Key Verse:
As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.
(II Corinthians 6:1)
Central Truth:
In listening for spiritual intervention/guidance, remember to use your heart and soul! You will be amazed.
WE ARE STUMPED! WE DID NOT QUIT! WE FELT HIS GRACE !
As we read this very small chapter, we were thinking that this devotion is going to be a snap. . . . Short chapter, right? Well, we were wrong and so very stumped. We prayed for guidance as to what we should write. What spoke to us in this passage from Paul? We were listening and waiting for guidance, some sort of inspiration from above. You've been there right? You wait and listen with both ears, just as we were doing. But, we were feeling nothing. Where are you God? We really need your help to address this chapter . . . . Then, as if the light bulb turned on: "Listen with you HEART" was placed upon our hearts! So we did.
Our hearts were filled with peace and grace as we became able to completely admit that we had stumbled and failed at composing a devotion for this chapter. The important fact about the Piedmont Journey and reading the New Testament together is that we are all travelling on this journey together. It is not about impressing anyone with our words; it's about listening to our hearts as we read a chapter in the Holy Bible. Sure, we wish we had something "divine" to put in our devotion. We truly feel in our hearts that it's acceptable to admit our stumbles with this devotion. There are going to be times when we fail to grasp a concept or be able to put words to our thoughts and feelings. It means we are not accepting God's grace in vain.
What does it mean to accept God's grace in vain ? It means to receive the goodness and favor of God, yet to hinder the work of grace in your life. This example of our struggling with this chapter works here. We did not accept God's grace in vain. We did not just give up. We used our Christian tools: we prayed, we listened with our hearts, and we felt God's pure grace - as He really placed upon our hearts that it is alright to admit failure, to stumble, and to be perplexed. He just does not want us to accept any of these gracious gifts from Him in vain by quitting.
Our prayer for you as you read our struggles with this short chapter is to accept God's grace with all your heart and soul and to keep putting forth all your efforts to feel and welcome God's amazing grace!
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