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Simple Grace

December 6, 2022December 6, 2022 / bravinggrace / Leave a comment

Grace: n. the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

What does it look like to live a life of grace?

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

What does it look like to be brave?

Bravery – the ability to confront attempts of intimidation

Brave – over come obstacles

When it is difficult to walk out of a lifestyle of grace we are going to Brave Grace.

Braving Grace – our attempt to live out a lifestyle of grace; not just give grace in certain situations, but actually make it a lifestyle. We are going to let it be an unconscious movement in our day to day living as Christ followers.

Brave – having the strength to face fear of difficulty

To be brave means to believe in something. It means you have to have faith in something or else there is no reason to be brave.

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you…”
1 Corinthians 15:1-2

And just as Paul speaks of himself, we can say that whatever we are once we believe these truths, it is all because God poured out His grace – His special favor – on us. We do not have to strive to be brave or to have grace because Jesus does both in us. Our work of bravery is covered through His grace. In a world full of fear and judgement we can confidently look at the future Braving Grace.

Brave – the confident expectation of the Good News

“…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…”
Philippians 1:6

Transformed Christmas

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 / bravinggrace / Leave a comment

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

Prepare Your Heart
Read Romans 12 & Luke 10:25-37

There is never a bad time of year to renew our minds. Honestly, the holiday season might be the best time to focus on getting our minds off of the pattern of this world and more focused on being transformed by the renewing of our minds. How do we renew our minds? We get in God’s Word.

The holidays can bring unwanted and unwarranted stress into our lives in which we need to be prepared. From long-lasting gatherings with family to holiday work parties, we find ourselves in settings that are not the norm to our day-to-day. Thoughts and interactions may not go the way we expect them to go but the Bible provides us a wonderful outline in the twelfth chapter of Romans as to what we can put our focus on during this season. Let this be a springboard for the future in every area of your life.

What does it look like to have a transformed mind?

don’t think more highly of yourself than you think of others (don’t be a disrespectful know-it-all)
think sensibly (put down that 3rd, 4th Christmas Cookie; don’t go into debt to give gifts)
love without hypocrisy (don’t plaster on a fake smile to talk nice to someone’s face then turn around and gossip about them -hold on, isn’t that “Maturity 101”? Oops, I better practice what I preach LOL)
detest evil
cling to what is good
show family affection and brotherly love
outdo one another in showing HONOR (NOT outgiving with expensive gifts unless that is what honor needs to look like in your specific situation)
be diligent
be fervent in spirit
serve the Lord (and those around you)
rejoice in hope (nothing, absolutely nothing is hopeless when Jesus is involved)
be patient in affliction (there will be a lot of people who have buried hurts that try to surface during the holidays – read all of the above if you’re tempted to judge them in that hurt)
be persistant in prayer (not prayer that is consumed with you thinking everyone else needs to change)
share with the saints in need
pursue hospitality
bless those who persecute you (and gossip about you, and say false things about you, and turn their backs on you – yeah, those people)
rejoice with those who rejoice (that will help with your struggle with those who persecute you)
weep with those who weep (don’t tell people they need to just “get over it”, cry with them have a little empathy)
live in Godly agreement (you don’t know everything but God does)
don’t be proud; associate with the humble (in other words, let some humble people rub off on you)
don’t be wise based on your own opinions (Proverbs 3:5)
don’t repay evil for evil
do what is deemed honorable by as many as possible
be at peace with everyone as much as it depends on you
don’t try to get revenge (ooooo, this doesn’t always look like criminal behavior, revenge comes in small packages too – like giving the cold shoulder, gossip, slander, etc)
feed your enemy
conquer evil with good
bear the weaknesses of those who have no strength (you sometimes have to dig a little and let others express their hearts to know when this is needed)
don’t live to please yourself (don’t apologize just to ease your own conscience; don’t exploit others in order to look good)
build up your neighbor (who’s your neighbor? Read Luke 10:25-37)

Only do what promotes peace this season – and every season for that matter, but start today. If peace will not come by a decision you’re making, reconsider that decision through prayer and ask the Lord to give you wisdom to make the adjustments toward the outcome of peace. If chaos, frustration, and confusion will likely be the end result – change your approach. Use the above “guidelines” to lead you into heavenly peace; brave grace by choosing to practice a renewing lifestyle according to Romans 12.

Reflect

Continue reviewing this list throughout the season.
Where are your strengths and weaknesses in regard to renewing your mind in Christ Jesus?
How can you incorporate Romans 12 on a personal level in your day to day life?

