GRACEfor A

ISBN 978-1-940088-80-8

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GRACEfor A

Grace! It lies at the very heart of the Christian faith, bringing pardon to the guilty, peace to the anxious, relief to the burdened, and joy for living day by day.

Each of the devotions in this book focuses on a different facet of this glorious gift in our lives and in the situations we face. Find a comfortable spot and soak in

the truly Amazing Grace your Savior offers!

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Devotions for Women

Devotions for Women

GRACEfor A

Jane L. Fryar FF

Devotions for Women

www.CTAinc.com

GRACEfor A Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me . . .I once was lost but now am found,Was blind, but now, I see.

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;

it is the gift of God, not a result of works,

so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8–9

The mission of CTA is to glorify God by providing purposeful productsthat lift up and encourage the body of Christ-

because we love him!

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV®) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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Devotions for Women

Jane L. Fryar FF

F

My Lord, your grace is amazing! It has saved someone like me—wretched and drowning in my sin. How can I thank you for your redemptive love? . . .

W ould you rather stay at a

luxury hotel or in the home of a gracious friend, sister, parent?

Luxury suites can be fun! There’s the fruit and cheese basket as you arrive. There’s the selection of gourmet coffees and teas when you’re ready to relax. There are those spa-worthy towels and that fluffy bathrobe. Wonderful!

Wonderful, but still . . . impersonal.

A gracious friend, on the other hand, will meet you at the front door—with a hug. A gracious friend will drink that gourmet tea with you, lingering in conversation. A gracious friend will urge you to knock on her door, even in the middle of the night, if you need absolutely anything.

Gracious friends are generous, compassionate, and personally concerned. When the Bible describes God as “gracious,” it has these qualities in mind.

It has more in mind, though. For one thing, when we rely on God’s grace, we freely admit we don’t deserve it. The Bible says we were once “separated from Christ.” We had rebelled against our heavenly Father and because of that, we were “strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).

God extends his grace to us, not when we become his friends, but long, long before! In grace, he sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on a cruel cross for all our wrongdoing. In grace, the Holy Spirit has turned us from enemies to friends and from friends to members of Jesus’ very own family. Because of God’s grace, we are now much more than God’s friends. We are God’s very own daughters!

When we were hateful and moody and sullen, Jesus opened his arms wide in welcome to us. He took from us the rags of our soiled, sordid guilt. He gave us in exchange the spotless robe of his own righteousness.

Our sins were wretched. But they are gone. In grace—amazing grace—God has forgiven all, each, and every one of them. We are the dearly loved children of God—all and only by his grace.

Day 1 AmAzing grAce

By grace you have been saved.Ephesians 2:8

4 5

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Lord, you are good. Your grace is amazingly gentle . . .

W hat is a gentleman like?

e

A gentleman makes others feel like they are the center of attention.

e

A gentleman opens the car door for a lady.

e

A gentleman walks on the curb side of the sidewalk.

e

A gentleman waits to eat until others at the table have their food.

e

A gentleman enters a cab first, so a lady need not scoot all the way across the seat, especially when she’s wearing a skirt.

Is etiquette archaic? Are good manners out of date? In many places, sadly, the answer is yes. Still, many of our sons and brothers are still gentlemen. Many of our daughters and sisters are still ladies. Gentlemen and ladies alike know that good manners are built around one main theme—concern for the other person, putting the needs and feelings of others ahead of our own.

Using that criteria, our Lord is a perfect gentleman. Take another look at Isaiah 30:18:

The Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

When we read this verse in context, we quickly see that Isaiah is writing to a group of people who have put their gracious God on the back burner. They do not care what he thinks or what he has commanded. Their relationship with him falls toward the very bottom on their list of priorities. They are taking his grace for granted.

The Almighty could insist on a change. He could force his people to grovel in fear and shame. He could even fling them into oblivion like so many rebellious pieces on a human chessboard.

Instead, he graciously waits. He urges them, through his prophet, to repent of their sins, to recalibrate their priorities. Though their sins break his heart, he will not force their obedience. Even when he brings his power to bear, he does that only so that he can show mercy, bringing forgiveness to a repentant people.

Still today, our Lord never trespasses, never forces his love, his friendship, his gifts on us. He intends always to help, never to hurt us. The cross of Christ proves it: God is always able and willing to do what’s best for us.

Day 2 grAce, gentle grAce

The Lord waits to be gracious to you, and

therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

Isaiah 30:18

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Lord Jesus, you are lovely, flawless. I want to be just like you, especially . . .

S uppose you could have

a painting by Monet in your bedroom or a sculpture by Michelangelo in your living room. How might living with these works of art day and night change things?

For starters, you would probably upgrade your home security system and talk to your insurance agent to make sure your policy covered you against substantial loss.

After a day or two, you might decide to paint your bedroom walls and change the lighting in order to showcase more completely the colors and brush strokes in the painting. You might begin to shop for just the right kind of table on which to display the sculpture.

As time passed, you might rearrange the furniture, and then get rid of some of it or buy a few new pieces—all of this to enhance the priceless work of art now on display in your home.

