麻豆社

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Daniel Sibthorpe

Good morning

There seems to be a new trend in my area to charge for parking. Whilst reading the terms and conditions on one of those shiny new signs, I was struck by this sentence. 鈥淔ree parking for 15 minutes, no grace thereafter鈥�.

The word 'grace' has many meanings, but for me, it鈥檚 something I associate more with church than car parks.

In my own life, I often run out of grace. I reach the end of my patience with someone or a particular situation. I feel I鈥檝e done enough, listened enough, empathized enough. Usually for me I become unkind and start dictating solutions.

Perhaps because of this, I can feel that God is like this with me鈥攐f course there is a period of grace where I can do stupid things and still receive mercy and love but this is obviously limited and could run out at any minute.

Charles Wesley, the great Methodist hymn writer, would not agree. Writing these amazing lines.

He left his Father's throne above 鈥� so free, so infinite his grace 鈥�
Emptied himself of all but love, and bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free; for, O my God, it found out me!

It is a wonderful thing to understand that there is no limit to God鈥檚 grace.

So, today I pray that despite our mistakes and failures we would find that goodness and mercy are still following us, that we develop greater patience with ourselves and others and that we would dwell in the 鈥榞race filled鈥� house of the Lord forever.

Amen

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