09/14/10

Today I had devotions at school.

I spoke on God's Grace.

I had a hard time putting into words what the Lord has shown me about His grace in the past year.

I have been brought through some things in the last year that have showed me God's grace in a way I never have known.... and will never look at the same again.

The definition of grace is: favor or good will; mercy, clemency, pardon

It seems we all know of God's grace when we accept the Lord as Savior. We can quote it really fast, too. However, I think sometimes in the Christian life we think we are to live perfect lives and we miss out on the grace that God gives us EVERY day.

We face times of uncertainty, brokenness, loss and heartache, yet through it all God's grace is sufficient.

In my Bible study this summer - "Breaking Free" - Beth Moore stated this: "Christ never allows the hearts of His own to be shattered without excellent reasons and eternal purposes."

In the last year, Isaiah has become a special book from God's Word for me. In times past I used to look at it and only see God's judgment on His people when they didn't follow Him. However, I have totally missed the mark all of those years because He loved them so much He watched over them and brought them back to where they began. He was with them through the trial of their faith. I love this passage of Scripture:

Isaiah 61:1-4:

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

²To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

³To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

⁴And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

Jesus quoted this same set of verses when He was here on earth. That is what He came to do! God's grace is so sufficient.

We are surrounded every day with people who need grace - God's grace... and grace from us. Many times Christians are quick to talk about God's grace but are so quick to JUDGE. Through what the Lord brought me in the past year I have learned to look at people through the eyes of grace and not the eyes of judgment.

When we are broken... that is when God can use us the most. This picture shows my Daddy's hands holding a broken mirror. It is a picture of what Christ can do when we are broken before Him. The mirror could only reflect one way when it was whole... but when it is broken, the light can reflect in all directions.


This song is so fitting for what I have learned. I have shared it on here before, but I must share it again because I shared it with the teacher's this morning. I wish I could show you my powerpoint with it, but this will do just fine. :) (If you can't see all of the words, click on the song screen and it will take you to the YouTube page to see it all.)



I Corinthians 15:10a -But by the grace of God, I am what I am.

II Corinthians 12:9 is the song that was my "meat" behind today's devotion. I gave these pictures out to my teacher friends to keep as a reminder.

I pray this was an encouragement to someone today.

When I am weak - God's grace shines through - He alone becomes my strength.