Hosea 14:4-7 NIV — “I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon. People will dwell again in his shade; they will flourish like the grain, they will blossom like the vine— Israel’s fame will be like the wine of Lebanon”.

Flourish: Grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

In reading today’s key verse and definition of flourish, is it easier to receive and give grace? According to Hosea, grace is an important key to flourishing. Doing something hard brings great rewards. When we partner doing something hard with relying on God for strength and endurance then the reward is even greater. It is called spiritual discipline. When our identity shows spiritual discipline, we shine the light of Jesus for His glory. Flourishing is all about progress and not perfection. 

Take a moment to look at Ray’s photo. Palm trees are known for their strength and symbolize victory, peace, and eternal life. Is your spiritual life strong like a palm tree? Are you living in the identity of Jesus’ victory at the cross? Are you spreading the peace of God through His grace? 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for equipping me with the strength to do hard things. Help me in my spiritual discipline so that I can shine Your light. May I continue to flourish through progress by giving myself and others grace today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

Compassion: Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings of misfortunes of others.

In reading today’s key verse and definition of compassion, is it easier to receive and give grace? I love the promise of something new! A fresh start! Whether self-imposed or assumed by society, we often devalue ourselves by having a mindset that we are not worthy of God’s grace. The truth is, we are all worthy. 

Take a moment to look at Ray’s beautiful photo of the clouds. Often our compassion towards ourselves or others gets clouded by society. Not knowing the unpublished stories in people’s lives, we tend to have a narrow mindset. We can lose sight of receiving and giving grace by creating false labels. Who might you have a narrow mindset towards today? Maybe yourself? A family member or friend? Ask God to give you Christ-like compassion. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for your compassions that never fails us, even when the world does. Give me the Christ-like compassion I need to walk in Your light throughout my day. Show me how to act and react with Your great love by reviving and giving grace. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

“In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. That he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8 NIV 

Lavished: Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.

In reading today’s key verse along with the definition of lavished, is it easier to receive and give grace? This week we will dive deeper into receiving and giving grace, as well as our identities in Christ Jesus. I want to share a quote with you from Author Lysa Terkheurst, who has helped me tremendously with my Identity: “When my identity is tied to circumstances, I become extremely insecure because circumstances are unpredictable and ever-changing. We must tie our identities to our unchanging, unflinching, unyielding, undeniably good, and unquestionably loving God.” 

Take a moment to look at Ray’s photo. I am sure we all have chapters in our lives we wish to keep unpublished, hidden deep in the woods, or maybe Satan just wants us to think they should remain that way. Often the circumstances that we go through in life are stories that someone needs to hear so that they too can know our loving God that gives grace lavishly. What identity are you giving yourself or others today? 

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for lavishing Your grace on me so that I can live freely. Thank You that no matter my circumstances, my Identity is tied back to You. Help me to receive and give grace as I go about my day and my week. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

“

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV — “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Click here to watch today’s See You Saturday video to learn how being planted with deep roots allows us to withstand the rain and winds of the storms of life.

1 Peter 2:19-25 NIV — For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. “By his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

If you have been reading the blog all this week you know that each day I featured the same scripture. Each day I shared part of the message that I shared at church last Sunday. I have thought a lot about the quote from Scott Hoezee in which he said, “Getting graced by God is like getting dipped into a vat of perfume: the residue of the fragrance should waft off of you from then on.”

My prayer is that as we examined ourselves, we received a fresh dip into the vat of God’s grace over the last week. May “the residue of the fragrance of God’s grace waft off of us.” May our hearts be molded more and more like Christ each day and when others criticize us, unfairly judge us, attack us or spread rumors about us, may we respond like Christ and extend the grace of God. May each of us have a God scent.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for a fresh dip in the vat of Your grace. May I have a holy residue of Your fragrance and may I be known as being God scent. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

1 Peter 2:19-25 NIV — For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. “By his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

How can you and I learn to allow God to defend us and in turn extend grace to those who have been unkind to us?

First, we can set aside a daily prayer and devotion time. When we spend time talking with Christ, sharing the highs and lows of life we are able to let go of our sorrows. During this time we are able to gain wisdom and guidance from God to help us deal with difficult people and situations. When our hearts and minds are full of Christ we are more likely to have the grace of God wafting off of us.

Next, we can sustain a sweet scent of God by starting our day with gratitude. Spend some time each morning or evening listing at least 5 blessings. When we are intentional with looking for not only the big, but also the small gifts from God, we begin to adopt an attitude of gratitude which empowers us to share God’s grace with others. In Psalm 86:12, David declares, “I will praise you with all my heart, O Lord my God; I will proclaim your greatness forever.”

Another way to exude the aroma of God’s grace is by practicing living in the moment. When we learn to be present in the “right now” and relish each moment, we strengthen our gratitude and learn to appreciate fully the grace God extended to us when His only Son died on the cross for our sins. As long as we have breath in our earthly bodies, we are sinners. Every day you and I show our humanness and fail, but every day God extends grace and forgiveness to us. Let’s learn to relish each moment we are given and realize that each moment is an opportunity to waft the scent of God. As Psalm 118:24 states, and as our pastor often reminds us, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Today, let’s be aware of the scent that we have wafting off of us. Let’s be intentional in spreading God’s grace, especially to those who have hurt us, so we may share the sweet scent of God.

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for the sweet scent of Your grace. As I spend time in prayer, devotion, and gratitude may I collect Your sweet scent and spread it to others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

1 Peter 2:19-25 NIV — For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness. “By his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Last Friday night we had a Spring Fling dance at school. I stood in the hallway greeting students as they arrived. I stood in the same place I stand each morning as they arrived at school so it was fun to witness different sights and attitudes. Being one of the first to see them, I had the pleasure of seeing their excitement and nervousness as they walked toward the gym. While they were all decked out in fancy clothes, many of them wore perfumes or colognes. As I stood there admiring all the sights and smells of our students, it occurred to me that we do the same with the “scent” of God. 

Think about it. When we are going to church, a celebration, or an important function, we get all cleaned up. We put on our best clothes, our best smells, and our best attitude. We greet others with kind words and it’s easy to exude the scent of God to others. In contrast, what about the days that nothing goes right or the days when you have one difficult situation after another? How about when co-workers criticize you or when someone spreads a rumor about you? What about when you learn someone who you thought was your Christian friend has expressed a judgemental comment to others about you? How do you respond? Do you plan your revenge? Do you brainstorm ways to retaliate? What scent do you exude? Times like these, difficult times, times of injustice and mistreatment … these are the times that we must follow the example of Christ and allow God to defend us. We must rely on God. In Psalm 62:5-7 David declares, “I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him. He alone protects and saves me; he is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; he is my strong protector; he is my shelter.”

Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for Your everlasting love, grace and protection. Give me strength and courage to lay my sorrows before You and allow You to defend me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.