Tuesday, October 2, 2012

But For Grace...

"Be kind and compassionate to one another,
forgiving each other, 
just as in Christ 
God forgave you."
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)



I was brought to my knees this week...The enemy loves to bring up things from our past to cause us to doubt ourselves; he desires to waylay us from our calling and our purpose. The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for me due to many family situations and personal issues which the Lord has brought to light. I have walked with the Lord for my entire life, and yet there are still things that He shows me every day. Just this past week I was plagued again by memories of deep hurts received from people I love. I had walked with the Lord through forgiveness, but this week, the pain and resentment reared its ugly head and I found myself in that old place of hurt.
 I almost gave up; 
I almost walked away; 
I almost gave in.
But for grace...
The Lord gently reminded me of the grace He extends to me daily; grace I do not deserve. How could I do anything less than extend that same grace to those who hurt me? Once more, I lay the hurts and old feelings of resentment at the foot of the cross and a heavy load was lifted from my spirit. We find a freedom which only comes from God when we let go of offenses.


It was a strong reminder to me of the importance of surrendering all the pain, the hurts, the offenses we carry, to Jesus. Only when we completely let go of them can He break the chains that bind us and set us free. But, it also reminded me that the enemy is cunning and conniving; he will occasionally remind us of those wounds in an attempt to entangle us and return us to bondage. 
The key is to keep my eyes on Jesus, surrender to His leading, and to listen carefully for His voice. It is that gentle, quiet voice that reminds me His grace is sufficient for me.
Grace is a gift. How can we not extend the gift of grace to others, after He has given us so precious a gift?