Our Daily Grace: He Will Complete His Work of Grace

"Love wins."

Rob Bell

"I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world."

Philippians 1:6

God's grace is a wholeness, a beauty, a force of love that brings life out of death and hope out of despair.  God has already transformed the worst thing that this world could do - killing God's only Son - and turned it into the best thing this world could know - the reconciliation of the world to God!  Is there anything else that grace wouldn't do, couldn't do?  No!  Grace is sweeping across our world, our lives, our hearts, continually turning evil to good, curse to blessing, failure to victory, sadness to joy, and death to life! This beautiful work doesn't depend on our efforts - that is why it is called grace.  And He who started this work of grace will complete it.  All wrongs will be made right, all wounds will be healed, all incompleteness will be made whole. Nothing can stop the amazing power of God's love called Grace!

A thought: His love will conquer all evil.

Our Daily Grace: Accepting, Not Judging

"Instead of judging yourself, why not accept yourself? That's what God does."

Anne Cary

"God did not send His Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!"

John 3:17

God sent Jesus not to judge and condemn and punish, but to love and rescue and save. Jesus came in solidarity with the human race, becoming one of us, accepting us, taking on our troubles and failures and freeing us from them. He does not judge us as worthy of condemnation and punishment but affirms us as worthy of love and help.   He wraps His arms around us in unconditional love and frees us from the traps of sin. If Jesus doesn't judge or condemn us but instead accepts and loves us, we can do the same with others, and especially, with ourselves.

A thought: I do not judge or condemn myself; I love and accept myself.

Our Daily Grace: Unoffendable

"Our problems, mistakes, doubts and weaknesses do not offend God; instead, they stir up His compassion."

Susannah St. John

"You are always and dearly loved by God! So robe yourself in the virtues of God, since you have been divinely chosen to be holy. Be merciful as you endeavor to understand others, and be compassionate, showing kindness to all. Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others..Tolerate the weaknesses of others, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ...Love is supreme and must flow through each of these virtues."

Colossians 3:12-14

God asks us to robe ourselves in His own virtues.  And what are those virtues of God?  They are being merciful, understanding, compassionate, kind, gentle, humble, unoffendable, patient, tolerant, forgiving, and loving! What a wonderful God we have, who is compassionate and gentle, tolerant and unoffendable!  A small person is petty and takes offense quickly, demanding punishment and payment for every little infraction.  But a big person is magnanimous, not ever offended, understanding, forgiving even big errors.  God is not a small person; He is the Biggest Person of all, the most big-hearted, kind, loving, magnanimous, patient, gentle, and tolerant of all.  He is unoffendable!  We cannot offend Him.  Instead our mistakes simply bring forth His compassion for us in all our troubles. He is always on our side, always forgiving and understanding, always a friend, always helping us. We could not have a kinder, sweeter, nicer, gentler, friendlier God!

A thought: God will never be offended by me.

Our Daily Grace: A Safe Place

"If a man or woman were there under the wide waters, if he could see God as God is continually with man, he would be safe in soul and body - and would have more consolation and strength than all this world can tell."

Julian of Norwich

"For You have been a strong-place for those who could not help themselves and for those in need because of much trouble. You have been a safe place from the storm."

Isaiah 25:4

In the worst moments and darkest times, it can feel as if you are being torn apart, as if you are being tossed by great waves in a storm. But deep in the depths of it all, God is there. He is continually holding us up, taking care of us, and working to bring us to see that, to see from His perspective, to see that we are held in His peace. Though the wind and waves swirl about us on the surface, deep down in the depths of our soul it is quiet and calm.  We are continuously held there by God. If we could take one look into His face, we would know that everything is all right and we would relax, feeling so secure.  That is ultimate reality.  Not the storm and the waves, but the stillness and the peace and the presence of God. We are safe.

A thought: He is my safe place.

Ou Daily Grace: Perfect

"Just remember, everything is perfect."

