Grace for the Humble

Chuckle: Mortal: "What is a million years like to you?" God: "Like one second. Mortal: "What is a million dollars like to you?" God: Like one penny. Mortal: "Can I have a penny?" God: "Just a second."

Quote: "Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all he has. It is costly because it costs man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

GRACE FOR THE HUMBLE

He (God) gives us more and more strength (grace) to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor (grace) to the humble" (James 4:6 NLT).

If you are a parent or grandparent, your deepest desire is to give the best to your children and grandchildren. You want them to have everything they need to live a healthy and productive lives. You want to instill in them the strength and humility necessary to face the trials and temptations that will surely come. The only things you ask in return is love, respect, and gratitude for what they have received. We want them to be thankful for what they have and unselfish when it comes to giving to others.

In a similar way, God wants to give us more and more grace and strength to help us combat the influences of the world, resist our evil desires, and live as His victorious children. God's amazing love for us is the reason for His amazing grace. As we humble ourselves before God, His grace freely flows to us without interruption. Grace is often defined as God's "unmerited favor." To put grace in perspective, remember that Justice is receiving what we deserve; mercy is not receiving what we deserve; but grace is receiving what we do not deserve. By humbling ourselves, we experience God's mercy and grace.

If a needy man rejected your one dollar gift, you might decide not to give him more. However, if he received the dollar with sincere gratitude, you would be more inclined to give him more. The dollar might be insufficient to meet his total need, but if refused, it would be sufficient to cut him off from further help. If we gratefully and humbly accept what grace God has given us, it opens the door for more and more grace to be given to us.

Pride makes us selfish and causes us to think we deserve all we can see, touch, or imagine. The result is greed and desire for much more than we need. God wants to release us from self-centerdness and evil desires it brings, and to realize that what we really need is more and more of God's grace. This grace comes from a generous God when we honor Him and treat Him with reverence, love, and respect. To receive God's favor and grace, we need to humble ourselves before Him with gratitude. So, the remedy for evil desires begins with humility and ends with an outpouring of God's grace.

Love, Jerry & Dotse