Amazing Grace (eBook)

JANUARY

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 NLT

JANUARY 1

SEEK HIS FACE

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

1 CHRONICLES 16:11 NIV

It can be difficult to ask for help at times, and we like to try to solve our problems on our own. That is not how the Lord created us to operate. We need his strength to persevere, and we need the support of others as well.

Rather than trying to muster up enough power to forge through life alone, we should seek the Lord’s face and ask for help in times of trouble. The Lord is gracious and generous. He gives us strength, and he also gives us each other.

Lord, I will seek your face always! When I feel overwhelmed and incapable of carrying on, I will come before you and ask for strength. Humble me to ask others for help when I need it and give me eyes to see when someone else may need my help.

Who has the Lord put in your life that has been a source of strength and encouragement for you?

JANUARY 2

VICTORY IN CHRIST

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

ROMANS 16:20 NIV

As we continue to follow the ways of truth and godliness, the enemy also persists in his attempts to thwart us. Paul warned the people of false teachers and doctrine, which is one of the devil’s crafty ways of undermining the work of Christ and Christians. God gives us the promise, however, that these attacks will ultimately fail and our enemy will be struck down! Everything that is a lie will fall away and only what is true will remain.

Through all of life’s trials and the deception of others, we are given the promise that Jesus’ grace will be with us. All the calamity and lies of the world cannot derail us from following Christ when we have been given the gifts of grace, peace, and truth.

Thank you for your grace, Lord Jesus. Thank you for standing up for me and protecting me from the enemy’s attempts to destroy me. You are my victory and I find great peace in your promise of deliverance.

How do Paul’s words associate with God’s prophetic promise in Genesis 3:15?

JANUARY 3

LOYAL LOVE

Hold on to loyal love and don’t let go, and be faithful to all that you’ve been taught. Let your life be shaped by integrity, with truth written upon your heart.

PROVERBS 3:3 TPT

The Lord’s loyalty toward us and his love for us is unbreakable! That same love and loyalty that he pours on us he also places in us. Our sinful natures can at times take over, but when we focus on how God truly remade us and fashioned us in his love, we find that he is the one who helps us live out our true selves.

We must hold fast to this love, be faithful to God, and act in the way he has taught us to. Reading his Word and taking his lessons to heart will imprint his integrity and truth on us.

Your loyal love overwhelms me, Father, it is unfathomable. The enemy tries to disrupt it, but you have always remained faithful to your people even to the point of death on a cross. Thank you for this incredible gift.

How do you hold on to loyal love?

JANUARY 4

MINDSET OF CHRIST

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-6,8 NIV

The attitude Christ bore was one of servanthood and sacrifice. His humble obedience is meant to serve as a model for us to replicate. If the King of the universe is willing to overlook his grandiose rights for the sake of love, and subject himself to all the mistreatment of the world, then we can also partake in serving others in the relationships God has given us.

Whatever our current calling, we know we are walking with a God who understands.

Lord, help me to embrace the relationships you have given me with the same attitude you have. Whether I am loving my spouse, parents, children, friends, neighbors, bosses, or strangers, I want to love them the way you loved me.

As you find yourself in situations that require Christlike servanthood, do you embrace them with a humble and obedient mindset as well?

JANUARY 5

DELIGHT IN THE LAW

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

PSALM 1:1-2 ESV

We walk in truth and in the light, so our actions are transparent and we invite accountability. We study the Word of God and find our delight in it, for it reveals truth to us.

There is a big difference in sitting with the sinner and sitting in “the way” of the sinner. Jesus sat with sinners; in fact, he sought them out. We are called to love the lost and even to welcome them into our lives. We are not supposed to act the way they do or delight in their wrongdoing. We identify ourselves with Christ and mimic his ways which were always good and pure.

Oh God, your way is the only way. I will choose to walk the way you walked and ponder your words day and night. Your Scriptures are my guide and the blueprint for my life.

What delights you about the law of the Lord?

JANUARY 6

COMFORT

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

MATTHEW 5:3-4 NIV

Poverty is not simply an economic hardship, it can be a spiritual one too. The phrase “blessed are the poor” has become well-known, but when Jesus first spoke it, it was outrageous! The term “blessing” in those days was synonymous with wealth; it was not simply a spiritual virtue.

Jesus came to turn the tables and change the world’s systems. Although the planet still suffers under the weight of sin, another law has been set in motion which we, as Christians, are devoted to above any other law. The law of Christ is love. Love God and love others. The poor in spirit will not be cast out or ostracized; in fact, the kingdom of heaven is theirs! Those who mourn will find comfort in Christ.

You are my comfort when I mourn. My tears and my suffering are not forever, but you and your kingdom are. You are my blessing and my richness, dearest Lord.

What comforts you when you mourn?

JANUARY 7

PERFECT PEACE

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.

ISAIAH 26:3 NKJV

Not only does the Lord reward those who trust in him with peace, but that is also the obvious outcome of having a God-centered mind. This world is full of trouble and mishap. If we focus on our problems, we are bound to become anxious. Even if we focus on ourselves, our inadequacies can become our impending apprehension.

By focusing on God and truly trusting in his ability to overcome every problem, our hearts and minds can be at peace because we know we are secure in his love and his capable hands. There is no problem too big for the Lord to lead us through it.

Father, fill me with your peace. My focus is on you and I eagerly soak up your words. You have covered me with your love and given me your joy. I know you will also preserve me with your perfect peace if I put my trust in you.

How do you maintain focus on God when life is piling on problems?

JANUARY 8

LACKING WISDOM

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

JAMES 1:5 NIV

It is easy to say we want wisdom and to ask God for it, but when those difficult decisions come and we feel trapped between a rock and a hard place, what we truly rely on becomes evident. Do we trust ourselves first? Would we rather follow the systems of this world? Or is our first response to turn to God’s Word and prayer?

The Lord promises to supply what we’re lacking and give us the answers we need. He does not treat us with disdain for our lack of wisdom but invites us to partake in his.

Please help me to trust you in any and all of life’s circumstances, dear Father. May I turn to you for wisdom rather than myself or the world. You are always faithful to answer and deliver on your promises, and your generosity is limitless.

Can you think of a time when the wisdom of God was in direct conflict with the teachings of this world? How did you proceed? What was the outcome?

JANUARY 9

TRUE LIFE

This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his one and only...