Women of the Word {the gracious woman}

Now, this week my thoughts have gone towards the book of Proverbs, to think more about Women of the Word.  This book is PACKED with crucial things for us womenfolk to learn!  So many truths, vital to Christian living.

The first one I looked at is one that I fear is much lacking in many in this day and age, and in my own heart, too...

"A gracious woman retaineth honour:"

Proverbs 11:16

Showing grace.

Being gracious.

It's a response that should be the first one upon our hearts and lives, but far too often I see a LACK of grace shown by women all around me.  Especially on the Internet.

Commenters on blogs and websites.

Facebook.

Emails.

Text messages.

There just seems to be more judgement and criticism, and less grace.

What does this verse tell us about a gracious woman? She retains honour, or respect.  The Hebrew word actually implies "weight", or influence.  If you are gracious, you will be respected by others, and what you say will have influence over others. They will listen to you, if you are gracious.

What is the conclusion you can draw from someone who DOESN'T show grace in her speech and behaviour? She loses honour.  She loses the respect of those around her. She won't have a godly and positive influence over others, and people won't listen to her.

So, how are we to BE that gracious woman? What does the Bible teach us about being gracious?

Before anything else,  I think it's important to understand grace, and being gracious.

There are two definitions in the online dictionary.

"courteous, kind, and pleasant,"

and

"showing divine grace"


The first is being gracious in a general sense.  It's the behaviour we are to exhibit when being gracious towards others.

The second is to do with how God deals with us, and how we can then reflect His person in our OWN behaviour.  It's to do with mercy.  Forgiveness.  Compassion.  It's how God deals with us, despite our sin.  He is able to extend grace because He is love and kindness personified. Even though we sin, and err, He is gracious, merciful and forgiving.

If God shows such graciousness towards us, we ought to show it towards others around us.  Simple as that.

So, what Bible verses point us toward HOW we extend grace to others?

Needless to say, Proverbs has a few lessons for us.  Right back in chapter one, we have our first instruction.

"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 

For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck."

Proverbs 1:8-9 

Solomon, of course, was instructing his son, in this book.  He is giving wise counsel, in order to guide him towards a wise life.  He teaches him, here, to have a TEACHABLE SPIRIT.  That's what we need first, ladies.  The humility to learn, be taught, and to accept we may be wrong on issues.  Taught, firstly, by God's Word.  Open to His word speaking into our heart and life.  Listening for instruction that our soul needs to hear.  Willing to listen, learn and CHANGE.  Those are all qualities that are an "ornament of grace".  It will display grace in our heart and life, if we are willing to listen and learn.  We can only BE gracious, if we have been adorned with that ornament of grace in our lives, first of all.

The polar opposite, and the thing that grates on my ear, are those who are Pharisaical and judgemental.  Thinking they are right, and everyone else is wrong.  Sitting in judgement over those who don't agree, and saying they are sinners if they disagree.  It's just not right.  It's proud, and arrogant, to think you have an opinion that is more valuable than others' - to think you have a monopoly on the truth. Again, having an opinion is fine.  As my hubby once said to me, after someone else said I WAS opinionated, there's nothing wrong with being opinionated! Having an opinion is good, and right.  It's making sure you show grace when you EXPRESS the opinion.  

Another way that people can tend to lack grace is in how they RESPOND to the opinions of others.  I have seen it, countless times - folks taking things too personally.  Say someone says they choose to breastfeed.  Someone who couldn't, or just didn't, breastfeed, can then get defensive about their choice NOT to.  We can't go about being that sensitive, and then being ungracious in how we respond to the other person.  Being constantly on the defensive can incline you towards a lack of grace in how you respond.  It's something I know I need to guard my heart over.  

On a similar vein, there can be a tendency of some to read into the words of others, instead of just READING the words of others.  I have experienced, far too many times, those who get offended, and then respond ungraciously, because they have taken another's words and opinions the wrong way. Many times, I have had to remind myself, and others, to take the BEST meaning and tone in whatever you read.  If you take it critically and negatively, you will struggle to show grace to the person who has spoken or written. 

Proverbs 3 tells us that seeking after wisdom and knowledge 

"shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck."

Proverbs 3:22

Once more, we are decorated by grace and a gracious spirit, if we SEARCH for wisdom and knowledge.  Working at becoming more Christ-like.

Not only to search, like a one-off treasure hunt.  We need to GROW in grace, too.

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."

