I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus. ~1 Corinthians 1:4
Have you ever noticed that when a word chooses you for the year, you begin to see it everywhere? When the word Grace takes up residence in my heart for 2025, that phenomenon has occurred with regularity. What a joy that is!
Pictured above is the daily devotional, New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp, I've chosen to read each day of this year. From the first of January until today (February 17), Tripp has mentioned God's gift of grace in all but eight of them. All but eight!!! I'd say that's like batting a thousand. And this is the journal I use to record all the grace moments I come across in my daily readings.
In her post for January 20th, Pamela, who blogs at Closed Doors, Open Windows, shares this wonderful acrostic for the word grace that the pastor at her church often uses.
G - God's
R - Riches
A - At
C - Christ's
E - Expense
Many of you may already be familiar with this "definition" of grace, but for me, it is a new and welcomed revelation. Thanks, Pamela!
It reminds me, once again, that grace is freely given by God, not because I've earned it or deserve it, but because His Son, Jesus, laid down His precious life for us in order to pay for the sins of every man, woman and child, past, present and future. None of us, I dare say, can fathom the immense cost of Jesus' sacrifice, leaving the joys of heaven to be born, live and die as one of us here on earth.
Yet, because God so loved the world, He did just that.
My signature sign-off here at Meditations of My Heart when responding to comments has been Love and blessings for years. Now, being inspired by grace, I've decided to wish all of you Grace and blessings instead when you take the time to read and comment on my posts. Your kind, thoughtful and caring words never cease to fill my heart with gratefulness for each one of you.
I will close today's post with one quote from Paul David Tripp about grace: I need your grace. Grace to remember, grace to see, grace that produces a heart of humble joy.
Grace and blessings, dear friends!
"Grace and blessings". Thank you for this, Martha.
ReplyDeleteThere but for the grace of God ...
God bless you and your family.
Amen, Victor, there but for the grace of God . . .
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I have gone through NMM 3 times in the past. This year, as you know, I and the church are working out way through his newest devotional "Everyday Gospel." And, as you know, I am also preaching my way through the Bible using his writings as inspiration along with the lengthy passages of Scripture for each week. It has been a rich experience. BTW: he talks about grace a lot in this one also. :) I wish you Grace and Blessings Martha. Keep reading! Keep growing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind words here today, Bill. I know I've said this before, but I think it's wonderful that the entire congregation is reading through "Everyday Gospel" together, and it's become such an inspiration to them and to you. A rich experience, indeed!
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Awww, thank you, Martha, for the mention, and praise be to God for His amazing GRACE! Where would we be without it? Lost and unhappy, for sure. Yes, God gave up His ONLY SON to die for us, we who were unworthy of His grace, but yet He chose to save us because He loves us so very much. That is truly amazing GRACE! May God continue to pour out His GRACE and blessings upon you and yours as well. (((hugs)))
ReplyDeleteI knew you wouldn't mind me giving your blog post a shout out, Pamela. I wrote the acrostic in my grace journal, date and all, so I could refer back to your very post about it. We are unworthy and undeserving, yet God loved us so much, Jesus willingly took our place. That's grace!
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Yep...and I have 2 words and I see those everywhere too. smiles. Wishing you a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to know that I'm not alone in this, Linda. That certainly tends to happen when God chooses the word(s).
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One of my favorite hymns is “Marvelous Grace.”
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever heard this one, Diana, but I will be sure to look it up next Sunday. It sounds like a perfect match for my word.
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Grace in abundance is at our fingertips - or the edge of our heart.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Glynn! I could not have said it better.
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Grace and blessings! What a wonderful thought for today and every day.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Carol, and you know I think so, too.
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I have seen that acrostic before, but I haven't thought about it forever - I did write it down. What would we do without HIS grace?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what we would do, Sandie, but I certainly would never want to find out. His grace is enough and more.
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A wonderful word -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI thought so, too, Christine. Perfect!
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Inspiring post, Martha! I have a wonderful friend who always signs off “Grace & Peace”. We are recognized by our repetitive phrases. It’s always all about Grace!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Lulu
Amen, Lulu, it certainly is! I love how your friend sign with Grace and Peace. Sums it all up in a nutshell, doesn't it? Sure do miss your blogs that always inspired me, but I do understand your other mission that is so worthwhile. Thanks for taking time to still visit with me. I'm honored!
