Sufficient Grace Archives - Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel

Grace Poured Out Like Rain

Jaime Wiebel — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 10:03:45 +0000

Grace Poured Out Like Rain

Over the past month, we have been doing a word study in our Seeking God Daily Facebook Group. If you have not already joined, feel free to do so here, as well. We love making new friends! Before you go, grab the free resources here for our Grace Study. Our word study is focusing on the word grace and I have been learning the deep need for God’s grace poured out like rain in my life and the need to others.

Let’s explore the gift of Grace together.

Often times when I am studying God’s Word with others, I hear them say they know this or that to be to be true… but… they don’t take His words and keep them for themselves. This can often be said about grace. We struggle with grace because we know deep down who we are and we don’t believe we deserve it. If this is you… keep reading, I have great news!

Grace by definition is the unmerited favor of God. The two defining points of grace that really stand out to me are to find favor or kindness by God bending and stooping in kindness. It is amazing how He isn’t some far-off God but one that will bend and stoop to His people and show them kindness.

The other definition is the divine influence on the heart and its reflection in the life. An influence that I certainly desire.

Old to New

We see in the Old Testament this idea of God stooping or bending down to show His kindness a lot. I love it. From the stories of Noah and Joseph to Ruth and Esther. God leaning toward His people to show His grace. To rescue them, even if they may not have deserved it, because of His kindness and goodness.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8 (KJV)

I just can’t help but imagine what if Noah had not found favor with God. Humanity would have a totally different story.

How does this translate into the new? God sent His One and Only Son to die for us. To save His people from their sins.

Why? Because they were good people. Because they didn’t deserve death. Sadly, No, Christ died for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8)

I am so grateful that #Christ didn't wait until I got my stuff together. I am so #grateful He didn't wait until I was ready and that He loved me in spite of all that I have done. #SeekingGod
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Because from the old to the new He restores. He restored my old soul and made it new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Just as He did throughout the new testament.

From Peter, Oh Peter, the restoration He received after He denied Christ three times and Christ called Him out by name to restore Him. To build His church. To be called to a Holy calling.

Paul, once named Saul, He took all his wretchedness and made Him a new man. A man that would write over half of God’s inspired words in the New Testament.

His Undeserved, Unmerited Grace

So if you are here today and you don’t think you deserve God’s grace, it’s okay. I have felt like this way so many times, even this week, I have had such a hard week, But God… He shows up in every moment and reminds me of His grace.

The first thing you need to realize when it comes to grace is it is not deserved. You did nothing to merit God’s favor.

You get grace because God’s chooses to give it. He chooses to give it not because He has a supply of it to give but because it is who He is.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)

God is full of grace. FULL. He doesn’t have a sprinkling to give and He limits it to go here and there. It is not a tank that runs out. This word full means complete. In Him grace is complete. Grace to its fullest. So that is why when He gives grace it pours because it is pouring out of His fullness.

I was thinking about this word full last week. And it came to me that even if God did just give me one sprinkling or one drop of grace, it would be full. It would be a drop of complete grace and it would be all that I needed.

That is pretty awesome. I don’t deserve it. And as wonderful as you are. You don’t deserve it either. (I said that with love.)

Just When You Think it Might End

There have been times, when I have thought, “I can’t believe I have messed up again.” Seriously, how long is God going to put up with me?

And I wonder for a moment, is this going to be it? I mean He can’t possibly have any more grace for me.

But then I am reminded of this beautiful verse in John.

Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given. John 1:16 (NIV)

There it is again. Out of His fullness. His complete grace. On top of the grace that He as already heaped upon my head in its place, He has poured out more. Amazing!

Living With My Past

For a long time, I lived in a cycle of sin. I knew it was wrong because the Holy Spirit was convicting me of my life but in an attempt to live my life according to my own selfish desires, I ignored it. Knowing I accepted Christ as my personal Savior but I would go on living for myself.

I actually believed I could ignore God and live life on my own.

My greatest fear was that I had become so deep in the trenches of my sinful life that I was too far away from God for His grace to reach me.

I thought I had messed up beyond repair. So, I kept on sinning. What was the point of changing if I had already messed up this much?

Paul addresses this thinking in his letter to the Romans.

What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase? By no means! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer? Romans 6:1-2 (BSB)

The idea that we are forgiven and so it doesn’t matter how we think, speak or act is what Paul was addressing. He is saying, No way! We cannot just keep living, however, we please.

We Are Called to a Holy Calling

The underserved grace that we are given calls us to live a holy life. It calls us to a life set apart from those around us.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time–to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)

Friends, if you are still looking for the great news in this story, here it is. If you have put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ to be Lord over your life, you have been saved. You have been called.

