Grace is being given what you do not deserve. It has been said that grace is the free, unmerited favor of God. His grace is astounding. Grace cannot be understood. It simply must be accepted. Like any gift someone hands us that we feel we have not earned. This passage hit me just now, as I have been feeling an overwhelming amount of gratitude yet also a feeling of not deserving the gifts I’ve been given.
More of why I heart Brennan Manning, his writing can always get to the heart of the matter no matter what I’m experiencing:
"Let’s say I interviewed ten people, asking each the same question—'Do you trust God?'—and each answered, 'Yes, I trust God,' but nine of the ten actually did not trust him. How would I find out which one of the ragamuffins was telling the truth?
I would videotape each of the ten lives for a month, and then, watching the videos, pass judgment using this criterion: the person with an abiding spirit of gratitude is the one who trusts God.
The foremost quality of a trusting disciple is gratefulness. Gratitude arises from the lived perception, evaluation, and acceptance of all of life as grace—as an undeserved and unearned gift from the Father’s hand. Such recognition is itself the work of grace, and acceptance of the gift is implicitly an acknowledgment of the Giver…”
I would videotape each of the ten lives for a month, and then, watching the videos, pass judgment using this criterion: the person with an abiding spirit of gratitude is the one who trusts God.
The foremost quality of a trusting disciple is gratefulness. Gratitude arises from the lived perception, evaluation, and acceptance of all of life as grace—as an undeserved and unearned gift from the Father’s hand. Such recognition is itself the work of grace, and acceptance of the gift is implicitly an acknowledgment of the Giver…”
:: Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust
1 comment:
Grace is pretty awesome and I don't want to say that the henna is more awesome but...
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