How often have we heard, “Give yourself grace” or “Give (insert name here) some grace”? A well meaning phrase in culture that is used to calm fears, anxiety or cover when someone falls short.
One morning in bible study, I reflected on 2 Corinthians 12:9,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV
God has covered each one of us with His grace.
We don’t need to give it to ourselves because we already have it!
As believers, we should strive to continually seek to God. The devil loves to point us everywhere other than God and use the ways of this world to cause us to drift away from our Savior. In reading the Bible, we find the world is painted as self-centered and driven by the flesh. This is why we were warned to not conform to the ways of this world (Romans 12:2). We must be mindful of the seemingly benign ways that we use words, for they have tremendous power. Power that will have us extending grace that we don’t have the power to extend.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
Take a moment to reflect on well meaning phrases that point us away from God…
A Prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the gift of grace. Thank you, God, for covering our weaknesses and using it for your glory. Lord, the world would love to distract us from you. Clarify our vision so that we see worldly distractions, yet keep our eyes fixed on you. Use us to speak life into situations instead of the lifeless phrases of this world. Amen.
-S.L.E.