Grace

By: Rian

I have been reading Leviticus lately. Have you ever read that book? If not you really should. It is quite fascinating all that God tells Moses and the Israelites. The book is about "the law", which was a huge list of rules that the Israelites had to live by to prove their love to God. There were consequences for breaking the law, sometimes even death. The law is very thorough. It amazes me how specific it is. Here are a few versus from Leviticus 12.

"The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised. 4 Then the woman must wait 33 days to be purified from her bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are over. 5 If she gives birth to a daughter, for two weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait 66 days to be purified from her bleeding."

This is just a little snippet of the book. There are much more in depth parts of the law. My point here is that the Israelites were not "saved by grace" like we are, they were bound by the law. They had to know it and live by it every day. Thank you Jesus that is not the case today!!!

Have you ever just sat in awe of God's grace? Have you ever really pondered the meaning of God's grace? Grace is one of my favorite words, actually it is what I will probably name a future daughter (when/if God blesses me with one!!). First off, let's look at the definition of grace. Dictionary.com says, "the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God". How wonderful!!! From this it looks as though I do nothing to deserve God's grace, He chooses to freely give it to me in spite of who I am. That is wonderful, considering I would never be good enough to earn it. That is why God sent Jesus to save us, people couldn't live by the law. People are inherently flawed and sin. God knew the only way He could save us from eternal damnation was through sacrificing His son. Ok that seriously is the best news ever! I say all this to remind you to think about God's grace for you. He loves you unconditionally and forever. There is nothing you can ever do to make Him stop loving you!! He is always here for you in the moment of your pain and heartache and He will love you like no one else can.

I leave you with one of my all time favorite songs. The lyrics to this song are so true, and beautiful and they make my soul sing. I have bolded the best part. I hope they move you like they move me and they speak of God's grace and unending love to your soul.

How He Loves Us
David Crowder Band

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.


We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…"

___________________________________________________

After four years of infertility and five miscarriages, Rian was finally able to realize her lifelong dream of motherhood. She now spends her days raising her one year old son, caring for her husband and their home. She is also co-presiding over the Amarillo chapter of Resolve. Rian has a calling to minister to women who experience suffering and heartache.