Our beloved pastor sent an email some weeks back to the leaders of the church. In it he spoke about how he had been thinking on a summer series of preachings called Living Your Best Life: Fun in the Son and how he loves how God speaks to us all so differently and could we pick a date to speak. Immediate reaction… I already did that with Carmen a few months back. It’s too soon. And my usual guaranteed to get me out of speaking answer… God has not given me something to say. Except He did. Immediately, I heard Him say grace. 

Now I had a choice to make. Nobody else had heard God speak to me. I could just remain silent and wait for the dates to fill up. Then I wouldn’t be required to speak. Someone would speak on grace. It was an easy enough topic. I mean, I’m a leader in church but I take care of the finances. I’m behind the scenes ministry. Why should I have to step to the front?

But then that pesky Holy Spirit stepped in and reminded me that God had in fact spoken to me and that this year my birthday just happened to fall on a Sunday. Let’s just say God does not allow me to be disobedient without great effort. I heard grace everywhere until our beloved pastor gently reminded a couple of us who shall remain nameless that we had not responded to the email.  Fine Lord, I’ll take July 21st. 

It’s decided and now I have a date. I also have a theme, grace. But I have to say something other than grace. What am I going to say? Suddenly that topic that was so easy in someone else’s hands doesn’t seem so easy. Grace? What do you want me to say about grace Lord?

I know. God’s people need to know that the grace they were given needs to be extended to others. Bet Lord, I’m going to speak on that. Now remember this series is called Living your best life: Fun in the Son. I know what you’re thinking it’s so fun to point the finger and say hey guys you’re not doing this. People just love correction and you pointing out their flaws. But at this point I am confident I can pull this off so I start digging through my Bible. I look in commentaries and the concordance. I know there is a verse about grace that says something like freely you received, freely you should give. I just can’t find it. I found Matthew 10:8, “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” And I thought nope, that doesn’t feel like what God’s leading me to say. That was Jesus talking to His disciples before He sent them out into the world to spread the good news.

I prayed. I sat in silence. I… heard nothing for two weeks and then last week as I was in the cab on my way to church I heard the lyrics to a song I hadn’t listened to in a couple of years…

God was speaking to my heart. In my spirit I heard Him say, “Celeste, you’re thinking too small about grace. I want my people to know that my grace is bigger than just being patient and forgiving and being quiet when people wrong you. My grace is bigger than just tolerating other people’s imperfections. My grace is… now I had a scripture…

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:1-10

I went to the dictionary and looked up the definition.

Grace: is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and bestowal of blessings.

Okay Lord, well now I feel like my little message of extending grace to each other is petty. I feel like these are the times that Jesus side eyes me. But I digress.

What is grace that restores. Ephesians 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

What is grace that redeems? 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 

What is grace that releases us to worship? 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

What is grace that repairs visions and dreams? For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

What is grace that releases miracles? This is the fun part. This is what God wanted His people to hear and what He wanted me to talk about. Where would we be if not for His grace? And I would add where are we now because of His grace. What are your miracles? What are your victories? What is the quality of your life since you decided to stop playing and walk with Him? How many times has He shown you unmerited favor? How many things that shouldn’t have worked out, did? How many opportunities flew into your lap? We’ve all got the stories. 

I encourage you to listen to the song again and take the opportunity to reflect on that and thank Him for that. Forget about how far you have to go and bask in the possibilities. Appreciate how far He’s brought you and if you can’t think of anything,  if you don’t see it, ask him sincerely to step into your faith walk and show you what His grace looks like for you?

Because where would I be if not for His grace? I would not have been able to speak in front of the church on my birthday. And that’s just the beginning.