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His Grace is Sufficient

“And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’” ​-2 Corinthians 12:9

My Dearest Sister,
​You may have noticed this about me already, but I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times. It really bothers me when something I do doesn’t turn out just like I had envisioned. Sometimes it even seems that anything not done perfectly is a failure. Whether it’s that I accidentally tapped someone’s bumper in traffic, spoke harsh words to a friend, or forgot to return the library books on time, I hate facing the fact that I have made a mistake. I am reminded of what Kayla mentioned in her letter to you a few days ago. Our flesh wants to rely on its own strength, doesn’t it? To admit weakness is to admit that we aren’t perfect, that we make mistakes and have faults. In short, it is to admit that we can’t do it on our own. What I and my fellow perfectionists sometimes seem to forget is that failures and mistakes are a part of life. No one is perfect because “all have sinned and fall short”, remember? We really can’t do it on our own and that’s the whole reason we need Jesus to begin with.

​I am reminded of Paul’s story in 2 Corinthians 12 where he talks about his thorn in the flesh. The Scripture isn’t really clear as to what this thorn or weakness was, but Paul does say that it was given to him so that he wouldn’t be “exalted above measure,” or be made prideful. He pleaded three times with the Lord that this thorn would be removed so this was obviously something painful, either emotionally or physically, that he struggled with. Instead of removing the thorn, the Lord answered him with the assurance that “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” You see, it would be easy for a guy like Paul, who received all these revelations from God and became such an important part of the early church, to let his position go to his head. Maybe God knew that if Paul wasn’t made very well aware of his own shortcomings, he would have tried to do it in his own strength, not God’s. Maybe he, or even those around him, would have made the mistake of thinking he was just too perfect.

​But as you know, no one – not even Paul – is perfect. If you remember the story, he had quite a tainted past. He used to be Saul of Tarsus, a persecutor and slayer of Christians. But God had a different plan and direction for his life, one that involved an outpouring of grace and mercy on a guilty soul. And dear sister, we are all like Paul in that we all desperately need his grace! Our flesh is weak and sinful and desires to master us. You see, if we had the power to live righteously and perfectly on our own, then we wouldn’t so desperately need a Savior. Then the whole point of Jesus’ death and resurrection would be null and void. But as Romans 8:3 says, “what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled…”. We can never, by our own weak nature, be perfect enough to please God. But the good news is that we don’t have to: Jesus fulfilled that righteous requirement for us when he took all our sins upon himself on the cross. It was graciously given to us, even though we don’t deserve it.

​The key to receiving this wonderful grace is that we have to admit that we need it to begin with. James 4:6 says that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” It’s hard sometimes to face our own faults and mistakes without feeling like total failures in life. However, our weaknesses shouldn’t be a source of frustration and shame, but should serve as a stark contrast to God’s perfectness and strength, thereby drawing us back to Him. So, my sister, the next time life reminds us of our mistakes and we start to feel like Miss Imperfect, let’s use it as an opportunity to remember God’s sufficient grace, for it is more than enough to cover all our faults and failures. We may not be perfect but that’s okay, because we serve a God who is!

​Your grace-filled sister in Christ,
​~ Lauren Titcomb

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Lest We Nullify the Grace of God

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. -Galatians 2:21

Dearest sister,

Once again I have found myself relying on my own ability to live righteously before the throne of God. And once again, I have been found wanting. I have fallen down time and time again and I am weary; weary of falling and weary of getting back up. Oh sister, when will we learn! Our strength is not found in ourselves. We are but dust formed by the mighty and omnipotent hand of God who breathed into us the breath of life. We can no more live righteously on our own than we can breathe without God supplying our every breath. Yet the attitudes of our hearts often reflect an unwillingness to depend on God for everything.

I think one of the main reasons people are quick to reject Christianity is that it requires us to admit that we are not in control and that we need help. We are not strong enough on our own, we cannot  earn perfect righteousness and therefore we must rely on another, namely Jesus Christ. People don’t want to rely on grace; they want to rely on their own works. They want to believe that everything they do is earning them some sort of favor in God’s eyes that will get them into heaven. This is the “gospel” that people want to believe, but it is not the true gospel.

The phenomenon of this faith plus works religion is not a creation of the American culture. In fact, when Paul was writing his letter to the Galatians he was writing to defend the true gospel that was under attack in the churches of Galatia. Paul says in Galatians 1 “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (1: 6-7). The Judaizers had infiltrated the churches and were preaching a message contrary to Paul, that of a faith plus works salvation. Paul takes a stand against them, defending the truth of his gospel that he received not from minds of depraved and corrupt men but from a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul reminds us “that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2: 16). He continues saying, “so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be saved.” Did you catch that last part, dear sister? No one will be saved by works of the law. This means that you cannot do anything to earn your salvation. Not your prayers, devotions, church attendance or any other good deed that you could contrive will grant you entrance into the gates of heaven.