2 Peter 3:18  

It's something we need to diligently WORK at.  Not to be content with the measure of grace we display, but to desire to grow, more and more, in the graciousness we show toward others. You see, too, what we need to be doing to GROW in that grace? We need to get to know our Lord.  The more we understand our Saviour, and HIS grace, love and goodness, the more we will become like Him - a reflection of HIS grace.


The next verse that I thought of was regarding our speech.

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Ephesians 4:29  

Let me just paraphrase it and put it into a modern context for you.

"Let no rotten and worthless communication proceed out of your fingertips, but that which is good to build up and encourage, that it many minister grace to the readers".

As I already mentioned, I have witnessed some downright nasty, mean and vitriolic "speech" being used on the Internet, in various settings.  As daughters of the King, professing faith in Christ, we must be SO careful - whether in ACTUAL speech, or VIRTUAL speech - to only use words, and use them in such a way, that will bring grace to the recipient.  Building each other up.  Encouraging.  I'm not saying you have to agree with everything that you read or hear.  More that we need to express our point of view with grace.  Gentleness.  Love.  It can be SO hard, if you feel passionate about something, and you DO disagree quite strongly, but it can be done.  "Speaking the truth in love" is the watchword.  Sometimes that may actually mean saying NOTHING, but that's a slight deviation.  We can be a gracious woman in our speech.


I really don't want to be a woman who is despised and ignored, because I don't display grace in my life.  I want grace to be an ornament to my character, and by GOD'S grace toward me, I trust it shall be.

Faithfulness {every night}

Another "working" week has come and gone.

I know, I know, us mothers don't have a "working week".  It's sun up, to sun down, every day of the year.

In this house, though, there is a little pressure lifted off, as school has finished for the weekend.  Yes, there are still jobs for me to do, but the added strain of school is lifted.

I'll not lie.

I love to homeschool, but I love Friday nights.

I'm about to iron for a little while, as I do every Friday night.  Then I will relax. Internally, and externally.  It's a chance for a "breather", when I can unwind, and the pace changes.

This evening, my mind has been drawn to God's faithfulness.

My lovely friend, Menekse (Men-eck-sha, in case you are wondering.....), has just started up a home business, making hand made items, in particular fabric art to hang on the wall.  (Shameless plug coming up ..... find her at The Primrose Parasol, on Etsy, or on Facebook)  When she opened her Etsy shop the other week, after giving sneak peeks of the upcoming products, my eye was drawn to THIS beauty.

THIS is one of my all time favourite verses.  I'll not get into the many reasons why, right now, but suffice to say, I have MUCH to be thankful for, and I try to do so every day.

The next verse, though, is so important, too.

"To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night".

Thankfulness stems from two crucial things.

God's lovingkindness, and His faithfulness.

Without those two elements, I have NOTHING to be thankful for at all.

Without it, I am lost, and hopeless.

The Psalmist also says

"Because thy lovingkindness is BETTER THAN LIFE, my lips shall praise thee".

My life is FILLED with wonderful things, all graciously given from God.  

Filled.

No matter what testing and trials I am going through (and, trust me, I have them), I have so much in my life for which I can be thankful.

Think of it.

Think of all the wonderful things you have, right now.

It will take you some time.

Now, think that God's lovingkindness is BETTER than that.

His love.  His kindness.  It's better than any of those wonderful things for which we are thankful.

How can we do anything BUT praise Him, and return thanks to the Giver of every good and perfect gift?

Now see how that verse tells us we should begin and end our day?

We don't begin with a sigh, as we have to get up, yet again, from beautiful sleep, to attend to our daily responsibilities.

No, we start by shewing forth His lovingkindness.

Not "think", or "breathe a silent thank-you", for it - SHEW FORTH! Let everyone around us KNOW we are thankful for His lovingkindness, in the way we greet the day, and greet them.  Our lives should be ones that reflect our gratitude. 

How should we end?

With a head hitting the pillow, thankful once again for sleep, awaiting us, and a "I'm so glad THAT day is over"?

No, we end with expressing appreciation for His faithfulness, every night.

Not forgetting it -  but being thankful for it, and saying so.

I am guilty of forgetting.  I remember to say thank-you through the day, and forget to end it well, with acknowledgement of God's faithfulness.

Oh, how faithful!

Faithfulness encompasses God's security, stability, steadiness, truth and trustworthiness.

At the end of the day, we can raise our Ebenezer - "Hitherto hath  the Lord helped me".

No matter what happens, GOD IS FAITHFUL.

