God's grace helps us when we are in need

"Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I am not so sure if I could be like Paul and 'boast' in my weaknesses, or even 'take pleasure' in them, but I think I understand his point. 

Paul reminds us that when we are in difficult circumstances, we are a lot more inclined to reach out to God, and to remember that our weakness is a chance for God's Grace to work in our lives.

Are you going through a tough time at the moment? 

If you are, then lean on God's grace and allow His strength to get you through this valley of difficulty.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Into your hands

Psalm 31 gives us a lovely way of entrusting our lives into the hands of God. If you read verse 15 it says: “My times are in your hands.” 

However, if you take a look at other versions, they say: "My future is in your hands." 

I think this is more helpful for me, and probably more along the lines of our modern ways of speaking. None of us knows what tomorrow holds, but we choose to trust in the Lord - in doing this we place our future into his safe hands. Does that make sense to you?

Eugene Peterson concludes:

"Desperate, I throw myself on you: you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
    safe from the hands out to get me." - Psalm 31:14-15 (The Message)

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Wisdom for the ages

I ended up reading and reflecting on Proverbs 16 this week. There are some remarkable pearls of wisdom in this chapter. These are the few that really stood out for me.

We can make our own plans,
but the Lord gives the right answer.

2 People may be pure in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their motives.

3 Commit your actions to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.

9 - We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.

Have a blessed day and I pray that God would direct your paths.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

He brings me back to life - he refreshes my soul

 

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. - Psalm 23:2-3

It is important to note that the shepherd is the one who leads us to the quiet waters. He goes before us, preparing the path and looking out for potential dangers. The goal of the shepherd is to lead us to the well-hidden pools of cool water and luscious pasture.

Robert Alter says that verse 3 (‘he refreshes my soul’) could be interpreted more as ‘my life he brings back’ – I love that image! It is speaking not just of a refreshing, but rather of a bringing back to life – to a complete spiritual wholeness. The refreshing of our souls increases our vitality and allows us the privilege of enjoying the abundant life.

Jesus invites his followers to experience this refreshing, and he invites them to rest in him. It is in times of rest that we are refreshed and invigorated for the next part of the journey:

Matthew 11:28 - Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

In the Present tense - a promise for today!

One of the most essential observations to make when reading Psalm 23, is that David writes in the present tense - The Lord IS my Shepherd. 

This means that we have God's presence and the promise of everlasting Hope right NOW…. today! This is such good news for us, friends. We don't have to hark back to the days when God was with his people, or when God will come in the future - We can know that he is with us today!

This sentiment is also repeated in many other places in the Bible:

Psalm 46:7 - The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Isaiah 8:10 - Take counsel together, but it shall be brought to naught; speak a word, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

Matthew 1:23 - ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The generous host

Psalm 23:5 - "He anoints my head with oil; my cup overflows."

The picture of a cup overflowing could be seen as the host being a little clumsy or even distracted, but it is meant to convey the complete opposite. God is being portrayed as being so gracious that he is not just giving the guests the bare minimum, but rather an abundance of his love and mercy. We are reminded today of God’s great generosity in giving the very best for us.

"Beloved, I will ask you now a question. How would it be with you if God had filled your cup in proportion to your faith? How much would you have had in your cup?” (Charles Spurgeon)

Prayer focus: Thank you Lord that you don't offer me your love in accordance with my merit, but rather according to your immeasurable mercy and grace.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

World Book Day

Today is World Book Day (23 April), which I didn't really know existed, but it sounds like a good day to celebrate the advent of books, writing and literature. The first World Book Day was celebrated on April 23, 1995, coinciding with the anniversary of the deaths of notable authors such as William Shakespeare. 

I am very grateful for the gifts of books, but obviously I am most grateful for the fact that Bible was translated into my mother-tongue, and that it was compiled into a book form. Although many of us may take this for granted, it was not always the case. For many generations, believers had to rely on a Priest to read from the scrolls of the Scriptures for us, and even when the Bible was first produced in book format, it was so heavy that it couldn't be carried around so easily.

John 21:25 - " But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

Revelation 22:7 - ‘See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.’

Thought: What about the Bible (the Good Book) do you appreciate the most?

Living in Grace

D3LM3