If You Need Help Giving Grace

I’ve always wanted to be graceful.

And gracious.

And full of grace to those around me.

But I don’t always lend generously to all around me. It depends on my moods.

Some days I seem to be better at pointing out others’ need to give grace than giving it myself. (I’m really good at this when my husband drives the car.)

But that’s the beautiful thing about grace, especially God’s grace.

God’s grace removes the pressure to be good enough, kind enough, gentle enough. God’s grace says, “I love you just the way you are.”

In God’s grace I am enough and so are you.

And when grace is given, well, it kind of rubs off.

We Need His Grace to Give Grace

A few years ago a person close to me hurt my heart deeply. I stewed for days trying to decide what to do. I’ve made enough mistakes to know I needed to wait before I responded. I didn’t want regrets. You can’t take hurtful words back once you’ve allowed them to escape with your OUTSIDE voice or hit “send” on Gmail.

I waited.

Prayed.

Cried.

And then one morning, as I drank my first sips of hot coffee, something changed inside me. The hurt had been replaced by nothing else but grace. Words formed in my mind for the email response. They were kind, loving, and gentle. I knew exactly what to say, and it didn’t involve blame, hurt, or anger.

But the best part was I no longer felt hurt. It was supernatural freedom.

Grace frees us. 

It makes us brave.

Grace makes us whole. 

Grace empowers us to give grace. 

Made Whole By Grace

“For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourself, it is a gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

“Saved” is the Greek word Sozo which means “To save, deliver, make whole, preserve from danger, loss or destruction.”

I know we always focus on our eternal sozo, but I can’t help but see how God’s grace begins to work on us the minute we do believe. Grace saves us from our own destructive tendencies such as unforgiveness, bitterness, and revenge.

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Every Day Grace

God’s grace empowers us daily. Jennifer Dukes Lee writes, “Because of God at work in you, you have more power than you dared imagine.” Her article You have More Control Than You Think, is an example of “grace-full” thinking. It’s a delightful post of what we can control and what God can handle. Yep, there are things we can control.

I pray for grace all the time. It’s not the salvation-type grace. I’m secure in that. But I do pray for His empowering grace when counseling a friend, or responding to a painful e-mail, or trying to open my front door with arms full of groceries! Yes, I believe His grace helps me open my door when I need help. :)

The great thing about grace is there is no end to it’s treasure. God’s grace has no limit. We simply must open the gift.

Come study grace with me.

Bite of Bread Reading Plan on Grace

Sneak Peek of Scriptures and Prompts on Printable

Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

• Can you earn a gift? What do you do with a gift? Have you opened your gift of grace or are you trying to earn it?

2 Corinthians 12: 8-9: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

•   Write a letter to God thanking Him for all of your weaknesses.

John 1: 14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

•    List what Jesus did that demonstrated grace. Would He do these things for you? (The answer is yes.)

Hebrews 4:16: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. The throne of grace is merciful, but it is also empowering.

•  Write down a time when you prayed for help and God gave it to you.

Grab the Printable!

2 Peter 1: 2: Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

• How has knowing God and Jesus given you more grace for others and peace?

1 Peter 4:10: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

•  What is your passion? Are you using it for the Kingdom to help others?

James 4:6: But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

•  If possible, start each day on your knees bowing to the One who gives us grace. I pray for forgiveness and humble confidence

Go Deeper: Give God 5 Minutes

The saying is true that you get out of something what you put into it. Though the minimum is better than nothing–the minimum being reading the verse for the day and running out the door. The minimum won’t allow your spirit to breathe and your ears to hear what Holy Spirit wants to share. Many of us don’t have time for a full blown Bible study every morning, but we do have time for 5 minutes with God.

Prayer is powerful; it waters our souls, but digging deeper into the Word feeds us. I think of the Bible as fertilizer for the heart. So, here’s a tool to help you go deeper and live a fuller, healthier spiritual life. I’ve made a Printable with Prompts and Questions. Every week I make printables with all of the verses for the BoB and extra thoughts and questions to enrich your quiet time in the Word.

Want the printable? It’s free! Click here. 

Wednesday Night Live!

Meet me in my living room at 7:30 PM. Put on your stretchy pants, gather your Bible and journal, and get your decaf or chamomile, and let’s have some fellowship and good old fashioned Bible study. Just follow or friend me on Facebook. 

Archived Lessons on You Tube

If you would like to watch teachings on grace, mosey on over to YouTube to find my archived teachings.

I feel a prayer coming on. Grab my hands.

“Dear Lord, thank you for grace. Help us accept the grace you’ve given us. We pray the grace you’ve given us will rub off of us onto the other drivers on the road, our coworkers, our spouses and children, and those people we really want to stay angry with. Remind us to pray for your empowering grace. We love you. Amen.”

Have a great week!

Digging Deep in Grace,

Andy

PS. If this was encouraging, and you don’t want to miss any Bite of Bread reading plans and posts, subscribe today! You’ll receive a 22-Day Devotion on Psalm 119 called Finding the Beauty Full in God’s Word. Just click here to dig deep to live fully.