I can't worry about the "what ifs" of my testing situations, I need to just trust that God is, and will be, faithful.  Ending the day with that thought chases away any doubt, fear and anxiety. 

Focus on the thankfulness.

So, today, I look at so much around me, and I am thankful.  

Thankful for God's lovingkindness and faithfulness, which then gives me SO much for which to be thankful, right here, right now.

Thankful for my crazy children, making funny faces to their Uncle, a token of God's faithfulness in giving them life, health, wonderful personalities.

The faithfulness of God in the salvation of Bethany, and her realisation that she needed to share that with others.

God's faithfulness in gifting me with a wonderful husband, whom He gives great leadership, grace and love, to bless me with as his wife.

My precious girls, who God has faithfully given to us, to bring joy into our lives. 

God's faithfulness in giving me strength to deal with my two most challenging children, so far!  Such joy, along with the challenges!

God's faithfulness in giving life to this precious, growing girl, when we thought that her life was gone.

A recently rediscovered photo, reminding me of God' faithfulness as He placed me in a loving, kind, supportive and wonderful family, as I grew up, who all love and serve the Lord where He has placed them,

(Photo August '05)

Every morning....

Every night....

Thankfulness.

Lovingkindness.

Faithfulness.

Blogging through the alphabet {Totally Useless, Very Willing.... and some eXtremely lovely Yarni-ness}

I was watching a film with my hubby recently, which included a scene in a psychiatric hospital. I looked at the patients all sitting quietly - some doing jigsaws, some drawing, some just sitting quietly.

Do you know what thought crossed my mind?

"I would LOVE to be sitting quietly like that, reading or doing a jigsaw"!!!

Yes, my life is so hectic, that a scene in a psychiatric ward appealed to me.

If you are mother of small children, this concept will not be lost on  you.

I hope I am not the only one that thinks that way, anyway!?!

So, back to blogging through the alphabet.

I was doing SO well to begin with.  I kept up, in ways beyond I could have imagined.  Then, reality struck.  I ended up having a week that found me unable to join in with the letter of that week.  I managed to do a nifty little "squish two letters together" week, the next week.

Then, it happened again. This time I needed to merge THREE letters together.  Wonderful as they were, and one of my most precious posts, but still a reminder to ME of how useless I am.

Today, we hit the ultimate catch up. FOUR weeks of catch up, to be precise.

I sigh at myself, and shake my head in despair.

More than that, I look deeper into my life and see myself over and over - I start things, and I am USELESS at keeping up.  It's a character flaw for sure.  You see, I am so very willing to take things on.  I see something, and know I will love it - I see the benefits it will have.  I despair at myself, however, at how incredibly awesome I am at failing.

People often comment about how I am a "Super Mum", and other such nonsense.  I know the real me, and there's not a lot "super" about it. I just see the things that are far from perfect, and how much room there is for improvement.

I guess people just compare me to their own situation, or their own perceptions of life and how simple, or not, it should be, and reckon that what I do exceeds their own limits?

There is one thing that drags me up from the gutter of despair, as I look at my useless ability to set out what I plan to do.

God's perspective.

What I am expecting from myself is PERFECTION. I want to do things perfectly, and completely.  I am learning that I am not perfect, and never will be.

We are reminded that we are to GROW in grace. It's not something that instantly and entirely transforms us from sinner to "saint".

I've learnt that much of my feelings of failure, in life, come from trying to please others, and not God. I worry, more than most people imagine, about what other people may think. Weirdly, not in major issues - those I feel quite comfortable in. It's the insignificant little things.... the "what if someone sees", "what if someone thinks I am useless", "what if someone thinks I look silly"?

What matters most is HOW I do something.  Did I begin something, doing it "heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men?".

"Whatesoever ye do, do all to the glory of God".

Was my aim to glorify God in the doing of it, not the COMPLETING of it? Beginning something, and not completing it, doesn't make me a failure.  It means that something has come up, which I hadn't envisaged, and has prevented me from doing it in the time or manner I had planned. God's plans are higher than mine.  If He has planned that something interrupts MY plans, and I can't do it the way *I* thought was best, then my way WASN'T best!!!

Learning, always learning. Learning more about myself.  Learning more about God and His grace.

And simply because I am at least consistently useless, and I have missed more letters, lets just finish on a high note!

