January 21, 2007 | Hebrews 12:11

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Romans 5:20 The Ten Commandments were given so that all could see the extent of their failure to obey God's laws. But the more we see our sinfulness, the more we see God's abounding grace forgiving us. TLB

The more I think about this passage, it makes me realize that God's grace has no bounds, and that he showers us with the gifts of His love every day. We may not see these gifts because our hearts are hardened to His grace because of the way we think on a daily basis.

If asked what our purpose in life is, a lot of us would think of just being happy. We may think of what we get rather than what we can give others. When we do get caught up in this way of thinking it tends to shut out God's grace from sinking in and revealing itself to us.

Queeta was a monkey that loved bananas. He was like a lot of other monkeys, but yet he felt that feeding his face all day could not possibly be the best contribution he could make to the society of monkeys. So he set out, across the jungle in a kind of discovery of self as well as learning about the world.

After several days of travel he came to a large pond with a very beautiful waterfall flowing into it. He saw the clearness of the water and the sounds of the water slamming against the pond. He saw the birds flying over. It was then that he witnessed a most peculiar sight, a butterfly. It's wings were different shades of yellow and green. It flew with such grace and beauty that he started to realize that there must have been a being or something that created such beauty. It was then that he felt this overwhelming calm that he had never had the pleasure of feeling.

He felt the grace of God.

Have you felt God's grace in your life recently? Or have you been so engrossed in what makes you happy that you haven't taken the time to pray and ask for God's grace to to break into your realm of thought? It is easy to shut out God because the pursuit of happiness has taken precedence.

But how do we seek the grace of God in our daily lives?

Hebrews 12:11 Being punished isn't enjoyable while it is happening-it hurts! But afterwards we can see the result, a quiet growth in grace and character. TLB

This does not mean that we have to punish ourselves in order to find the grace of God. It is only to say that in life we need to find out what we are doing wrong and try to correct those wrongs. So in essence grace could be similar to a learning process. A time when we can see the errors of our ways and see that forgiveness from God can be what grace is or could be.

It is often a sense of longing that we seek. We long for the warmth of Gods grace by way of our prayers for forgiveness and for insight into how we can improve our thoughts and our way of life that will glorify God. And the more we glorify God, the more we see His grace. Or at least the more we notice it.

To put it another way, we so often get caught up in making ourselves happy, that we forget the love that God gives freely. We want another trip to another country, or maybe a boat for fishing on the lake or maybe just the day-to-day habits that give off a resounding me, me, me. This "me" attitude leads to depression or unhappiness and drowns out God's grace. Because, after all, if you are only thinking about your own pleasures, then you are not thinking about God, and if so, how can you possibly be a witness to God's grace?

But then, one day it hits you. You see something that amazes you and you notice the beauty behind it. Maybe it was a beautiful waterfall, like the one Queeto pleasured in the sight of. Or maybe it was a tree that you noticed on your drive to work, that probably had always been there, but you just now noticed it. I like to think that this is God's way of inserting into your life and thought processes the wonderment of His grace in showing you the beauty of His creation. You had become vulnerable to the reception of God's love. And in so doing, without even realizing it, you found the grace of God.

So, maybe as an additional New Years Resolution, you could think about trying to seek God's grace throughout the year. Look for the wonderments of His creation. Look at the trees and the flowers and the waters. And then as you do, pray for forgiveness of sins, and enlightenment, and realize that God's grace is only but a brief moment away.


Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your creation and the amazing grace that you are waiting patiently to give us every day. Help us to take the time to seek it. Remind us daily of the importance of your grace. Shine your light on us and give us your love. Thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope who would love to hear from you. God Bless.

© 2007 Bryan Hill

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