Eventually, Monet or Michelangelo would influence everything in sight—your choices of drapes and pillows, your tchotchkes and towels. You might even rethink the location of the dog’s water dish!

Most of us will never own a Monet, at least not an original. But as the daughters of God, adopted by his

grace, we possess something even more lovely. Jesus’ presence graces our lives. He is beautiful, precious, flawless. The moment he enters our hearts, his beauty begins its influence there. We are, right this minute, being transformed, renovated, renewed.

Change never happens overnight. Sometimes we may worry it is not happening at all. But as we keep on confessing our sins, the one who died for us on Calvary’s cross is faithful to keep on forgiving us. He has promised this. But his promise doesn’t stop there! He is also faithful “to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Your heart is Christ’s home—and you are different as a result. Little by little, Jesus is rearranging your priorities, emptying the trash you have hidden behind closed doors, and beautifying the décor. Little by little, you are becoming more peaceful, less self-focused, more compassionate, less fearful of the future, more forgiving. Little by little, Jesus’ presence is changing you.

Day 3 my HeArt, cHrist’s Home

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

Song of Solomon 4:7

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Lord Jesus, your grace is truly enough for me. When I’m tempted to demand more, please show me . . .

E nough. It’s a word we don’t hear too often. Do children ever say, “I have enough toys”? Do coaches ever say, “Our team has enough trophies”? Do CEOs ever say, “We’ve had enough sales”? Hardly!

Sufficient. Enough. With this word, the Lord quieted Paul’s anxious heart. “My grace is enough,” God told his apostle. “It’s all you need.”

Paul thought he needed more. In particular, Paul thought he needed deliverance from a particular problem that troubled him. Some think the problem was a physical ailment. Some think it was something else. No matter what it was, Paul saw it as an impediment, as dead weight, as an obstacle to his ministry.

“No,” God said. “My grace is sufficient. It’s all you need.” Paul must have swallowed hard. There may have been a gap of several minutes or even several days between the first sentence and the second sentence in 2 Corinthians 12:9.

But in the end, Paul submitted to the wisdom of the Savior. He gladly accepted his weaknesses, because those weaknesses had become windows through which the grace of God could shine in all its brilliance. God’s grace

was enough, completely enough. And for that, Paul was thankful.

“Thank you” in Spanish is “Gracias!” In Italian, it’s “Grazie!” Both come from the same root as “grace.” When we “say grace” at meals, we thank God for his blessings in our lives, especially for the food we are about to eat.

Sooner or later, challenges and problems come knocking on the door of every life. Not even Christ’s apostles were exempt. But for us as for them, God’s grace is always enough—enough to keep us going, enough to see us through. Knowing that grace makes our hearts truly thankful.

As we come to recognize more and more fully the difference God’s grace makes, the more thankful we become. That thankfulness, in turn, leads to joy and generosity. Thankful hearts are joyful hearts, giving hearts.

Day 4 grAciAs! 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may

rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

10 11

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Lord, your works are great and amazing! . . .

A mazing Grace” is

one of the most familiar hymns in North America, perhaps the most familiar. Not everyone who sings it, though, knows the amazing life story of its author, John Newton.

Amazing wickedness—that’s a mild description of Newton’s early-adult life. The captain of a slave ship, Newton stood out even in that crowd for his brutality and his drunkenness. Newton’s crew, hardened sailors all, considered him more an animal than a human being.

Amazing stubbornness—aptly describes Newton’s resistance to God’s grace. Again and again, Newton faced serious dangers at sea. Again and again, he fell prey to bouts of serious depression. Again and again, he cried out for God’s help. But as soon as each time of trouble passed, Newton fell back into unbelief and wickedness.

Amazing persistence—marked God’s work in Newton’s life. Despite all the depravity, all the resistance, all the missed opportunities, the Holy Spirit did not give up on John Newton.

On one of Newton’s last voyages, an especially violent storm struck. Crew members lashed themselves to the masts to avoid being washed overboard.

When the winds finally died down, the sailors found themselves aboard a seriously damaged ship. It took four weeks to limp back to port, the sailors pumping out water from below decks, day and night, the whole way. It was a race against starvation. Newton finally began to pray in earnest.

A year or two after landing safely in Ireland, Newton married and began to study for the ministry. In 1779, he published The Olney Hymns. It included 281 hymns he himself had written, including “Amazing Grace.”

Amazing grace—it’s not just the title of a beloved hymn. It’s a two-word summary of John Newton’s life. It’s a two-word summary of your life, too! And of mine!

Our sins may differ from those of John Newton, but they are no less scandalous, no less shameful in the eyes of our Judge. Jesus died for you, just as he died for John Newton. Why not thank your Savior right now for his amazing grace—grace that flows continually from Calvary’s cross?

Day 5 AmAzing!Great and amazing are your

deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your

ways, O King of the nations!Revelation 15:3

”

12 13

Days 6/7

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace, my fears relieved;How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed.

Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained

access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1–2

In what ways is the grace of God, shown to

you in Christ Jesus, amazing?

To Contemplate . . .