Thursday, August 17, 2006
Grace
This week I began working through the book Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda. Ths first woman the book covers is Eve. I have spent all week learning about Eve...what a woman she was!
God created Eve from Adam and breated life into her. She was created specifically to be Adam's helper! She was perfect! She had everything. She lived in paradise! Yet, when she was offered more she just couldn't say no. When she was tempted to gain even more she just couldn't resist...she took and she ate! That wasn't enough, she had to tempt her husband to join her in the sin. There they were, they had gained "more" and they knew good from evil. Now, they had to face God so they hid. We all know the story. The blame game was played and God made each take responsibility for their own sins. Yet, as soon as the punishment was issued, God showed that His Grace always abounds. He clothed Adam and Eve. He also gave them a promise that Eve's offspring would crush her enemy. Even in their sorrow God gave them reason to rejoice.
Then, even through the pain, Eve gave birth to her first child and then her second. She endured the pain of her punishment and in the end God gave her even more reason to rejoice...she held in her arms a new life! God used her to bring new life! Yet once again, sin brought her sorrow...she had to live knowing that one of her children killed the other. She had to watch her only son left be punished. I can't imagine the pain Eve must have felt. Yet, once again, God brought her joy. He used her to bring forth another child. She held in her arms Seth the child that she knew God would use to defeat her enemy. God's Grace abounds!
Every time Eve came to more sorrow we see how God's Grace is ever present.
Now, I have to sit back and ask myself how often I am just like Eve. How often can I just not say no. How often do I fail to resist temptation? It is more often than I like to admit. I am daily on my knees crying out for His Mercy and Grace again! Yet, His Grace ALWAYS abounds and I always have something to rejoice over! God is SO Good!
The authors put it so well when they say "When you're at your lowest, on your knees before God's judgment, never forget that his grace is still at work. And that's truly amazing." They go on to quote to scripture references:
"From the fullness of his grace we have all recieved one blessing after another. John 1:16"
"But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21"
God's grace is truly amazing!
God created Eve from Adam and breated life into her. She was created specifically to be Adam's helper! She was perfect! She had everything. She lived in paradise! Yet, when she was offered more she just couldn't say no. When she was tempted to gain even more she just couldn't resist...she took and she ate! That wasn't enough, she had to tempt her husband to join her in the sin. There they were, they had gained "more" and they knew good from evil. Now, they had to face God so they hid. We all know the story. The blame game was played and God made each take responsibility for their own sins. Yet, as soon as the punishment was issued, God showed that His Grace always abounds. He clothed Adam and Eve. He also gave them a promise that Eve's offspring would crush her enemy. Even in their sorrow God gave them reason to rejoice.
Then, even through the pain, Eve gave birth to her first child and then her second. She endured the pain of her punishment and in the end God gave her even more reason to rejoice...she held in her arms a new life! God used her to bring new life! Yet once again, sin brought her sorrow...she had to live knowing that one of her children killed the other. She had to watch her only son left be punished. I can't imagine the pain Eve must have felt. Yet, once again, God brought her joy. He used her to bring forth another child. She held in her arms Seth the child that she knew God would use to defeat her enemy. God's Grace abounds!
Every time Eve came to more sorrow we see how God's Grace is ever present.
Now, I have to sit back and ask myself how often I am just like Eve. How often can I just not say no. How often do I fail to resist temptation? It is more often than I like to admit. I am daily on my knees crying out for His Mercy and Grace again! Yet, His Grace ALWAYS abounds and I always have something to rejoice over! God is SO Good!
The authors put it so well when they say "When you're at your lowest, on your knees before God's judgment, never forget that his grace is still at work. And that's truly amazing." They go on to quote to scripture references:
"From the fullness of his grace we have all recieved one blessing after another. John 1:16"
"But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21"
God's grace is truly amazing!
1 Comments:
Our God is so good, and His grace is AMAZING! Thank you for that great reminder. I'll have to check out the devotional book, I've been looking for some kind of good devotional book to use recently. God bless!
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