His Grace is Sufficient!

2 Corinthians 12:9- “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Isaiah 40:29- “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”

His power is made PERFECT in my weakness! How comforting the verses above have been to me today! After being sick for the past few days and waking up again this morning feeling even worse the last thing I wanted to do was get up and go into work. I was feeling weak! Though I was feeling weak and am still not feeling great, the Lord was quick to remind me that His grace is sufficient for me to get through today. He's giving me strength and is increasing my strength every second of THIS day….not just the days when everything seems to be going hunky dory. His grace is sufficient EVERY day and He gives us new mercies EVERY morning (Lamentations 3:22).

Perhaps you are feeling the same today. Are you too feeling weak and weary? Maybe your kids were up late last night watching the Super Bowl and today they aren’t cooperating like you would like on top of all the daily tasks that come with Monday’s. Are you scrambling last minute to study for an exam? Are you walking through a difficult circumstance? Are you having a stressful day at work? Are you sick?......

If you too have been feeling weak and weary today, be encouraged, because as the Lord reminded me this morning, His grace is sufficient through everything and He is increasing our strength this very second!

When darkness falls
Temptations call
And all around me seems undone
You hear my pleas
Supply my needs
And tell me of Your wondrous love

You are the joy in my morning
You’re my song of praise
Just like the new day dawning
Flooding my world with grace

Though trials come
And every one
Can take me further from Your truth
You calm my fears
Dry all my tears
And draw me closer, Lord, to You

In You there’s no shadow of turning
Constant in all Your ways
You’re growing my faith and I’m learning to lean
On You all of my days

By Peter Gagnon
As recorded on Come Weary Saints

Little Children by God's Grace

“The person who is truly humble before God is also humble before God’s Word. God says He esteems the person who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at His Word."

Luke 18:14- “For everyone who exults himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exulted.”

“As we search the Scriptures, we must allow them to search us.” As I was reading this, I stopped, and thought to myself, “I’m not always one to do this.” I need to not only search the Scripture that I read but allow the Holy Spirit to guide and show me what He wants me to teach me while reading the Word. Far too often I do the opposite of this.

“The contrast pointed to the Savior is not that between ‘educated’ and ‘non-educated’ but between those who imagine themselves to be wise and sensible- and those who live under the profound impression that by their own insight and their own reasoning’s they are utterly powerless to understand the truths of God and to accept them.” –Norvel Geldenhuys

Luke 10:21- “ I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden those things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”

God views us as “little children.” If Jesus proclaimed to the Father that He was a “little child” than I MOST DEFINITELY am a “little child” of God and I need to humble myself before Him and realize that I cannot do it on my own. I cannot be a self sufficient person! By God’s grace, He has provided sources such as, my parents, His word, and the Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom. May I remember that daily! May God help me to be humble enough toward the Scriptures to be found in that group Jesus called “little children.”

“When a believer is truly humble before God and His Word, he will also be humble about his own gifts, abilities, and attainments. He will realize and gratefully acknowledge that all the he is and all the he has comes from the land of God. Our attitude of humility in regard to our salvation should carry over to recognition that any of our abilities and achievements are equally a result of God’s grace.”

1 Corinthians 15:10- “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Piper on "Gift and Grit"

Faith is a gift of God. Romans: 12:3 says, “Think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned to him.” God measures to each believer a measure of faith. Ephesians 2:8 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is a gift from God.”

His command is to “trust in him at ALL times (Psalm 62:8) and to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2Peter 3:18)

“God commands what he wills and grants in measure what he commands, but we should always pursue what he commands, He says, ‘work out your salvation… for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure’ (Philippians 2:13-13). God does not say, ‘Since I work, you shouldn’t.’ He says, ‘Because I do, you can’ God’s gift does not replace our effort; it enables and carries it. We say with Paul, ‘[God’s] grace towards me was not in vain, On the contrary I worked….’ (1 Corinthians 15:10). The gift of grace produced the grit of hard work. It is not the other ways around. He goes on, ‘I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me.’ Even Paul’s working is a gift of grace. Yes, it feels like our effort. It is an effort! But that is not all it is. That is not what it is at root. If it is virtuous, it is God’s ‘working in us to will and to do his good pleasure.’”

