God's Enoughness. - God`s grace is enough for us no matter what.
Often after trying to deal with a particularly trying situation or person, we are left with a lot of emotions to deal with, and it can leave us baffled and confused and floundering out of water so to speak. I have done a great deal of thinking about this, and how we as Christians can overcome during the most trying of circumstances, and what personal resource we have to draw on to do so. I have concluded this resouce is grace. I have to confess tho, that I do not fully grasp the meaning of grace, else I would not struggle with it so. Does God`s grace cover not only my sin, but the very ugliness of my humanity, even my anger, my frustration, my hurt, my pain? YES!
I read grace defined in this way: "You are accepted." You and I are accepted, fully and totally accepted by God, now, always, without condition, without deserving, without question. To be accepted in this way means to be cherished, to be loved. It means that who we basically are is valued, honored and respected. It means that we don't have to earn or deserve such care; it is simply there for us, a gift. The grace of God is an expression of God's love for us, of God's desire, of God's unconditional acceptance, an expression of the very nature of God's being.
In the Bible, grace is synonymous with unmerited "favor," "mercy," "compassion," "kindness" and "love." Grace is not something we can obtain by our own efforts. By unmerited, it means unearned. By favor, it means, help. In other words, God extended to us help when we did nothing to earn that help.
What if that single word could be understood in terms of not only who we are, but also how we journey as Christians? A deeper understanding of the privilege we have been given to live in God`s grace, can change the way act, think, and talk, and do much to help us let go of unwanted emotion.
I believe grace is truly the most valuable gift that could be given to anyone at any time. God has given us His grace. Now this gift is ours. How can our lives be a reflection of that gift? Where do we begin? There is an old saying, "What you are is God’s gift to you; what you make of your life is your gift to God." We all have those encounters, wether it involve people in our lives we are close to, or strangers, where there is misunderstanding, confusion, or hurt. Does the action or the words spoken merit our "favor," "mercy," "compassion," "kindness" and "love." Undoubtedly the answer is easy, but we are left with a choice. Do we now use this as an opportunity to use this gift God has given us, or do we lay it aside to give them what they really deserve? It may sound simple, but once we have truly made this choice, it releases us from the grip and power of those emotions that are so harmful to us and others.
We are to be an example, to demonstrate the ability that is our gift and our blessing, to go forward into this world knowing we are to are undeserving. And when we encounter things we do not understand, we ask that God`s grace continue to embrace us, and help us to open our arms to allow others to be embraced by His grace also.
There are things in our lives that don`t always make sense but "the just shall live by faith" (Hbk 2:4). What does that mean? Faith is believing that God is big enough to bring some good out of what is happening in your life. Living by faith means waking up in the morning and saying "God, I don`t understand what you are doing, and I don`t understand why these things, or these people who have come agianst me, and I don`t see the good in any of it, but I know YOU care for me, so I am going to get out of bed and trust YOU with today"
At any given time, many of us are engulfed in private battles against illness or betrayal or finances. The days can get very bleak and the nights offer no relief. God knows why we are in turmoil - the feelings of helplessness, fear, confusion, and dismay that lead to our internal struggles. God intimately knows the inner workings of our minds and spirits, and God knows our limitations. ( 1Co 10:13) God already knows our every emotion - if not, then God isn't God. Being all-knowing, God is very aware of our situation. He knows the events and experiences that are the reason behind our struggle. So if God already knows about our feelings, understands the source of our emotions, discerns why we are confused, and can easily handle our pain, we can rest assured for all these His grace is sufficient!
What is needed is trust. We often struggle because we feel powerless, and God knows our powerlessness. And we often struggle because we see do not see how any good can come out of our situation, or we feel hopeless about the end result of our struggles.
This is where the child of God stands on His promises! God allows NOTHING in our lives that is not for our eternal good! How about the painful experiences of your life right now? Have they made you more willing to hold the hand of a fellow struggler? I’m sure the answer is yes! Do you see that God takes the difficult things in our lives and uses them to extend His grace to others through us. God uses our pain and struggles for His own Glory!
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast [our] profession.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Finally, I have found peace in the midst of turmoil is found only in truly believing God is interested in every minute detail of my life, as David did in Psa 121:1 and in trusting God is working everything out for my final good as written in Rom 8:28 and in worshipping God thru it all!.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
