Grace > “that which causes joy, that which creates delight in the recipient; favor without expectation of any return” (New Testament Lexical Aids, 5921)
Grace. The word has been weaving through my thoughts for a week now.
Grace. We all need some in our lives, especially God’s grace. At the moment, when we are aware that we are helpless and weak, we are always able to turn to God and receive help. Jesus reminds us, “Apart from me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). He doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything. He means we cannot do anything which will have any spiritual or eternal effect. It is only in His strength and by His grace, when we call upon His Name, that we are able to do that which will last.
“There is no one too weak for God to help, only people too strong.”
(author unknown)
When we find ourselves unsure, lacking strength or wisdom, may we turn to our God in prayer. Why?
“Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
(Psalm 116:2, NLT)“He stoops to look down on heaven and earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 113:6-9, NLT)
What imagery that brings to my mind – a hand extended lifting us up out of any pit we may find ourselves in. This should deposit hope into each of us in whatever state we may find ourselves. If God Himself stoops to help us, how much more are we to stoop to help others?
And in so doing, we become reflections of the grace which we ourselves have received.
May we find grace to humble ourselves, stoop, and reflect Him.
Today I am joining … Blessed But Stressed and #LifeGivingLinkup and Moments of Hope and #SmallWonder .
Joanne- I hadn’t thought of it before in that light. I didn’t realize that “we can’t do anything that has spiritual/eternal effect.” I thought it covered it all!
I need so much grace every day, so I better give grace freely to others also.
I enjoyed your post!
Julie
Grace is the most beautiful thing I know, and the thing I can least explain. Thanks for taking my thoughts to it again this morning, Joanne. Always a blessing!
“Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!†Such a perfect picture of a gracious Father! I think He never tires of us seeking grace to pull us out of our pits, and to know He is always ready to rescue is such a huge grace! You just have no idea how I needed this today, after such a difficult 24 hours! Thank you for blessing with your words:) Crystal~
Hi Joanne … I’ve never thought of God ‘stooping’ down. Reaching, yes. But the humility of servanthood requires something more …
Fascinating insights …
I’m blessed by this image of God stooping to hear, to minister grace — to know us in our humanity. Blessings, Joanne. I always appreciate your thoughts here.
I’m thinking this is perfect to me. It seems that I am particularly weak right now, so it’s time for God to shine! 🙂 Good thoughts today, thank you!
I always love messages about grace! I was particularly struck by the statement: “There is no one too weak for God to help, only people too strong.†How true, because if I feel strong, then I think I don’t need any help. Silly me!
Joanne,
I LOVE that quote! Our own strength (and our own pride in that strength) sure gets in the way of experiencing Jesus and in the way of sharing Him with others!
And guess what? I don’t think it has ever clicked that our sites are the same design! I love Traci Michele ♥ She is a treasure!
Thank you so much for joining me at #MomentsofHope! I love seeing reading and sharing your posts each week.
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Lori, I read your comment and had to go check out to see if our sites are the same design 🙂 Of course, you are right! It is amazing how Traci can use the same design and make it look differently. She is wonderful to work with! It has been such a delight to join you each week.
“Only people too strong” (from your image) yes! I think of that often – how often people ask for more strength, when again and again the bible embraces our weakness and need. God is the only who is strong, our “work” is to surrender and trust. Thanks for linking!