“The church is most appealing when the message of grace is most apparent.” - Andy Stanley
Grace is not an easy word to understand, and it is even harder to live out. I’ve met many people who talk about the grace of God and offering people grace, yet their lives seem to miss what grace really is.
Grace is a rare find in our world today. The church talks about it, praises God for it and speaks of its wonders all the time.
But do we show grace and really live by grace? Do we receive and give grace freely to others each day?
This includes the people in our homes, work, school, church and even the people we meet on the street.
It is hard to be full of grace and give grace when we are full of self, pride and focusing on our own struggles rather than what God has given us. It is hard to give grace to others when we don’t give ourselves grace for our mistakes.
"Never forget that grace takes guts, risk and a dash of crazy." - Mike Foster
Giving second chances is what grace is all about. When we extend kindness to another person, we live out and share the grace that God. Grace is based on the example of what Jesus has done for us. We never will deserve His grace.
We must step up to share God’s grace with others. For too long the church has been known as a place of legalism where we kick people who are already down and messed up rather than pick them up and offer the goodness and grace of God. Grace helps us all get up and get back on track.
It takes risk to give and receive grace. I challenge us to take a look at the grace we give away. Are there strings attached? Does this grace look the same as the grace Jesus offers?
1 Thessalonians 4:10 NLT
Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.
Choose to really love others. Leave no question if we mean what we say and that we offer grace. Living by grace is a lifestyle chosen by people who have received the grace of God. I love to see and be part of authentic grace.
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