For the past couple weeks, I have been going to a college student organization on my campus called G3. G3 stands for Give, Grow, Glorify. We meet on Wednesday nights and basically just talk about Jesus, worship and have a good time with each other. For the past couple weeks, we have been talking about "grace" and what that means and how to apply it to our lives. The message has really spoken to me, and I wanted to share it.
To begin with, what does grace mean? If you Google the word "grace," the second definition that comes up is "the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners, and the bestowal of blessings." But, to define that more deeply, what are some of blessings bestowed on us? God blesses us with unconditional love, continuous forgiveness and unending chances. These are just a tiny fraction of the things He does for us that aren't really tiny at all. God gives different blessings to different people, depending on our situations. But, He certainly blesses us all.
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A girl from our campus G3 group spoke last week about grace and what it meant to her. She said a simple sentence that really stood out to me, and that we all need to hear: "His grace abounds in deepest waters." Meaning that no matter where you are in life, no matter how far you may have strayed and no matter how alone you feel, He is there and ready when you call upon Him.
It doesn't matter to Him what you have done in life, how many times you have ignored Him. He waits patiently for you to come to Him, and there He sits ready to forgive and bless you. Isn't that wonderful? That no matter how unlovable you feel you are, no matter the terrible things you have said or done, He still wants you. He still waits for you, everyday. He forgives you, everyday. That is grace.
The following week, a young man spoke again on grace. He told us that grace has been something that he has struggled with, because not only is God full of grace, but he wants us to be full of grace too.
Something I think we all struggle with is forgiveness. When someone does something wrong to us, we feel like we have a right to be mad at them, and sometimes we let that anger grow into a grudge. But we need to practice forgiveness. After all, where would we be if He did not forgive us? But forgiveness is not the only quality of grace that we should practice. We need to practice loving the people close to us, and not so close to us. We need to show kindness to everyone we meet. Leaving every person we meet a little happier and more content than we found them, that is grace.
In the end, we should be aware of just how awesome God's grace is. His unconditional love, forgiveness and unending second chances. It's not something that should be taken lightly or for granted. We need to appreciate His grace, and strive to be more graceful for Him. Be kind, be forgiving, be loving, be a vessel for Him, be graceful. And, be fulfilled knowing that His grace is endless and limitless.
