Grace-The power to do something we cannot do ourselves and the unmerited favor of God

Two Sides of the Coin of Grace

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

July 2019

copyright

God’s grace is something that has helped me through many hard days in my life. His grace is never rationed, in short supply or earned. It is always hanging around but sometimes, it is hidden in plain sight because we do not understand it. So, what is grace?

I think of grace like a valuable coin. There are two sides to grace. It is a word that is often thrown around casually in many Christian circles but I have to wonder, how many people really understand it or access it?

John 1:17 says, “But the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth were given by Jesus Christ.” (NIV)

One side of the coin is defined as, the free and unmerited favor of God on the undeserving or unmerited blessings. Grace is free and it is a gift from God. You cannot earn it. The truth is none of us deserve anything good, therefore, every good thing in our lives is simply a gift of grace. 

James 1:7 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father...”(NIV) 

All that we have in our lives that is good, is from God. That is pretty humbling. As talented as some people are, at the end of the day, the talent comes from God’s favor in their lives. The choice we have, is to partner with God and use our gifts and talents to bless others, or bury them.

The other side of the coin of grace can also be described as power. The desire and power to do what is right or what God tells us to do. There have been times in my life when I knew what I needed to do, however, I just felt like I could not do it. I had the desire, but I felt like I simply did not have it in me to do what was needed at the moment. I underestimated myself and God’s ability to work in me. When I simply said, “God, I need your help and grace,”somehow, His grace showed up and helped me do what I could not do in my own ability.

Recently, I was reading in the book of Jonah and a scripture stood out to me. It says, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.”(NIV) 

When I read it, I had to reread it again and again. What a powerful and pointed scripture!  I had to ask myself, “What am I clinging to that is worthless? Am I forfeiting God’s grace in my life in anyway?”Then, I had to ask myself, “do I have any worthless things I am hanging on to that I need to let go of?” 

Unfortunately, my answer to these questions was yes.

 An idol something that we put before our love for God. It can be a person, relationship or even a spouse, or child. Another idol can be a job or hobby. It can be an addiction, money or a house or car. All of these things are good, but become an idol when we put them before our love and worship of God. An idol is anything that occupies our focus. Often times idols are deceptive. We do not realize something has become an idol until God reveals it to us. Jesus came to give us grace and truth. Ask him to reveal truth to you in any area you are blinded to and show you any idols you may have. 

 “I just do not have grace for that,”was a frequent comment I could be heard saying when I did not want to do something. I do not make that statement anymore. I realized that I always had God’s grace if I asked and wanted to do things His way, instead of mine. 

I recently talked to a young man that was recovering from an alcohol addiction. As he shared his story with me, I told him about the scripture in Jonah. He wholeheartedly agreed that alcohol and drugs were his idol and that he spent too much time forfeiting God’s grace to quit his addiction. 

The word forfeit means, not even showing up to play the game. Forfeit means we do not even try. Are you resisting the grace that could be yours? Are you not even showing up and asking God for His grace?

 II Corinthians 12:9. It says, “My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in your weakness.”(NIV)

 It constantly reminds me that no matter what I face, His grace (power) is all I need. His grace walks with me and is like a shadow, it is always beside me. His grace grows in my weakness; therefore, my weakness is a good thing when I draw on Him.

I Peter 5:5 says, “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”This indicates that we need to humble ourselves instead of trying to do everything in our own strength. 

The next time you are challenged by a circumstance, do not forfeit the grace of God. Show up on His doorstep and ask for his help to lay down your idol. Do not let pride be your idol. I find that people that are not transparent with their lives and cannot admit when they are wrong have pride as an idol. The most freeing words spoken are, “I was wrong.”Too many times people are held captive by the thought that they are a mistake, instead of the fact that they are simply human and made a mistake. Do you need to say the freeing words, “I was wrong?”It does not indicate weakness but strength under control.

God’s grace is waiting for you and me. His power to do what we cannot do ourselves is a tremendous gift. Do not waste the grace of God or forfeit His grace. Look at both sides of the coin of grace and spend it daily. Will you join me on the treasure hunt of discovering His incredible grace? Let me know what you find! I’d love to hear about your discovery.