It's kinda related, though. I started off sharing some of my crochet creations with you, and haven't kept up with it. That's not to say I haven't still been creating crocheted loveliness.  I have.  I am still loving being able to pick up my hook and make things both beautiful and useful.  It's a great hobby.  So, I shall share one of my recent, lovely, yarny creations with you, and endeavour to catch up with sharing others I have made.... at some point.  *aherm*

I give you one of the least favourite items I have made.  Well, I didn't really enjoy making it, for most of the time.  Does that sound weird? It's a shawl, and for a good part of it you only use SC/DC (US/UK terms).  Lots, and lots, of DC. Little, tiny, fiddly, DC FLO (front loop only). It seemed to take AGES to grow. The only break in the monotony was the variation between the stunning yarn from Unbelieva-wool (find her here on Facebook - FANTASTIC yarn dyer), in her "Sunset Boulevard" colour-way - it's stunning, as yo will see in a mo.  I also used the end of a purple gradient from Sam, too - alternating between the two. EVENTUALLY, I got to the border, and it got a little more interesting.  I still wasn't falling in love with the thing, and was just desperate to get it finished. Then, I locked it.  Suddenly, I decided this thing was GORGEOUS.

You wanna see?....

I rarely make myself anything with my crochet, but THIS one I decided to keep! It just looks stunning with the bright colours, and it looks just like a sunset! I have never had so many comments about something I have made, as I did when I wore this to Church last week! The chilly weather reappearing was the perfect time to wear it.

If you want to make one for yourself, you can find the pattern on Ravelry - it's called "Desperately Seeking Shallow".  You will need sock weight/fingering weight yarn, and a size 4 hook. Also, a lot of patience.  The pattern is particularly versatile, and even allows for some fluffed stitches - especially forgiving in the border.  You can make a deeper border, but you will need quite a bit more yarn, as it's a hungry pattern.  I probably used about 120g for mine.  You will also need to follow the instructions carefully regarding the stitch marker at the end of the rows, or else you won't get a nice, flat edge.  I learnt that the hard way, and had to frog quite a bit to get it right. Another bonus - it's FREE!

So, there we have it.  6 letters in one post.  Let's see if I can get the Z at the right time!?

(Editing to add that I haven't, but I must get this one published, and get a "Z" added!!!)

Blogging Through the Alphabet {Quickened, Redeemed, Saved... }

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)"

Ephesians 2:5

"redeemed.... with the precious blood of Christ"

1Peter 1:18&19  

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"

Titus 3:5

I don't think there has been any other post that has given me as much joy, as this one has.

Having to catch up on three weeks of Blogging through the alphabet, just LENDS itself to something splendid.

Something so special, it needs multiple words to describe it, yet it won't do it justice.

This week is the week that my eldest daughter, Bethany, came to us and told us that she has trusted the Lord for salvation, and has asked to be baptised.

It was funny how it came about, that she told us. I had been chatting with some online friends about believers baptism versus infant baptism.  I proceeded to further discuss it with Robert, when he got home.  As the children were gathering for family worship, we had concluded our discussion, so Robert took the opportunity to explain what Paedo-baptism is, and why we believed in baptism of believers, by full immersion. 

After family worship, I went off to make dinner for Robert and I, and when I came back through, a teary-eyed Bethany was talking to Robert. He told her to tell me what she had told him.

When Beth was 7, she knelt by her bed and asked God to save her.  The only motivation was fear of punishment in hell.  Earlier this year, I took Josh and Beth to the baptism of a friend's daughter.  By listening to all that was said that night, Beth realised that her prayer, aged 7, was not one of true repentance for sin, only a desire not to be sent to hell.  She realised that salvation only comes from true repentance, and an acknowledgement that only Christ, through His shed blood, can save from that punishment for sin.  She cried out to God, that night, and asked him to save her. In her words "my tears of sadness turned to tears of joy, as I realised that God had saved me from my sin". 

What utter, and sheer joy.  My heart was full, and my own eyes filled with tears.  

To hear your precious child claim Christ as her Saviour, is a very, very precious thing.  Not only is she my daughter, she is my sister in Christ - we are joint heirs with Jesus! 

In the coming weeks, we will arrange a baptismal service for her.  Then, she will be able to publicly profess her faith in Christ.  Baptism will not save her, or sanctify her - it is simply her profession that she is Christ's, and He is her's. 

Our prayer is that others will come to a saving faith, through her profession, as the profession of faith of ANOTHER Bethany, earlier this year, brought her to an understanding of her own sinful state before God.

