Lavish Grace Week 7: The Glory of Grace

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Welcome to Lavish Grace Week 9 (our final week):  The Glory of Grace from Kathy Howard’s new bible study Lavish Grace.

Throughout this study, we have been examining how God’s lavish grace intersected and changed the life of Paul. In this lesson, Kathy challenges us to discover that “God graciously uses our trials as a testimony to others.”

I have seen this first hand both in my life and in the lives of my friends. I have watched as a dear friend buried her five-year-old child and sought to give God glory even in her grief and pain. I have been amazed as God has used my trials and dark times as a testimony to His faithfulness.

So it is that God does not waste our dark times, instead He makes them into times of special nearness to God. Though we would never wish to go through those times we can look back on them with gratitude for a deeper relationship with God and for a better understanding of ourselves.

Even Jesus had a choice as He faced the cross.

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 ESV

Jesus chose to endure the cross by looking forward to the joy that was set before him – the joy of knowing His death would bring the salvation of many. We too can choose to look ahead at the joy of knowing God better, of serving Him, of bringing Him glory as we walk through our dark times.

But we have to decide if we are going to trust God and rely on His grace or if we are going to cling to what we want to happen. It isn’t easy to let go of our hopes and dreams. To pray – like Jesus did – “…let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 ESV)

Oh, but the glory of God can be seen so clearly when we trust Him even when we don’t understand. When we cling to Him even when it feels like fire because He isn’t acting in our circumstances the way we would want. 

And still the glory of God not only empowers us to stand under trials, but it gives purpose and brings God glory through those trials.

Want to know more? Check out the PDF to dig deeper into God’s Lavish Grace.

Stephanie Shott
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