The greatest news! He did this!

I did nothing to earn it.

We can do nothing to work for it.

I did nothing to deserve it.

That is such a relief. You can let your belt out a loop and breathe with me. Because I would have blown it so many times by now. I can’t do enough. I will never be enough to deserve the grace, the unmerited favor, of God.

Yet, as His child, It ours out on me like rain. He gives it because it was His plan to give it before the beginning of time. It is His love and greatest joy to give His grace to His children.

Hallelujah! I am jumping for joy right now! You with me?

Friends, I hope this encouraged you to press on and press into Jesus. There you will find His grace!

Personal Reflections:

Do you feel trapped in your sin with no way out?
God’s Grace was not just made available to the people of the Bible but is available fresh for you, do you believe that and live like you believe it?
What do you do with God’s grace? Do you keep it for yourself or pour it out on others?
What is one thing that you have done this week that you can point to God’s grace getting you through?
How has God’s grace had the biggest influence on your life?

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Seeking God Daily Facebook Group

This summer we are are going to be doing Word Studies. We are focusing on three words. The first word we are digging deeper into is the word grace. Please feel free to look around and enjoy these Seeking God Daily Resources.

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The post Grace Poured Out Like Rain appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Thirst No More

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 21:45:00 +0000

When something happens in the day my first instinct is to run to the phone and call my best friend, my husband.

If I am struggling with the kids or if one of them is being especially trying today… off I run.

Something really funny happens… off I run.

I am not able to talk to my husband about every situation because he is at work. As soon as I start this relay back to the phone, I realize, I have to wait for him to be available.

Often times, that need leaves me feeling alone and secluded. Even though I have other people around me (my kids) I begin to sometimes feel isolated.

This would probably explain my talks-a-lot syndrome. Anyone else have this? I get around other moms or really anyone who will listen and I begin talking their ears off. My off button seems to be malfunctioning, and I just cannot shut my mouth.

The great news is there is nothing really wrong with me. We were made to be social with one another. We were not made to be isolated and secluded.

I am left with this question. As much as I seek out relationships with others, my husband, my family, my friends, am I seeking that kind of relationship with my creator? The One who seeks our relationship as much as we seek it with others?

After this giant workout of running to talk to this person or that person, the bottom line is, I am thirsting for something more. As much as I love my family and friends not one of them can quench my thirst like my Heavenly Father.

I am reminded of the women at the well. You can read the full version in John 4:1-42. I love this story for many reasons so I want to explore it a little bit with you.

In the first part of this chapter Jesus and the disciples are going from Judea to Galilee. Verse 4 says: And He had to pass through Samaria.

The word had I find very interesting. You see as Jewish people traveled in this region they did not go through Samaria. In fact, even though it was the shorter route, they would go out of their way to travel around it.

In John, we are told that Jesus had to go this way. The word here means it was necessary. It was necessary for Jesus to go this way. Why? What did He have in mind?

I am not going to begin to pretend I know the mind of Christ but let’s look at what He did while He was there and maybe we can see why he had to go this way.

Verse 6: Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

The woman continues her line of questioning and asks Jesus if He is greater than Jacob.

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

Sir give me this water so I will be thirsty no more. I love her immediate desire. Read on and you will see why her life has left her with this desire.

16 He said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

Look at her desire for relationship. She has not only had one husband but had five husbands. Now the man she was living with wasn’t even her husband.

Jesus doesn’t rebuke this woman here. What He tells her is very simple yet it went to her core.

Why did Jesus have to go this route? Why does He seek us out on the route we are traveling on?

He wants us to know this.

I know you. I know all that you have done. I know all your past mistakes. I know who you are today and I know the choices that you will make tomorrow.

So He came with this important message.

I have what you need. I am not just interested in your current position in life. I have the living water you need to satisfy your soul, not just to quench a thirsty mouth.

He comes to the well to offer eternal life. No matter your past. No matter your current situation, that you may see no way out of. His message is the same.

Verse 25 says: The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

WOW! Were you ready for that? Here Christ declares for the first time, to a woman, to a Samaritan Women, this amazing statement. I AM HE! I AM HE! No more questions could be asked. She knew and His offer to her is the same He offers you today.

Are you thirsty for this water? The water that satisfies your soul. The type of water that requires only one drink and you will never thirst again.

I don’t know about you but as great as my relationships are, I always need a little more.

So instead of running to my phone, I can run to Christ. He has the water I need to thirst no more.

If you would like to read another post checkout Will You Follow
Bible References used from BibleHub.com

The post Thirst No More appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.

Had Enough? Here’s a Cup of Sufficient Grace!

Jaime Wiebel — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:29:00 +0000

How many of you woke up today and thought enough already?
Today is a new day and I am ready for a new beginning. You have been going
through your life and day after day it seems to be the same rehashed story just
a different day.

Have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray, the
star of the show, wakes up and it is the same day over and over again. At first
he is so down and out; he thinks I cannot live this day over again and refuses
to get out of bed. It is just an
unbearable situation.

Have you been there? Waking up to start a new day with a
grumble, with an, “I cannot take another day like I had yesterday.”

Recently, in my life, I had those days over and over again. I
wasn’t refusing to get out of bed but it was really taking a toll on me. It was
really beginning to take a toll on my family and friends because they had to
listen to my grumbles. My heart and attitude to say the least was sour. If that
was you, I am sorry.

I felt like my grumbles were legitimate. I am still not sure
that they were not legitimate, that is not the point. My grumbles were being
poured out to the wrong sources.

I am the type of person to wear my emotions on my sleeve. I
feel so deeply, that I quickly get hurt. This hurt was driving deep down into
my soul. I kept thinking today is a new day. I can brush off my feelings from
yesterday and start over today. These feelings, however, didn’t want to give up
so easily.

I would try to wrap my brain around this, sometimes all
day. It began to consume me until it was
almost eating at every heart-string that I have.

Look back at the last few paragraphs, do you see yourself
there? Do you hear yourself there? Now look carefully at how much I tried to figure this all out.

I would cry about this. I would talk about it to everyone
that I thought could help me change it. I was putting all my greatest efforts
at making my situation different.

As I looked back at all my efforts, they seemed to fade with
each passing day. I would wake up the next day to do it all over again.

I was becoming so busy at laying it at others feet and well,
they couldn’t fix it. I certainly couldn’t fix it. Now I realize God didn’t
want me to fix it.

Don’t get me wrong I was praying about this situation. I was
asking God to fix it the way I wanted Him to and in my time. My prayers and
thoughts were not entirely selfish, but I was praying that my will be done and
not God’s. I was praying as if He is
some sort of fix it my way and we can all move on, happily ever after, kind of
God.

Until the moment, listen to this carefully, until the moment I prayed for Him to
change me, and for Him to align me with His will, did He answer my prayers. I surrendered
it to Him. Please read Lay Down All Your Heavy Burdens to get more insight on
surrendering.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus
says, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Do you have those prayers? Are you praying regularly for God
to fix the situation that you are in? Are you treating Him like some sort of
genie God on your knees day and night trying to get Him to do what you are
asking Him?

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul, who became one of God’s greatest missionaries,
tells us about a thorn that he has in his flesh. This was not an actual thorn.
What he was saying was he had this affliction tormenting him so much and he pleaded
three times for the Lord to take it away.

I felt like this was me. I was pleading with God. I was
crying out to him. When He wasn’t fixing it the way I wanted Him to. When He
wasn’t laying out the path I wanted Him to, I pleaded in torment.

My heart was breaking. I thought that since my heart was
breaking for the things God wants our hearts to break for, like the injustice
to his people, this was okay.

This is what Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God
said to him, this is what God tells me, and this is what He is telling you
right now in the midst of your tormented days. Paul says, But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made perfect in weakness,” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

God does not promise us an easy life free of burden and
affliction. He promises that He is enough for us in the midst of the burdens,
if we lean on Him.

God can fix His own situations, I can’t.

I can
surrender. I can ask for my thoughts and actions to be aligned with His will,
and not my own.

Seems simple? That’s the tough part. It means surrendering
myself, taking up my cross daily (Luke 9:23), and living in alignment with the
will of God.

Are you in what seems like an unbearable situation, in a
state of personal torment?

God wants you to draw near to Him. He wants you to give it
to Him. Look back at 2 Corinthians 12:9 He says, My grace is sufficient for
you. It is enough for you. It is actually all you need. He also says His power
is made perfect in your weakness.

Are you feeling weak? Are you feeling like you cannot do
this again today? Give it up. Ask God to take your heavy burdens. Ask God to
help you draw closer to Him and to live in alignment with His will. He will
then show you His awesome power.

Please share this with a friend, you never know someone’s
real heart or the personal struggles that they may be going through. And guess
what, you can’t fix them anyway, but God can. May you extend to them that opportunity?

Please share in the comments below how God has made His
power perfect in your weaknesses. You can also encourage us with comments about
how He has lifted a heavy burden when you have surrendered.

The post Had Enough? Here’s a Cup of Sufficient Grace! appeared first on Seeking God with Jaime Wiebel.