Interestingly, Robert had prayed, with a deacon on Monday, that they would see souls saved in the Church, and that especially the baptistery would be opened and baptisms would take place!  How quickly God answered prayer!

If you are reading this post, and you call yourself a Christian, look at the three verses I shared at the beginning, with my Q, R and S. They pretty much sum up the way of salvation.

We are all sinners.  Dead, in trespasses and sins.  Not dead in body - we are very much alive.  Dead in our souls. The Bible says "the wages of sin is death".  Our sin has a price.  We deserve death.  Bethany was right to fear such, because it is what happens, not just to our bodies, but to our souls, if we die in our sin.  We will be eternally punished, in hell.

Praise God, that's not the end to it.

We CAN be saved!

The verses make one thing VERY clear, though.

We CAN NOT SAVE OURSELVES.

No-one else can save us, either.

I couldn't save Bethany.  I desire that ALL my children will be saved, but I cannot save them.

"What can wash away my sin?"

NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS.

Because God loves us, He sent His one and only, precious Son, who died on a cruel cross, shedding His blood, to save us - quicken - to make alive. Spiritual death, to spiritual life. Redeeming us - paying for our sins, so we belong to Him. Saved - from death, unto life.

It's by grace - that special love which God loves us with - His riches, at Christ's expense - that we are saved. 

Washed clean from sin - into new life.  Not walking in our old ways, and the ways of the world, but in God's ways, by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. When we are saved, we are regenerated, by the presence of the Holy Spirit within.  

THAT is what has happened in the heart of my precious daughter, and it thrills mine beyond words.

I can only imagine how emotional it will be, the day she is baptised! 

I love how the Lord used so many things to shape that moment on Monday.  Working over many different occasions, to bring her to Himself.  

I think, when we have been saved for a while, we can too quickly forget that immense joy that new life in Christ brings.  My heart is full, as I see it afresh, and rejoice, once again, for my own salvation - that Christ has drawn me unto Himself, also.

As the angels in heaven rejoice, over one sinner that has repented, will you not join me, too, and rejoice also? Pray with me, too, that we will see many more souls saved - especially our own family and friends - to the glory of God.

I pray that the Lord will help me to guide her in her new-found faith, and help her to grow closer to Jesus, and that the Lord would use her mightily in the extension of His kingdom.

Hard thanks....

I have been challenged by a thought this last week or so, that has now recently come up in conversation with some lovely ladies online.

How do we give thanks in the hard times?  How can we be thankful for things that are

tough...trying...challenging.


A little context goes a long way, so I will tell you what lies behind the verses first of all.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, was speaking of a revelation that he had received from the Lord.  He was glorying and rejoicing in it, presumably due to the fact that it was a pretty amazing experience, humanly speaking.


But, the Lord sent him a lesson in it all.  He allowed Paul to have a "thorn in the flesh", following this experience.  We don't know what it was - we are not told.  We just know that it was an unpleasant thing, that was bad enough to implore with the Lord that it should be taken away.

3 times he pleaded with the Lord.

As far as we read, his prayer wasn't answered.  Instead, he came to learn a valuable and insightful lesson about trials.

And, so we read the following verses.



"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. 


Most gladly therefore will I rather

glory in my infirmities,

 that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Therefore I 

take pleasure 

in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: 

for when I am weak, 

then am I strong."

II Corinthians 12:9-10

So. Utterly. Humbling.

So. Utterly. Amazing.

So. Utterly. Challenging.






Do we have trials and struggles that we are going through?

Do we have days where we just want to crawl into a hole and die?

Do we have days where we just think we can't take any more?



Ohhhhhhhhhh yes.

Yes, yes, and YES again.




But, do you SEE?.....do you SEE how Paul responded?

"OK Lord....I guess I need to just endure these trials....with a sour face...with a gloomy countenance....with a "why me" sort of response....."


Sorry, I got confused for a moment...I confused MY response with the one I *should* have to my trials.

The one that Paul had.

Look...just look at those adjectives....those words that describe how Paul responded.

GLADLY

GLORY

TAKE PLEASURE

Really, Lord?

You want me to be GLAD that I have struggles?   To be GLAD when pain racks my body?  To be GLAD when my children drive me close to insanity with their squabbling and disobedience?

You want me to consider it a GLORY when my house looks a wreck because my strength is gone and I can't do a single more thing?  You want me to GLORY in my pain and distress when friends and family mock, argue and disagree?

You want me to TAKE PLEASURE in the days and hours when I just cannot seem to find the strength to carry on? In the torments and difficulties of my life?

