Me Thinks

 

I really liked reading what Brother Wilcox had to say about grace. I recommend this book. Here are some lines that resonated with me, and I could list many more:

God is a “God of grace." His gift is not a prize for the righteous. His help is not a reward for the worthy. It is not waiting for us once we change.  It is the power we need throughout the entire perfecting process. No wonder we sing with all our hearts, “Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!” (pg. 5, referencing Hymns no. 88 and 193).

Think of a child in school who has been assigned to write a story.  He is not better off by leaving his paper clean with no marks on it. A clean sheet of paper is not the goal.  He needs to write his first draft.  The teacher then suggests he add in more description and detail.  Maybe she suggests that he use a different word here or there and fix some spelling and punctuation errors.  The student returns to his desk and makes changes.  A perfect first draft is not the goal. The teacher knows that improving the writing is only a way of improving the writer. It is the same for us as we choose to engage with Christ in the repentance process (pgs. 153, 154).

It may take us years to realize that some of the greatest evidences of God’s love are the closed doors He sends when we are praying for open ones. His delays are not always denials.  If we can look back and see His hand in our lives in the past, we must press forward believing that same hand will be evident in the future. If we can see He has brought us to this point, we must believe He does not intend to drop us now (pg. 118).