Source Unknown

"I'll see to it that everything works out for the best."

Isaiah 54:17

In the swirling winds of this life, God is unruffled.  He isn't surprised by anything that has happened.  He isn't caught off guard without any idea of how to proceed.  In the center of it all, He is there in infinite peace, love and strength!  He is calm.  He is stable. He has everything under control.  His perfect and loving plan is going forward, and nothing can stop it.  He is infusing every moment with grace, holding us securely in His love, working through every situation to bring good, bringing everything to its perfect conclusion. He will make sure everything works our for the very best. Somehow, everything is perfect.

A thought: Every moment is filled with God.

Our Daily Grace: He Helps All Who Fall

"God, unlike us, holds no grudges when we fail to obey. His only desire is to help us."

Catherine Marshall

"The Eternal sustains all who stumble on their way.  For those who are broken down, God is near. He raises them up in hope."

Psalm 145:14

Every single one of us fails.  We all make mistakes, have regrets, and wish we could do certain things over again in a better way.  And God sustains us. He sustains all who stumble and fall, all of us!  When we fall or are broken, He is right there, close to us, loving us, uplifting our spirits, giving us hope.  Our failures aren't obstacles or problems to God.  They are simply another moment when He supports us and loves us. 

A thought: My failure isn't a problem to God.

Our Daily Grace: God Cannot Be Lost

"Although we lose our faith, God never loses us in our loss of faith. God is not in the realm of what we gain or lose."

James Finley

"God remains! He is the strength of my heart; He is mine forever!"

Psalm 73:26

There is a bond of love we have with God that He has established and put within us, God in the depths of our soul.  Even though we may lose faith, we can't lose God.  He is unlosable because He sustains Himself within us.  From our point of view our faith wavers, our experience of God wavers, our sense of God's presence wavers, but the eternal reality is that God in us never wavers.  He is with us even when we lose faith, lose feeling, lose hope, 'lose God.'  This means we never lose God, even when we feel we've lost Him!

A thought: I will never lose God.

Our Daily Grace: His Loving Devotion

"I have a God who loves me more than anything."

Whitney Sparks

"Give thanks to the Lord of Hosts, for the Lord is good; His loving devotion endures forever."

Jeremiah 33:11

He will always be devoted to us, like parents are devoted to their sweet little child. Our heavenly Dad's delight, devotion, commitment to us and loving care for us will last beyond all time, forevermore. He will always be good to us, always be there for us, always be supportive to us. We make His heart turn somersaults when He looks at us, because He just can't get over us. He truly adores us! He is really and truly 'hopelessly devoted' to us, His dear kids!

A thought: I'm adorable to God.

Our Daily Grace: Nevertheless

"Nevertheless He is always with us and we are always with Him."

Anne Cary

"But look at this: You are still holding my right hand; You have been all along. Even though I was angry and hard-hearted, You gave me good advice; when it's all over, You will receive me into Your glory."

Psalm 73: 23-24

He is such a faithful Friend! He is a 'nevertheless' kind of God.  Sometimes we fail, don't pray, don't think about spiritual things, are selfish, run from God, rant and rave against God, are doubtful and sullen.  Nevertheless we are still with God, in His presence.  He is still holding our hand, still with us, as He has been all along!  This life with God isn't dependent on how well we act, think or even believe because God is holding on to us.  And He won't let go!

A thought: I am continually with God.

Our Daily Grace: The Spirit Intercedes

"If we can't pray, it's okay. God knows the deepest longings of our heart, and His Spirit prays for us the prayers we don't even say."

Susannah St. John

"Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves.. and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good."

Romans 8:26

There are times when we feel too exhausted, anxious, frustrated or troubled to even put our thoughts together into prayer. But it doesn't matter because in those moments, the Holy Spirit keeps us connected with God and prays for us and through us. He knows just what we need and understands all our deepest feelings and longings, and He prays the perfect prayer for us. And we can be sure His prayer is answered!

