Day 1




Living Under the Influence



Romans 6:14: "For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace."

My wife loves going to the beach. She reads as she rests in the sand. Eventually, she will wander into the waves to cool off. She loves the sand and ocean, but I love to walk the beach looking for hidden treasures and pondering the meaning of life.

The distant horizon prompts me to gaze at the setting sun as I walk along the shore. But my favorite time comes a few hours later, when the waves are quiet and very few people are moving around. I see the occasional seagull fly close by. As the sun rises, it beckons for a new day of beachgoers. 

I look for these early morning moments to share with God. I scan my surroundings to see what God has in store for me. I feel the wind sweeping the coastline from far beyond the horizon. I hear the waves ending their journey as they gently succumb to the boundary of the shoreline. I see the wide expanse of the mighty ocean as the dawn illuminates its darkest depths. 

I consider these moments as gifts of grace from God. His spirit moves over me much like the wind I feel brushing over my skin. I feel the sand squeeze between my toes. That feeling never ends as long as I walk the beach. The sand's sensation reminds me that God is ever-present and is always faithful as I walk this journey of faith. Much like the waves come and go with no end in sight, so the love of God has no end for me.

The influence of grace is much like the moon's influence on the ebbing tide. The God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10) who "made the great lights...the sun to govern the day...the moon to govern the night" moves with the ebb and flow of an ocean current over every moment of our lives (Psalm 136:7-9).

Early in the morning walking the shoreline, sitting in bleachers at a child’s ballgame, watching a late-night movie on the couch. These, and a myriad more, are moments of grace that God gives us to feel His love, to be reminded that He is always there, and to show us the way when we’ve lost our way.   

Prayer 

Heavenly Father, thank you for reminding me that your love never ends. I know that your grace is always at work in my life. Help me to be aware of those moments when you share your grace with me. Open my eyes to see you in my life. Open my heart to receive your loving influence throughout this day. Amen.

Click this link to find out more about the influence of grace from my new book "Living Under the Influence: How Grace Sets Us Free from the Performance Mindset." Click this link to visit my author's website.











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