ch he can do with you. What happens in our personal struggles and through our sense of weakness is so very beneficial to us in our life of faith. We under­stand—not only with our head but also with our hearts—the power of sin. We see how much of our own plans and purposes are filled with our own big fat egos, and our desire to accomplish our own self-cen­tered will instead of God's good will. Weakness strips us of our egos. Weakness teaches us to give up on ourselves. It really is true to say that, sometimes, God gives us his best gifts when he doesn't seem to be giving us anything at all.

"Because there, right there, we see the power of grace. 'My grace' he says. That is: not some generic grace. Some generalized feeling of mercy that floats down from some sunny sky when all the warm spring breezes blow. This is a located grace: found in Jesus and in him alone. It's the sufficient grace of our strong Lord who walked into the darkness of sin and death. It's the sufficient grace of a Savior who himself was willing to be weak for our sakes. It's the grace of a Savior who surrendered his will to die for love of God and us. It's the grace located at that tree where Jesus became a curse for our sin. It's the grace of his empty tomb where God gives us the heart to believe that we are now God's own dear children, forgiven and well-loved."

Have a blessed day, you people who belong to a loving God!