A thought: The dear Holy Spirit prays for me.

Our Daily Grace: Kingdom of Grace

We are living in the kingdom of God where grace rules."

Steve McVey

"God's kingdom consists of God's approval and peace, as well as the joy that the Holy Spirit gives."

Romans 14:17

We live in God's kingdom.  Through Jesus' finished work, this heavenly kingdom has already begun here on earth, even in the midst of all the struggles and troubles here.  We are walking around in God's kingdom, and He is reigning and bringing more and more love and beauty to the world as more and more see that He approves of us, He is at peace with us, and He is happy with us!  And it is all a gift of grace freely given through Jesus' work!

A thought: The grace of God - with His freely given approval, peace, and joy - reigns in my life.

Our Daily Grace: Prayer

"Our Lord is the ground from whom our prayer grows and in His love and grace He Himself gives us our prayers."

Julian of Norwich

"I will provide for their needs before they ask. I will help them while they are still asking for help."

Isaiah 65:24

Prayer begins and ends in the heart of God. He knows what we need before we ask, He draws us to come to Him, He prays through us and for us, and He is already working on the situation before we even finish praying! It's such a relief to know the whole process of prayer is by grace. He is the One who has moved us to pray and formed the words of the prayer in us in the first place - and of course He will answer the very prayer He put in our hearts. In fact, the answer began before the prayer ever did!

A thought: Prayer is all by grace.

Our Daily Grace: Happy God

"Yes, our God is the happy God! And His message is a message of supreme gladness. He is the Source of all true bliss and happiness; to be near Him is to be near to an atomic bomb of joy!'

Benjamin Dunn

"According to the glorious good news of the happy God, which was committed to my trust.."

1 Timothy 1:11

The good news, the gospel, is not about a God who is grumpy, demanding, or out to punish and destroy us.  Instead, it's the message of a happy God!  This God loves to laugh and have fun and is the source of all true happiness. This God doesn't blame or punish us for our mistakes but instead heals them with His love.  This God has only plans to bring good to us, never harm.  This God always looks at us with a sparkle in His eyes and a smile on His face. This God already did it all to make sure everything works out for the ultimate happy ending for us. It's such good news to find out we have a happy God!

A thought: I have a happy God who is happy with me right now!

Our Daily Grace: Beautiful World

"Lovely flowers are the smiles of God's goodness."

William Wilberforce

"The whole earth is filled with awe at Your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, You call forth songs of joy."

Psalm 65:8

This world is filled to the brim with God's wonders, beauty and presence.  From sunrises over the ocean to gentle springtime rain, all of creation is filled with the love song of God.  Every one of His wonders is a way that He spreads His happiness and goodness, a way that His smile breaks through this physical creation.  Every day He lovingly places so many things in our path to bring us joy, from playful kittens to fresh breezes to a baby's laughter. There are so many ways He breaks into this world to bring sunshine to our lives!

A thought: Beautiful things in creation are the 'I love you' of God.

Our Daily Grace: God's Wonders

"Every human being has a spark of genius...an interest, talent, or passion, something at which he or she excels or can excel."

Stephen Spahn

"I thank You because I am awesomely made, wonderfully; You works are wonders - I know this very well."

Psalm 139:14

You are a wonder, a marvel, an awesome creation of the infinitely Creative God!  There are treasures of creativity inside you, marvels that you contain, passions at which you can excel.  You have a special spark of His divine creativity in you, a spark of genius, a beauty that is unique to you and that only you can share.  You are special, one of a kind. Just by being yourself, you bring something lovely to this world, something that makes this world brighter and more beautiful! Feel free to share your giftings and wonder-full-ness, because the world needs what you have to share!

A thought: There is something marvelous inside me that will brighten this world!

Our Daily Grace: God Our Mother

"The mother feeds her child with her milk, but our beloved Mother Jesus feeds us with Himself."