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Beginning September 2019, at 6:30, she will be leading a Bible study at The Kroc Center called, The Gathering-Bringing God into everyday life. You can register for the event and reach her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.com, and visit her podcast at kathleenmaxwellrambie.podbean.com or her blog at www.theMaxwellminutes.blogspot.com
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Living in the home of the brave

Home of the brave

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

July 2019

Copyright

Back in May, I was listening to the beautiful voice of a woman that was singing the National Anthem at the Kerrville National Day of Prayer. When she came to the last line of the verse, she belted out, “O’re the land of the free and the home of the brave.” 

 As I have thought about those words, I have thanked God for the privilege of living in a place where we can enjoy many freedoms. We are free to worship wherever we want, free to assemble to pray, free to go into business for ourselves, and the list goes on.

I have also focused on the last five words of the verse, “the home of the brave.”

For some reason, those words keep reverberating in my head.

 I asked Siri the meaning of the word brave. As an adjective, it means, “ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage.” As a noun, it means, “people who are ready to face and endure danger or pain.” 

These words accurately describe our country’s military, and I want to say a big thank you to all of you that have served our nation and are currently serving the United States of America. You are brave.

I had to ask myself, “how readyam I on a daily basis to face life’s difficulties with courage and bravery?”  What about you? 

Our nation was founded as, the home of the brave; therefore, we should be comfortable with being brave, just like we are comfortable being at home. We also have a God given right to walk with courage, knowing God is right there with us.

I recently had my own opportunity to be brave. A few weeks ago, I kept my grandchildren so my daughter and son-in-law could attend a wedding. My grandson is five and has Type One Diabetes, which basically means, we have to constantly monitor his blood glucose and give him insulin, as his body does not produce it. Fortunately, there is a devise that is attached to his arm and is linked to a cell phone, so it is easier to monitor and see his numbers.

Mallory and Rob are modern day heroes, as there is much that goes into caring for a child with Type One. I have tried to learn everything I can so I can over the past three years since his diagnoses, so I can keep him at times.

At 5:30 they left for the wedding, I was on duty, and the kids were so excited about their time with Mama Max. We went swimming and were having a great time, when I realized I could not see his blood glucose numbers anymore. The devise read, “sensor error.” 

I tried to call Truett’s parents to see what I should do. They did not answer. I took a deep breathe, quickly said, “Truett, I need to do a finger poke to check your numbers.” I hated sticking his little finger to make it bleed.

“Okay, and then can we get back in the pool?” he replied, in a cheerful voice. 

I pricked his finger to draw blood and manually get his blood glucose level, only to discover, he was 18 points low, which meant I needed to act quickly, to get it back up in the normal range. Again, I tried to call his parents. No answer.

Then, I remembered the words of the National Anthem, “home of the brave.”

“Lord, please help me, I cannot let anything happen to this child on my watch,” I prayed. 

As a teacher, I know children key off the emotions of adults. I had to keep calm and figure this out. I tried to contact his parents again. No answer.

I recalled a scriptures I had recently read,  Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (NIV) 

Ezra 10:4 states, “Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it.”

I could not afford the luxury of panic, I had to be brave.  I was going to have to constantly manually monitor his numbers and make adjustments to keep him in the normal blood glucose range. His numbers kept going low, therefore, monitoring was imperative, as low blood glucose is very dangerous for a Type One and they can go into a coma.

I had turned the TV on to find a kid friendly show. As I was flipping throught the channels, I came upon a sporting event and someone was signing the National Anthem. Again, I heard, “O’re the land of the free and the home of the brave.” God was reminding again about being brave.

 Several hours later, I finally got in touch with my daughter. They were in a location that had no cell service, but my daughter said, “Mom, everything that could have gone wrong did, but I knew you could handle it Mom. I appreciated the peace God gave her and was happy to help she and Rob have a good time.

Truett’s fancy monitoring devise had failed and that required ten finger pokes that evening; however, Max was brave and Truett and Ellis had a fun filled evening.

 I was exhausted by the time my daughter returned, but thankfully, remembering the words, “home of the brave,” kept me steady in a challenging situation.

None of know when we will be thrust into things beyond our control and where others will depend on us to be courageous and brave.

With this month is being our nations 243^rdbirthday, let me encourage you to look at your challenging situation in the face, and be brave, just like those who fought for our freedom. You and I are fortunate to live in a country that is the home of the brave.

