By Effie Rolfe, Chicago Crusader
God’s Grace. Grace is unmerited favor, generosity, benevolence, another chance and an undeserved gift from God to mankind. The great part is we do nothing to obtain this. Simply put, no one deserved this generosity and kindness from a loving merciful God. Too many people forget the source of all blessings and instead concentrate on the blessings. Knowing the source of your blessing is imperative to a balanced life. Whatever things you have been given are only temporary and can literally vanish at a moment’s notice. Myles Munroe reminded us to thank God for things but more so to be grateful for the God of the things. Things will come and things will go but God’s word, grace, mercy, love, faithfulness and goodness will stand forever. We used to sing a favorite church hymn in Arkansas with the following lyrics, ‘build your hopes on things eternal—hold to God’s unchanging hand.’ That beautiful home is now in foreclosure. The football captain is now an amputee. How was that terrific job with amazing benefits including company car and stock options now outsourced to India? Even your gorgeous face, shapely body, sound mind, 20/20 vision, keen hearing even your swag will eventually fade.
In this life—things will come to throw you a curve ball or seemingly to get you off course—no one is exempt. It is called life. One minute someone is on top of the world and the next minute the walls come tumbling down. There could be a myriad of circumstances to occur. The death of a loved one, sudden illness, betrayal of a best friend, an anointed Pastor in an extramarital affair or those considered the perfect couple now getting a divorce. Perhaps, a job loss a few years before retirement or your favorite celebrity has somehow fallen from grace. It can happen to anyone and at some point life will find a way to challenge you.
Renowned Motivational Speaker, Les Brown would often ask, “What will you do if they fired you today? Do you have any savings or anything to fall back on?” He would then continue, “It’s not a matter of if—it’s a matter of when…? What are you doing to prepare…?” So it is with life—it’s not a matter of if life will present challenges, it’s a matter of when. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
The point is—everything is TEMPORARY! Enjoy whatever you have right now and thank God every second of the day. Never frown on others, because we are all God’s children, created in His image. Don’t go there—it’s not about you or your abilities. It’s God’s grace and mercy that kept you from the drugs, getting pregnant out of wedlock and that’s holding your marriage together and family in- tact. Remember, pride comes before destruction. When you get the big head—it’s just a matter of time before it will break your neck. Be careful how you treat people…you will more than likely meet a few of those same people on your way down. Most importantly, God is looking for someone to give Him the glory that is due Him and you are that perfect candidate. God’s will is to bless you with the abundance of life and all the good things that come with it. You can truly enjoy heaven’s best on earth. Keep in mind—your very existence is only possible—but by God’s grace.
Can you see God’s grace on you and with you…?
© Effie Rolfe is an Author of “Supersize Your Thinking,” Media Personality and Motivational Speaker. You can contact her on twitter.com/EffiedRolfe. Listen to her show Mon – Fri (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) on UrbanPraiseRadio.org (2015 Stellar Award Winner for Best Internet Radio Station)