Bummer Buster Friday - Grace and Graciousness

Good morning!

I think more than ever we need to give and to receive grace. So to that end I want to share again about one of God’s attributes – His graciousness. Given the hate on display in our country, we, more than ever, can be a light of love and truth through living and giving grace freely.
 
For the most part all of God’s attributes could be described in some way as being beautiful but this one in particular shines a beautiful light – the light of having been made new – and made right before God. So this attribute is an action word – we mostly treat it as a noun – we received God’s grace when we were saved…but this attribute – gracious – implies action, something that involves effort, pouring something valuable out of oneself to another…personal, really personal!
 
If any of you believe you are saved and now are a child of God through His Son’s death on the Cross, you know God’s graciousness. I know God’s graciousness. And since that saving moment in my life, God’s graciousness continues to grow. It hasn’t been a one-time thing.
 
And graciousness is a relationship building attribute. Relationships flourish when covered in grace – when we are gracious to each other – when we pour ourselves graciously into each other’s lives strong relationships are built.
 
Graciousness, as an action, breaks down walls, opens doors for us to nurture and build bridges to harder to know and love people or taking steps to loving our enemies…
 
That brings questions to mind – in that God takes an active doing role in bringing his graciousness into our lives – do I see God’s graciousness present in the world? Do I see it in my life? Is God filling my life – pouring out His graciousness into me? If the answer is no, maybe I should ask myself - what steps can I take to build bridges using this godly attribute – using it as an action not a noun – to SHARE God’s grace with others? Might living graciously in relationship to others open my eyes to God’s graciousness. If the answer is yes, how can I take that graciousness I am receiving and pour it back out into others’ lives?

• Gracious

Most of us are familiar with the idea that grace is unmerited mercy / favor from God which we received through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Put another way, mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.

So as commented above, do I pass on this blessing actively as a verb into the lives of others around me?
 

• Psalm 84:11-12 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

Comments: You can see parts of how God is gracious described in these verses – God s gracious providing warmth and protection, giving the gifts of favor and honor – not withholding anything good for those whose walk is blameless…our walk becomes blameless before God when we were/are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. This expression of graciousness is ours when we trust our God. How do I use the graciousness God is giving me in relationship to others?
 

• John 1:12-14 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Comments: Part of God’s graciousness is that when we received Jesus Christ, and believed on His name, it was an act of adoption by God. Graciously we have been made children of God. As we see here, Jesus came full of grace – grace and graciousness from God made available to all of us through Christ’s death and resurrection on the Cross – He came to save with grace – not to condemn.
 

• 2 Timothy 1:9-10 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Comments: Paul shares here that God’s graciousness belongs to Him – that we receive it and it is His doing not ours or of our effort – and we receive it through Jesus Christ – which was God’s plan before the beginning of time…but we are then called in the great commission to share this immense gift – not that we can bestow God’s grace or graciousness – but we can imitate that graciousness in our lives with those around us whoever they might be…so the light of Christ shines into the world – because showing grace or acting graciously is wrapped up in loving others.
 
Let God’s graciousness to us flow back out into the world!
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into the weekend is that we turn from just being the recipients of God’s grace into being His givers of graciousness to all those around us, to all those we encounter, so they too have a taste of God’s grace which we received through You, our Savior! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick​