grace

I've started a new Bible study this week. It's by Beth Moore which means that it is excellent. It doesn't matter what the topic is, she always does an excellent job digging into the Bible and highlighting things that cause me to think harder and push myself more than any other author has before. She teaches me that nothing compares to spending time in the Word of God, and that is the way it should be. This particular devotional is on the life of David. It's called David: 90 Days With A Heart Like His.

I'm only on day two so far, but I love it already. Moore points out how David was not a random choice for the throne in I Samuel 16, but was a planned and orchestrated choice by God. She speaks of his prominent role in the lineage of Christ. She says, "I never fail to be encouraged by Christ's heritage. How do you respond to the fact that the only perfect person in Christ's genealogy is Christ Himself? To me, Christ's flawed family history serves as a continual reminder of the grace of God in my life. In my human desire for perfection, I want to be so good that I need no one and no thing....But whenever my perfectionism kicks in, I run back to Scripture--to the only source of perfection (Rom. 3:23-24)."

God's grace is so astonishing to me. It is unfathomable. When I think of myself and all of my flaws and weaknesses, I get consumed with my own uselessness. It is so refreshing and encouraging to be reminded that God uses people in spite of their flaws and weaknesses.

There is a series written by Francine Rivers called Lineage of Grace. It's the stories of the five most unlikely women who were divinely placed within the lineage of Christ: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. To read about these women and their lives and see how God used them in such a mighty way is a great reminder that He can use any of us as long as we are willing. I highly recommend these books. They are each quick reads and its now been published in one volume unlike the five individual books I originally bought.

So today I ask you to think about what is holding you back. Is it fear? As Beth Moore says, "What's been the cost of not letting the Holy Spirit be in total control of your life?" How can you change that?

 Let yourself be taken away by His grace. As it says in my favorite song "If grace were an ocean, we'd be sinking." So find hope in that and let go of all the rest. Who knows what God has in store for you.