Skip to main content

Grace Upon Grace

I hadn't realized how long it has been since I wrote a post. Tonight I was reading stories from the tornado and flood ravaged areas and my heart breaks for the things I am seeing: a mom who lost her two little boys, homes absolutely leveled, people separated from their pets, catastrophic injuries. It's all so tragic.

Then I picked up my Bible to do my reading for the day and my New Testament passage was John 1:1-28. I have decided to try and read through the gospel of John aloud and ask God to show me words or phrases that I need to dwell on. Tonight He gave me chapter 1, verse 16, "From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. (NIV)" The ESV says we have received "grace upon grace". 

As I looked around me and thought of those going through so much pain tonight, I felt He was telling me to remember what I have to be thankful for...letting me know I need to be more thankful. I remember reading a quote one time that said, "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for today?" Ouch! 

So tonight I just wanted to take the time to be thankful for:

Family
(Parents, Husband, Children, Grandchildren, Foster Children)
Two sons in the military that have returned home healthy after multiple deployments!
Friends
(Local and online - some of the best friends I ever had I have never met in person)
Our home
Our Bible preaching church
Paid off cars!!
Food on the table
Clothes on my back
Health
My cats (don't laugh)
The birds that come to my feeder every day and the songs they sing.
More than anything...
I am thankful that Jesus loved me enough to die for me
And that God gave us His Word.

This only scratches the surface. We are so blessed and most of the time we don't even know it until we are faced with the tragedy of seeing what others have lost, or have experienced loss ourselves. 

When I read the ESV and see the blessings called 'graces', it reminds me that I don't deserve any of what I have. The definition of grace I was always taught is "God's unmerited favor". He gives us blessings we don't deserve, can never earn, and can't repay Him for. Oh, may we never take them for granted.

So tonight I am thankful.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Leaving Your Nets

Matthew 4:20 "AT ONCE they left their nets and followed Him (Jesus)."  Matthew 4:20 records the response of Peter and Andrew to the call of Jesus to be his disciples. They literally walked off the job and into ministry. We have the advantage of viewing this story with hindsight and the scripture, but Peter and Andrew were in the moment... Jesus was a hometown boy, a carpenter. He hadn't really started his ministry, yet. Surely he had been preaching in the area and the disciples knew what kind of man he was. But still... Fishing was a major industry around the Sea of Galilee and most fisherman belonged to family owned business. Can you imagine old Zebedee's face when somebody walked in his "office" and told him Peter and Andrew had taken off with the new preacher? How do you go home and tell your wife that you walked off the job for a ministry with no pay? How do you feed your kids? Their security was gone. Their income was gone. Possibly a few r...
15 comments
Read more

Love's Pure Light

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 I have a confession.  I have been more than a little 'bah humbug' this year. I don't really know why. We are settled in our new house this year. Grandkids have come and gone and are still coming and going. It's been a beautiful, tropical Florida Christmas season. We did a great program at our church. And, yet, I'm just not feelin' it...  Until tonight. Tonight was our annual Christmas Eve candlelight service at church. It is undeniably one of my favorite services every year and is always packed. Tonight was no different.  During the weeks leading up to the holiday, our pastor has been preaching a series of sermons called "The Light of Christmas" from the first chapter of John. Our Christmas musical was also themed around the light. And tonight, I saw the light. Because I was singing with our Praise...
9 comments
Read more

Mary, Mary, Never Contrary

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.' " Luke 10: 38 - 42 No one has ever accused me of being a Martha. Don't get me wrong. My house is clean - sort of - and I can cook you a great Southern meal if you come over for dinner. I just hope you feel at home enough in my house to get up and refill your own sweet tea. (Glasses are in the top cabinet to the left of the stove) I believe I have always had a...
6 comments
Read more