Nurturing Grace

Grace is the unearned favor of God.

"Nurturing Grace" popped into my head today and didn't know exactly what it meant. I used the dictionary for ideas on the main point of the phrase.

It could mean "to nurture grace" or it could be a certain kind of grace.

If Nurturing is a verb, how does one nurture the unearned favor of God?

The Prodigal Son received grace when he came back to his father empty-handed and humbled. He did nothing to earn his father's love and favor. But it was his choice to receive it or not. There was always the option of walking away from the open arms that ran toward him.

Those who have received anything from God have accepted His favor. Nurturing a life of walking in God's grace means throwing off all doubt that God wants to show you favor. Knowing you can't be good enough to earn God's grace is the key to accepting it and living in it. The attention you get from God was all God's idea to begin with.

All the Prodigal Son had to do was go to his father and receive it. All we have to do to accept God's favor is go to Him and receive it. Can you picture God's hands outstretched to you? Is He running toward you in desperate love?

Or maybe today's title uses nurturing as an adjective, describing a kind of grace.

Does God favor you in such a way as to show you His nurturing grace? Is He bringing you up to a higher level? Is He encouraging growth in your life? Is He developing you into someone even you would admire - but not because of anything you've done?

Let us consider why God would show us grace. We're disobedient. We're imperfect children reaching up to a perfect God. We need Him.

Why does God give us grace so freely? He's God. He can do anything He wants to do.

We might as well accept it.