We’d love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts or prayers in the comments below. We are excited to be part of your Christmas! To receive notifications and stay engaged with this Christmas devotional series, please follow us. And please share this with your friends and family!

Enjoy a Christmas Song

Grace for Distractions

December 4, 2021 / bravinggrace / Leave a comment

“….you are worried and distracted by many things….” ~Luke 10:41

Prepare Your Heart

Read: Luke 4 & Luke 10:38-42

Between the months of November and December, our family celebrates a couple of birthdays on top of Thanksgiving and Christmas. I cannot say that it doesn’t add to the possibility for things to get hectic. Ironically enough I woke up today with many distractions going on in my mind. As I sat to read my bible I found myself wandering off into those thoughts and this same passage from Luke 10 – not a passage we would usually associate with Christmas – kept creeping into my distractions….”you are distracted by many things….” and then I was reminded about a wonderful quote I found from Oswald Chambers that reads like this:

Lord, in my consciousness this morning a crowd of little things presses in and I bring them straight to your presence. In your wisdom say, ‘Peace, be still,’ and may my ordered life confess the beauty of your peace.
Oswald Chambers

This is the status of my heart on many mornings. A “crowd of little things” can become the norm for us during the holidays. But in all of the distractions of life let’s press in close to Jesus today and begin to make that the norm so that our lives become a confession of the beauty of His peace.

Reflect

What is the “crowd of little things” that keeps your mind distracted throughout your days?
Do these distractions cause chaos or frustration?
You have been given the mind of Christ. If you’re facing many distractions today, give them to Him and thank Him for renewing your mind.

Protect Your Peace.

December 3, 2021 / bravinggrace / Leave a comment

Prepare Your Heart

Read:
Isaiah 9:6
Philippians 4:9
2 Thessalonians 3:16
1 Thessalonians 5:23
Romans 16:20

I think we can all agree, the holiday season can be stressful if we are not careful about protecting our peace. It is not always something we consider doing but we should make it our chief aim to preserve peace in our lives. Guarding your peace means making a choice to not allow things (or frankly people) to take your peace from you. It is a choice. It might look like chaos all around you, but you can choose to walk in peace regardless of the circumstances. It may not seem possible because shutting out noise and distractions can seem impossible, but 1 Peter 3:11 tells us that we are to, “seek peace and pursue it”. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, PEACE, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Peace is already part of us when we are believers. It’s one of those free gifts we are given just waiting for us to open and use. Even better than peace being part of us through the Spirit, Peace is a person. Peace is the One in whom we put our hope. His name is Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, PRINCE OF PEACE. His name is Jesus. The reason for the season. The reason for every season. Jesus promises His peace and it is always available to those of us who believe in Him.

Let’s take Christmas back. Let’s choose peace.

Reflect:

Are you dealing with conflict in your life during this season? Maybe family drama, a financial struggle, or a health concern?
What areas do you allow chaos or frustration to steal peace from your home or relationships?
Today, make a concerted effort to reign in any negative or peace-stealing thoughts or actions and press into the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth concerning peace.

Seeking Him. Jesus.

December 2, 2021December 2, 2021 / bravinggrace / Leave a comment

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Jesus ~ Matthew 6:33

Prepare Your Heart:
Read Matthew 6:25-34

How do we seek God’s righteousness during this Christmas season? Wise men still seek Him. The “easy” answer is that we pursue right living – making good decisions, being honest, living with integrity, being kind, etc. It’s interesting how we are so trained to default to our own efforts.

If we look at what Jesus said here, we find that He didn’t tell us to go work hard to become righteous. He said to seek God’s righteousness. This means that righteousness is something to be found, not something to be done.

Righteousness is right-standing with God. The righteous person can stand in God’s presence without guilt or condemnation, fully free from judgement. The reality of Jesus is that without Him, no one can achieve righteousness. If we could do it on our own, His sacrifice wouldn’t be necessary. If we didn’t need a Savior, we wouldn’t rejoice at His birth.

In this season of grace, we are reminding ourselves to focus on the one thing that really matters, which is Jesus. Do we focus on Him by doing good things? The more righteously we behave, does that help us to focus on Him? Or is it the reverse?

Romans 5:17 tells us that righteousness is a gift that we receive. We don’t earn it. But let’s take it a step further. 1 Corinthians 1:30 says:

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption . . .

