This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” We are a 15 months into this series and I have been preparing to take us through the fifth chapter of Romans, but since it is the week where we celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States, and since this will be a short week for Today’s Word (I will only send out messages Monday-Wednesday), I am led to do something a little different. Let’s discuss Grace from a perspective of being thankful. I will look back over some of the things we have covered and discuss them from a “Thanksgiving” perspective.
When I think about the miracles of Jesus I can’t help but see Grace. When a woman whose menstrual cycle was stuck in the “ON” position and The Law mandated that she stay away from everyone else, Jesus cared more about the woman and her pain, than the rules which said He could not touch her and that she could not touch Him. While the Pharisees were watching to see if Jesus was going to perform a miracle on the Sabbath, Jesus cared more about a man with a withered hand, than about the Pharisees who had stalked Him into the temple on a fault-finding mission. When a woman’s life had been turned upside down, having lost her husband and then her son, Jesus cared more about the widow in Nain than the rules which said He could not come in contact with anything dead. When Jesus saw a woman who had been bent over for 18 years, but who still faithfully came to worship in the temple, Jesus cared more about the woman and her pain, then about the fact that is was a Saturday and the Pharisees did not want to see miracles on their day of worship. The point is that Jesus cared then and He still cares today. I hope you can see from this series that God cares for you more than you could ever comprehend. The Father loves you with an unfailing, unyielding, and inexhaustible love.
The man with the withered hand was minding his own business, in worship, loving God, when His breakthrough came in a beautifully unexpected way. The widow in Nain was following the casket of her dead son, with tears flowing down her face, when Jesus interrupted the funeral procession long enough to resurrect her son and her hope from the dead. The woman who was bent over was in worship, like she had been for years, when all of a sudden a man she did not know spoke deliverance into her body in a way she could immediately feel. Her breakthrough came when she least expected it. None of these three people exhibited faith. They did not speak faith-filled words. As a matter of fact, they did speak any words. These people were going on with the business of their daily lives, dealing with their issues as best as they could, when heaven, hope, and healing visited them. What they received was unmerited, unexpected, unearned and almost unbelievable. It was Grace. Not just any grace, this was the Grace of God, and yes, it is amazing!
So what does this mean to you today? The proper response to receiving Grace from God is twofold.
1. You ought to thank God for giving you what you did not deserve. God chased you down. He sought you out. He sent people your way to talk to you. He pursued you when you had nothing to do with Him and His pursuit was relentless. God never gave up on You and even now, He consistently gives you what you do not deserve. Make sure you thank Him! During this week of Thanksgiving you should have no problem thinking of reasons to be thankful. God has been far better to you than you deserve. Therefore, thanksgiving should flow from your lips every day!
2. You should in turn extend Grace towards others. Don’t look down on others because you think they are not living up to your standard. Love on them and extend Grace to them. Don’t wait for others to initiate the contact. God did not wait on you. God pursued you, so you should pursue others. You should initiate the extension of love and Grace towards others, as you are led of the Holy Spirit, so you can become the conduit God will use to touch them like you have been touched. If you do this, others will be blessed, God will be pleased, your life will be enriched, and you will be changed forever.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this Word. I take the time to reflect on this series and what I have learned from it thus far. In the life of Jesus I see an example of how I am supposed to live. Jesus was full of Grace and truth. While He studied Your Word and was grounded in truth, the truth He studied led Him to operate in Grace towards others. By faith I declare that I shall be the same way. I don’t study Your Word to look down on others. I study Your Word in order to grow in love and Grace towards others. Your Grace has come TO me and I submit myself to You so Your Grace can flow THROUGH me. You chased after me when I had nothing to do with You and You never gave up on me. For that I am extremely thankful. And after being Born-Again, You have been far better to me than I deserve. You bless me beyond measure. As I prepare for the Thanksgiving celebration, I have many reasons to be thankful. One of the greatest reasons I have to be thankful is for the change I am experiencing as I grow in Grace and in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. The message of Grace is changing the way I see others, the way I see myself and the way I see my future. For that I shall forever be THANKFUL! Thank You Father for being so good to me. I enter this day with praise on my lips, Thanksgiving in my heart, and a spring in my step! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
