Ordinary Time 
Pause
Nobody ever wants grace until they reach that point where they don’t just want it, they absolutely need it. Grace always comes undeserved and often unexpected. But when grace arrives, there really is nothing sweeter.
Welcoming God’s grace is an act of trust. Extending God’s grace is an act of mercy. They are two sides of the same coin. When the opportunity arrives to welcome grace, only a fool would pass it by.
Listen
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:20–23
Think
The life to which you are bound is an eternal life. It is a holy and a good life. Jesus gives that life to you freely. It is free and yet not free.
Out of the holy life comes grace and truth and beauty that will not be silenced.
The good news is that life bound to God’s grace is holy and sweet. The miracle is that you, of all people, have received it.
The miracle is that you, of all people, give it away.
David Schaefers
Pray
Lord, if I can be a slave to your love, then I am free. I welcome that eternal charge. Make me a slave to your love and a servant to those whom you love. Make my love more like yours. Blur the line of where my love follows and where yours leads, and I will be counted as blessed. Amen.
Go
God knows we are not perfect! We are on a journey that has peaks and valleys, but the important thing isn’t the destination, it is our traveling partner. God extends grace to us, sometimes when we know we need it; sometimes when we don’t know. Welcoming the grace of God is the first step along the path to a new life.
God knows we learn from our mistakes. We grow wiser with each day and with each new experience. By the grace of God, we grow! Thank God for that and step out into uncharted adventures, where God’s grace abounds.
