Taught by grace

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“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” What child of God was ever permitted to fall lower than God’s “underneath?” H. GILL

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” (Titus 2:11-12 NKJ)

The idea of grace being a teacher in my life is something I haven’t given much thought to. I have always considered grace from God as working as a safety net. I know that it is much more than that, but from my experiences, the mental image I get of God’s grace is one of getting a second chance, of being caught and held safe before I spiritually bounce off the floor. When I first became a Christian, grace was explained to me as unmerited favor. Something that I receive that I could have never been able to afford or even pay for by the good things that I might do. How the grace of God has worked in my life is by God giving me a second chance, and a third and fourth and on and on. When ever I have strayed from God’s will for my life and I realize that I have walked away on my own. When I honestly desire a change and I come back to God with my head hung down. Then God always has accepted me back with loving arms that wrap around me like no human can do. That was grace to me, when I deserved punishment, but received love instead. What a different concept of grace the apostle Paul has given me today, that of grace being a teacher. Come to think of it, some of the best teachers that I had were the ones who gave me second chances. The teachers that were patient with me and let me learn by experience were the ones that made the difference. I may learn something from a book, and know it well, but until I apply it to my life it is just knowledge. Some of the best lessons that I have learned from life have been the ones that I failed at first. Grace is that patient teacher that lovingly picks me up after a failure and heads me in the right direction again. Where would I be without the grace of God today? I don’t know, but I do know that I would be hopelessly miserable, stuck with the constant reminder of my failures. God’s grace and mercy give me a fresh start every day as long as I clean up any wreckage that I might have left behind from yesterday. When I become responsible for my own life then God will help me by doing what I cannot do for myself………JRE

Share with me what the Life Recovery Bible has to say on these verses…..

“When we realize how much God loves us and that he provides the power for us to live a godly life, we are motivated to entrust our life to him and seek his will. The proper response to God’s grace is right conduct. The Bible never considered guilt and fear appropriate motivations for righteousness. We obey God because he loves us and desires to help us succeed. Seeing God as accepting, gracious, and compassionate instead of harsh, condemning and punitive is critical for our spiritual growth. We don’t need to fear God because of our sins. He still loves us and will help us rebuild our life when we admit our failures to him. This can give us hope as we work through recovery.”
Life Recovery Bible page 1482

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I get a word picture from reading your post. Something I never thought of before. I see grace as the comfort in any storm. The assurance that no matter what happens, I am safe, even unto death.

The word picture I now see is grace in action.
A window washer on the 30th floor. He falls off the ledge but has a safety belt on that stops him from falling totaly to the ground. God could have put His hand there and held the man in place but by letting him fall, the man learns a lesson of trust on the safety line and that he needs be more careful in the future.
I am so grateful that Jesus is my safety line. No matter what happens, I will be safe as long as I keep my safety line with me.

[cmc]

Grace in the discipline and while facing the consequences of our failures, shortcomings and rebellion is like any kind of training. A preparation that enables a person to perform a task or to otherwise perfect a skill. Like physical exercise stresses the body in order to strengthen it.
I see grace the same as best and toad- but I keep thinking there is more to it on a personal level.
May we all accept what God sends our way with grace- gracefulness that is.
It is always difficult to understand how people can actually thank God for various difficulties they face. When I was new to the rooms I could not fathom how someone could say they were a 'grateful recovering addict'- I was sure they were glad just because they were clean/sober at the moment. Not so. Recovery to many means to accept the condition we are in with grace- being thankful to find a way out and and realizing that without all the trouble, many of us would not have been 'forced by grace' to find Him in the first place. I hope that makes sense.... it sure is worth thinking about!