But, OH, the beauty of the realisation.  Of the understanding of WHY....


"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness...


...that the power of Christ may rest upon me...



...for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong"

Our weakness shows Christ's strength.  

Our trials allow us to experience Christ's power resting upon us.

Our pains remind us that ALL of what we experience, do and say, is for Christ's sake.

That HIS glory would be made known.  That HIS goodness would be recognised.  That HIS grace would be sufficient.

Us all nothing.

Him everything.

Ladies, let us embrace the thorns.  Let us grasp them, with two willing hands.  Let us REJOICE in them.  Because by His grace, we see HIM through the trials.  The casting away of our own plans, our own designs, our own perfections - replacing them with the plans, designs and perfections of our perfect Father.

May we run to Him, rejoicing, and find strength in our weakness.

Matriarchs on a Monday - Rahab

Rahab - this is one lady who I always struggled with.

Because she was a prosttitute?  No.

Because she told a lie, in order to hide the spies.  I could never quite understand why that seemed to be, well, ok?!  She was still saved, despite sinning to help the spies.

However,  I was thinking about her in the summer, as I was teaching a lesson about her, at our Holiday Bible Club at Church.

Rahab was considered worthy, to be mentioned in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews chapter 11.


"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." 

Hebrews 11:31

Ahhhhh!  So, this is a blog post about faith!!??  We need to live a life of faith, right?  We need to trust God for everything?

No....and yes!  No, the post is not about faith. Yes, we do need to live a life of faith and trust God for everything! 

When I got thinking about Rahab, a simple, yet deep and profound truth rang out to me, amidst all that you could sling against the character of Rahab.

Grace.

Simply. Grace.

What is grace, exactly?

God's unmerited favour.

But, do  you know what?  Unmerited simply tells me that I have done nothing to MERIT His favour.  When, in fact, I have actually done things that "DE-merit" His favour.

I am undeserving of any favour, because I am a filthy, wretched sinner, in the sight of a holy God.  I can do nothing - NOTHING - to merit esteem...

"What was there in me that could merit esteem,

Or give the Creator delight?

‘Twas even so, Father, I ever must sing,

Because it seemed good, in Thy sight."

(author unknown)

I have sinned....oh, how I have sinned.  I have done SO much that would remove me far from God's love and mercy - far from communion with Him.

But, oh!  God's grace.  His merciful, full and free grace.  His love for hell-deserving sinners, that led Him to die upon a cruel cross, and take the punishment that I deserved.  So that I could be saved from an eternity without Him, in hell.

So, Rahab.  Who was she?  She was a sinner.  She was a harlot.  She was a liar.  She was....exactly the kind of person that needed TO be saved.  Like me.  Like you.  A sinner.  That simple.

Was being a harlot worse than being a liar?  Sin.  All sin.  All sinners.  We are ALL sinners.

And, by God's grace....by her faith, trusting in the one true God alone to save...by His grace, she WAS saved.

"for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" 

Ephesians 2:8

God's gift to Rahab...through her faith...was salvation.

God's gift to us....through faith....is salvation.

A gift so undeserved.  DE-merited, from receiving the gift of His grace.  Undeserving.

Ahhhhh - this is what makes it grace.  

Undeserving merit.  

Undeserving love.  

Undeserving favour.

How can we look at Rahab, and see anyone other than ourselves?

Sinners.  Deserving destruction.  But saved. Saved from destruction, by God's grace.

How can we do anything but thank Him?  Thank Him for His grace. For without it, we, too, would be condemned for destruction, as all those other occupants of Jericho, so long ago.

May we never cease to thank Him, for His great mercy toward us.  His grace.  His all-sufficient grace. 

Naught have I gotten but what I received;

Grace hath bestowed it since I have believed;

Boasting excluded, pride I abase;

I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Refrain

Only a sinner, saved by grace!

Only a sinner, saved by grace!

This is my story, to God be the glory—

I’m only a sinner, saved by grace!

Once I was foolish, and sin ruled my heart,

Causing my footsteps from God to depart;

Jesus hath found me, happy my case;

I now am a sinner, saved by grace!

Tears unavailing, no merit had I;

Mercy had saved me, or else I must die;

Sin had alarmed me fearing God’s face;

But now I’m a sinner saved by grace!

Suffer a sinner whose heart overflows,

Loving his Saviour to tell what he knows;

Once more to tell it would I embrace—

I’m only a sinner saved by grace!

James M. Gray