God’s Grace… My Inheritance
by Gail Rodgers
Part 2
The flow of God’s grace in my life will keep me moving forward in my spiritual journey …
“growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience…??? ( Colossians 1:10b ).
Sharon shared with me how she was growing in her faith journey. She had forgiven her father for the rejection she felt as a young girl. Her adult mind could now comprehend some of her father’s own pain. She could forgive him for his actions and his harsh words. God’s love in her heart had made what seemed impossible, possible.
Yet she confided how she continued to find herself in unhealthy relationships with men. Always living in fear of rejection, she found herself making compromises that left her disappointed in herself. She realized she felt shame in the depth of her soul and it was affecting her life far beyond the long ago words and actions of her father.
God’s grace allowed Sharon to understand how she had believed lies about herself as a result of those negative words and actions toward her. God’s promise brought fresh hope to her heart… it brought endurance and patience to her life and she was inspired with joyful thanksgiving to God for exposing the lies she could now release.
With confidence she embraced the grace that promised God would complete the good work He had begun in her. (Philippians 1:6).
When God touches your life and begins a good work in you, He is committed to you. He promises to carry on the good work in your heart until it is completed. It’s part of your inheritance!
~Heavenly Father,
Thank you that You promise to continue to work in my heart. Thank you that You enable me to forgive harsh words and actions against me. I realize today that as a result of those words and actions I began to believe lies about myself that I was unlovable or undeserving of love. Thank you that Your grace strengthens me with all power according to Your glorious might so that I will have endurance and patience as I journey toward wholeness. Today I joyfully give thanks to You, my Father, for the grace You continue to pour out in my life as You carry on to completion the healing of my heart. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.
About the Author
This devotional was written by Gail Rodgers. Learn more about Gail: http://www.talk.thelife.com/authors/gail-rodgers/
Going Deeper
1. Consider these questions: Do you have someone in your life that you need to forgive? If so, how has this affected your relationships with others? Is there something in your life that seems impossible to change?
2. Comment on the devotional blog. Interact with others who are reading today’s devotional. Visit http://talk.thelife.com/ and double click on “Comment??? (just under the devotional title).
3. Chat: Join us for a 15-minute chat at 10:30 am Eastern, 7:30 am Pacific: http://www.christianwomentoday.com/chat
4. Related reading
I missed the mark: http://www.christianwomentoday.com/growth/missedmark.html
Copyright
This devotional is protected by copyright laws and may not be reprinted or posted to a site without permission from TruthMedia Internet Group. All readers are welcome to forward the devotional to a friend or link to it. If you would like to seek permission to reprint the devotional in full, please see our guidelines: http://talk.thelife.com/reprint-permission/
11 Responses to “God’s Grace… My Inheritance”
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Louise,
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement. It means a lot to know there are other Christian women who understand and care! THANK YOU for being God’s conduit.
To Lisa: I’m so sorry you’ve had this experience. I’m glad you left that church. I hope you have found a good church now. You have been washed whiter than snow, so lift you head up and keep your eyes on our precious Savior.
You are loved with an everlasting love and I love you too!
This devotional really spoke to me as well. As a former Church Secretary, I have been on the receiving end of being a “victim,” used by a Pastor in the worst possible way, after placing myself in a position of continuous sin by giving in to temptation during a very vulnerable time in my life and marriage. Thankfully, God intervened and answered my prayer of removing me from that temptation and sinful situation, through orchestrating his abrupt departure as Pastor for past personal sins, unbeknownst to me at the time of my involvement.
Forgiving this man for the temptation and initial sin was the easy part. Allowing me to believe I was the cause of his resignation by providing no explanation (or even advance notice of this development), while extremely painful at the time, was also forgivable. Unfortunately, my role as Secretary of the church put me in a position of constant conversation with (or earshot of) others about his departure and the circumstances surrounding it, his subsequent and complete absence from the church, the unfairness of the developments, or speculations about his rejoining the ministry through Conference-wide reconciliation efforts, and forced me into a position of deception, which I lived with for over a year, on top of the grief I was already experiencing due to this loss in my life.
Being in a position of painful emotional imprisonment of one sort or another through this became a way of life to me, and my “protection??? of others through deception almost did me in. There is no explanation but God’s grace for why I am still here today. I have even forgiven myself for this life of deception and the reasons for it since most were unselfish reasons, and gone on to make restitution in my personal life for those I perceived this would hurt, by making confession to (and receiving forgiveness from) my husband, the Elders at the church, and close friends and some members of my family.
However, this person’s contribution to that imprisonment by returning to the church to worship after a period of time remains the hardest thing to forgive almost two years later, and remains a stumbling block to my spiritual life. His choice of actions and decision to return to the church I had attended since birth, and even serve in leadership positions, I viewed (and still view) as the most arrogant and insensitive and cruel thing that could have been done.
I have since left the church AND my position as secretary. This was partially due to the circumstances of another pastor being asked to resign for what I believe wholeheartedly in this case to be unfounded reasons.
