Sometimes, the opening and closing of the back door with the grandchildren going in and out, in and out, in and out, can make me get TJs (as my children would know......tight jaws). I don't get TJs like I used to when there were four children of my own, plus all their friends, making incessant demands on my time. So, it is kind of surprising to me that in the past three minutes of sitting here at my desk, the patio door opening and closing at least 10 times, has me wanting to write about this. To make matters worse, the door sticks and so it is an exaggerated opening and "slamming" that is creating the TJs.
I always thought that by the time I would be in my 6th decade of life things like that wouldn't bug me!! But it goes to show me that the old sin nature..........of wanting things done my way.........never dies and never improves with time. I still need the grace of the Holy Spirit to empower me to let things slide that don't really matter. The four girls playing in the back yard are way more important than not being bothered by slamming doors!!
So......while thinking about all of this, I find myself searching my heart...........or rather the LORD shining His light into my heart to show me what other"issues" are in my life that show me I need His grace to make it. It is all of life!!.
Yesterday we finished our Bible study on grace. And when I was asked last night if I could define what grace is, I heard a voice that sounded just like mine uttering something I could grasp and not forget. Grace is the power of God by His Spirit that saved me, that will one day take me to glory to be with Him and that now sanctifies me, empowering me to do things He has prepared beforehand for me to do. That is the one major thing I saw in Scripture........ that those three words can be used interchangeably for grace.
And then this morning I was reading in I Sam 16 when Samuel anointed David to be king in front of his brothers and father, long before he was ever crowned as the king of Israel. And there were those three words...........well two of the them were written and one was obviously there in between the lines. 16:13 "So David stood there among his brothers. Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it upon David's head; and the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him and gave him great power from that day onward." And clearly, it was by grace that he was chosen by God.
So, back to the TJs. Just as David failed, even with the power of Jehovah' s Spirit upon him, so do I sometimes, even with His grace, his power, His Spirit at work in me both to will and to do His good pleasure. And much like David, who did not repeat his sin but forsook it, I desire to live with a clean heart that will choose to walk uprightly and have right reponses to children who are slamming doors. "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."
2 comments:
this is great, HOWEVER, I must admit that I'm a bit discouraged to hear that the TJ's don't get too much better in the 6th decade of life...... UUUUggghh! Like a dangling carrot.
I understand, it "gets better" when grace is appropriated!
this is so good! I too have been thinking so much about His grace, and my need for it. I read Hebrews 12 today. I am so thankful that we have a high priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses and that we can depend on His grace and mercy to help us in our time of need! I miss you!
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