Sometimes I feel so helpless and weak. I think that is why God uses me. Because I cannot depend on my own strength, I rely on Him twenty-four hours a day. If the day had even more hours, then I would need His help and grace during those as well.’
Paul expresses this dependence when he writes about the thorn in his flesh. Three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away. But God said to him, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace is not only amazing; it is ‘sufficient’. It is enough.
This is one of my favourite verses in the entire Bible. It’s a verse I often quote to God and remind him of his promise that his power is made perfect in my weakness."
They had all been moved by similar things...God loves them (and everyone) no matter what. But such love posed a problem for them as well. Knowing God loved them as much as the next person she them somewhat uncomfortable. Do some reason it made them feel less special (so to speak).
This lead to a great phone conversation about how vulnerable God would become to rescue them, the length God would go to save them.
Side note: I was standing in the blazing hot sun on a used car parking lot trying to by a car. The conversation was cut short when Kathleen wanted me to take a test drive.
Before I hung up we talked quickly about how amazing God's grace really is...and invited them to reread the lyrics to the classic hymn of the same name. More than amazing, Paul reminds us the grace is enough. With it, we are covered...freed to do all we need to do to share that good news with others.
A few hours later, at home without a new used car, I stumbled upon this from my daily devotional (Bible in a year 2017) app. I found it to be an appropriate and refreshing addition to our conversation.
Here's an excerpt:
"The people of God depend on the grace of God. Mother Teresa wrote, ‘I don’t think there is anyone who needs God’s help and grace as much as I do. Sometimes I feel so helpless and weak. I think that is why God uses me. Because I cannot depend on my own strength, I rely on Him twenty-four hours a day. If the day had even more hours, then I would need His help and grace during those as well.’
Paul expresses this dependence when he writes about the thorn in his flesh. Three times he pleaded with the Lord to take it away. But God said to him, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). His grace is not only amazing; it is ‘sufficient’. It is enough.
This is one of my favourite verses in the entire Bible. It’s a verse I often quote to God and remind him of his promise that his power is made perfect in my weakness."
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