(1 Timothy 1:14)
Grace doesn't stop pouring over us the day we call on the name of Jesus, but it continues to wash over our daily lives. Grace awakens us to a new day and extends to us divine favor. It exempts us from our debts, evaporates anxiety and drives out fear. Circumstances arise, but grace overwhelms us with joy. Grace overflows into the lives around us.. extending God's grace as we love others the way God loved us, through Christ. The Lord declared,
"My grace is enough, it's all you need." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
We live in a generation that takes twelve selfies before posting the one where our flaws are hidden by the lighting and perfectly angled lens... we all do it! We update our social media sites with scriptures, recipes, share parenting advice, post workout selfies as well as celebrate life events and pray for one another. Our lives are intwined together via Facebook, Instagram and Pintrest.. it's a wonderful tool to stay connected with friends across the world. But when we share our cropped and filtered life, it's easy to forget the battles that each of us are forging through and we may even be tempted to compare our real life "selfie" to the photoshopped lives of our friends. Well, I have news for you...God created you in HIS image. He "liked" your unfiltered "selfie" before leaving a comment...
"You are enough." - Jesus
"Yet grace (God's unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ's [rich and bounteous] gift.
(Ephesians 4:7)
You are uniquely designed by your creator to fulfill what He has purposed in you from the beginning of time. His grace (unmerited favor, exemption, approval, mercy, pardon, privilege) is enough. If you didn't take your kids apple picking and bake pumpkin muffins from scratch, His grace is enough. If you didn't freeze your crockpot meals for the month, and make your own laundry detergent, you are enough. If you didn't risk hypothermia to dump ice water over your head... we haven't forgotten! ;) When our awareness becomes who we are IN HIM, and we allow God's grace to consume our lives, we can rise above the noise that says we have to be something or do something and we can experience the freedom of...
"I am enough."
"And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted) forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:32)
The awareness of God's grace working in our lives creates an overflow...that extends grace to those around us. When we accept Christ to be the Lord over our lives, we are not just excepting a one time gift..we are allowing HIS grace to flow through us on a daily basis. We can put on the new self, created after the likeness of God (Eph. 4:24)...and extend grace to others, just as God has done for us, through His son!
We don't have to filter and crop our lives for God to accept us as His friend.. We can let go of our shortcomings and allow God's grace to be enough! It's not about what we do, but what HE has done!
We can wake up and go to bed knowing that no matter what has happened in our day.... "I am enough!"
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