Saturday, July 20, 2013

Grace Without Bitterness or Whining

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled…. Hebrews 12:15 

Have you ever jumped the long jump and come just a little short of your goal? Those marks of your jump in the sand show that you’re just short of the longest jump. Are you taking a leap of faith with God? His grace is sufficient for me…and for you. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9. Believing that His grace is sufficient, take that leap of faith and see that you don’t come short of His grace. Only something like bitterness, envy or strife will keep you out of God’s grace. How do you get rid of bitterness? Find the root…is it jealously, an unforgiving attitude, or just plain selfishness in your heart? Talk to God about that bitterness, repent of it, let it go and ask God to forgive you. You may have to seek forgiveness from someone else, too. Whatever it takes—seek to please God, be right with Him and with others around you. You don’t want to fall short of the grace of God. 

Training Tip – Set up a long jump for your kids in your backyard—or find a sandy area at a nearby park or beach. Have each person in your family do the standing long jump—and see who can jump the farthest. Jump again and see who can improve their own jumping distance. Take time tonight in your family devotions to talk about this verse in Hebrews 12:15. Don’t let anyone fall short of the grace of God—to miss out on His blessings. Explain to your children that when they have a bad or unforgiving attitude they need to talk to you. Life is better when we do things God’s way and not hang onto bitterness and bad attitudes just because we selfishly want our own way. We must be obedient to God and children must be obedient to their parents. Whining, pouting and throwing fits are not acceptable—for your children—or you! Whoops—when was the last time you saw a 30ish person whine? We want to do our best…and have our best attitude towards God and our family. Take that leap of faith and trust God to help you teach your children to obey…specifically to obey God and to obey their parents. 

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of You as our Lord and Savior. To You be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen… from 2 Peter 3:18.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.
© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

No comments: