When our hearts are full of warmth and we feel in control, it’s easy to be gracious to the ones who give offense. “Forget about it,” we advise them. “It’s no big thing. No worries!“ Forgiveness seems within our reach. We give our grudges to the wind. But when we’re powerless and cold; when we’ve been wounded by deep malice or contempt, we cling to the only weapons we have left—our anger and our memory. We have no grace for villains or the haughty. We pray they get what they deserve. And then we hear again the strange new urgings of the gospel: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). Against our narrative of righteous indignation, grace tells us stories that seem impossible. The Lord who urged us to forgive forgives the sins we love to hate—adultery, betrayal, cruel violence, and greed. There’s no rousing of our will that can teach us to forgive like this. Grace is the gift of Christ—from Him to us; from us to them; from them to others still unloved and unforgiven. The sequence is repeatable. When we’re forgiven, we learn grace. We’ll never lack for opportunities to practice what we’ve learned. Remember now how much you’re loved. And stay in grace. -Bill Knott
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THE CERTAINTIES OF GRACE December 16, 2022)
NO STRINGS ATTACHED (December 09, 2022)
GRACE THAT LIFTS (December 02, 2022)
GRACE AT THE GATES (November 25, 2022)
REDEEMING THE TIME (November 18, 2022)
GRATITUDE AND GRACE (November 11, 2022)
THREE CRUCIAL WORDS (November 04, 2022)
GRACE BEYOND FEAR (October 28, 2022)
THE GATE OF GRACE (October 21, 2022)
IN THE GRIP OF GRACE (October 14, 2022)
FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH (October 07, 2022)
GRACE WITHOUT DESPERATION (September 30, 2022)
A DAY TO REMEMBER (September 23, 2022)
THE LIFE THAT COULD BE YOURS (September 16, 2022)
GROWING IN GRACIOUSNESS (September 09, 2022)
WHEN OPPOSITES ATTRACT (September 02, 2022)
THE CHANGES YOU CAN’T SEE (August 26, 2022)
UNLIMITED (August 19, 2022)
JOURNEY TO JOY (August 12, 2022)
THE HIDDENNESS OF GRACE (August 05, 2022)
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