Fresh Mannaby Pastor Tim BurtRenee and I had attended an event dinner we were invited to. After dinner, when the desert was served, the waitress asked if I’d like coffee. I said yes but wanted to make sure it was decaffeinated. She assured me it was and then came back for one refill. I found out later that she didn’t hear that I had requested decaf and had served me regular coffee. That night I could not fall asleep. I normally never drink regular coffee in the evening because it will keep me awake. I went to bed later that night but basically just watched the hours go by without being able to sleep—until about 4 am. I had to get up at 6 am and had a long day ahead of me. That was a rough way to start the day.Have you ever had one of those days? Ever have one of those days, where you didn’t get to bed till 1 am in the morning and the baby wakes up at 2 am. You get back to bed at 3 am and have to get up at 6 am for the start of your day.
Ever have one of those days where you go to bed but your mind is racing because of a problem situation that you can’t seem to stop thinking about it? You lay there hour after hour not only are you thinking about it, but also thinking about the lack of sleep you are getting and the long day you have ahead of you.Ever have one of those days where you wake up exhausted before you’ve even started the new day? We all seem to have one of those days at one time or another. So, what do you do when they come?I’ll tell you what I’ve learned to do. First, I refuse to panic! I don’t because I have learned to have faith in and lean upon the grace of God. God’s grace is mentioned over and over throughout the Bible. What is God’s grace? I’ll give you three components that make up God’s grace.First, God’s grace is His love that offers us mercy, forgiveness and redemption. Jesus came to die for our sins and to redeem us from our sins—all of them. What Jesus did for us is so gracious that it’s hard to wrap your brain around, but it’s true. Secondly, it’s His compassion. He knows what life is like. Jesus did not live on the earth in His divinity but as a man experiencing the same hardships we do. Hebrews 4:15 says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin." He can relate to you and consequently has great compassion for you.Third, His grace is His supernatural help in your life. It's born out of His love and compassion toward you. It comes through your faith in the knowledge of His love toward you. It's a revelation that out of this merciful and compassionate love, He wants to help you in every aspect of your life. And from that love He gives grace! Grace is His ongoing supernatural help to you in every situation.Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” God says we have access to this grace by faith. That means we have to believe! We have to have faith that His grace—His supernatural help is there for us.
When I have one of those days, the first thing I do is ask God for His grace to be multiplied in my life. 2 Peter 1:2 (NKJV) says, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord..." I pray this because He wants to help me and you! Have you ever swooped up your crying child when he or she was in need? Have you ever wrapped your arms around them and brought assurance and then helped them? God’s love brings us that swooping grace. It began with Jesus Christ and continues today! And He wants to assure us in “one of those days,” that He’ll be there to help us! Can you have faith in that?I put my trust in the Lord and ask Him to help me have a grace-filled day—to make it an even better day than I would have had if I had a good night's sleep. Once you begin to experience and recognize His grace, you eventually mature to a place where you lean on His grace in every situation, always!So turn One of Those Days, into a glorious day by leaning on His grace all day long. He loves you and He will multiply His grace in your day!Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most."In His Love,Pastor Tim BurtIf you are having trouble viewing this post, click here.If Fresh Manna is a blessing to you,let me know how. I’d love to hear from you! Click Here: FreshMannaFeedback
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