21 In Twenty-One Devotional
Day Eight
Prayer Focus: Grace
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:8-10 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
Romans 6:14 NLT
HERE. WE. GO. Not only is today Sunday (my favorite day of the week since I get to see many of you), but today is also your 8th day of fasting! Great job. Yes, even if you gave in & ate that meal/chocolate/bread/etc.. and feel horrible about it, GREAT JOB. Don’t let that slow you down one bit! Pick up right where you left off and get going again. Why? Because God extends GRACE to you! The same grace that was powerful enough to save you is the same grace you have available every. single. day. Even while fasting, you have access to the undeserved and unearned forgiveness, love, favor, and power of God.
The parable about “The Lost Coin” is BY FAR one of my favorite examples of God’s grace in the Bible. It’s really easy to assume that our actions earn us God’s love or forgiveness. We think, “Once I get my act together, then me and God will be cool.” And some of us have been taught to believe that God’s grace is given to us only AFTER we repent from our sins, pray a certain prayer, answer an alter call and cry for at least 10 minutes. But that’s just not true. Take our parable for example… Can coins pray? No. Can coins cry? No. Can lost coins find themselves? No. Can lost coins “do better next time” to not get lost? No. They’re coins. And the ONLY reason this coin was found, is because the owner cleaned her house and went looking for it. This is the same reason God forgave and CONTINUES TO forgive you! Not because you deserve it, but because of (as we see in Ephesians 2:8-9) His grace.
And right when you think God’s grace is all about simply forgiving you, Paul (in Romans 6:14) gives us the much needed reminder that God’s grace does even more than that. Not only does grace forgive us, but grace also empowers us. Because of grace, we don’t have to live under the power of sin. Grace forgives us from the penalty of our sins AND it empowers us to live free from sin. Grace forgives us for screwing up our fasts AND grace empowers us to fast without breaking from it. (Or breaking from it again, LOL.) Allow God’s grace to be your life source today.
Prayer: God, from the bottom of my heart… thank you for your grace and mercy. In no way do I even come close to deserving the kind of love you show me every single day. Help me to never forget that! Help me to offer that same type of grace to other people today. I receive your forgiveness right now for any mistakes I’ve made this week. I choose not to dwell on my shortcomings, but instead on your grace. Thank you for the power you’ve given me over sin. Thank you that, because of your grace, I’m not a lave to my sinful desires anymore. You’re really really cool. And it’s an honor being in your family. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!
DON’T STOP THERE! As you read your Bible, find & underline places where you see God’s grace in action. As you pray, spend some time thanking God for His grace in your life. Thank Him for the infinite number of times He’s forgiven you for being mean, lazy, unfaithful, greedy, etc… Allow His grace to be your power source to holy living. And if you’re really feeling froggy, figure out if there’s anyone YOU need to give some grace to or forgive. (If you have time, head back to Luke and keep reading right where we stopped. Verses 11-31 to be exact. Another story about grace.)
Love,
Pastor Alex
Luke 15:8-10 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT
14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
Romans 6:14 NLT
HERE. WE. GO. Not only is today Sunday (my favorite day of the week since I get to see many of you), but today is also your 8th day of fasting! Great job. Yes, even if you gave in & ate that meal/chocolate/bread/etc.. and feel horrible about it, GREAT JOB. Don’t let that slow you down one bit! Pick up right where you left off and get going again. Why? Because God extends GRACE to you! The same grace that was powerful enough to save you is the same grace you have available every. single. day. Even while fasting, you have access to the undeserved and unearned forgiveness, love, favor, and power of God.
The parable about “The Lost Coin” is BY FAR one of my favorite examples of God’s grace in the Bible. It’s really easy to assume that our actions earn us God’s love or forgiveness. We think, “Once I get my act together, then me and God will be cool.” And some of us have been taught to believe that God’s grace is given to us only AFTER we repent from our sins, pray a certain prayer, answer an alter call and cry for at least 10 minutes. But that’s just not true. Take our parable for example… Can coins pray? No. Can coins cry? No. Can lost coins find themselves? No. Can lost coins “do better next time” to not get lost? No. They’re coins. And the ONLY reason this coin was found, is because the owner cleaned her house and went looking for it. This is the same reason God forgave and CONTINUES TO forgive you! Not because you deserve it, but because of (as we see in Ephesians 2:8-9) His grace.
And right when you think God’s grace is all about simply forgiving you, Paul (in Romans 6:14) gives us the much needed reminder that God’s grace does even more than that. Not only does grace forgive us, but grace also empowers us. Because of grace, we don’t have to live under the power of sin. Grace forgives us from the penalty of our sins AND it empowers us to live free from sin. Grace forgives us for screwing up our fasts AND grace empowers us to fast without breaking from it. (Or breaking from it again, LOL.) Allow God’s grace to be your life source today.
Prayer: God, from the bottom of my heart… thank you for your grace and mercy. In no way do I even come close to deserving the kind of love you show me every single day. Help me to never forget that! Help me to offer that same type of grace to other people today. I receive your forgiveness right now for any mistakes I’ve made this week. I choose not to dwell on my shortcomings, but instead on your grace. Thank you for the power you’ve given me over sin. Thank you that, because of your grace, I’m not a lave to my sinful desires anymore. You’re really really cool. And it’s an honor being in your family. In the name of Jesus, AMEN!
DON’T STOP THERE! As you read your Bible, find & underline places where you see God’s grace in action. As you pray, spend some time thanking God for His grace in your life. Thank Him for the infinite number of times He’s forgiven you for being mean, lazy, unfaithful, greedy, etc… Allow His grace to be your power source to holy living. And if you’re really feeling froggy, figure out if there’s anyone YOU need to give some grace to or forgive. (If you have time, head back to Luke and keep reading right where we stopped. Verses 11-31 to be exact. Another story about grace.)
Love,
Pastor Alex
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