Grace

"God's grace is most powerful in our moments of greatest weakness"  From "Lost in The Middle "
by Paul Davis Tripp

By His Grace Alone

"My observation of Christendom is that most of us tend to base our relationship with God on our performance instead of on His grace. If we’ve performed well—whatever ‘well’ is in our opinion—then we expect God to bless us. If we haven’t done so well, our expectations are reduced accordingly. In this sense, we live by works, rather than by grace. We are saved by grace, but we are living by the ‘sweat’ of our own performance. Moreover, we are always challenging ourselves and one another to ‘try harder’. We seem to believe success in the Christian life is basically up to us; our commitment, our discipline, and our zeal, with some help from God along the way. The realization that my daily relationship with God is based on the infinite merit of Christ instead of on my own performance is very freeing and joyous experience. But it is not meant to be a one-time experience; the truth needs to be reaffirmed daily."


Quote taken from book The Christian Life by Jerry Bridges
This quote appeared on the 2/8/2013 blog of Tullian Tchividjian

The Missing Umbrella

This past weekend was rainy, days that required umbrellas if one was to venture out. Umbrellas tend to disappear at our house, I don't know where they go.

It hadn't been long since we had seen them, the weather had started to get rainy a couple of weeks ago and my husband had dug two out of the closet. What had happened to them? No children to blame, it's just the two of us.

We searched high and low, checked the closets and the cars. Each was sure the other had misplaced the needed umbrellas. I was convinced that my husband had put the umbrellas somewhere...after all I hadn't used an umbrella in months. I was very insistent that I was not the guilty party

Husband eventually found one of the umbrellas on a hanger with a coat over it...he remembered doing that..other one was still missing in action.

Well can you guess what happened when I went to work on Monday, there sitting right next to my desk was the missing umbrella...my husband was right, it was me!  When did I take it to work?

I could have just taken it home and he would never have known the difference but I knew I needed to tell him that I had found that umbrella and that it was indeed me who had misplaced it...lots of grace was given, his response when I told him...that's OK, we both forget things.

God graciously continues to show me things about myself that still need changing, this time using a lost umbrella

Grace for Today

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it"  Psalm118:24
A verse the Lord gave me this morning as I continue to once again battle fear and fustration. Spending too much time in the what if. The Lord reminding me that he gives me grace for today, does not give me grace for tomorrow yet. Beautiful day outside today, I want to be thankful for the day he has given me today. Take things one day at a time. Be thankful for the small improvements. Remembering he has always been in control, nothing has taken him by surprise!