Julian of Norwich

"I will comfort you like a mother comforting her child."

Isaiah 66:13

Just as God is our True Father, He is our True Mother.  What a beautiful image this brings to mind!  Like the most perfect mother, He is tenderly caring for us, gently holding us, wrapping us warmly in His love, protecting and nurturing us.  He is looking at us with adoration and delight and smiling at us, hoping to see us smile back at Him.  He is speaking softly to us, comforting and soothing us, and nourishing us with His own life. We are His little bundles of joy - we bring such joy to Him, like a newborn brings to a proud mother.  We mean the whole world to Him!  We are always little babies held so gently in the motherly arms of God, snuggled close to His heart!

A thought: He is a Mother to me!

Our Daily Grace: With Us

"When you can't look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark."

Francois Lange (sketches in stillness)

"I will be with you always, even to the end of the world."

Matthew 28:20

When it is so dark in our lives, so lonely and difficult, He will be there.  Sometimes He is the only One who can help us, but it's so wonderful to know that He is the One who truly can and will help us.  He will answer every prayer.  He will sit with us through every dark night.  He will comfort and strengthen us in every trouble.. He will bring the bright morning to us.  We will never be alone!

A thought: He will be with me.

Our Daily Grace: A Whole Person

 "Living in the love of God through Jesus Christ is the life of a whole person."

Malcolm Smith

"And you did not receive the 'spirit of religious duty,' leading you back into the fear of never being good enough.  But you have received the 'Spirit of full acceptance,' enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as He rises up within us, our spirits join Him in saying the words of tender affection, 'Beloved Father!' For the Holy Spirit makes God's fatherhood real to us as He whispers into our innermost being, 'You are God's beloved child!'"

Romans 8:15-16

In all our brokenness, He comes with His love and tenderly holds  us.  He enfolds us and says we belong in His own family. He accepts us as we are and asks nothing of us. He simply wants to be with us and love on us. He is the unconditional love we have been longing for all our lives. He loves us just as we are, and we find we are not really broken at all.  His love sees the beauty underneath our messiness. He sees the inner innocence in us, the purity of a being a little child before Him. There is nothing inherently wrong with us. Everything is all right with us.  We are whole! 

A thought: I am not messed up or damaged; I am whole.

Our Daily Grace: Oasis of Peace

"The inner part of us...is totally at peace there, resting in love."

Julian of Norwich

"He offers a resting place for me in His luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss. That's where He restores and revives my life."

Psalm 23:2-3

The deepest part of us, our spirit, is always at rest in God.  But if we don't consciously experience that in the midst of chaos in our lives, God works to bring us back to that inner place of peace. He turns our eyes to look at Him and just be in His Peace through His Spirit. In the Spirit, all is at peace and all is at rest.  All is quiet. God is taking care of everything. We have an oasis, and it's in God, in His loving arms.

A thought: He brings me back to peace.

Our Daily Grace: We Are in Christ

"There is a peace beyond words in knowing that nothing can take us out of Him. In Him is total acceptance and righteousness.  What a wonderful place to be!"

Elaine

"Christ has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are standing before Him with nothing left against you - nothing that He could even chide you for."

Colossians 1:22

We are in Christ.  We are standing in God's presence, cleansed, accepted, righteous and complete.  Every sin is washed away by Jesus' blood.  Every accusation against us is stilled.  We are full of resurrection life. We are in His presence - beautiful, fresh and new, like a pure innocent child, looking with wonder into the face of the Father.  This is the reality Christ has brought us into by His death and resurrection.  He has brought us there and keeps us there.  We are whole and saved and home  - in Christ!

A thought: Nothing can take me out of Him!

Our Daily Grace: Before He Made the World

"I saw that God never started to love mankind. For just as mankind shall be in endless bliss fulfilling the joy of God as regards His works, just so the same mankind has been, in the foresight of God, known and loved from without beginning in His rightful intention."

