“You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?… He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us… God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble… Draw near to God and he will draw near to you… Humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you. (James 4:3-6, 8,10)
“Grace” will relieve you of awkwardness – grace enables you to behave appropriately at any time, in any situation. No amount of outward adornment will guarantee graceful behavior – only the possession of an inward grace – an innate goodness and generous nature, a superior wisdom, a knowledge of who I am as your Creator and Mentor, and who you are as Mine will enable you to behave as Jesus would behave in the same circumstance.
Only through love can grace be expressed. “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful – it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends… faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
If you will love – love as it is defined in 1 Corinthians 13 – then I will pour my grace, and all that implies – wisdom, appropriate behavior, kind and encouraging words – into your expression of life.
When you love, as 1 Corinthians 13 suggests to love, you need not be concerned as to what situations you find yourself in – you need only to allow my grace to fill the form of your love – to give it substance and meaning that will be your fulfillment and joy, and which will transfer your love to others – not diminishing your love, but expanding it – spreading it. It will ooze everywhere – even rush everywhere if you will draw close to me, for I am love. Do you now understand? I told Moses “I am”, revealing myself as a reality, as Creator, as Authority. But through Jesus I revealed that I am Love. When you are close to me – in spirit, in mind, in emotions, in body (through concentration upon the Word and sacrifice of self-will to give glory to My Will) – then My Spirit pours into you, releasing grace into every area of your being. You will no longer be aware of yourself, but aware of My Spirit and aware of the needs of others. As you minister to others, I minister to you. What greater ministry could be given to you? Can any other source give you what I am able to give to you? You cannot possible deplete yourself or deprive yourself by giving to others what they need – for it is this act on your part that releases My Spirit fully into your being, bringing everything good, everything loving, everything glorious.
To love – to give – is the turning of the tap to “on” that My Spirit may flow freely into you.
You need not ponder much concerning your life – ponder only as prayerful thinking when a decision is obviously called for. Most of the time, however, you will need only to respond to a situation or a request with love: loving your neighbor as yourself – loving them as I love you both. You know how I love you. I have told you through Paul in words, and through Jesus in deeds.
Prayer of response:
I know I won’t always live up to the ideal you have placed before me – but I do ask your aid in helping me to do much better than I have been in expressing love, and being the means by which you pour out your grace.
I do love you Lord. I do desire to be obedient – obedient with a joyful, anticipatory, willing attitude. I have an idea that this is the key that unlocks the door to the ability to love as Paul described and Jesus did – and does through all who allow Him to do so.
May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven – through my “joyful, anticipatory, willing attitude”. In Jesus Precious Name I pray. Amen.
Meditations of Marie's Heart 