Today, I am very pleased to introduce to you my friend Nancy Kaye Grace. Nancy will be talking about her newly-released book, The Grace Impact. I love the title of her post, don’t you?
A Magnificent Mystery
by Nancy Kay Grace
Mysteries are intriguing because we are drawn into the story with a need to know how a problem resolves. We wonder who and why the antagonist causes problems for the protagonist. Some mysteries are easy to solve, whereas others are more complicated.
One mystery that touches my life is the how God chose to reach to each of us in spite of our sin, the antagonist. In this excerpt from The Grace Impact (p. 20-21) I write about my view of this mystery.
Here is a magnificent mystery–the holy, exalted God of the universe chooses to restore our relationship with Him. He does not cast us away from His presence because of anything we have done or not done, but desires to connect with us in spite of our undeserving condition.
I first responded to God as a scrawny, teenage girl struggling with low self-esteem. I felt distant from my family and from God. To me, the mirror reflected loneliness and emptiness. I believed I had little worth. Though I tried to be happy and carefree, inside I felt the sting of self-condemnation. Driven by perfectionism to excel, I also lived in the shadow of comparing myself to others. A web of tension kept me wrapped in insecurity, self-pity, and desiring acceptance. A turbulent home life created by a lack of communication and an alcoholic father brought further distress. I found peace in music; playing the piano brought solace to my heart.
One weekend a visiting choir came to my church, and it changed my life forever. I first experienced the grace impact through hearing a verse from the Bible. In the midst of their song, the words of 2 Corinthians 5:17 were spoken as an antiphonal chant with a catchy rhythm. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Those words penetrated my mind and went straight to my heart. My soul stirred with an awareness of God’s presence reaching out to me. When I found the passage in the Bible, the words jumped into my empty heart. I received His acceptance, forgiveness, and love. I traded my sin-stained self-image for one that reflected the image of the loving God. The holy, exalted God of the universe extended grace to me, and I gratefully took hold of it.
The holiness of God requires a decision from us. We can be fearful and turn away from Him, as if turning away from a bright light exposing us in our darkness; or we can draw closer to Him through His grace. God’s holiness leads us to look inward to see where we sin, or fall short of God’s standard. We cannot reach God by ourselves.
God solved the mystery for us.
God made a way to span the chasm created by sin that separates us from Him. He sent His son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin through the sacrifice of His God.
Everyone can participate in solving this mystery through choosing to have a relationship with God. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we gain a new perspective and so much more. Only God can transform a despairing heart with new hope and bring us back to Him.
Bio:
Nancy Kay Grace is speaker and author who is captivated by God’s grace and loves to share about embracing it in everyday life. She has contributed stories to several anthologies and published magazine articles. Nancy is married to her best friend, Rick, who is a senior pastor in northwest Arkansas. They have served the Lord for more that forty years, seeing His grace at work in many countries. Now they enjoy the stage of life with two married children and an increasing number of grandchildren. To learn more about her ministry, please visit http://www.nancykaygrace.com
Nancy’s devotional/ Bible study study book,The Grace Impact, is published through CrossRiver Media and released April 17.
In a few months, Nancy will be hosting an online Bible study using The Grace Impact. If you are interested in more information about this opportunity, please sign up for her GraceNotes newsletter at http://www.nancykaygrace.com
Find Nancy on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nancykaygrace?ref=hl
twitter: https://twitter.com/nancykaygrace
pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancykaygrace/
Very good, Nancy.
Thanks, Helen, for commenting on Nancy’s post.
Blanche, Nancy, very good post!
I love the introduction.
I was drawn into the concept that grace is a mystery—mysterion, as we call it in Greek—and to the fact that God is working in mysterious ways to draw us near him.
Blessings and Light, Ladies!
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
Thanks Helen and Katina!