A Need for Grace and Mercy

God has recently brought me through a series of situations that have reminded me of how much I am in need of his grace and mercy. 

It seemed as though everything was going just fine.  Then he showed me my pride and my desire to do things my way.  He allowed me to be knocked off of my feet and I found myself in a position where I felt there was nothing I could do to get back up.  I was hurt, afraid and overwhelmed by a deep sense of hopelessness.  Once I realized that I couldn't do what it was that I needed to on my own and cried out for mercy and help, I was heard.  "The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer" and he helped me back up - not on my own but with his gentle hand lifting me and holding me.  He hasn't gone away - he is still holding me. I know that everything is fine as long as I don't try to take things in my own hands or step away from the sturdy crutches he provides.

"Ah! how many whose glance falls upon this page may testify “Even thus has the Lord dealt with me. I was rich, and He has impoverished me. I was exalted, and He has laid me low. Not one cup only did He drain, not one vessel only did He dash to the earth, but many. He has emptied me ‘from vessel to vessel.’ ” Happy shall you be if the result of all this emptying and humbling shall be the filling and enriching of your soul with larger communications of grace and truth from Jesus. A cloud of witnesses around you testify to this invariable principle of the Lord’s procedure with His people—that He enriches by impoverishing them; strengthens by weakening them; replenishes by emptying; and exalts by laying them low."  (Quote from Octavius Winslow.)

Humble Like a Child

God’s word tells us that we ought to be trusting like little children, be willing to share, and to give happily.  I was reminded this morning of these traits we should carry as followers of Christ through a few examples my daughter has set for me. 

First, I want to lay on the table some scriptures relevant to my thoughts:

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-4)

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (Matthew 9:6-7)

See also Matthew 8: 1-15 and the rest of Matthew 9:6-15.

This morning, while eating an apple, Ava said with a smile, “Our neighbors like to eat apples for ‘breakstast’ (this is not a typo).”  This was her way of saying she thinks we ought to share our apples with them. 

I do recognize that we are born with a sin nature and children are naturally inclined to selfishness, but there is reason why Christ said to his disciples to suffer the little children not and allow them to come to him and also why we are told to have faith like children.  A child trusts his parents with his whole life.  Ava does not have a desire to leave home or to make decisions that do not involve us in her life.  Obviously children desire to make decisions against ours as a result of the aforementioned sin nature.  A child’s desire to not clean his room when told to is not an attempt to bring himself out from under the umbrella of protection of his or her father.  An example of this might be something like a child refusing to follow his mother in the store out of a desire to go off on his own to shop.  I have never witnessed this before with a child under the age of 5 in my life.  Most children will shriek in panic if Mom or Dad are out of their sight in such a big place within seconds.  I believe these desires to be protected by our parents is what Christ is calling us to do with our Heavenly Father.  We should not ever want to be out of his presence and shriek in panic when we sense an uncomfortable distance.

Anyway, I’ve gotten off track.  So back to the apples…. (Sorry for that rabbit trail..)  Children, despite their sin nature, have not learned all of the sin that we as adults have learned.  I not only don’t feel a sense of terror always when my relationship with my Creator is not where it should be, but I have a tendency to not want to share.  Sure, kids fight over toys because they are selfish and want what they want now.  Clearly this is not the area I’m promoting consideration in for our adult lives and the lives of children who are seeking to live by grace.  What I’m talking about is the example I mentioned earlier.  Ava, trusting that her daddy and I will always have a supply of apples for her to eat wants to share some of what we have with other people.  She trusts us but also sees the good in sharing.

My tendency, as I’ve recently learned, is to want to hoard what I have.  There were times in my life where I didn’t have much, so when I got maybe a little extra I often wanted to keep it for me.  Or, when I do give there have been times my heart has either given with expectation for personal praise or given reluctantly out of obedience.  Thankfully my husband isn’t this way, and my daughter is seemingly picking up on his generosity and not my sometimes lack thereof. 

So to scripture with this… God loves a cheerful giver.  Did Christ reluctantly give himself for us? Do we see that he was bitter or angry or selfish about it?  No.  What’s more is he had everything.  Scripture says he was rich and made himself poor for us (Matthew 8:9) so that we may share in his riches.  He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we may be forgiven, both willingly and trustingly. 

God uses other people in our lives to reveal to us areas that may need attention in our lives.  I see this morning how much more I should be looking to and watching for the presence of my Father in my life.  Am I trusting in his lead or do I want to run off and do my own shopping?  (Please bear with this analogy and don’t draw more out of it than what is intended.  If in question, please ask.)  Am I willing to share what he has given to me, trusting that he will provide more if it is his will?  Or do I want to keep it all?  Is my attitude that what is given to me is a result of blessing of the Lord or self?  I’m thankful (when my flesh isn’t roaring) that one of the means of sanctification God has for me is with me almost all day long, just the two of us.  Through my daughter I am able to see areas of sin in my own life that need to be cast away.

(All of this has turned into one big rambling of thoughts that I’ve had this morning which I wanted to document because if I don’t write down my thoughts, sometimes they disappear more quickly than they come about.)

A Little Something on God's Sovereignty

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."
Isaiah 55:10-11

Today I find comfort by remembering that God's mighty hand is the one which will bring forth all of the details that he has mapped out for my life. It's easy to become discouraged when we have certan ideas that don't work out. But we can rest that no matter what, whatever it is that GOD plans, it will be accomplished. Thankful for peace and rest in the sovereignty of our Creator.