As believers, we know that it is the GRACE of God
that makes room for us before the Father, and gives us a home in heaven. It is
the Grace of God, and not anything that we have done, that gave us our Salvation.
It is not because of giftedness, what we give, who we are, where we attend
church; it is ONLY because of the Grace, and
mercy of God. Amen? :0)
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved, and thy house.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.
However,
this is not the grace that I want to write about today. It’s on my heart to share about another type
of grace that God gives. This may be
the grace that Paul was learning, when the Spirit of God said to him: “My
grace is sufficient for you!” I’ve
heard people refer to this passage, with thought that God was saying, “NO
PAUL! SUFFER!” I have a different
bent on that one; I think God was saying “Paul, I’ve given you Grace that
will carry you through everything you face. And, I’ve already given you
authority over everything under heaven!” :0) Just a
thought.
2
Corinthians 12:9 And he said
unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in
weakness. Most gladly therefore will
I rather glory in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2
Corinthians 9:8 And God is
able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
1
Corinthians 15:10 But by the
grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not
in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace
of God which was with me.
2
Corinthians 1:12 For our
rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and
godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had
our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
2
Corinthians 8:7 Therefore,
as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all
diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
Yes,
it is God’s “Grace” and the blood of Jesus that redeems us, frees us from sin,
and takes us to heaven. However, this
article is about the grace that God gives – to deal with things here, on this
planet, in this life. You may call it something different - I call it a
“Special Grace.”
I’m
sure there are many who have just the life that they dreamed of, just what they
prayed and hoped for. This article comes to encourage those of us who have not
yet seen perfect.
I
want to tell you about a lady who woke up one morning, to find herself in the
middle of a nightmare. I will refer to
this couple as “Jack and Jane.”
We
will start this story, the day that Jane’s husband, of six months decided to
become a woman. No, this isn’t about
the modern-day operations that we hear about on National news, this is about a mental
illness called “Schizophrenia.”
Jane
had known Jack for a couple years before marriage, but had no idea that he had
a serious mental disorder. She had never been around mental illness, didn’t
know the signs to look for, and had no idea how to handle it. However, Jane’s Dad just happens to be an
expert in the field, and she learned to depend on His knowledge, and trust that
He would advise her on how to be effective in Jack’s life! This is a true
story, about Jane’s Father and best friend, Jehovah-God.
Every
time something came into Jack’s life that caused him stress - he simply changed
his name and became someone else; this could happen monthly, weekly, or several
times a day. For many years Jack and
Jane lived a constantly changing adventure.
Making
the story short: There have been years of Prayer, Doctors, Treatments, a
variety of Medications, and Hospitals. However, we are praising God - Jack has
had many good, normal years, and simply does not recall the worst times. His
recovery and ability to carry on a normal life amazed Doctors and mental-health
workers; it’s not what they expected, or predicted the past 25 years of Jack’s
life would be.
Through
these years Jane has been asked numerous questions like: “How do you do it?”
– “How do you get through this?” – “How do you deal with this?!!” The
answer is always the same… “JESUS!”
Jane
says that God gave her a daily “special grace” to deal with daily events.
Admittedly she has no education, and knows absolutely nothing of the medical
world; however, because of the grace that God gave her – Medical people have
asked her “Where did you get your medical training?” and “Are you a
Doctor or RN?”
When
Doctors were determined to get a “permanent-commit” order for Jack to put him
in a state mental hospital, God gave timid, quiet Jane the exact words and
boldness to FIGHT - and stop that action! When ineffective or damaging medications
were prescribed, God gave Jane the wisdom to question just the right people,
get a re-evaluation, and get the desired results. The Holy Spirit directed her
steps, moment by moment, He gave her a remarkable insight and wisdom; courage
and words to speak. On many occasions Jane walked away from a situation
wondering what just happened! Her Father was very much “in charge”, and she
simply leaned on Him.
If
you were to talk to this gal today, you would learn that she still knows
nothing about the medical world. What
she does know is that her Father is God - The Creator, and He knows everything
about His creation! Amen? :0)
Yes,
of course there have been difficult times; there have been many tears, and a
lot of prayer. However, Jane addresses the questions and concerns with this
statement: “If the only way I could have come to know and depend on my
Father in the confident, intimate way that I do, was to walk this road… I
wouldn’t change one day of it! I know
what it’s like to watch God give miracles, and I’ve experienced the Peace of
God in the middle of the storm.”
This
is one lady who knows that Jesus really can be her EVERYTHING,
every day!
The
Father has revealed Himself to this couple, as El-Shaddai, “The God of more than enough.”
Jehovah-Nissi daily brought victory, and she watched Jehovah-Rophe at
work in her husband. During the years that Jack could not be left unattended
and there was absolutely “no income” she hung out with Jehovah-Jireh and
rested in Jehovah-Shalom. She
knows the God Jehovah-Shammah, He is constantly with her; and Jehovah-Rohi,
has been her shepherd. He has never failed, has never left a need unmet, and
never left her alone. Jane knows the God who works miracles, and she lives
inside of the peace that passes all understanding. Jane knows her Father, as
her everything!
Do
you know The Father as EVERYTHING? He is everything
that we need Him to be, every day, in every situation – we just need to allow
Him to be who He is! He is the Great “I
Am” – He is what EVER you need Him to be. If you need a “Healer” – He says, “I
AM!” When you need a provider – He
says, “I AM!” When you need a
comforter, He says, “I AM!”
I
have walked in a “special grace” a time or two, and I know that He is what ever
I need Him to be. He is GOD, and He is more than able! Amen?
:0)
God
gives us the “Grace” that we need for the day, for the current situation. He
doesn’t give next week’s grace, or direction – until the moment it’s
needed. We walk in a DAILY-GRACE; the
grace for tomorrow comes with the day! It’s all a part of faith and trust. It’s
all about Him being our Father, and loving His kids.
Grace
be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:3
JJ
Daniel – living in His grace!
