Dear Ones

Hope you are having a great Holiday weekend. I just finished doing food prep and cleaning and Kurt’s family is due here shortly on their way to the lake. Lots of relatives will be gathering this weekend and a picnic is being planned. We may get more family here tonight too.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I have written before of the gift of God’s grace, but do we notice how subtly we slip out of grace and start striving to earn that which is freely ours. We forget that it is by grace we are saved through faith, and it is not our own doing, but the gift of God, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9) A gift is a gift, not something we work hard to earn but simply receive. In fact, we can strive all we want but we will get worn out and discouraged for we keep sinning and are in need of grace.

I was reading a devotional by Joyce Meyer today and she also writes about grace as God’s power flowing into our lives, freely helping us to do what need to do. God’s grace never runs out and it is always available but we need to receive it by faith. She describes it as the Holy Spirit’s power flowing out from the throne of God toward people to not only save them but enable us to live holy lives and do His will. Each day is a day of grace and brings us into close fellowship with Him. It allows us to cease from working up a sweat in an attempt to be worthy of salvation but   rather to be joyful and live in ease as we receive His gift of grace.

We may realize all the more that we need His grace when we get stressed and disappointed with ourselves for some failure. We are not perfect but the Lord loves us just as we are right now! He wants us to be willing to receive His gift of grace and then to follow with a willingness to do His will and walk with Him. And when someone does something hurtful to us, it is a chance for us to extend that same grace to them as well. As we have freely received, we can give to others.

I remember a specific time in my life when I was so grateful to Al when He showed me grace in an area that I had no control over and just had to walk through it. But down the line, I was able to show him grace in a similar area, remembering his kindness to me. If we think of all the grace that the Lord has poured out on us, there should be no hesitation when we are called to extend grace to others.

Challenge for today: Think of a time someone showed you grace and thank that person in some way.

Have a wonderful weekend and prayers and love, Judy