JoAnne Simmons - How God Grows a Girl of Grace: A Devotional

2017 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-68322-322-1

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Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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DEDICATION

Dedicated in loving memory of Marilyn J. Willett, our beloved Mom and Nana who helped us become girls of grace. With her encouragement, her prayers, her sweet singing, her listening ear, and her gentle love through many joys and trials of life, she never stopped pointing us to the love and hope of our Savior. We miss her dearly, but one day we will be with her again, forever in paradiseall because of Jesus Christ. To Him be all the glory and praise.

Hi! Im JoAnne Simmons, and my daughters are Jodi and Lilly. I got a lot of help from them as I wrote this because theyre close in age to you, and Gods currently growing them to be girls of grace. Actually, you know what? Even though Im a grown-up, Hes still growing me to be one, too. Anyone who knows Jesus never stops growing in grace, and thats awesome!

Im praying for you as you read this. I may not know you specifically by name, and I may never actually meet you. (That would be super fun if we did meet, though! We should have ice cream, too! ) But Im positive that God, who does know you by name and counts every hair on your beautiful head, knows if and when you will read this book. He has put you in my mind and on my heart and given me an opportunity to write words to encourage you in your love for Him and your relationship with Him. Will you join me in these devotionals to learn more about how God wants to grow you in His grace and what the Bible says about how we should live?

I pray you find each devotional in this book to be a bit like an icy-cold Popsicle on the hottest, heaviest summer daycool and refreshing and dripping with sweetness, a supernatural kind of sweetness that comes from the awesome joy of knowing the one true God made you, sees you, loves you, and wants to help you, by His gracewith everything!

Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.

R OMANS 5:20 NIV

Have you ever been mean or selfish toward someone and didnt even say youre sorry, yet the person went right on loving you and taking care of you and giving you good things? Then you know what grace is. Grace is best defined by experiencing it. Good parents, especially, know how to love with grace like that because they learn it from their heavenly Father.

The ultimate, most amazing grace is the kind that God offers. He gives it to anyone who believes that He is the one true God and that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to shed His blood to cover our every sin. Not only that, but He rose back to life to be our Savior who gives us eternal life. Thats the incredible message of the Gospel! Its because of Jesus death (that took the place of our sin) and His resurrection (that triumphed over the death that sin causes) that God can offer everyone grace.

God doesnt just offer grace like a little sprinkle, either. No, when we come to Him, He pours it on us like the heaviest rainfall. Have you ever played in the rain? Like you dance with delight in a really good downpour, God wants you to dance in the grace He showers on you. He wants you to know grace and grow in it every day, experiencing His love and forgiveness and His power to help you in all things.

Dear God, even when I dont deserve it, You love and care for me so much anyway. Thats grace, and Im so thankful for it. Amen.

Then Peter came to him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but seventy times seven!

M ATTHEW 18:2122 NLT

If you havent heard Elsas Let It Go song at least a zillion times in the last few years, then you must have been living under a trolls rock. I might be exaggerating but only a little. Whether youre terribly tired of the song or happily humming it right now, a great way to apply its three little key words is when youre needing to forgive someone.

Since Jesus offers us so much grace, we are called to give grace and forgiveness easily and abundantly to others. When Peter asked Jesus in the Bible how often he should forgive someone and suggested seven times, Jesus said multiply that times seventy! He didnt mean it in the literal waythat once you get to 490 times of forgiveness youre done and you can hold on to any grudges you want forevermore. He meant it in a way that whatever youre thinking is the right amount to forgive, go FAR above and beyond that and keep on forgiving again and again.

Gracious God, You are so good to forgive me again and again and again. Help me remember this when I need to forgive others. Amen.