Think about how you’re living. Is there any area of your life that you are depending on works and not grace? Is there an attitude in your heart that ‘nullifies the grace of God’? Examine your heart, dear sister. Ask the Lord to bring you to repentance where necessary and live in the light of His glorious grace.

In awe of His grace,
Kayla

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Grace or Merit?

My Dear Sister,

It’s been a long day.  Annabelle, my 14-month-old daughter woke up cranky and continued to be so throughout the day.  She would not eat the food I prepared for her and she even gave me angry eyes as she forcefully pushed it away.   She wouldn’t play in the grass and she complained when I took her for a walk.  No treats for her tonight!  I don’t want her to think she can get away with how she behaved today.  As a parent I should correct consistently so she won’t build bad habits, right?  Finally, bedtime came complete with cries and leg kicking.  I shut the door to let her cry it out.

Giving her grace was nowhere in play this day.  And what is grace? Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.  Grace involves two parties where one party has wronged the other in some way, yet the one who was wronged gifts the wrong-doer not according to what he or she deserves, but rather out of a heart of unconditional generosity.  Wow, that’s a lot of words.  There is a difference between merited favor and grace.  Often we treat people with merit thinking its grace…if Annabelle is normally a well behaved child, then I will gladly give her a treat or overlook an act of disobedience because she is normally well-behaved. That is merit, not grace.  What if a badly behaved child does the same disobedience?  Would I give them the same treat or overlook the same offense?  If I was honest, I probably would not because I give treats based on past or overall behavior.  That is not grace.  Grace is given freely without regards to good or bad behavior.

The gospel is our example of grace.  Jesus lived a perfect life with no sin and was crucified a horrible death to take the entire penalty of sin.  He then arose three days later thus conquering the penalty of death.  This is called the “great exchange”…where Jesus took on ALL the sin of His children and then put His perfect righteousness on them so that God now looks them as righteous, as His adopted and chosen sons complete with the full inheritance of heaven!  Nowhere in the gospel are believers chosen for what they have done or not done…for how they behaved or did not behave.  They are gifted salvation by God’s unconditional generosity.

This day with Annabelle could have been so different.  If I had only remembered what God has gifted me in Christ (forgiveness of my sins, eternal life, righteousness, adoption, and the riches of heaven) and that He gave me this not because I deserved it, earned it, or merited it, then maybe I could have looked at Annabelle in the same manner.  I should have loved her in grace, had patience with her in grace, and not gotten flustered or frustrated with her lack of obedience or her foolishness.  Christ loved me before I believed; he gave me grace in my bad behavior…how much more should I give grace to my daughter (or husband, family, and friends)?  How would Annabelle act if I treated her with grace instead of merit?  Sure, there is a place for discipline, structure, and obedience, but it should be under the umbrella of the gospel of grace.  To give her a treat when she doesn’t deserve it and tell her that is what Jesus did for me!  He gave me life when I deserved death!  To play with her, when she “deserves” a time-out, to show her that the Father never turns His back on His children.  These actions and training can only come when her mom remembers the unmerited grace that was given her.  Annabelle might not have acted any different in this day, but her mom would have.

~Colleen

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The Beauty of Suffering

Dear sister,

I wish you were there so we could have sat together, but this day I sat alone, on the edge of my bed with my head in my hands, crying…again. It was years ago, but I didn’t understand why God had placed me in that difficult situation. It was a set of circumstances that seemed impossible, and joy and thanks even harder. I felt bitterness beginning to set in, and at some points in that journey, I didn’t really care. I know you also have suffered deeply in this fallen world…and perhaps asked ‘why me, God?’ You are not alone. The Bible tells us we will face trials and tribulations in this world, and not to be surprised because of this (1 Peter 4:12). But often a sense of injustice rises up in us….’what did I do to deserve this, you might ask?’ Oh sister, do not give in to that lie. You are not being punished. (And what we truly deserve is far worse than any trial.) There are redemptive reasons for suffering. Stay with me, and find hope in God’s Word.

As hard as it may be to hear right now, all suffering is ultimately for the glory of God. I struggle with this one, as perhaps you might too, but I believe it is the best place for us to start. How can a bloody war, a sexually abused woman, an angry boss, and a wayward husband bring glory to God, you wonder? In many ways they don’t. Sin separates us from God; it never glorifies Him. The key point, however, is what God does to redeem and restore all things, and use them for great purposes in His kingdom. You may not have travelled long enough in your journey with a current struggle to see any way that God could use your pain for good, but we must cling to God’s Word, and believe that He can do this (Romans 8:28). May I remind you also, dear sister, of Lazarus’ story? ”When Jesus heard it [that Lazarus was very sick], He said, “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Dear sister, may I remind you that suffering gives us the unique chance to comfort others? Read with me in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” Please do not give up in your discouragement, my sister, God wants to use your pain and trials to comfort others in the family of God. Pray that He will do so, and keep your heart open to this possibility. Do not give in to bitterness, as I was tempted to do, in my deep pain. I know you have the faith to hang on, and even more, you have a great God that will see you through.

