BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

2. Receive His grace. "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). is should be a "Mommy" scripture! is word is what we need to take in. It is not in ourselves that we are anointed to be the best mothers in the world. It's by the grace of God. It's up to us to receive what He has offered—or more precisely what He has already bestowed on us. Otherwise, He has given it in vain for no useful purpose. Look at the first mother, Mary (this is a good title for the mother of our King). Luke 1:28 says, "And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!" (e Amplified Bible, Classic Edition). e Lord endued her with the grace she needed before Jesus was ever born! Endued means "invested or endowed" with a quality or ability. Mary had much ahead of her that would be difficult as a mother, but from the beginning she had what she needed to face it all! She wasn't perfect, but she was empowered to be the mother of our Savior. Even though we are not raising the Savior, we are raising sons and daughters of God. at same infusion of abilities and qualities is ours to receive as well. ere is more and more grace. Read what Galatians 5:22-25 (AMPC), says: But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work wh ich His presence w it h in accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, pat ience (a n even temper, forbea ra nce), k ind ness, good ness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self- restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the f lesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.] The fr uit of the spirit is grace revealed. Are these not the things that mothers need the most in dealing with everything that comes with the job? BELIEVE it! RECEIVE it! What's more, pass it along to your children! It's the gift that keeps on giving, both when it's coming out of you and when it's coming out of your family. Second Peter 1:3-5 (New Living Translation), tells us: By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. ese are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Here we see that we have been given everything we need to live a godly life, which is the life He designed for us. Our part is to come to know Him, and then to make every effort to respond to God's promises. at's another way of saying the just shall live by faith; believe you receive; or as Jesus put it, "Have faith in God." 3. Have faith in God. Romans 4:16 tells us, "erefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed." There is a beautiful grace designed for us to walk in every moment, but it can only be received by faith in God's promises. W hen we make a daily commitment to receive His promises by faith, the result is that we come to believe those things are ours! Yes, we have to walk it out day by day. But the more we live this way, the more going back to our old f leshly way of doing things just seems crazy. e Greek word for f lesh means "work." Work versus grace—to me, it's a clear choice! In Romans 11:6 we read: "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." So, I've made my case for t he "Mommy Grace." And happily, it is the same process for "Daddy Grace," "Ministry Grace" or the "Anything-You- Are-Called-to-Be-or-Do Grace." Read 1 Corinthians 15:10 once again: "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." is is who we are. e best mommies in the world, not empowered by our own goodness but by the grace of God that lives BIG within us, reaching out to our children to draw them to Him. With a smile on my face and a laugh in my soul at the good things our Lord has in store for you, I will throw this one in, too. First Samuel 1:18 says, "And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad." Mother, enjoy your world today. It is a gift from the One who loves you. 2 2 : B V O V Make a firm decision to not be led by your emotions.

• Cover