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Beginning September 2019, at 6:30, she will be leading a Bible study at The Kroc Center called, The Gathering-Bringing God into everyday life. You can register for the event and reach her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.comor visit her blog at www.theMaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

The Kathleenmaxwellrambie Podcast

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You are much more capable than you think you are

You are much more capable than you think

Kathleen Maxwell-Rambie

Copyright June 2019

“There is no way I can shoot 1,000 shotgun shells in a day,” I told my husband, as we were planning our recent vacation to Argentina. Shooting that many shells sounded painful and I did not think I was that interested in trying to shoot that many birds.

 Going to Argentina dove hunting was on my husband’s bucket list and I was happy to go and practice my shooting. We had planned to go with friends; however, they had to cancel and gave us their trip. It was an incredible blessing and I’m always up for an adventure and a fun adventure with Stephen.

Dove are very prolific in Argentina because they have three hatches a year, and shooting 1,000 shells a day is not uncommon. In Texas, we only have one hatch a year and I have only been hunting six seasons. I can count on two hands the times I have gotten my limit of 15 birds, so shooting 1,000 shells sounded impossible to me.

I was the only woman at our lodge and I was determined to hold my own. The first day we went out, I was in awe of the number of birds and opportunities to shoot. Much to my amazement, that morning, I shot 500 shells and hit 110 birds! Somehow, after lunch and a siesta, I managed to hit more birds that afternoon, totaling 219 birds. Stephen hit 1,011 of 1425 shells. It was a fun filled day.

Thankfully, we fished a few days before we hunted again. We caught Golden Dorado and many other fish I had never seen. You never knew what you were going to pull out of the water and catching Golden Dorado was challenging, as they are an acrobatic fish. 

The second day we hunted, there were 20 mile an hour winds and it was much harder to hit the birds. They were zipping by very fast.  I was proud of the 170 birds I hit and much to my amazement, shot 1,000 shells again. That day was very difficult and a lot of fun. The beauty of the land was captivating and the breeze felt good.  

The last day, I hit my stride and shot 1,500 shells and got 531 birds! I could not believe I shot that many times, much less could hit that many. Stephen, on the other hand, broke the lodge record, shooting 1,500 shells and hitting 1,135. Needless to say, you could find me in the hot tub that evening. 

As I pondered the days of hunting, I felt like God said, “You are much more capable than you think.” I thought of how I underestimated myself, doubted, and never saw myself doing what I did. Then I began to think of that in spiritual terms. I have felt God calling me to step out in some new things, and yet I have struggled and doubted at times.

God has a call on each of our lives. There are things He wants all of us to do for the Kingdom of God, people to touch, pray for, encourage, love, speak to, and bless. How many times do we miss it because we do not think we are capable?

Ephesians 4:1-3 shows us that God has work for each of us.  It states, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (NIV)

Your calling will look different from mine, however, each of our calling has equal value in God’s kingdom work. The key is that we seek to know God and hear what He has for each of us and ask Him to show us how He sees us. 

I think the big key for each of us, is to simply show up and say “yes Lord.” Just like in Argentina, I simply had to show up prepared for the day ahead, and trust Him for the strength and everything that I needed. What is God calling you to that you do not think you are capable of? 

I know God is calling me to some things for His kingdom that I do not feel I can do in my own strength. I know He wants to expand my territory, and yet I wonder if I can do that. 

Ephesians 3:20 says, “²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” (NKJV) 

 

You and I are much more capable than we think. Many have gone before us that have failed numerous times, only to later succeed and make a big difference. Abe Lincoln tried many times at many things, before he became a great president and set a whole group of people free. He simply kept showing up and overcoming the adversity that was before him.

I saw my mom and dad, in the last few years and months of their lives, touch countless caregivers, Hospice workers, and those that provided home health care. They bloomed right where they were planted in their home. Perhaps you are sitting in prison, wondering what you can do for God, He has a purpose for your life and a calling. It might be the person in the cell beside you.

Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Never underestimate your ability. 

I want to encourage you to simply show up and say “yes” to a God that loves you dearly and sees your potential. You do not have to be perfect for Him to use you. The Bible is full of people that God used, that had made mistakes.

I challenge you, just like I feel He is challenging me, to show up and be a willing vessel for Him to use. God is our strength and source of life, and that life is an abundant life.

