His Love, His Grace, His Care

I recently attended our Annual Conference in Yakima Washington and while I was there I heard an incredible testimony from author and speaker Carol Kent as she shared about the story of her son Jason, who was convicted of murdering his wife’s ex-husband, and how God through his grace and his mercy has turned an unbelievable tragedy into something good. As I listened it was hard for me to imagine how any parent could live through what she has lived through and still have a strong faith in God; and yet she does. I was absolutely amazed at how God used this tragedy to impact and influence so many lives and to turn it around for good.

As I reflected on what she shared I realized afresh that God’s love, God’s grace, and God’s care stays consistent no matter what we go through. He really is the same yesterday, today, and forever. GOD’S LOVE….His love is unconditional. He loves me as much on my good days as he does on my bad days; and he will never love me more than he does right now. That last line is a little hard to comprehend and yet it is so true. His love is different than human love. It’s consistent! GOD’S GRACE ….His grace is available to me no matter what I do or what I face or what I go through. I love the fact that God has made it possible that I don’t get what I deserve; but I’m able to get what I need; His grace! I don’t have to be “good enough” or “work hard enough”; He’s simply made it available. It’s consistent! GOD’S CARE… this one at times is hard to see. What God is teaching me is that sometimes what I think is a lack of God’s care; is really the exact opposite. He knows exactly what I need in my life. My job is to trust him by casting all my cares upon Him; and to know that he really does care for me all the time. It’s consistent!

Most of us will never face the kind of tragedy I mentioned at the beginning of this blog; but we ALL do face tough circumstances and it’s comforting; it’s reassuring; and it’s encouraging to know that the love, grace, and care of God is real, it’s available; and it is life changing. Are you facing a tough time right now? Tap into what He’s made abundantly available to you, His love, His grace; and His care. You’ll be amazed at what God can do when we trust Him!

Remember!

I admit it….I LOVE CHRISTMAS! Opening presents! The chaos! The food! The fun! Lot’s of noise! More noise! And then more noise! Isn’t it great? There’s nothing like getting together with those you love. Each year we have a tradition that on Christmas morning all our children and their families come over for Christmas brunch and then we open presents and spend the day playing games, eating and just enjoying being together. Once again everyone came Christmas morning and gathered around the table, ( actually three tables as our family is getting so big.)  Sitting there I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride and gratitude for God’s incredible blessing to me . . . my wife; my three children; their spouses; and my incredible ten grandchildren! I felt so blessed! This was definitely a “do over" day for me!

Since that time as we've entered this new year, I’ve spent a lot of time rehearsing the goodness and the faithfulness of God in my life. It’s so easy in the midst of a hectic, fast-paced lifestyle, and pressures that life brings; to forget to give thanks to God not only for today’s blessings but for God’s past faithfulness in our lives. Why is this so important? Because God’s faithfulness in the past casts a shadow of hope for our future! So, now that Christmas is over and we're beginning this new year, why not grab a cup of Starbucks, a pen and paper, and take the time to think back as far as you can in your past; and list every detail of God’s faithfulness in your life.  Remember . . . God’s faithfulness in your past casts a shadow of hope for your future.