Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Hoarding Grace

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2: 4-7 NIV
My Pastor's message Sunday was off the chain! I have learned so much about grace from his past 6 messages. I am looking forward to reading his book now.
Something he said Sunday just really stood out to me. A lot of Christians have become hoarders of God's grace. We think it's only for us. And, we do not give it to others.
Josh said, "When you are first saved, you know and want to show grace to everyone. After you've been walking with Him for a while, you think you don't need the same grace you got back then. But when we forget about our grace, we aren't willing to give it to others."
The world thinks Christians are judgmental, angry people who just want to point out their flaws, mistakes, and faults. This is simply because we aren't showing grace to non Christians!
People already know if they are doing something wrong. They do not need us to tell them or point it out.
In Acts chapter 15, verses 36-40 we see the exchange between Paul and Barnabas about Mark going on the mission trip with them. Paul didn't want Mark to go because he had abandoned them once before. Paul wasn't graceful. This was 15 years after his encounter with Jesus on the road. Later, Paul realized his mistake, and how he should have been willing to give Mark a second chance.
Who needs a second chance in your life? Who can you show grace to today that might really need it?
Stop hoarding God's grace. Give it away freely and lovingly!
God bless you today and always.

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