Weekly Thought – February 21, 2023
Fred understood practical Christianity. He knew the faith-based life required discipline and practice. Although he acknowledged the continuing presence of the Spirit he supported the principles of growing in grace to maturity in Christ.
The Graciousness of Grace
Grace is unmerited favor and graciousness is the natural outgrowth.
We want to be people who cover the falls of other with love, put away judgment on others’ mistakes, and are known for encouragement, not disparagement.
These attitudes and actions are developed until they are the reflex. At first we must consciously choose to respond. The goal is for it to be automatic, but it requires discipline, practice, and prayer. We won’t naturally be people of grace.
What if I met the housekeeper for Jascha Heifetz and began a conversation. How stunned I would be if she blurted out, “He is a phony!” I would ask, “What do you mean, a phony?” “You just see him on the stage in concerts, but I see him at home. It looks so easy when he is performing, but I know better. He doesn’t play at home like he does in the concert hall – not at all. He plays with music, and spends hours going over and over the same notes. It sounds like work, not like the concert. If you saw him at home you would see he shows one person at home and another on stage.” Wouldn’t we want to say to her, “That practice is why he makes it looks so effortless on stage. He is certainly talented, but the greatness is in the practice.”
When we see Christians who show grace with such poise it seems like they were just born like that, doesn’t it? If you get to know them you will see years of practice. You will see Bible study, hours with other mature Christians, and prayer. They wanted to grow in grace and knew it didn’t come without the conscious decision and commitment to maturity.
Because of our fallen nature and our broken world graciousness needs to be practiced diligently with systematic consistently. We don’t wake up one morning and automatically become gracious – it comes with a decision and a cost.
When I was young I thought of qualities I wanted in my life. Graciousness was one. I thought of a man who personified it, so I asked for his photograph. I framed it, wrote “Gracious” on the picture and hung it on my wall. It was a reminder of what graciousness looked like in real life.
This week think about: 1) Who exemplifies graciousness to me? 2) How am I preparing to reflect grace? 3) What qualities do I want in my life?
Words of Wisdom: “We don’t wake up one morning and automatically become gracious – it comes with a decision and a cost.”
Wisdom from the Word: “(May) The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; (Numbers 6:25 NET Bible)