I love grace.
Grace is when God gives you what you need instead of what you deserve.
Grace is when God says, 'Come to Me. I'm not mad at you. Never have been.'
Grace is when God forgives you and then gives you a second ... third ... fourth ... twentieth ... hundredth ... thousandth chance to start again.
That's grace. We all need it.
R. Warren tells a story about baseball umpire, David Hagler:
'I was driving too fast one day when a policeman pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket. I tried to talk him out of it by telling him how worried I was about my insurance going up and what a careful driver I normally was. I begged for grace. I begged him. But he said if I didn't like it, I could go to court.
The first game of the next baseball season I was umpiring behind home plate and the first batter up was that same policeman. I recognized him and he recognized me. He nervously asked me, 'How did things go with your ticket?' I just stared at him and said, 'Swing at everything.'
We're not that used to experiencing grace from others. But God shows you grace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The next breath you take is because God's grace gives it to you.
You say, 'Wait a minute. I earned what I have!' Really? Where do you think you got the power to earn it? Where do you think you got your brains - your health - your mind - your arms - your legs? Everything you have -- if it wasn't for the grace of God.
It isn't what you deserve, but it's what you get.
And be blessed.
Grace is when God gives you what you need instead of what you deserve.
Grace is when God says, 'Come to Me. I'm not mad at you. Never have been.'
Grace is when God forgives you and then gives you a second ... third ... fourth ... twentieth ... hundredth ... thousandth chance to start again.
That's grace. We all need it.
R. Warren tells a story about baseball umpire, David Hagler:
'I was driving too fast one day when a policeman pulled me over and gave me a speeding ticket. I tried to talk him out of it by telling him how worried I was about my insurance going up and what a careful driver I normally was. I begged for grace. I begged him. But he said if I didn't like it, I could go to court.
The first game of the next baseball season I was umpiring behind home plate and the first batter up was that same policeman. I recognized him and he recognized me. He nervously asked me, 'How did things go with your ticket?' I just stared at him and said, 'Swing at everything.'
'We're not that used to experiencing grace from others.'
We're not that used to experiencing grace from others. But God shows you grace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The next breath you take is because God's grace gives it to you.
You say, 'Wait a minute. I earned what I have!' Really? Where do you think you got the power to earn it? Where do you think you got your brains - your health - your mind - your arms - your legs? Everything you have -- if it wasn't for the grace of God.
It isn't what you deserve, but it's what you get.
And be blessed.