Page 14 - Grace150 Devotional

For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. John 1:16

“I feel like needing grace is a bad thing.” I watched myself write those
words across the pages of my journal. Jesus was searching my heart, and there in
my handwriting glared the lie I had been nurturing. My head knew better, but my
heart still resisted the need for grace. Why would I resist God’s freely given favor?
Because I saw grace as compartmentalized moments in time. When I messed up,
grace was needed. When I didn’t mess up, it wasn’t. My goal was to need grace as
little as possible.
But God began to show me that grace is not compartmentalized. Grace is pervasive
in all of life. Grace greets us in the morning and ushers us to sleep at night.
It meets us when we fall short and when we feel small. Grace is heard in laughter,
and holds the grieving heart. And grace transforms us, not as compensation
for what is lacking, but by completely redefining us. By grace you are forgiven.
You are a new creation. You are dearly loved. You are God’s child. You are a
chosen bride.
Grace adorns every aspect of our day and every inch of who we are. It is grace’s
presence—not absence—that makes us whole.

Father, Your grace touches every part of who we are and is not given in vain.
Teach us how to receive Your love and live in Your grace.

– Hannah Branson

DAY 7 grace 150