SHOW A LITTLE EXTRA GRACE
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Give my greetings to each of God’s holy people—all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Philippians 4:21-23 NLT
TODAY’S THOUGHT
I love the bookends of Paul’s letter. He opens by saying he is writing “to all God’s holy people.” He closes by asking them to “give my greetings to each of God’s holy people.”
I’m not sure that most of us would consider ourselves qualified to be called “holy people.” But the key to being able to call the people “holy” was in another word found in his opening and closing — “grace.”
Paul opens the letter with a request, “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace” (Phil 1:2). In this passage Paul’s concludes the letter with “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
Paul was qualified to write about grace. He had such a dramatic and personal encounter with the grace of God that he wrote about grace in all his letters. He first appears in Biblical history as a persecutor of believers. He is arresting those who have chosen to follow Jesus as their Lord. He is vicious. Then Paul encounters Jesus in a vision on the road to Damascus. God’s grace transforms Paul into a church planter and missionary.
Paul lived daily with a reminder of God’s grace. Because he always remembered God’s grace, he was able to give grace to others.
Perhaps we should learn from Paul and remind ourselves regularly of what God’s grace has done in us. By remembering God’s grace, we can be better at giving grace to others. I would hope that I could extend grace to those around me who are not perfect.
Who in your world needs a little extra grace? How can you show them grace today?
TODAY’S PRAYER
Holy Spirit please help me to live in your grace. Help me to see others as You do.
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