When you have a need, when we have a need… we pretty much know where to look for aid and assistance. What about when you are not in a season of need. What about when things are going just peachy in your life. Just because there is not a great need, there is still need. We still have needs on a day to day basis. I am not sure there is a day we walk this earth that we don’t get tested in some way or have a weakness … so just because it’s not dyer … we still are in need. For what you ask?
How about Grace, Mercy, Love, help.
Hebrews 4:14-16 Message 14-16 Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)
A few ways to look at the meaning of - mercy is a “love that responds to human need in an unexpected or unmerited way.” At its core, mercy is forgiveness. The Bible speaks of God's love for sinners – that is, for all of us. But the Bible also relates mercy to other qualities beyond love and forgiveness. "Mercy" can be defined as "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power"; and also "a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion."
The number one way we receive continual mercy from God is from our prayers. Sure God has many other ways for us to receive bounds of His help, but prayer is the number one way we can have continual access to God's love, and it is the recourse most of us go to for God's assistance.
James 5:16 Amp 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].
Now on to Grace and the meaning of - In Western Christian theology, grace is the help given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it. Common Christian teaching is that grace is unmerited favor that God gave to humanity by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross, thus securing man's eternal salvation from sin.
There are 131 uses of grace in the ESV version of the Bible — 124 in the New Testament, 86 of which are from the apostle Paul, which means two-thirds of all the uses of the word grace in the Bible are in one author: Paul. No wonder he’s called “the apostle of grace.”
James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
We didn’t earn God’s grace, but we have it. Unmerited favor – how sweet that is. A blessing you never knew you needed or asked for. A big SCORE.. Makes me think of times when I’ve been in a drive through line and yay someone bought my drink. I’ve been the one buying at times too. there is just such a great feeling about that – unmerited but oh so appreciated.
I was in a leadership meeting one time, the man leading the group was talking to us about Grace and the entire meeting was just really informative, I gained some really good insight on Grace from that meeting and have taken it with me down the road. Another thing he did was give us a dollar bill with the word GRACE written on it and it referenced a scripture. He explained that Grace was such a powerful thing that he wanted us to really pray over grace and then when the time was right, share that dollar with someone who needed grace. I think it took me a bit over a year of hanging on to that dollar to find just the right person. My friend was struggling and needed grace in a big way so I gave her my dollar and gave her some Biblical love, I gave her grace. It was the perfect person and time for grace. It’s a thing between us now. I find grace things all the time to share with her.
Keep reminding yourself – I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t earn it but I have it in abundance. God’s mercy and grace.
Dear Heavenly Father, I just want to be thankful today for Your Mercy and Grace that we can have them through Jesus. Praying blessings on those who read this today. In Jesus Most Precious Name - Amen