Brief Moments of Grace....

Opportunities come along every so often in life. It’s easy to recognize some, and sometimes difficult with others. The key is to act on those opportunities when they come. Sometimes they only come once in a lifetime. The same is true with God’s grace. He blesses all people with life, but He goes far beyond just the basics. The most important response we can have, when He extends more grace to us, is to seize the opportunity and respond with the appropriate action: repentance or gratitude. We are not in control of when these “brief moments of grace” come, but we are in control how we react to them when they do come. Repentance is simply siding with God on the issue. It’s agreeing with Him, and doing whatever it takes to make it right. Gratitude is the same thing, it just comes from a different perspective. Repentance involves shame, regret, and guilt. Gratitude incorporates joy, contentment, security, and the feeling of significance seasoned with the salt of unworthiness (undeserved mercy). Both can have positive outcomes. It all depends on how we respond to these “brief moments of grace”. Have you had any of these lately? How did you respond?

8 “But now we have been given a brief moment of grace, for the Lord our God has allowed a few of us to survive as a remnant. He has given us security in this holy place. Our God has brightened our eyes and granted us some relief from our slavery. Ezra 9:8