Monday, February 16, 2009
2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you.."
Pastor James spoke this week continuing with his series on trials. This week the passage covered was from 2 Corinthians 12. When he got to verse 9 he began talking about grace. He said that they literal translation of that phrase God says to Paul is "Sufficient for you is the grace of Me." That thought really stuck with me. He talked about the typical definition given for grace as being "unmerited favor". He says that is pretty accurate but its only part of it. Without grace we can't do anything. Can't walk. Can't talk. Can't breathe. Can't think. Can't love. We essentially don't exist apart from God. The illustration that stuck out to me was that Jesus doesn't just give us grace, but He IS grace. He doesn't hand it out and walk away but He is it and He is there with you. Does that make sense? How does that change your view of grace?
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Hello! :)
ReplyDeletethis week, seth talked about who God is. in a shrot clip we watched there was (odd as this sounds) a male ballerina. he was working on some funny spin move. the instructor had a stick that he hit on the flour and counted,1..2..3..4..1..2 and so on as this guy tried to perform this move. whenever the guy fell, the instructor comanded him to get up, working him relentlessly with no encouragment or help in any way. eventually th trainer got so infuriated, he threw down his stick, called him a failure, and walked away. a few minutes later a woman walked up to him and told him "I will show you how to do it" togoether, the man and woman completed the dance with perfection. it took time and patience but the woman was helping and suporting the guy all the way. and together, they accomplished the goal. i know, funny illistration. but it compared two pictures that people have of God. the first, a guy who, yes exists, but is not involved in our lives and only wants to make us miserable and point out our flaws. while the young lady represents the real God. a loving and fogiving God. when the guy messed up, she encouraged him, when he didnt think he could, she told him that she was there and would help him and stand beside him. I think this can also relate to grace. The thought that God will always forgive me, will always be there, even when i mess up it is such a comfort. when i truly feel down and i think im at just through, God lifts me up. by giving me grace he reveals himself. Thats part of his loving personality. no matter how bad we mess up, he loves us the same.
ReplyDeleteOk...be prepared...I am about to for the first time apply something that I have learned in my 1.25 semesters of college. It could be big...defining grace as such reminds me of St. Thomas Aquinas' idea that God, in a sense, is everything we are not. We change, God does not. We are in time, God is not. We are dependent, God is self-sufficient. And so on...This also reminds me of The Shack in which God is talking to Mack saying that He is love and that love is an action, not simply a feeling, like Hank said the other day. Overall, how should we as Christians understand that God is all of these things that we are not, and that we depend on Him for everything, while He on the other hand is personal with us, loving to us, He gives to us, and shares with us individually?
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