Grace Is Easy to Miss

The grace of God has appeared—but grace is easy to miss.

Gus Farmer and Kenneth Green introduced me to God’s grace while I was in college, and my life has never been the same. Grace reshaped how I saw God, the Scriptures, myself, other people, and the world. Once you truly see grace, you are never unchanged. It’s the change that changes everything.

Don’t miss it—because if you do, you will live with either bitterness or beauty.

The writer of Hebrews warns that when grace is missed, a root of bitterness grows. Bitter root is toxic, venomous, and destructive.

When grace, love, and beauty are absent, life becomes poisonous.
Religion without grace is poisonous.
A relationship without grace is toxic.
A church without grace is poisonous.
A heart without grace is toxic.

Don’t let abrasiveness, sternness, and spiritual toxicity drive people away—like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son. When you are consistently critical of others, it’s usually a sign you are low on grace.

We are in the construction business, not the destruction business.

Learn to give grace—because grace gives grace.
Trust God with people’s growth, change, and development.
It is God’s job to direct people; it is our job to accept them.

Can people be around you and not be like you? Grow in grace. Stop the comparisons, the competition, and the illusion of control. Let people breathe. Let them make the same mistakes you made.

Kyle Idleman said it well: “I am worse than I ever wanted to admit, but God’s grace is greater than I ever could have imagined.”

Charles Swindoll was right: “Believing in grace is one thing. Living it is another.”

Don’t just sing about grace. Don’t just teach it or preach it. Live it.

Whatever you do in life, don’t miss the grace of God. I missed it for years and hurt many people with my self-righteousness, abrasive spirit, and critically loud attitude.

God has given me time and another chance to make things right. And now I’m telling as many people as I can: go with grace, not the poison of bitterness.

I have freely received grace—and I want to freely give it.
Grace gives grace.

Reflection
    •    Where might grace be present in my life, but I’m overlooking it?
    •    Who around me needs grace more than correction right now?

Takeaway
The rest of your life can be the best of your life when you choose grace over bitterness.

Grace to you,
Cedric
TraditionalWriter@yahoo.com