Oh sister, take heart, as I will end with the most beautiful redemptive purpose of all: suffering will deepen your intimacy with and faith in Christ. Our Father loves us so deeply, and longs for us to be intimately united in faith to our Bridegroom, His beloved Son Christ Jesus. Lean into this trial you face, do not run from it, and allow the Lord to whisper His promises over your weary heart and soul. Ask for His grace, for it is all-sufficient grace! Remember please, what our brother, Paul said concerning the fellowship found in suffering with Christ…(Romans 8:17 and Philippians 3:10)

My prayer for you, for me, is that we would embrace each trial as a gift of grace from the Lord. “Everything is needful that He sends; nothing can be needful that He withholds.” (John Newton)

In Christian love, your sister–Ruth

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It’s Just Not Fair

My Dearest Sister,

​”Life isn’t fair.”

​I can’t tell you how many times I heard that phrase said to me when I was growing up. From parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, you name it. Any time I complained because another kid seemed to have it better than me, any time I got angry because I had to do some boring chore that no one else possibly had to do, and any time I uttered the words “It’s not fair!”, that phrase seemed to be the appropriate response. And as hard of a pill as that is for an eight-year-old to swallow, it’s true. Life really is not fair sometimes. The worst part is, it can be more unfair to some than it is to others. Sure, we will all have suffering and pain, Jesus promised us that (John 16:33). But we each suffer in different ways at different times in our lives. Sometimes we suffer in ways we deserve; We call those consequences. Other times though, we suffer in ways that are so wrongful and unjust that we can’t help but ask the question “Lord… Why?”

​The topic of suffering has weighed heavy on my heart this past week. You see, last week an Army wife friend of mine lost her dear husband, a hero and defender of our nation’s freedom. His helicopter was shot down on his first deployment to Afghanistan, just a few short months after graduating flight school. Today, she will stand alongside their family and friends and bury her beloved; today, she will have to say goodbye. And then somehow she will have to continue on in this life. She is now the widow of a fallen soldier and a single mother of two young boys. Her sons will have to grow up without ever really knowing their earthly father; never waving goodbye to him on their first day of school, never playing catch with him in the yard, never being taught by him how to shave; the youngest, who is only eight months old, will never even get to smile up at him with pride as he takes his first steps or says his first words. Though his memory will live on in those who loved him, he has gone to be with Jesus, even if it does seem too soon. It is at times like these that I can only ask, “Lord, why?” Why would God allow so much suffering to come upon this sweet and faithful little family? It just isn’t fair.

​I have heard many people say that if God really loved us, He wouldn’t allow suffering and pain to come upon innocent and undeserving people. Maybe you have encountered someone in your life that thinks this way. This concept of wrongful suffering is such a stumbling block to them that they want nothing to do with God whatsoever, believing Him to be this big bully in the sky who just stands by and lets bad things happen to us, who just watches us stumble and fall. Oh, sister, how misled they are! The truth about suffering is that it is just yet another symptom of the disease of sin in this fallen world. Ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the garden, sorrow and hardships have been a regular part of life. All over the world people suffer wrongfully, on a daily basis: Women are beaten. Girls are sold as sex slaves. Children starve. Young husbands and fathers die. This suffering is not always deserved or fair and some will experience more than others, but it is there because of man’s sin, not for a lack of God’s love.

​Quite the opposite in fact, for His love provides a treatment for suffering. The Bible says that the Lord tends to the brokenhearted and sorrowful (Psalm 34:18), healing deep wounds that no one else can even touch. Our Mighty Father gives power to the weak, to those who cannot stand in their own strength (Isaiah 40:29). He comforts us in our tribulation so that we may in turn comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). We may not always understand why some endure such wrongful suffering in their life, but the love of Christ that has been freely given to us surpasses all of our understanding (Ephesians 3:19). He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, and oh, how He loves us and wants to make us whole! All we have to do is reach out our arms and let Him lift us up out of our sorrow.

​Just as God’s comfort is the treatment for suffering here on earth, Christ’s return is the complete cure. In Revelation 21:4, God promises of a time where suffering will be a thing of the past: “’And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” Yes dear friend, we will suffer in this world, that much is true; but praise the Lord it is only temporary! There is coming a day when this bitterness will pass away and all things will be new in Christ. My friend will see her husband again, not in this wretched world where suffering abounds, but in a place where we will worship the Risen King in all His glory. No more heartache. No more pain. God himself will wipe away our tears as He welcomes us into His new kingdom. Take heart my sister, for this is our promise and our hope in Him, both now and forevermore!

​Your hopeful sister in Christ,
Lauren
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