Thought For the Week 114

Leaders -
- refreshed in Christ
- renewed in mission

RESOURCES FOR 2012?
God’s Awesome Generosity

New Year’s Day
- may you know the richness of God’s love,
the fullness of His grace
and experience the depth of His peace
as 2012 unfolds.

None of us knows what the year ahead holds in terms of challenge, opportunity, difficulty or blessing. What we do know is God is faithful and His resources to sustain and encourage us can never be exhausted.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,
who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

Eagle’s Wings Ministries UK Ltd

Reg Charity No. 1132628

Although Jesus is not recorded as using the word ‘grace’, He filled it with
meaning throughout His ministry.

• He showed the grace that gives
as He generously turned water into wine at a wedding. [John 2]

• He showed the grace that challenges and cleanses
as He confronted the abuse of the Temple,
through His actions showing the urgent need for repentance. [John 2]

• He showed grace that heals
as the man at the Pool of Bethesda experienced - a healing not withdrawn even when the man repaid grace with informing on Jesus to the authorities. [John 5]

• He showed the grace that forgives and gives time for repentance
when He forgave the woman caught in adultery and called for a changed life, and simply quoted Scripture back at her accusers, when He could have said so much more. [John 8]

• He showed the grace that grows faith
through His delay in going to Lazarus, and showed His authority even over death. [John 11]

• He showed the grace that serves
as He washed the disciples feet - including those of Judas Iscariot who would betray Him. [John 13]

• Above all he showed grace - from which all the aspects of grace flow -
through carrying your sin and mine when He died on the cross at Calvary and rose triumphantly from the dead. [John 19-20]

“God’s grace to his people is continuous and is never exhausted. Grace knows no interruption and no limit. … grace is always an adventure. No man can say where grace will lead him. Grace means an ever deepening experience of the presence and the blessing of God.”*

As 2012 unfolds day by day, week by week, situation by situation, know that you need never be short of His inner resources. “of his fullness we have all received grace for (upon) grace.” [v16]

* Leon Morris, Commentary on The Gospel According to St. John, Marshal Morgan and Scott, 1971, p111

Mike Stear
1st January, 2012