Through this sequence of events, I have experienced the revelation that the direction that church is taking does NOT mirror the atmosphere of integrity, biblical leadership, and insight on sin confrontation within the Church, which contributed to the freedom I now experience through those confession and restitution efforts, and directly contradicts the lifestyle that the victimizing pastor has chosen for himself and that the church is allowing and even encouraging!
I hope and pray that all who are similarly burdened with unforgiveness like mine find some solace and peace in God’s word and His never-ending love for us. May He take our bitterness and hatred and turn it into this same kind of love for those who have hurt us so greatly.
Thank You, Lord, that You never get tired of me bringing the same request daily, to help me learn to forgive those who have hurt the most, for in essence I am one of them.
Your email “God’s Inheritance” is so meaningful and gives me something to think about in my life. I am in a good church now, one that I really like. Thank you for your prayers. I don’t like to hold grudges against anyone but, there are certain things that have happened in my life that I should put away but, it’s been 0ver 40 years now and I still hold these things in the back of my mind and they are there every day. I have prayed and prayed but they are still there. Is it that maybe I am not praying the right way or the right kind of prayer??
Your emails help me so much. I can’t thank you enough
I’m 65 years old and have been a Christian for 28 years and I find we are never too old to learn from God if we are open and teachable. This devotion hit home for me as well and I really appreciate Christians who aren’t afraid to be honest and real about themselves. We learn so much from each other when we aren’t afraid to just be ourselves.
My pastor’s wife used to tell us to never be afraid to be transparent. One has to set aside our pride and tell it like it is! Thank you so much.
When I feel hurt it’s really hard to forgive. I don’t like the way I feel when that happens. I usually will ask God to forgive me … FOR NOT FORGIVING WHOEVER IT IS. I have experienced a miracle every time I’ve remembered to do this. Just thought I’d share…
And Coral Luke, people do heal from strokes … so keep the faith. My husband is a stroke survivor and we thank the Lord for all we’ve learned through his experience. It hasn’t been easy and we still continue to reach out for God’s help and healing. Thank-you for your lovely words of encouragement.
Thanks for the opportunity to share with other women who are facing similar challenges in their lives.As a younger person ,I didn’t know how to forgive (others or myself) but since I have come to understand and accept the abounding love and forgiveness of God then I want to live in the
freedom and grace that come with it. I know the prison that I lived in when I was steeped in unforgiveness and resentment and since God has forgiven me and continues to forgive me so much then I too must be willing to set the captives free. After all it is He who puts both the will and the action into us.
(Phil 2:13)
This hit home with me also. I have always thought I forgive people pretty easy (maybe too easy) but, I am finding that I have to forgive my parents and move on with like and accept them as they are. I will pray for them but, I will move on. Thanks for the devotional and the comments from everyone. My day will be a good one.
Peggy
God bless you for the devotional and the responses from Coral and Kim that show us how God’s grace leads us to our
spiritual inheritance. Amen and amen. Annie
boy, this hit me today as well … I think my mind went to all of the little jabs we get on a daily basis (someone butting in line, someone who is rude, etc.) and I let build up and then I just carry that anger which triggers the shame, which triggers exactly what Coral discussed … becoming a victim. I love her story in that she was able to become a survivor with God’s loving grace … it is never failing, but in order for me to utilize that grace in my life, I need to be able to take it and share with others vs. locking and loading and letting the anger/shame eat away at me. I need/want to show the very ones that ‘hurt’ me God’s love and grace that is w/in me … not tolerate being a victim, but a survivor with God as my guide, my foundation, my very strength. Coral, thanks for sharing … your note combined with Gail’s devotional is just what I needed to hear this morning!
This devotional about forgiving and blaming yourself for things that are not your fault really hit home to me.
I had a stroke 6 years ago which coincided with a change of pastor at our church. He came to visit me at home but couldn’t leave quick enough when he realised I was disabled in a wheelchair. I went to church but he cut me dead infront of the rest of the congregation.
I had been a steward at the church, a sunday school teacher, a member of the choir and taken on other duties as required. My husband was property steward.
I became a victim due to this man’s prejudice. My husband was upset for me and we both stopped attending church and our faith was severely affected.
We didn’t attended that church again except ofr our daughter’s wedding and avoided churchs elsewhere too.
I decided one day to forgive that pastor for making me a victim and I became a survivor! I also prayed for him that God would work on him to change him. But still we avoided church.
Then we moved to France. I felt something was missing from my life and I dipped in and out of Christian Women Today. Then I found a protestant church almost an hour’s drive away, the services are all in French but it is good to be amongst other christians.
We haven’t been for a long while though due to illness on both mine and my husband’s part.
I started doing an on line bible study and we have been to church again. This morning the pastor visited us and I told her about my exprience in England and we talked about it and prayed about it, then I opened my e-mail to find this devotional.
I pray for healing not just for my body but also for my soul. I see the pastor in England for what he was and am now sorry for him and not myself.
What a timely devotional it was today. Talking to our pastor was wonderful and we are going to be involved in showing English christian customs to this church in the middle of France!
I wondered why we were brought here, God works in mysterious ways and i have opened my heart to find out what he has in his plans for me.