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Beautiful word Martha and a geat idea to use it everyday. It serves as a reminder.
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and Danny.
I'm so glad you agree, Bill, that it's a word we should use and remember each and every day. God's grace is invaluable and something we all desperately need.
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Beautifully put, Martha! I've no idea where it came from, but since waking and walking this morning "Amazing Grace" has been running through my mind and even off my tongue.
ReplyDeleteI love your new closing wishes.
Thank you so much, Myra, for sharing your experience today with the song "Amazing Grace." Wow! How sweet the sound and what a promise from the Lord that we can always count on no matter what. Now, you have the lyrics looping through my mind's feed. :)
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What a grand focus for a full year: God's grace! And what a delight for you to discover that Tripp's devotional book is laced with references about grace! One of my favorite grace-quotes comes from Oswald Chambers: "We are not meant to be seen as God's perfect, bright-shining examples, but to be seen as the everyday essence of ordinary life exhibiting the miracle of His grace."
ReplyDeleteOh, Nancy, I'm so grateful to you for sharing this quote from Oswald Chambers here. Know that I'll be grabbing my grace journal so I can add these beautiful, meaningful words to it. As for the devotional, I've had it for awhile, but never got around to using it in a meaningful way. It literally jumped off my shelf to call attention to the journey I should be on this year with the Lord. I've been nothing but inspired by God's grace and love through time spent with it each day.
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Martha, that's amazing about the word Grace in so many of your devotionals. And love the acrostic. I remember hearing that definition of grace early on in our church ministry roles in our marriage. It's such a great way to remember what the word really means. God bless.
ReplyDeleteAcrostics are a fabulous way to recall and share definitions of those true words from God that we need to keep in the forefront. That's just another reason why I love reading your weekly blog as you give us so much biblical wisdom through the use of acrostics. It definitely helps me, and all your readers, to dig deeper into the meaning of God's Word.
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I love that your word is Grace! It's such a beautiful way to spread love into the world. We all need it and we all receive and give it in various ways!
ReplyDeleteYes, Lisa, we all need to accept and receive grace, and in turn, give it to others freely and without expecting anything in return. Isn't that what God has done for us? Of course! What an amazing and faithful friend we have in Jesus.
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This is a perfect definition of the word Grace Martha Jane, thankyou for sharing this lovely post. God bless you with all His Grace has for you in Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed this post, Brenda, and thanks for your kind comment here.
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God's grace has long been a part of my life. Without it there would be no hope.
ReplyDeleteHugs and Blessings
Absolutely, Jim. How could any of us live without God's free and undeserved gift of grace?
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God's grace is a good thing to dwell on. I try to thank Him every day for His grace and many other blessings He allows me to enjoy. Blessings. ❣️
ReplyDeleteGod's grace and mercy are things for which we should always be grateful, Sparky. I thank Him daily, too.
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Oh Martha Jane, this is exactly what a word for the year does! It brings focus. I love that you decided to change the ending of your blog posts into grace and blessings. May it all come back to you hundredfold!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Marja, for leaving such a kind and thoughtful comment here today. Our word of the year certainly does bring a unique focus into our lives. I'm looking forward to using the new tagline, too, as it will cause me to focus even more upon God's great gift.
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I love that you have a special journal for recording "grace moments," Martha. And that acronym is such a great description. I'm looking forward to hearing more about grace. 💕 Love and blessings of God's amazing grace to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your kind comment here today, Trudy. I loved that acronym, too, and found it to be the exact blessing I needed for "grace." The journal is one I tried to start last year, but with all the medical issues, I could never really get going. I'm glad it's getting put to good use in 2025.
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Repeating Victor's comment, "There but for the grace of God ..." is so true for all of us. I have not chosen a word (and a word has not especially chosen me) for this year, but I have thought a lot about grace. How thankful I am! May I extend grace to those in my sphere of influence.
ReplyDeleteGood post, Martha.
I loved Victor's comment here, too, Barbara. We have all experienced God's grace, often when we least expect it and most need it. Maybe, this is the right word for you this year? I don't mind sharing, and as you already try to extend grace to those around you, it could be the perfect word to use.
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Grace and blessings to you, Martha! I love that!! xo
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, thank you sharing this
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