Julian of Norwich

"God knew them before He made the world."

Romans 8:20

God never began to love us. God has always loved us, from before there ever was a world. He foreknew us, 'knew us before,' which carries the meaning in Hebrew of love, affection and relationship. In other words, God 'foreloved' us before the world began. We have always been known, and we have always been loved, from before time's beginning.  And we will always be known, and we will always be loved, beyond time's ending.

A thought: I have always been known and loved by God.

Our Daily Grace: Christ Naturally Lives in Us

"Jesus in us naturally lives His life unto God.  He only lives His life unto God. We don't have to try to live for God. We don't have to try to live the life. He lives it in us...His only desire is to do the will of the Father. He lives in you and me and He will do it."

Dan Stone

"My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives.  And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives His life through me - we live in union as one!  My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that He gave Himself for me, dispensing His life into mine!"

Galatians 2:20

Our old 'strive on my own' selves died with Christ on the cross; our new 'living with Christ' selves were raised with Christ and operate in a new way - Christ lives through us. We're not having to struggle alone; we are one with Christ and He's taken the burden of living onto Himself so we can relax. So whatever it is we are facing today, Jesus is handling it.  He is the One with the strength, He is the One with the wisdom, He is the One with the love, and He is living that out through us. He is even believing through us! We are not trying and struggling, we are just living and Christ is naturally living through us.  We are simply being ourselves.  It's so easy to be ourselves, It's so natural to just be.  Christ is doing the living in us, so we can rest.

A thought: Only Christ can live the Christian life, and He is living it through me right now.

Our Daily Grace: Know He Loves You

"The greatest thing that God is concerned about is if you know that He loves you."

Bertie Brits

"I've never quit loving you and never will.  Expect love, love, and more love."

Jeremiah 31:3

The most important thing parents want for their children is for them to know that the parents love them without condition or end.  God as the Perfect Dad wants the same thing.  There is just one thing on His mind: He wants us all to simply know He loves us and will never stop loving us.  That is the bedrock of our lives.  We live in the love of God!

A thought: God is all about love.

Our Daily Grace: Gentle and Kind

"Jesus never condemns you, never crushes you, and never points out your faults!"

Rob Rufus

"Be humble and gentle in every way. Be patient with each other and lovingly accept each other."

Ephesians 4:2

He asks us to be gentle and kind with each other because that is the way He is with us.  He does not condemn us - He accepts us.  He does not crush us - He is gentle toward us. He does not point out our faults - He is patient with us.  He really is the perfect friend, the one we have always longed for - humble, accessible, and good!

A thought: He is always gentle, accepting and kind.

Our Daily Grace: The Ultimate Father

"Everything that is has its being through the love of God. God made it, He loves it, and He keeps it."

Julian of Norwich

"There is only one God. He remains the ultimate Father of the universe. We are because He is. He continues to hover over all; He infuses all, and indwells everyone."

Ephesians 4:6

He is the ultimate Father of us all, our beloved Dad who delights in and supports all His created children and tenderly cares for each one. We are all one big human family with the best Dad of all! He is not a distant Father but is intimately involved in our lives. He is in, with, around and over all.  He is here with all of us, present within us, feeling our joys and sorrows, speaking words of hope and comfort, loving and carrying us through all our lives.  He holds all creation in His hand and holds us all up by His love.  We are never far from God!

A thought: My heavenly Dad is always there for me.

Our Daily Grace: Set Right Once and For All

"In our ugliest moment, God says we are beautiful. In our worst failure, God says we are holy.  In our deepest brokenness, God says we are whole.  That is grace."

Susannah St. John

"In His Son, Jesus, He personally took on the human condition, entered the disordered mess of struggling humanity in order to set it right once and for all."

