But he (Jesus) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God gives us His grace in the hour we need it. If we worry about the future now, we double our pain without having the grace to deal with it.
“God gives us His grace in the hour we need it. If we worry about the future now, we double our pain without having the grace to deal with it.” The weightiness of this quotation grips my heart every time I stop to consider the implications of the destructive power of worry. It is true. When we worry (and we all struggle with worry), we suffer twice because Jesus tells us he gives us the grace and strength we need in the moments we require it. Not before we need it. Not after we need it. But precisely when we need it.
Active Faith Learns Not To Worry
And who amongst us hasn’t traveled along the same mental lines anticipating something we are truly dreading? Haven’t we all indulged in those disastrous what if imaginary scenarios that quickly spiral out of control and take us to dark places in our minds? And the saddest part is this, when we allow our thoughts to start spiraling out of control we almost always are imagining our future without God in it. No matter how difficult the coming days may be, when we imagine ourselves facing a scary future without God, we’ve already suffered once. And without God’s grace, a mighty suffering it is.
God Always Provides
Jesus tells his followers to look to the sky and look to the birds and take note of how God takes immeasurable care for each of them who neither toil or spin. God provides for their every need. Jesus wants his brothers and sisters in the faith to take heart and remember when they are called to face suffering in any shape or form that God will be supply grace through his supernatural strength and power to endure.
Come what may, Jesus doesn’t want us to have to suffer twice. We don’t need to suffer twice! How can we avoid this mental mind trap that tempts us to predict a dismal and disastrous outcome even before one occurs?
Stop. Drop. Roll. One Worry At A Time
We stop ourselves from going down the unbiblical thinking road of unbelief that imagines our future without God in it. We drop to our knees and leave our worries, cares, and burdens with the Lord. We roll out every future scary eventuality into the faithful arms of Jesus knowing that he will carry us if need be. Stop. Drop. Roll. Yes, we can do this…one thought, one worry at a time.
Take-away Action Thought
When I begin to worry about an unknown future, I will remember to stop, drop, and roll. I will implement this three step faith-infused, grace-filled formula each and every time I need to combat my fears.
My Heart’s Cry to You, O Lord
Father, I admit that I am struggling with thoughts of worry and fear. My mind is full of fear ridden memories of painful past events and I feel overwhelmed it could happen. Please help me to stop myself from going down this road of unbelief where I am imaging my future without you in it. Your word tells me you will give me the grace and strength and power I need when I need it and not before. I want to stop my habit of suffering twice because I worry. Please help me to keep my mind on you, Jesus. Keep me in perfect peace because I trust in you. Amen.
Practicing Grace and Gratitude
- Grace and gratitude from God – My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. When I awaken in the morning, I will thank the Lord for the grace he has promised me for this day. I will face the day with a faith-infused, grace-filled expectation that no matter how the day unfolds, it is under the careful administration of my heavenly Father and he promises to equip me to face whatever challenges arise.
- Grace and gratitude in me – That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Each evening this week, I will spend a few minutes revisiting my day and reflect upon God’s grace at work within me. I will not worry or fret about my lack of strength. Rather, I will look to God to supply me with everything I require, at every hour, to accomplish what he has set before me.
- Grace and gratitude in life – Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. As I consider my relationships with others, I will remind myself that everyone is in need of compassion and kindness. I’ll not think more highly of myself, but pray for a humble and contrite heart knowing that I have many glaring weaknesses of my own that God is thankfully still at work on inside of me.
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