What are you thankful for today?Today, I am thankful for the woman who is most important to me.I know, you are probably thinking, “How sappy, Pastor!”But I must say, today I am most thankful for this woman.This beautiful woman!I know all of you know her, but I just have to tell you a little more about her.She’s such a beautiful woman who means so much to me.She brought love into my world from the first time I met her.

You see, before we ever met, I was a pretty ugly guy.I had no self-confidence, personal skills, or ability really to love anyone else.I was a mess.I was someone who never thought I would have a beautiful girl love him.And then she walked into my life.Drop-dead gorgeous, with her beautiful smile.Way out of my league!But for some reason, she didn’t pass me by.For some reason, it didn’t seem to matter to her that I wasn’t much to look at, even quite ugly, or that I didn’t have many likeable personal skills.She flashed those caring eyes at me anyway.She gave me a big smile.And then talked with me all night.It didn’t seem to matter that she could certainly have done better than me.She treated me just as well as she would have treated anyone else.But all I knew was that she was smiling at me, talking to me, and listening to me.It was Beauty and the Beast.I’ll never forget our first dance!

For some reason, it didn’t bother her that I had been mean to her earlier that day, not caring about her or her friends.Just caring about myself, being angry, and taking my frustration out on other people.I was in a pretty ugly place in my life, but that didn’t keep her away from me.She brought her beauty right into my ugly world.Later on I heard that she loved me from the very beginning.And that blows me away!Why would she have done that?What caused that?I guess it’s just a gift in my life that I am thankful for today!

So this woman, this beautiful woman, changed my life.Her willingness to come down a few steps and become part of my life has really made me a new person.Seeing her forgiving, loving personality makes me want to be a better person.Now, I no longer want to be selfish, angry, unforgiving, and hard-to-get-along-with.I no longer want to live the self-centered, godless life I was living before.How could I be so ugly now with such beauty in my life?And this woman has given me hope!A future!A family to be a part of!I just feel that my life now is filled with reasons for thanksgiving – I have so much to be thankful for because of her!

Yes, I am thankful for this woman… But just in case you were confused, I am not talking about Dawn.That’s right, there is another woman I am even more thankful for today!A woman who is nearer and dearer to my heart than even my loving wife!…Her name is Grace.

This woman came into my life and made beauty out of ugly things.I was someone who didn’t deserve anything, but Grace gave me everything!For nothing!She put no conditions on this gift!She didn’t look into my past.She wasn’t bothered by all the skeletons in my closet.She simply loved me in spite of who I was.She brought an unworldly beauty into my ugly life.And now, she makes me want to be a better person!I no longer want to be the kind of person I was before I met her.

There is a song about her that says: “Grace, she takes the blame.She covers the shame.Removes the stain.It could be her name.Grace, it’s the name for a girl.It’s also a thought that changed the world.And when she walks on the street you can hear the strings.Grace finds goodness in everything… What once was hurt, What once was friction, What left a mark, No longer stings.Because Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.”

Mine isn’t the only life that Grace has touched.I am sure you all know her very well.This woman has touched so many lives!One day, her son was very disobedient.He had been late coming home from school, and his parents warned him that he must come home on time.But this afternoon, he arrived later than ever.His father met him at the door and said nothing.At dinner that night, the boy looked at his plate.There was a slice of bread and a glass of water.He looked at his father and mother’s plates, full of meat and potatoes.He then looked at his parents, but they said nothing.The boy was crushed!His mother waited for the full impact to sink in, then she quietly took the boy’s plate and placed it in front of herself.She took her own plate of meat and potatoes, and put it in front of the boy, and smiled at her son.That was what Grace did that night!This beautiful woman has a way of showing us what God is really like!

Another time, she showed up in a courtroom.A night court that served the poorest ward of the city.It was January, 1935, and bitterly cold.The judge faced a tattered old woman who was charged with stealing a loaf of bread.Her family was starving, but this was a really bad neighbourhood, and she really should have been punished to teach people a lesson, and not set a bad precedent.The judge looked at the old woman and said, “I’ve got to punish you.The law makes no exceptions – ten dollars or ten days in jail.”But even as the judge pronounced the sentence, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, saying, “Here is the ten-dollar fine which I now remit for this woman’s fine, and furthermore, I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat.”The bewildered old lady was given $47.50 and set free, but not before the Judge took her and her family out for a huge dinner, and filled their house with groceries.My friends, Grace was there that night, making beauty out of ugly things.Taking the blame. Removing the shame.You will find her in a lot of courtrooms, living rooms, and homes.

Because, a long time ago, Grace showed up at a little hill outside of Jerusalem.There, God had planned to take out the punishment for all of the ugliness, ungodliness, and worldly desires that we have had.God was about to pronounce sentence for our daily, constant disobeying of Him, our rebellion against Him, our selfishness, greed, hatred, and anger.God intended to separate the source of all that ugliness from Him forever!But here is where Grace appeared, and changed the world!Here is where Grace came from God!You see, it wasn’t you and me being put on that cross, that horrible instrument of torture, to be physically and spiritually removed from God’s presence forever!No.It was God’s very own Son.God’s grace, his underserved love, moved Him to take that all out on his Son, so that you and I would be spared.So that you and I would be redeemed, made part of God’s family again, purified and holy!So that we would be beautiful to Him, instead of ugly.Friends, that is what Grace is all about!Grace is Undeserved love.Everything for nothing to those who don’t deserve anything!

Grace saves us all.And then, Grace makes us want to be different people!Grace teaches the believer to say no to godlessness and yes to godliness.Grace keeps alive in our hearts the blessed hope of our Savior’s second appearing.Grace provided redemption through the blood of Christ.Grace adopts you and me as children of God through faith in what Jesus has done for us, so that we might eagerly serve our Savior!What a precious gift, this woman!What a precious gift, God’s grace in Jesus Christ!What are you thankful for today?I am most thankful for the beauty God’s grace has brought into my life!Amen.

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