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Beginning September 2019, at 6:30, she will be leading a Bible study at The Kroc Center called, The Gathering-Bringing God into everyday life. You can register for the event and reach her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.comor visit her blog at www.theMaxwellminutes.blogspot.com

Visit her podcast at www.kathleenmaxwellrambie.podbean.com

Who needs kindness and why should we practice it?

Who need kindness and why should we practice it?

May 2019

Kathleen Msxwell-Rambie

copyright

Stephen and Kathleen

The hot Texas sun was beaming down highlighting the green rows of cotton, corn, and melon that lined the road. I was driving down Highway 90 on my way to Uvalde, Texas thinking of how I love seeing all the fruits and vegetables this part of the country produces. My husband was a farmer for several years in the 80’s and it is always interesting to hear his farming stories. He tells about the long hours each day he invested to produce a good crop and some challenges.

There were years that he made good money and then there was the year he was ready to harvest onions, and the night before the harvest, there was a hail storm that destroyed the entire crop. Then there was the story about the beautiful bell peppers he grew in October that were plump and full of color.  He woke up one morning, and much to his surprise, snow covered his crop and lost every bell pepper.

Growing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is not always easy and takes a lot of hard work and practice. Often times, it is in the difficult soil of life that we have the opportunity to plant the seeds and cultivate them. 

Galatians 5:22 states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such there is no law.” (NIV) Basically, this is saying when you practice these fruits, they will always work for you, not against you. Practicing these always puts you in the winners circle and will benefit not only you, but others.

I have been studying about each fruit, to cultivate them in my own life and see what God says about each one and what He requires of me. Recently, I have been looking at kindness.

What is kindness? Who should we be kind to? What are the benefits of kindness? 

Kindness is the quality of being considerate, friendly and generous, thoughtful and loving. Kindness considers where someone’s heart is and acts accordingly. It is also showing superior qualities of grace. I think we would all have to admit, we like it and it makes us feel valued when others are kind to us, especially when we really do not deserve it. 

I have asked God to open my eyes to His kindness in my life and I am amazed at what I have discovered. Day after day I have seen God’s kindness and it has caused me to have a deeper desire to be kind to others. It has begun to change my heart and made me want to practice kindness to a greater degree on those around me.

Jesus tells us in Luke 6:35 that he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. It is easy to be kind to our friends, but a little more challenging to be kind when others are ungrateful and ugly to us.  I think those are the people that need kindness the most. I have to admit; God has given me the chance to practice kindness recently on some ungrateful and unkind individuals and it has taken every bit of Jesus in me to persevere! The good news is God has helped me and I it is actually getting easier!

There was a situation I was involved in where I was doing a lot of work and had to make some decisions for others. Often times when we step up to the plate to make a difference and do what is right, there will be those who are insecure and oppose us. I encountered this, and the opposition was challenging. I was determined to practice kindness because Jesus is kind. It was not easy, however, over a course of months, the kindness paid off and I saw God work in the situation and totally change the heart of the person that was using so much difficulty.

Proverbs 16:25 says, “kind words cheer up an anxious man.” Just today I was talking to a woman and she was very fearful and anxious. As I spoke kind words to her in a soft voice, I saw her countenance change right before my eyes and she left our meeting with a smile on her face.  Her circumstances have not hanged yet, but I watched kindness cheer her up. 

I Thessalonians 5:15 states, “Make sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” (NIV) That about covers anyone you will encounter each and every day! 

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 11:16 &17, “A kind woman gains respect and a kind man benefits himself.”(NIV) If you want respect, the answer is being kind. We win when we are kind and there is power in our kindness, to change a situation. Kindness makes us a hero.

Baby Vega, one of our grand girls

I still have much to learn about kindness and the rest of the fruit of the Spirit.  I want to challenge you to join me and practice kindness in the days ahead. Sow good seeds of kindness to the difficult people in your life and all others around your home, workplace and community. Ask God to open your eyes to how He is kind to you and let his kindness change your heart. I am now seeing his kindness each day in my life. Most of all, enjoy the wonderful blessings and benefits that being kind will reap in your own life. You will not only bless others but will receive many blessings yourself.

Kathleen is a native of the Hill Country and is a writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping people discover their value and worth. Contact her at kathleenmaxwell1@gmail.comor visit her blog on www.themaxwellminutes.blogspot.com  106,196