Accept God’s Grace with Gratitude
Sometimes we turn to God and demand He answer our every prayer with, “Yes. Right Away!” When God doesn’t do what we want, instead of thinking maybe we shouldn’t be making such a request, we chastise God for not caring. Then, when God does indeed give to us what we ask, rather than having actual gratitude, we walk away justified because God came through like He is supposed to. Either way, all too often we take God’s grace for granted.
God grace is a gift because He loves us more than anyone on Earth knows how to love. If our parents sometimes refused our request when we were young, it was because they knew we would be better off without ‘it’ for the time being. Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment we didn’t understand that what we wanted was not what was good for us. I guess we treat God like we treated our parents when we were teenagers…always demanding and never appreciating. Then we become adults and maybe even parents ourselves.
As adults looking back on our teenage years, we eventually realize that our parents knew what we needed better than we knew. We may thank them, but often we joke about it to our peers saying, “Yes, I finally realize my parents were right the whole time.” Our parents are kind not to rub it in our faces. They just sit across from the table as loving grandparents, watching struggle telling our children “no”, smiling with the knowledge that we finally understand what it is like being a parent.
Brethren, working together with him, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; by purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. – 2nd Corinthians 6.1-10
The opening verse of today’s reading form 2nd Corinthians is an important message in its own right. Indeed, we often accept the grace of God in vain. We don’t take it seriously. We don’t appreciate it. When we finally acknowledge it, we act with righteous indignation that we deserved the entire time. We may thank God in retrospect, but often we act like we knew the whole time.
Are you thankful for the grace that God has shown to you? Can you look back on your life and say, “WOW! Thank you, God, for not forgetting about me. I’m sorry I doubted you back then.” God has always been helping us just at the right moment we needed His help. Stop putting up obstacles between yourself and God. Start accepting His grace with gratitude and walk with Him. Go to Church, light a candle, venerate the Holy Icons, and say a prayer of thanks in His presence. He is waiting for you.
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