grace mixed with faith

These are some of my favorite verses in the NIV, and they translate well into the Message also. So often, we hurt others, or we get hurt, and rather than forgiving, or asking for forgiveness, we go on as if everything is alright. This does no one justice, because that hurt continues inside of us, with all kinds of other hurts, until all of the hurts pile up, and we become overwhelmed. This passage reminds us that we all screw up, yet God totally still wants us to be part of his big plan. and thats awesome--because I know I screw up from time to time, and its good to know that God's grace and love can redeem me! Here are the verses, about how God still calls us to do His work.

I'm so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn't know what I was doing—didn't know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.

Here's a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I'm proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever. 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (The Message)

God--thank you for showing us mercy when we don't deserve it. As we strive to be like you, let your mercy be shown to others. Help us to be patient and respond with your love and strength when others hurt us. We are all failures, and we all screw up and hurt others, and because of your grace, we continue on.
Thank you for giving me such great love and freedom in your love and peace. Let us continue to love, through our hurts, as we heal from woulds we have received, and inflicted. Let your love and light shine through us as we struggle to be like you.