From the Desk of Rev. Dr. Felica Wooten Williams | |
God’s Grace IS Sufficient ©
READ: Focus on the WORD OF GOD by reading 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. Key Verse: 9My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). MEDITATE: Grace is divine influence that restores us back to God and sets us apart for God’s purpose. Grace inspires us to virtuous, righteous and Godly living. Grace enables us to be faithful through hard trials, tribulations, temptations, and persecutions. Grace is that which inspires excellence in the name of Jesus Christ! In times of spiritual, physical, and emotional weakness, we are strengthened by the grace of God through the power of Jesus The Christ. In our human condition, we often ask God to move or fix the things that torment or bother us (illness, disease, insults, calamities, economic and social ills), but God wants to be our strength and cause us to endure all things. We sing many songs about the grace of God. For example, we sing Grace Greater than Our Sin (UMH 365). This song reminds us that God’s grace “will pardon and cleanse within.” Also, I vividly remember singing an anthem about God’s grace in my childhood church choir. The song was a gospel music staple back in the 1960’s. We soulfully sang: “Grace, Grace! God’s Grace! His Grace is sufficient for me. Grace woke me up this morning. Grace started me on my way. While the songs are lingering reminders, know that grace is more than just a word in our songs. Grace must become our reality. We are not perfect, but all is well by grace alone (sola gratia). Let grace brighten up your day! PRAY: In response to the Word of God, let us pray: God, of your goodness give me yourself; for you are sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask for anything less, to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should always be in want. In you alone do I have all. Amen. (The Sufficiency of God; UMH 495) CONTEMPLATE: Contemplate or think deeply about 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and what it means to you. Have you allowed God’s grace to be a part of you? Do you allow God’s perfecting grace to function in your life? Have you made the sufficiency of God a part of your reality? What will you do in response to the Word? How is it with your soul?
© Copyright. God’s Grace Is Sufficient. July 29, 2019. Rev. Dr. Felica Wooten Williams. | |
LIVING THE SCRIPTURES WITH LECTIO DIVINA
Lectio Divina is Latin for sacred reading. It is a tried and true method of studying sacred texts and living the Holy Scriptures. While other steps have been added down through the ages, the basic steps are: |