Romans 8:3-4

Though we have been made in God's good image, and God never stopped seeing our good inner core, our outer behavior has not always been aligned with that inner image, and every one of us has failed at times.  The good news is that God has already taken care of all our failures at the cross.  Christ took every possible thing that went wrong with humanity and took it away at the cross.  He took away the sin of the world.  In place of all that we'd done wrong, He brought all that He did right.  In place of our brokenness, He brought wholeness.  So we may see our mistakes and ugly moments but God only sees beauty and wholeness. Whatever you feel has been wrong with you has already been set right once for all by Christ.  That is grace!

A thought:  God only sees goodness in me.

Our Daily Grace: God Says

"Can you see yourself the way God already does? Can you open your eyes and look into the eyes that have been adoring you since the eternity before you were born? There's nothing you can do to screw this up.  It would be easier for you to escape your own shadow than to change the way God views you!"

Wes 

"Live overwhelmed by God's opinion of you."

Philippians 4:8

God has only lovely, pure, true thoughts about us. Our Loving Dad says that we are His beloved children, always in His care.  He says we are His good little ones, clean and pure as the angels.  He says we are perfect just as we are.  He says we are whole and holy and always in His presence.  He says we are upheld and cared for at every moment.  He says we are His delight and joy.  That is God's opinion of us, the opinion that matters, because it is the one that is TRUE.

A thought: I am perfect and beautiful to God.

Our Daily Grace: God the Father is Just Like Jesus

"Any idea that we could have had of God that is unlike Jesus would not be true about God."

Francois du Toit

"He is the exact likeness of the unseen God, the visible representation of the invisible. We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen."

Colossians 1:15

We may have heard that God is distant, demanding, or angry.  Yet we can know what He is truly like by simply looking at Jesus, God made manifest in a human body.  God acts just like Jesus! And Jesus sat down with the poor and the sinners and ate with them.  He took little children in His arms and blessed them.  He had compassion on the hurting and healed the sick.  He said He came to find the lost, give rest to the weary, and light the way for those in the darkness.  He never harmed a single soul but went about doing good. When people killed Him, He simply asked that they be forgiven, then reversed their murder and came out of the tomb with His arms open wide in love. That is what God is like.  He is obviously not distant, demanding or angry.  He is understanding, accepting, warm, friendly, kind, gentle, loving and forgiving.  Jesus puts a face on God, and it's a loving face!  

A thought: Jesus shows what God is really like - Unconditional Love!

Our Daily Grace: Love Has Found Us

"We don't have to make sure our life is clear of sin to find God. God has found us, regardless of our situation, regardless of our condition."

Mike Yaconelli

"But God, with the unfathomable richness of His love and mercy focused on us, united us with the Anointed One and infused our lifeless souls with life - even though we were buried under mountains of sin - and saved us by His grace."

Ephesians 2:4-5

The Gospel of Grace is not about us finding God but about God finding us.  When we couldn't do anything to help or heal ourselves, God stepped into time and did everything needed to help and heal us.  He did all this without our help, all by Himself.  Jesus did all the work, bringing us from death into life. The Gospel of Grace tells us that no matter where we find ourselves, no matter what mess we get ourselves into, God has found us and accepts us, has loved us and heals us.  Jesus is God's yes to us, a commitment to be with us no matter what, to be good to us no matter what.

A thought: His love has found me no matter where I am.

Our Daily Grace: Failures to Blessings

"Grace doesn't just forgive our failures, doesn't just accept us in our failures.  Grace blesses us in our failures, turns our failures into assets!"

Susannah St. John

"So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are His lovers who have been called to fulfill His designed purpose."

Romans 8:28

If He could bring us from death to life single-handedly when we were stuck in our sins, there is no mess He won't get us out of. He allows our failures and struggles because He knows He will bring something wonderful out of them in the end.  He will turn every failure into something good.  He will somehow bring every loss into gain.  He will raise us up from every fall to a better place than we were in before we fell.  His grace is a wholeness that infuses every moment and works it into something beautiful in the end.

A thought: Grace transforms every mistake into blessing.