Grace: How do we get it?

I have wanted to take a trip through the Bible, only focusing on grace.  I will be starting in the Old Testament and working my way through the entire Bible. It will take some time but I plan to write a post on each verse and what I learned from it. I will not be looking at verses that use any other form of the word "grace". So nothing with graceful, gracious or graciously. I hope you will join me in this journey to learn more about what the Bible says on grace and what it means for us.

The first verse, using the NIV Bible (New International Version), that we come across is Psalm 45:2. This was written for the wedding of one of King David's sons. The verse says, "You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever." At first reading, I didn't really think this applied to me at all. The writer was clearly speaking to a man and doing his best to honor a son of the king. So what can I learn from it?

Well, one of the first things that I noticed was that it said his lips were anointed with grace, since God has blessed him forever. Or if you flip it around, since God blessed him forever, his lips were anointed with grace. He did not receive grace because of something he did. The grace was given to him as a blessing from God. Ahhh, now I can relate. I have also been given grace as a blessing from God. Why? Because I believe in Jesus as the Son of God. I believe Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross in order that I might be saved from the penalty of my sin so that I can live with Him forever in heaven. That's the only reason I have been blessed. I didn't nor can I do anything to earn God's grace. It is freely given to all who believe in his son Jesus. As John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (emphasis is mine).

All we have to do is accept the gift. When we do, we become part of God's family. Set apart to do His work on Earth while we are here. Blessed just as David and his offspring were blessed, with grace to anoint our lips. Do your lips reflect the grace that has been given to you if you are a child of God's family? I confess, sometimes mine don't. But that is the wonderfully amazing thing about grace. When we forget we have it or choose to ignore it, God doesn't take it away. In fact, He promises that it will be new every day. May God's grace to you be new this day and every day!

Serving in Obscurity

Serving in obscurity.  This phrase jumped out at me this morning from my daily emailed devotion. It was about David. Yep, that David. The devotion was an excerpt from a book called "Unstoppable" by Christine Caine. I have not read the book, but hope to in the future.

The more time I spent thinking about the phrase "serving in obscurity" and how it related to David, the more I found it related to me. Most of the time, I want to be one of David's brothers. You know, standing there in line, waiting to see if I'm the one that God has chosen for this great task. I definitely don't see myself out in the field with the sheep. But really, that is where I am. Only my field looks more like a dirty bathroom and my sheep are getting to that age where they want to spend more time with other sheep than me.

I want so much to be acknowledged by God in great ways. I want to spend all day writing (and hopefully getting paid to do it). I want to do great things for God to further His kingdom. But I need to have patience. I need to be content to serve in obscurity until God calls me forward.

I hope that you will be content to serve God wherever you are. Know that He has not forgotten you. His eyes are always on you, whether you are still out in that field or if He has already said ".......this is the one". (1 Samuel 16:12).