Welcome to Week 3 of The Mom Initiative’s Lavish Grace Bible Study! Today, we’re going to look at ways to lavish grace onto friends, family and even strangers.
Do you need a fresh awareness of God’s lavish grace? If so, you’re in the right place! This is the third week of our new Bible study based on Kathy Howard’s book, Lavish Grace. This study will help you recognize, rest in, and share the glorious grace of God.
We have built in four levels of involvement, so you can participate as much or as little as you are able. (See this previous post for a full explanation.) Here’s the brief version:
- Level One: Blog posts each Monday
- Level Two: Extended lessons grace-poured-out-week word-format you can print off each week as a PDF.
- Level Three: Join the closed Facebook group for discussion throughout the week
- Level Four: Purchase a copy of “Lavish Grace” and do the study to dig in deep!
- Bonus Goody: Come back each Saturday for a “Let’s Say Grace” TMI recipe.
If you missed last week’s Bible study lesson (Week 2), you can read it here.
Lavish Grace Week 3: Acts of Love, Humility and Selflessness Create Graceful Relationships
I’ll be the first to admit it. I am a sinner saved by God’s mercy and grace. And thank God for that because I probably wouldn’t have my sweet family by my side without God’s grace. My eleven-year-old daughter, my husband and my mother are the ones who have forgiven me so many times I’ve lost count. They are the people that I’m closest to, so therefore bear the brunt of my sin.
You see, sometimes I have a problem controlling my anger. I find myself too often at the altar at church on Sunday repenting and asking for forgiveness due to something I lost my temper about that week. But, I’m so thankful I can go to God to ask for his forgiveness and grace. Then I always feel compelled to ask for my family’s forgiveness as well in an act of humility. By the time church has rolled around that week, though, I’ve usually already asked for their forgiveness….thank goodness.
It’s right after the heat of the moment that I know I’ve sinned through anger. The Holy Spirit keeps me in check. And unfortunately, it’s my daughter’s tears or my husband’s red face that clue me in that I’ve hurt them, and I’ve sinned.
I’m so thankful for this verse from James 5:15-16 that reminds us that we can ask for and pray for forgiveness, and that there can be healing too. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another,that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Grace works through God because He freely gives us mercy and forgiveness. God expects nothing in return. He doesn’t need us to forgive Him for His sin, because God does NOT sin. God simply LOVES us.
Kathy Howard talks about this type of love in her book Lavish Grace in week 5 when she describes agape’ love. God chooses to show us agape’ love, and she describes this type of love as, “a firm decision to love someone else–not because we feel like it or because they deserve it–but because we are called to act in love.”
Grace works for us in relationships when we forgive and show grace without expecting reciprocation. We have to act in love and show humility when it’s really hard—even in the heat of the moment. God does not forgive only when it’s convenient or easy for Him. He does it because He loves us. That’s it! We can be forgiven anytime we truly have a repentant heart.
So, how do we act in grace toward others? The answer is in our acts of humility and selflessness.
I have a son who is very much in the world and does not yet seek God as his Lord and Savior. His father and I pray, pray every single day for his salvation and remain hopeful.
His behavior does not warrant human grace. In my fleshly thoughts, sometimes I don’t want to show him grace. He exaggerates and is a smooth talker, among a long list of other hurts that I refuse to write down. His father struggles with most of his son’s choices as well. I struggle to show him agape’ love–the kind of love that gives to the undeserving.
So, this is where humility and selflessness come in for me. After a series of unfortunate events like him totaling my car, etc…I needed to show him some unconditional love. We recently helped him move to Tallahassee, Fl to work and hopefully to begin college. We gave him money, bought him new clothes, furnished his kitchen, bought him groceries, packed up all of his stuff and helped him move over one long weekend. We told him that we loved him, were proud of him and his choice to try something new.
This was not easy for me when I looked at it through my selfish heart. But through God’s grace, I was able to love him, give to him, and do acts of service for him. And, I will continue to do so for him with God’s help.
Simply put, we are to be God’s loving hearts and arms to others on this earth even when it seems they don’t deserve it.
For more on learning how to show God’s grace to others click on this link grace-poured-out-week word-format for week 3 on Lavish Grace.
I hope you can take some of these ideas and try them out in your life to have more graceful and grace-filled relationships. Wishing you many years of grace!
Be Blessed,
AllisonD
How have you been able to show God’s grace to others in your life?
- Ch…ch…ch…CHANGES Are Coming in 2017 for TMI - December 27, 2016
- What New Thing Are You Ready to See God Do in Your Life in 2017? - December 26, 2016
- Heaviness and Newness - December 23, 2016
