Extending Grace to Others
Are you tired of living a defeated Christian life?
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).
For the past 10 days, I have been contemplating God’s grace to us and how we, in turn can extend grace to others.
We naturally do just the opposite. We see and tell people how they should change and improve rather than encourage them in what they are doing right. We are impatient with a clerk who is slow in serving us and point out faults in our spouse and children; we slander our co-workers and pastors. How can we become gracious – more like Jesus is with us?
Alone this Christmas?: Talk to someone online
Be Forgiven: Find the gift of forgiveness this Christmas
Richard Blackaby in his book, “Putting a Face on Grace” has a list of tips for us.
• Speak words intended to build up, not to bring down.
• Focus on their need rather than your own.
• Freely forgive.
• Swallow you pride and say, “I’m sorry”, and “I was wrong.”
• Live your life with a goal of “no regrets”.
• Don’t keep score of what is fair.
• Grace doesn’t condemn or give up on people.
• Grace emphasizes mercy, not justice.
• Read 1 Corinthians 13 regularly.
And always keep in mind that it is God’s spirit within us who will change us into becoming people who extend grace to others.
Father, you continually show grace to your children no matter how many times we mess up. Thank you so much. We don’t deserve your love. Enable us, through the power of your Holy Spirit, to become people of grace. Amen
Questions: Do you find it difficult to show grace to others? Tell us about a time when someone showed grace to you.
Maddie, don’t you just love it when God does that?! And the neat thing is that you recognized his conviction and responded to that according to 1 John 1:9…if we confess our sins He is righteous and just to forgive us from all of our sins! Thank you Jesus!
Well! We all mess up at times in our lives as we are not perfect, but He our Saviour is the perfect one. He is teaching each one to bring our perfection to him. he is soo gracious and so loving that He did show it to all of us on the cross when he saw John and His mother. he told each one to take care of each other. When I have an issue with something I bring it to him who can see better than we are.
man did i ever need to read this devotional……….