The New Life Inc.

Newsletter: Article

The Gift of God Called Grace
Dec. 2000
by Ralph Nault

We have just finished celebrating Thanksgiving and now Christmas is at hand. It is interesting how little attention was given to Thanksgiving and how so much attention is given to Christmas. I wonder if this attention is there because of Jesus Christ or because of other things?

I hope that for all of us it is because of the celebration of Jesus Christ and His Birth.

Do you have a reason for celebrating the birth of Christ?

I have a reason for celebrating The Birth of Christ two times a year. Once at Christmas and again when I asked him to be born in my heart. So as far as I am concerned He has come not only two thousand years ago but more recently in my lifetime He has come again to me in a very special way. I believe for me that the second time was just as important as the first time.

The first time He came He brought blessing for many people. He brought an abundance of grace and forgiveness for those that wanted it. He brought life to the dead. I was one of the dead and He brought me life. He brought gifts to many. It is amazing when you think about how many people have been given gifts because of Jesus and His birth and death in this world. Not only did He give gifts when He walked this earth they have never stopped coming.

Most or maybe all of these gifts were not deserved, they were grace, undeserved favor. I see Gods gift of grace a lot clearer now then I used to. I think that most of us are not very aware of how often Gods grace touches our lives or the lives of our loved ones. I am beginning to think that His grace is touching us constantly not just now and then.

I saw Gods grace this summer when I was digging out my basement. It was manifested in so many different circumstances. In all kinds of needs around me, when I needed the help of people, when I needed equipment and material things.

The other area I saw His grace was in me. He gave me strength to do the work. He gave me the wisdom and knowledge I needed and He encouraged me to press on. All of this was undeserved favor!

As time has gone by I have seen more and more clearly how many times the Lord has given gifts to my children in things other people did for them as well as what He is doing in them, transforming their lives.

Thanksgiving weekend we drove from Florida to Mass. I will never do it again on that weekend. It was raining all the way from Virginia to Mass. The traffic was extra heavy. Many of the cars had families with children. On the interstate highways the cars would come to a stop then they would speed right up to 65 or 70 mph and then come to a sudden stop. This happened time and time again. It seemed like every car in the nation was out on the highways.

The thing that amazed me was that in all that traffic and rain and stopping and going I only saw three cars pulled of the side of the road that had bumped one another.

I know that Gods grace was involved. He was watching over all these people in their cars keeping them safe.

As I look back at my life Gods grace has been showered upon me over and over and most of the time I was not even aware of it. Now I see!

I thank Him for His wonderful gift of grace that has so blessed me and my family all the days of my life and it all started with a wonderful gift from God a little baby born in a manger two thousand years ago.

Maybe the greatest gift we can give this Christmas Season to someone is a little grace!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with this wonderful thing called grace.

Back to Newsletter