“For the law was given through Moses,

grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

John 1:17

 

 

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I want to start this blog today by asking you what the word “grace” means to you.  Think about that for a minute, before you answer.  When you stop and think about that word, what pictures run through your mind?

When I think of the word “grace”, it reminds me of someone who has much poise.  A soft demeanor.  A soft approach.  A soft voice.  A soft touch.

It means a soft spoken word.  Or a gentle word of encouragement.

There are a lot of meanings for the word “grace”.  But this week, we are focusing on what “living with grace” means for our homes.  For me, living with grace means my home is a place of safety; a place of encouragement; a place that allows you to drop your troubles at the door; a safe haven.  It means a place where my husband can come home to, and not only feel peace, but see it, as well.

For me, it means being a gracious host when friends come over.  For me, I want everyone to come into my home and feel a surrounding of peace they don’t feel elsewhere.  So it’s important to me and my husband that we keep all obstacles out of our home, including people, who will not respect our peace.

When we first married, there was no such thing as peace in our home.  I walked into a home with two teenage boys who knew no discipline whatsoever.  They were allowed to do pretty much anything they wanted.  Needless to say, that changed when I moved in.  That did not set will with either one of them.  We had a lot of struggles, disagreements, and some yelling and screaming fights!  It was not pretty, at all!!  Needless to say, there was no such thing as peace in our home!

But soon, that changed for the better.  It took my husband and I agreeing that we would never allow that kind of strife in our home again!  No matter what it took!  It took both of us praying, A LOT!!!  It took us both coming to the conclusion that we did not, and would not allow satan to destroy our home environment!

Grace in my home now means we forgive quickly.  We move forward.  We respect each others privacy.  We respect each other…period!!  We take care of our home, instead of allowing things to get so out of hand, it’s complete chaos trying to get over all the mounds of “STUFF” that got left undone!!  We strive to do whatever it takes to make others feel comfortable in our home.  We WANT others to enjoy being in our home, not having to get out quickly because the strife was so thick you could cut it with a knife!

It took a lot of work, but over time, we made it happen.

Grace, by definition, is “favor or kindness expressed to the undeserving.  There were times in my home, I did NOT want to extend grace to those undeserving.  I was mad.  I was bitter.  I was hurt!  Today, there are still times I struggle with things that happened when we first got together under one roof.  But overall, I know I have to show God’s grace to others, because of the grace He showed me when I was so undeserving of it.

Offering complete grace to the undeserving in our own ability, is not possible.  But, 2 Corinthians 12:9 says,

‘My grace is sufficient for you,

for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’“

It’s during those times, when we struggle to offer grace to those undeserving, when we are weak and don’t have the ability to do it on our own, that Jesus’ grace flows through us!!  Praise God!!!  We CAN offer grace because He says we can through Him!!!  AMEN!!!

Priscilla says, “Dispensers of grace are women who resolve to put candles on the table instead of sulking in the dark.” I love that!!!   It means letting go of past hurts, and choosing to move forward and offering grace to those who don’t deserve it.  That my dear Sister in Christ, is going to offer you peace like you’ve never experienced before!  It’s revolutionary, as Priscilla says!

Showing true grace to others means making others feel accepted; no longer holding onto offenses; being grateful; no longer being critical; allowing others to walk freely around you instead of on egg shells; showing them Christ in all your ways.

 

“Give them a break.

I know they don’t deserve it.

But neither did you.

Grace came anyway.”

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Let’s Pray:

Father, we ask You to check our hearts today and see if grace lives there.  If not Lord, instruct us on what we need to do to let go of whatever it is that is keeping us from walking freely in the grace that Christ showed us, and help us to offer it freely to others, even those undeserving.  In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

Your Assignment:

Think about a home that you have entered where grace was prevalent.  How did the home feel?  How were you treated?  If you could do one thing in your own home to extend Christ’ grace to others, what it would be?   Please leave your comment below.

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Reminder… on October 1st, we will begin our brand new Online Bible Study, entitled “Winning Him Without Words” by Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.  If you are in an unequally spiritual marriage, you won’t want to miss this study!!

To sign up for this study, please send an email to:  Womens@GirlfriendsCoffeeHour.com and we will send you all the details you need to get started!

Now jump on over to our Facebook Group for the daily activity!! If you do not yet belong to this group, and would like to, send us an email at GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com with FB GROUP in the subject line, and we’ll be glad to add you!

Living Intentionally to Offer His Grace,