September 18th Devotion

Grace Upon Grace
By Amanda Idleman

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. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

The more time you spend on Earth the more aware you become of your great need for grace. We need grace upon grace to love God and love others as the Bible calls us to do. The beautiful thing about God’s kingdom is that he sees our weaknesses as an opportunity to show his great love for us. His power is made perfect when I fail! He is there for me when I am in need, when I don’t have the right answer to the problem, and the list goes on.

As a biological, foster, and adoptive Mom, I am learning to embrace grace in a whole new way. I am not enough for the task in front of me every day. I am weak, I am impatient, I get tired and cranky, and I can’t always give my kids everything they need from me. I’ll be honest: this reality that I am weak, that I need Jesus, and that he’s called me to work that is more than I can handle on my own has left me feeling very discouraged. There are many days that I do not want to embrace grace. I just choose to wallow, feeling like a failure, and not trusting that God provides all that I need.

My journey has highlighted one reality that when I live with pride I can’t grasp onto the grace that is always available to me through Christ. My pride says I can figure this out all on my own. It says I don’t deserve to be forgiven when I mess up. It keeps God at arm's length rather than choosing to really trust that he is as good and capable as he says He is!

Thankfully, God’s Spirit is at work in me, and he corrects my pride by gently showing me that the Bible invites me to participate in a beautiful exchange. Romans 6:14 reports, “For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace.” Grace is what covers our sins, and we cannot be forgiven until we ask to be forgiven. We have to participate in the opportunity we have to receive grace. We must release our sins to Him and accept his promise of forgiveness.

In summary living a grace filled life starts with repentance. Many of us long-time-doing-good Christians forget that daily repentance is essential to our faith journey. I never outgrow my need for Jesus. As I mature in my faith what comes more clear is how dependent I am on his good gifts. How much my weakness is abundant and his grace makes something beautiful out of my brokenness.

As we embrace repentance that grace then leads us into a relationship with our Creator. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God does not stop at just making right our wrongs. He invites us near to his throne of grace, the place where we can find mercy and a relationship with Him. It’s in the presence of the King that we find the fruits of the Spirit. We experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Then we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can embody the character of God.

Grace upon grace is what we must cling to each day. When we realize this truth, we can let go of some of the pressure we put on ourselves to ‘get things right.’ We can place that worry back onto Jesus and once again rely on his power to do what only he can do in our lives. I am so grateful for the great generosity of God at work in my life and your life every day.