Grace in Practice

Grace in Practice

Grace in practice - flowingfaith.comWe can waste so much time on regretting things or wishing things were different. Or we might live in continual shame that incapacitates us, keeps us from becoming what we were meant to be. So if you’ve ever heard of God being merciful for his children, it’s time to put grace in practice. And if you haven’t heard about grace, it’s about time somebody tells you the good news of Jesus Christ. You see, grace is not a dogma to believe but God’s power working in you.

If you have any regrets, sins, shame, failures, come to the cross of Jesus. Ask for forgiveness and then receive it in Jesus’ name. Don’t run away too fast either, ask for so much grace that you can finally let go of all your guilt, shame, and regrets. Because only grace can do that for you.

Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment]. (Hebr. 4:16, AMP,*)

Grace in practice…

How does it work? How can we put grace in practice? It’s very simple really. We just live by faith and not by sight. We believe what God says in the Bible and stake our lives on it. This means we believe God means what he says: we are forgiven by grace and we have abundant hope in Jesus. Hence we rejoice: we are free and we are loved. And when we give our regrets and shame and anything else that bothers us to Jesus, we believe that he makes something good out of them.

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. (Romans 8:28, AMP,*)

…changes us

Grace truly changes things in our lives. When grace operates in our lives, it is the divine power that works within us. The past we thought had ruined everything for us, becomes instead building material for God to create something beautiful out of it. God will use our past to form a much better future for us.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 1:19-20, NLT,*)

The same power that raised Christ from the dead is in operation also in our lives. How awesome is that? When we put grace in practice, shame is not anymore a stumbling block but it changes into a stepping stone instead. Only by God’s grace, our regrets do not anymore suck out all our energy but they become fuel for the future. Grace means all our mistakes, regrets, failures and shame will be changed to serve God. Hence let them go. Let God use them for his glory. Good riddance. And hallelujah!

 

Gracious God,
You are always more than we need,
thank you for your love and grace.
Thank you for not leaving us to live in shame.
Forgive us, Lord, and pour out grace upon grace.
Help us let go of our past and give it to you.
Create something beautiful out of our failures and regrets.
Use our past for your glory, make it shine for you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you put grace in practice?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace grace as the empowering gift God meant it to be!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses toBiblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.].

.Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash Linking up today with Dance with JesusFive-minute Friday. (Okay, this was supposed to be a five-minute post but I forgot it once I started writing. Sorry!)

8 thoughts on “Grace in Practice

  1. Mari-Ann, the word prompt today took us in very similar directions. Your thoughts blessed me this morning. We will never regret godly sorrow for our God covers us with grace upon grace. Blessings!

  2. Hi Mari-Anna,
    Just like Joanne, I took a similar look at regrets. It’s good to know that as Christians that’s how we feel – to let go of the past and move forward in Christ.
    Blessings
    Janis

  3. Mari-Ann, I really enjoyed your post, and love that Holy Spirit was guiding us in similar lines of thought on the word {regret}.

    “The past we thought had ruined everything for us, becomes instead building material for God to create something beautiful out of it. God will use our past to form a much better future for us.”
    I have been chewing on several scriptures lately related to re-building & restoration. Nehemiah rebuilding the wall is my current ponder. Thank you for writing today and sharing in the link up. I’m encouraged to keep digging in Scripture to find what God has for me to learn.

    Visiting from #9 on the link up ~ Lisa

    1. How lovely to hear you’re chewing on Scripture. That’s the best way to really get into God’s heart. Keep digging, you will be blessed. Thank you, Lisa, for your thoughtful comment and kind and encouraging words. Abundant blessings to you on your faith journey!

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