August 20, 2020

2 Corinthians 12:9

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Grace is so needed through this time, God's grace should infiltrate our souls so that we extend His grace to others. Let's break down the letters of grace with some random thoughts for each letter.

G- Grief is what comes to mind today. We are mourning the way life used to be. We might have lost our job or been cut back on hours. We might be working from home instead of being with people at work. Along with these changes comes depression, anxiety, and denial can set in. But remember "My strength is made perfect in weakness."

R- Respect Repentance, this might sound a little strange. But in these times we need to grow through a soft and tender heart. Recognize God is all and everything we have. A proud and self centered heart is on no use to the Kingdom of God. We rely on my will and not Thy Will.

A- Attitude of gratitude, our attitude and outlook is so important. We have so much to be thankful for. We have shifted gears through this pandemic to a slower pace. That is not all bad, we have eliminated a lot of senseless tearing around. We can choose to spend more time with God, family, and thinking where the Spirit will direct us to go. Rather than just running on a high speed treadmill, stressing our selves out.

C- Christ, who should be the center of our thoughts and deeds. God has allowed this pandemic time to take place. Why? Maybe so we can be made weak, to take time to draw nearer to Him. Too remove all the other stuff, to peel back the callused layers of our heart to be able to penetrate it. However, we can choose to stay in our own thoughts, and get upset and mad about everything about this pandemic. I sure hope and pray this not where we spend our time. What a good waste of a pandemic!

E- Eternity! YES! This is truly something to be excited about. For those of us in Christ, we have crossed the finish to a place we can only imagine. No more pandemic, no more illness, and no more politics! It is going to be the absolute best days of our lives. However, we must realize when that time comes if we are not resting in the Grace of our Lord and Savior. Times up! No more do over, it is not a tie game, no overtime to try to redeem ourselves. So for those of us in Christ, have we let a broken spirit repent so that we shine a Christ-like attitude to hurting world that is desperately looking for a Lord and Savior? I sure hope and pray we are.

Tom