But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. (2 Corinthians 8:7 ESV)
There are so many classes and seminars now days it's hard to keep up with them. You see these at the local college or perhaps they are listed in the newspaper or given through a local church - they are everywhere. People want to learn how to be a better person and how to enhance their skills in music and art and computers, etc. They want to know how to be a better parent, spouse and grandparent - the list could go on and on. Paul the apostle tells us that these are all good things to pursue - but don't forget to excel in this one skill called grace. I am often amazed at how little grace people give to one another. I see the way that they treat others or how they expect them to live their lives. They are demanding and filled with anger and they are critical and overbearing. They have no grace for differences and the nuances that person might be displaying. There is no grace for differences between them and the other person. This passage teaches us that we need to EXCEL in this area of our lives. We need to rememer the grace that God gave us and then to extend it to those around us. We need to give room for short comings and we need to make room for idiocincracies that might be so glaring in others. I look back on my life and am so thankful for God's grace to me with all my quirks and bad habits. He loved my inspite of myself. He has extended His grace to me - even though I don't deserve it. As a result, I try to live my life in such a way that I extend that to those I come in contact. Yes, I fail at this and will fail in the future but it is my desire that I get better and better at this and that if I excel at anything - it will be this thing called grace.
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