Grace

Webster's dictionary defines grace as" unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a virtue coming from God."

Strong's Greek Dictionary defines it as "graciousness of manner or act; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude."

In the bible there are a few biblical usages of the word grace.
1) The Greek word "karis" means "grace and favor" and "well being, pleasant, delightful; a derivative of karis also means "giving thanks."
2) The Hebrew word "hen" means "favor, mercy, kindness, and graciousness. This is derived from hanan which means to "favor, to grant mercy.
3) The Hebrew word "hesed" means "loving, kindness, mercy, and pity.

I know that all the definitions of "grace" may be a bit much, but I wanted to convey the fact that the bible uses this word grace in many ways.

Have you ever committed a sin over and over? Greed? Pride? Lust?Stubborness? Disobeying God's commands? I know I have so many times. Some days I have to truly work really hard to obey God's commands especially when they are particularly embarrassing or out of my comfort zone.

It seems in life when we are having a difficult time and struggling in life, whether it be our finances, problems in our marriage, disobedience from our teenagers,or health issues; we tend to be closer to God in those moments. Just like the Israelites in the times they needed rescuing from others during battle or when they needed food out in the wilderness; they turned to God to help rescue them. Every single time after they repented and asked God for His forgiveness, He forgave them. Just as in Hosea it says, "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down. Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our praises." (Hosea 14: 1-2)

Grace is unconditional, unconditioned, and is not based on our works. We receive God's grace through the Holy Spirit's work. God's grace is his showering kindness upon us. This is his voluntary and loving favor given to those He saves. We cannot be saved without His grace. We must believe that we can't save ourselves and that the only way we receive His favor is through faith in Christ. John 3:16 says, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."

This morning I listened to Katherine, my three-year old, say to her Daddy," but daddy it is dead and broken (referring to her play cell that did not have batteries). That just reminded me of how sometimes we can just feel that same way; we feel dead and broken inside. Perhaps it is because it is the consequences of our own sins or maybe it is due to others' actions toward us, but regardless we can't believe the enemies lies about us staying in the "dead and broken" places. God word says,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)God is saying to us that his power displayed in our weakness should give us courage and hope that as we recognize our limitations we can rely more on Him to rather than ourselves. Realizing that we can't do it all, allows us depend more on God and deepens our relationship with Him.

God's grace is upon you! Remember that He loves you so much, there is nothing you can do that He cannot forgive. Know that mine and yours' sins are forgiven because Christ died for them on the Christ. Confess your sins today, ask God to heal your brokeness, and remember His grace is sufficent for you. Receive God's karis, hen, hanan, and hesed. As Christ has done for you, I pray that you too do the same for those around you.

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