My Story Your Glory - an Eight-Day Reading Plan by Matthew WestSample

The Story of Me is the Story of Grace

A woman named Debbie wrote, “My story is marked by so many bad decisions. Sometimes I look around me and feel like I am the only one who has messed up.” Have you ever thought the same about your life? I have learned that the devil doesn’t aim to knock me down. He wants to keep me down. He doesn’t just want to get me to mess up. He wants to rub my face in it and get me to believe I’m the only one who’s as messed up as me. But you are not alone in your need for grace and forgiveness. The Bible tells us that we all fall short and need grace.

Our need for grace can make us feel totally helpless because there is nothing we can do to be good enough. I’ve never lived a perfect day in my life. How about you? But in scripture, Paul reminds us that God has done what we could not do for ourselves. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works… (Ephesians 2:8-9).” I wrote these lyrics in My Story Your Glory:

Now the story of me is a story of grace

Fingerprints of mercy on every page

Today, let’s focus on the power of these two words, “grace” and “mercy.” “Mercy” is the act of compassion, withholding deserved punishment. God doesn’t give us the punishment we deserve. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy (Psalms 145:8-9).” “Grace” is an act of God’s undeserved favor. In His grace, He withholds the punishment we deserve and awards us the gift of salvation.

God desires for you to walk in the freedom of His mercy today. No mistake, shame, guilt, or lie from the enemy can keep your story from becoming a story of grace. We’re all living imperfect stories with chapters we wish we could rewrite. But when we accept the gift of God’s grace, we begin to see His fingerprints of mercy marking every page of our stories, and we are free to celebrate the goodness of a God who redeems even the broken chapters of our lives.

DO SOMETHING:

1. Ask God to help you walk in His mercy and grace today!
2. Share this devo with a friend today!