2 Thessalonians 1:11- "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by is power.”

Hebrews 13:21“He equips you with everything good that we may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever Amen.”

“There is a place for grit in the Christian life (‘I worked hard’), but it is preceded by and enabled by gift (‘it was the grace of God’) Therefore all grit is living by faith in future grace.”

Daily Bible Verse:

Philippians 2:3-4-“Do nothing from rivalry of conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

He Givith More Grace

1 Peter 5:10-“’My grace is sufficient for you’. God, who is the ‘God of all grace’”

He givith more grace when the burdens grow greater;
He sendeth more grace when the labours increase;
To added affliction he addeth his mercy,
To multiplied trials, his multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted out store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half doe;
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

His love has not limits; his grace has no measure,
His power has o boundary know unto me;
For out of his infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, ad giveth again.
-Annie Johnson Flint-

May I urge you to read this poem slowly, reflectively, and prayerfully. Apply its message to your own burdens, afflictions, and trials. Ask God to make its truth real to you in your particular situation. I have in my own life and it has helped me tremendously! Remember to always be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus!

“This is the amazing story of God’s grace. God saves us by His grace and transforms us more and more into the likeness of His Son by His Grace. In all our trials and afflictions, He sustains and strengthens us by His grace. He calls us by grace to perform our own unique function within the Body of Christ. Then, again by grace, He gives to each of us the spiritual gifts necessary to fulfill our calling. As we serve Him He makes that service acceptable to Himself by grace, and then rewards us a hundredfold by grace.” Jerry Bridges

Daily Bible Verse:

Ephesians 3:8-9“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.”

Future Grace

“We are commanded in no uncertain terms to be thankful. ‘And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts….and be thankful.’(Colossians 3:15) ‘In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus’ (1Thessalonians 5:18), How can we not be thankful when we owe everything to God? We can’t even begin to pay him back, because Romans 11:35-36 says, ‘Who has given a gift to him that he [God] might be repaid? [Answer: nobody] ‘For from him and through and to him are all things. To him is the glory for ever.’ We can’t pay him back because he already owns all we have to give him. God does not like to have his grace nullified. He likes to have it glorified (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14) Gratitude looks back to grace received in the past and feels thankful. Faith looks forward to grace promised in the future and feels hopeful. 'Faith is the assurance of things hoped for'(Hebrews 11:1)” -John Piper-

Romans 8:32- “He who did not spare his own son but game him up for us all [past grace], how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? [Future grace]”

“Trusting In future grace is the enabling strength of our obedience. The more we trust in future grace is the enabling strength of our obedience. The more we trust in future grace, the more we give God the opportunity in our lives to show the glory of his inexhaustible grace. So take a promise of future grace and do some radical act of obedience on it. God will be mightily honored!” –John Piper-

I have been very convicted by John Piper's wise words. He has encouraged me to trust in future grace. Oh the depth of the love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only do we have his grace now, we have it forever! The song below always reminds me of God’s steadfast grace….

It was your grace that drew me to the cross
It was your grace that gave me faith
It was your grace that reconciled me to yourself
Though I had sinned in every way

In you alone my strength is found
In you alone my hope abounds
In you alone my strength is found
My life is bound up in you

And in my weakness give me still more grace
Grace to cast myself on you
In every trial let me find you peace and joy
Grace to humbly walk with you

Give me more grace O God
And new mercies every morning!

Father my prayer is that in my recent days of needing to trust you for the unknown that I would seek to know you more and find you as my strength. I have been so blessed by your love and mercy. I'm in awe of your beauty and majesty. Thank you for the grace you have poured out on such an undeserving sinner like me.

Daily Bible Verse:

Habakkuk 3:18-19-“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength!