Ephesians 2:8-10 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV 2011)

I surely love the song, "Wonderful grace of Jesus"; the music alone fills me with joy and gladness. But understanding God's grace is not easy, for it takes honesty: it's not me that shines through what I do today, but God does, for through His grace, He has planned it and given me the energy to do it. But do I really understand it? As the song goes:

Wonderful grace of Jesus,
Greater than all my sin.
How shall my tongue describe it?

How shall I describe it? I have known about God's grace all my life, but as I age, I find that I am more aware of my need for God's grace in my life, for my own ability is fading. I used to see God's grace as a wonderful blessing that made all I do each day successful. Now, I know that God's grace is much more than a blessing — it is His wonderful actions in and through all that I am doing, for God has gone on ahead and made it all happen. I no longer rely on just what I can do.

Take writing these devotionals for instance. I can be sitting staring at the computer — no words coming — but then, they start to flow. God through His grace is bringing everything out into the open. Jesus' Spirit is working through me, as today's Scripture says: "For we are God's handiwork." Everything that God touches is His handiwork, and it shines through what I am trying to do.

How is that? Well, we are "created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Just think how wonderful it is for God to be working through us. Wow! I live alone, but I am not alone trying to do this. God has it all prepared in advance. So stop worrying, Iris. God is doing the planning for you on all that happens today; just trust Him.

I am ashamed of the way that I did things when I was younger. I tried so hard to please God, but I did most things my own way. Can we know the path that God has for us? We all try very hard to plan our day and pray about it, but is this really the way God does things? How often I have kept especially still before the Lord, patiently waiting for Him to work out my day. In this our day, do we wait for the Lord to act before we do? Is this why so many of our efforts go for naught?

We all need to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18a NIV). Jesus is alive and ready to help us today. Just ask Him!

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our ignorance in trying to do everything ourselves. We mean well, but we are forgetting where the power is: with You, not us. We bow before You and leave today's cares to You. Thank You for sending Your Son into the world to show us the wonderful grace of Jesus. Amen.

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