I have been thinking a lot about grace. Where would we be without the wonderful grace of God? Where would we be without the grace He gives us to enable us to reach out to others when there is hurt? We talk about grace a lot in the church and rightly so, but how often do we really think about what that means, how it plays out in our lives?
Those of us who call ourselves Christians have been shown so much grace and yet we don’t always show that same grace to others. I know, it’s hard and we need God’s strength and grace in us to be able to extend that grace to our fellow human beings.
It’s good sometimes to stop and think hard about this wonderful grace that has been shown to us. We need to be still and let that grace flow over us, fill us with gratitude, hope and love, and then pass it on to those who come across our paths from the ones we see every day to the ones we pass on the street.
WONDERFUL GRACE
One of my favorite hymns from growing up in church is Wonderful Grace of Jesus. Not only do the words give encouragement about the grace of Jesus, the tune is such a happy one and always lifts my spirits. I always enjoyed playing it on the piano and hearing the congregation sing.
It was written by Haldor Lellenas in 1918. I want to share the first verse and refrain with you. If you get a chance, go look it up, or better yet find the music and sing along.
WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS
Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it,
Where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden,
Setting my spirit free;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Wonderful grace, all sufficient for me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame
Oh magnify the precious Name of Jesus.
Praise His Name!
Another song that I love is, Beyond the Sky, by Fernando Ortega. Its tune, along with Fernando’s voice is very soothing. It reminds us that one day our tears will end because God Himself will wipe them away. Here is an excerpt from the song, the refrain. At the end of the post I’ll include a link with the lyrics that is a different one than I recently shared.
Beyond the sky
Beyond all telling
Our Father Himself will be our light
His arms will hold us
And with His hand
He’ll wipe away the tears
That stain our eyes
How have you experienced the wonderful grace of God in your life? I pray that you will know the peace and joy that He gives.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.
(This post was originally published on my former blog in 2014. It has been updated.)
Amen, Dear Gayl. We have been given so much grace from our Lord! Oh may I let Him overflow that same grace to others thru me. I love these songs! Another friend just texted that same “Beyond the Sky” song to me yesterday! What a deep longing that stirs in my heart! Love and blessings to you Dear friend. Xoxo
So much grace from God, probably more than we even realize. It’s interesting that another friend sent you the same song. I does have such a good message. Oh how I pray that I can continue to share grace and love with others. Blessings to you with love and hugs! xoxo
You know I love this. I have been convicted of that so much lately: the need to retreat in prayer and ask God to empower me to see as He does and to remind me of my own repeated blindness and His grace to me. I so easily let the enemy focus me in on the hurts being meted out and then fail to see the hurt in others’ hearts or show compassion to them in their blindness of sin.
What struck me so much is this verse in Beyond the Sky:
“When darkness
Falls over me
This promise
It’s like a fire inside”
I shared it in an online Bible study group because someone spoke of “waiting” being their One Word for 2021. It reminded me of Bettie and I writing the devotional for Beloved Prodigal on Indigo and the Promise of heaven: how holding onto that Promise was not a passive thing but an active waiting.
It makes me see that it’s the very hope of glory living inside of us that enables us to hold on and actively wait: His Holy Spirit fire inside of us, reveals the Word we are reading to our hearts and roots it in us. Then, it encourages us, when we become discouraged, as we wait.
So thankful for the light and love of Jesus in you, Gayl.
Dear Anna, thank you so much for your comments. Yes, that portion of the song really jumped out at me, too. And yes, so much of our waiting is definitely not passive but very active. And yes, the Holy Spirit within us fuels that fire to know God and to share His love and grace with others.
Thank you, dear Anna, for being such a dear friend to encourage and comfort me. I love how we can share with and pray for each other.
Blessing and love to you with hugs! xoxo
I am very thankful for God’s grace. I don’t deserve that grace, yet He extends His grace to me in every moment. Thank you for this inspiring message.
Oh, Melissa, yes! I am so thankful for all the underserved grace He has poured out on us. Yes, every moment! Love and hugs and blessings to you, dear Melissa! xo
Grateful… <3 xo
Yes, so grateful for all God has done! Blessings to you, dear Bette! xo
Your post reminds me of the hymn.
“Grace, Grace, God’s Grace. Grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God’s grace. Grace that is greater than all our sins.”
Thank you for these encouraging words about God’s grace. I hope you have a lovely weeknd!
Jolene, I love that song, too. It’s really one of my favorites. I suppose I like most of the hymns that talk about God’s grace. Thank you for your comments and your visit! Blessings to you in this near year! May you know God’s grace in many ways!
I absolutely love ‘Wonderful Grace of Jesus”. Ever since I was a kid it’s been one of my favorites. I’m a sucker for those hymns with great parts.
Mandy, it’s always been one of my favorites – to play and sing!😊❤ Thanks for visiting. Blessings to you!