Amazing grace, oh, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found was blind, but now I see
When we’ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise then when we first begun
Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come
‘Twas grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home
Amazing grace, oh, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see (was blind but now I see)
~ Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today. ~
Grace is the word that God gave me as ‘my word’ for this year 2014. Grace is something I am so very thankful for in my own life and something that God expects me now to give to others. What God has so freely given you…you must now pour out onto others. Let’s explore the meaning of the word grace.
“Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor. Mercy means you do not get a punishment that you do deserve; compassion, forbearance. God is abundant in grace and mercy; we can read about it in the Bible. His greatest act of grace is the gift of salvation that is available for all people through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). When the gift is accepted, eternal life is promised to the recipient. This eternal life is a promise of a home one day in Heaven with God. The promise to the believer is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that one day Jesus the Christ will return to earth to claim His purchased possession (Ephesians 1:12-14; 4:30). Jesus purchased every sinner with His own blood on the cross at Calvary.” Read the rest of this article at What Christians Want To Know
I really love how this sums it up: I am not capable of loving anyone, without God’s grace. When I give grace to others, it is not my grace. I’m just passing along grace that God has given me.
We also give grace to others by forgiving them. Everyone fails sometimes. The church needs to be a safe place to come back to, even (especially!) when you’ve blown it. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that the other person hasn’t hurt you. It means she has hurt you. But you are choosing to release that hurt, and that person, into the grace of God given through Jesus Christ. After all, your sins have been forgiven. If God’s grace is enough to make forgiveness a reality in my life, it should be enough to make forgiveness a reality in the life of the person who hurt me.
Grace and forgiveness go hand in hand. We must give the grace to others that we have so freely been given and we must forgive others as God has forgiven us.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
Matthew 6:14 ESV
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Heavenly Father, I thank You for the Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me. I thank You that once I was lost and now I am found. I thank You that I was once blind but now I see. Please empower us through the Holy Spirit to pour out to others the AMAZING Grace and forgiveness that You have so freely given to us. In Jesus’ name. AMEN!!!
