"Be not afraid for little grace..." Samuel Rutherford

In my one score and ten plus one years on this earth there is one fact that becomes increasingly clearer and clearer...and that is the brokeness of people. No matter where we're from, Christian or Buddhist, atheist or Muslim, we're broken, messed up people.
God's grace is needed moment by moment in our lives. It's not just for those who know Him not, it's just as much needed by the believer of 1, 10, 20 or 60 years. When we left for Thailand, I fully expected to see the brokeness of humanity in that dark place. And, I did see it. When we returned to the States I guess I had been gone so long I thought that Americans (mainly Christian Americans) would be just as I left them, or better off somehow than those believers in Thailand. Instead, I've found, once again, broken people, messed up people, people in need of that daily sufficient grace that flows only from Him who can freely give it. And, this, by-the-way, is NOT a bad thing!!! It's freeing and beautiful and I see God's goodness and grace through it all. Mostly, I have grown to see my own weaknesses and messed up ways and brokeness before God. How does grace go beyond an idea or thought in Scripture to daily living it out? I've been struggling to understand how does grace practically apply to daily life. How do I press on to do good works- for God's glory ONLY and by His grace when I have this deep-seeded monster called "works" (a works that is not of God, that is only concerned with making myself be glorified in the eyes of other people and a works that thinks if I do this, then I have arrived) vying for my affections? How do I raise my children to love the Lord of the Scriptures in grace? So often, "you're a good boy/girl" comes out of my mouth. So often I reward them for the good they've done. So often I punish them and pick apart behaviors according to my whims and standards- because I want to look good. How do I instill grace? How do I deal graciously with them? How do I bring works and grace together? One cannot escape the "works" part of our lives. How can we live so that all that we do (works) is the out-flow of our love for God and not out of pride or fear of man? I'm setting out on a journey to hopefully learn some of these practical out-workings of grace in a believers life. Paul recently read for one of his classes a book entitled Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification. At his suggestion I will be beginning to plow through this book. I will try to share what I am learning and how God is using it to bring me to a better understanding of His work in my life.
I haven't been able to fully grasp what it means to live IN grace (MTW has a conference by the name Living in Grace, which I highly recommend). It is all of God in the believer's life...it has to be. We, even as regenerate, have so much sin, nothing good can come from us. So, join me, pray with and for me and perhaps I will yet figure out how to live out this faith we've been given. Perhaps my children will gain an even better understanding of God, His love, grace and mercy and as a result God will be glorified and we may be just a bit closer to living the way God has prescribed for us to live, according to, and governed by and only found in the Scriptures.

And to complete the quote for the title of my post today and give hope that we are Christ's...
"Be not afraid for little grace. Christ soweth his living seed, and he will not lose his seed; if he have the guiding of my stock and state it shall not miscarry. Our spoilt works, losses, deadness, coldness, wretchedness, are the ground which the good Husbandman laboureth."
-Samuel Rutherford, 17th century preacher