All's Grace

My favorite new quote is one I heard at church, amongst the wonderful body of believers, faithful to meet together for our mutual encouragement and edification; to lift up the written Word and praise the Word who dwelt among us and now houses Himself in us as if fleshly temples were fit for all the glory of the Father - ah, but all's grace.

The quote, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, declares how important our brothers and sisters in Christ are, because when the Christ in our own heart is weak, the Christ on the lips of our brothers and sisters is strong. You can find some of the original text here.

So, here is some encouragement I found from the lips of a brother that I am now sharing with you. Ann Voskamp has been a huge encouragement to me through her honesty in sharing the struggles and triumphs of living a life dedicated to Christ. She actually went to Guatemala (!!!!!) with Compassion, along with singer/songwriter/fellow blogger Shaun Groves. Ann signs her writings with "All's Grace" and it spurred these reflections from Shaun, through the wondrous workings of the Holy Spirit who gives us wisdom and understanding so that we may live lives worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him in every way, bearing good fruit and growing in the knowledge of God.

All’s a gift. And it’s all I need. All sufficient. And for all.

If all’s a gift then it’s not mine because of my intellect.
The pressure’s off to be the brightest.

If all’s a gift then it’s not mine because I earned it.
The pressure’s off to work the hardest.

If all’s a gift then it’s not mine because I’m good.
The pressure’s off to be the best.

All’s grace.

Humbling. Stilling. Also purpose giving.

To be like the Giver, to be inhabited by the Giver, is to be giving. To give as He gives: To give all. To all.

'I will bless you,' God promised Abraham, 'and you will be a blessing to all.' So John wrote that we know what love is because Christ laid down His life for us. We’re to go and do likewise, he says. And to give this kind of love because it’s the kind we were given first…and are still receiving daily in a thousand ways.

All’s grace.