Do you see it? Jesus became for us righteousness. The KJV says “who is made unto us.” Became for us, is made unto us – Jesus is God’s righteousness on our behalf. When we seek the One who matters, when we pursue Him in His Word, in prayer, in faith, then we are seeking His righteousness. And from that place, righteous living will follow. We don’t seek righteousness by trying to be righteous. Rather, we become righteous when we seek Jesus. After all, He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Spend this season seeking the One and find the gift of righteousness. And all the things will be added.

Reflect:

What are ways you can spend time seeking the things of God with as much intention as you seek for the perfect gift for friends and family members?
Do you receive God’s gift of righteousness as an actual gift or are you still trying to earn it?

Season of Grace

December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 / bravinggrace / 1 Comment

“…few things are needed—or indeed only one.”
Luke 10: 42

Prepare Your Heart:
Read Luke 10:38-42

During this Christmas season, just like every other year, it is going to be easy for you to get caught up in the busy schedule, the purchase of gifts, the events for family and friends, and the overall hype that accompanies the holidays. None of those things are in and of themselves bad. Just like it was not bad for Martha to want to host a successful gathering. It is not bad to attend a family event. It is not bad to purchase a few too many gifts to bless others. But where is your priority?

Martha wasn’t wrong, she was mistaken. She was right to want to take on the tasks that came with hospitality, but she let that be her focus and not Jesus. Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus was an example of a heart posture. Jesus was not scolding Martha by telling her she did something wrong; I would bet that He was deeply appreciative of all the work the women put into having Him visit their home and engage with them. But He knew, because He knew her heart, that Martha’s focus was not on Him.

Sitting at the feet of Jesus is seeking the heart of the Father. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” I imagine Him explaining this to the room full of friends and family while Mary sat listening. And in Martha’s lonely frustration, I can hear Him responding to her from the Father’s heart – “precious girl, I just want to know you, the dishes can wait, come in here and sit down, I want you to know me. There really is nothing more needed, just One thing, Me, Jesus.”

This Christmas season, be encouraged to intentionally seek its purpose. There are really only few things needed in this life, and really only One. Jesus.

Reflect:

Do I have a tendency to make Christmas all about the hype – the gifts, the events, the busyness?
Do I truly allow Jesus to be the center of every element of Christmas?
Take a few minutes to pray about your heart posture as you move through this month and then quiet yourself to let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

And one last thing. I have to share music because it is what makes me happy. Enjoy this beautiful arrangement by some beautiful people….

Grace in the Waiting

December 2, 2020December 2, 2022 / bravinggrace / Leave a comment

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:13-14

Waiting. If we’re honest, most of us do not like waiting, yet it seems that most of our lives are spent waiting for something. From the moment a mother waits for the baby to be born until the moment loved ones wait for a person to breath their last breath, life goes by one waiting moment at a time.

Waiting is not easy. Waiting is hard. In a 2-day delivery world, waiting is made almost impossible – even if you wanted to wait. But waiting is necessary. God wouldn’t have breathed the words, “…be strong and take heart…” in regards to waiting if it didn’t require a little brawn. Waiting isn’t for the faint of heart. Thankfully, we don’t have to conjure up the strength and brawn it can take to wait.

If you’ve ever carried and delivered a child, you probably understand the necessity of waiting on a level that others may not. For ten full months the child remains unseen, and in a single moment, all of the waiting comes to an end and a baby is born. As a woman who has carried several children past full-term, I can attest that most waiting evokes the same emotion and need for grace as does waiting for a baby to be born. None of it is easy. There is a level of grace that is needed in any waiting. Even enduring the arrival of a baby, I still need an immense dose of grace just sitting at a stop light at times!

Imagine, for hundreds of years the world awaited a Messiah who was seemingly unseen. He was the Promise longed for; the answer to all of the world’s sin. And even still, centuries after Jesus was revealed, Romans 8:19 declares that, “…creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.” All of us are in a waiting process. The waiting process makes the gift of grace so much more valuable.

I consider the prophet Isaiah who was declaring the promises of God without knowing he’d ever personally experience all he spoke of. He did not see the promise of the child being born unto us. He did not get to meet the wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace. He only got to tell of the promise. He didn’t get to see the physical human representation of grace through Christ Jesus, but that didn’t stop Isaiah from speaking of Him as if he’d already met Him. Isaiah remained confident, and he walked braving grace, declaring the Word of the Lord, all while waiting.

During this season, ask the Lord to reveal to you the grace He is providing for you as you wait for that thing you know you are waiting for.