A Final Benediction
George Fessler
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"May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers
and
sisters. Amen" (Galatians 6:18, NRSV).
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Paul's ends his message to these Galatians and to us with the same
note on
which he began: GRACE. Perhaps the words of Philip Yancey seem so
pertinent
here: "The many uses of the word in English convince me that grace
is indeed
amazing -- truly our last best word. It contains the essence of
the gospel
as a drop of water can contain the image of the sun. The world thirsts
for
grace in ways it does not even recognize; little wonder the hymn
"Amazing
Grace" edged its way onto the Top Ten charts two hundred years after
composition. For a society that seems adrift, without moorings,
I know of no
better place to drop an anchor of faith." (Taken from, What's So
Amazing
About Grace, p. 13).
Prayer response: Father, I long for and need your amazing grace in
my life
every moment of every day I live. Teach me to be "grace-filled"
in my walk
with you and toward others. Grant me a gracious spirit in all my
relationships. Guard me against becoming legalistic and rule-bound.
Set me
free, as Paul proclaimed, to be the person you have called me to
be. In the
words of Martin Luther King, let me and my brothers in Christ be
"free at
last. Thank God Almighty, [we're] free at last!"
hbdevotion@news.ag.org