Paula Wiseman » grace

Opportunities of Weakness

Paula — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:13:33 +0000

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV

I love this.

"My grace" - It's Christ's and He can dispense it as He chooses and He chooses to give it to me.

It gets better.

"Sufficient" – Enough to meet my needs

"Made Perfect" – That's the same Greek word Jesus used on the cross when He cried out, "It is finished!"

The fullness, the completion, the totality of His grace and strength is best revealed in my weakness.

My weaknesses, failures, distresses are all redeemed and turned to opportunities because of His grace.

Sufficient (paulawiseman.com)

STT: Romans

Paula — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:19:56 +0000

Romans is one of the cornerstones of the New Testament. In it, Paul lays out the key doctrines of Christianity in a logical progression. It's hardly a dry dissertation, though. Martin Luther touched off the Protestant Reformation when he grasped what Paul had written. The truths even make Paul stop and praise God. (See 11:33-36)

So how should you study Romans?

Slowly. Intentionally. Reverently. Just like any other study, right?

The book is roughly divided into three sections- Why we need salvation, how it's accomplished and how we should live as a result. A quick overview should answer those questions.

To go deeper, Romans lends itself to key word studies. Try tracking these words and recording what you learn about each of them:

Sin
Righteousness
Faith/ Believe
Hope
Grace

Another approach is to watch for all that GOD does.

Paul uses transition words like therefore frequently. Sometimes it's helpful to watch for the cause and effect on either side of the "therefore".

Finally, if you like to memorize Scripture, Romans is full of great material.

What's your favorite verse or passage in Romans?

Grace and the T-shirt

Paula — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:18:18 +0000

The other day Jon brought me a t-shirt. The Red Cross had been to the refinery and he gave his latest pint on his way to five gallons. Along with the usual juice and cookies, they offered him a nice long-sleeved shirt, and he picked one in my size.

See that?

I got something free, because someone who loved me shed his blood to secure it.

Ephesians 2:7 says God saved us, so "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

It is beyond my comprehension to imagine what God has for us, all obtained by the blood of Christ.

And now I have a t-shirt as a gentle reminder.

Receiving

Paula — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:05:18 +0000

(Totally stole this idea from my husband. He's okay with it.)

At the tail end of Genesis, after the death and burial of Jacob, Joseph's brothers are seized by fear. What if he decides to repay them for selling him into slavery all those years ago? Their fear consumes them to the point that they send messengers to Joseph to beg for his forgiveness again. Joseph was grieved by this and he responded with words of comfort and kindness.

Here's the thing. Joseph forgave his brothers seventeen years earlier. They had lived off his grace and provision for them all that time. They had experienced and thrived under it. But it still seemed too good to be true. They "knew" it couldn't last.

Grace and forgiveness are hard to accept, hard to grasp, and not just for Joseph's brothers. How often do we live in fear of God, who forgave us and clearly demonstrated that? We beg for forgiveness for sins God has forgotten. We live in His grace, but with constant glances over our shoulders, sure that He's bound to figure out we don't deserve it. ) We don't deserve it. That's what makes it grace.)

We don't have to live in fear. The other shoe won't drop. The rug won't be yanked out from under us. God speaks words or kindness and comfort to us. "I have called you by name. You are mine." His grace is eternal. His love is limitless. His promises unbreakable.

Do you ever struggle with receiving grace and forgiveness?

Grace and Candy Bars

Paula — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:35:25 +0000

In my Sunday school room, I keep a plastic storage container filled with little candy bars as an incentive/reward. When my boys read their Bibles for the week, they get to choose a candy bar. Some weeks, they get them anyway. Visitors get double. The younger kids know about the candy and I often see them sneaking out of my room, grinning. However, that also means I occasionally run out. My boys have come to expect those candy bars and I hear about it when I fail to meet their expectations. What's more, I hear it from the little kids when the box is empty.

I am not required to provide candy bars. I do it because I want to encourage my guys. I love my boys and I want them to learn and grow, and this was just one little way to connect with them. They get accustomed to that, though, and a sense of entitlement develops.

Here's the thing- those candy bars are grace.

God is not required to pour out His grace, yet He does. His grace even touches those outside His kingdom.

Just like my boys, I get used to the provisions of God's grace. Often I begin to believe I am entitled to it. Many times, I grumble about how God chooses to administer His grace. And I cross a line.

Wearing Grace

Paula — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:15:23 +0000

(Thanks again to LauraLee Shaw for that terrific guest post yesterday. We'll have to invite her back for sure!)

It's rare Sunday morning that I don't change clothes at least once before I get out the door. It's not that I'm indecisive. A couple of weeks ago, my husband noticed the change and commented on it. I said, "I needed something with a little more grace." And since I've reached… a certain age, I find I need that kind of grace more and more often.

In the very same way a shirt or a pair of pants with a kinder cut covers my physical 'shortcomings', the grace that Jesus Christ gives me covers up much deeper failings. Grace is tightly connected to that Old Testament word "atonement" which literally means a covering. That grace, that covering isn't just a once in a lifetime thing occurring at the moment of salvation. It's a daily thing.

Today, I need that favor, that covering, that grace.

What about you? Ever need a little more grace before you head out?