Sunny&80The Legs (#jammed daily devo day 18)
Posted on January 18, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 18: God’s OK with you.
Today’s verse comes from the Song of Songs, a book written all about the “privileges” of
marriage, if you catch my drift. Listen, if it’s in the Bible it’s important, and the application of grace in this verse is endearing.
“Graceful legs” in this verse describes a curvaceous woman. (NIV Study Bible.) Even in a modern society full of acceptance, every type of body and personality type has a cynical platform that can be Googled. We’ve all been stung by the remarks of the wrong eyes.
God embraces us, not our laziness or our athletic prowess …not our plastic parts or our stretch marks …He loves us. Yes, our bodies are important, but more important is our relationship with Him. That’s what Jesus died for.
God’s endearing grace has no weight limit or mental capacity. It’s not a ticket to sloth-life, or a pass to the Olympics sans the sweat and sacrifice. God’s grace is the hope of total acceptance, without any effort that isn’t already built into our skin. To receive grace is to live beyond a realistic capacity.
Father, Praise You! For we are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:14) Thank you for the encouragement packed into this passage today. We confess we do not always gaze into the mirror and see what You created. Bless our eyes to see beyond what the world sees, and onto Your gracious gift to us through Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What are you most self-conscious about? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Self-embracing,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Creature (#jammed daily devo day 17)
Posted on January 17, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 17: The Fierce Nature of God’s Grace.
“I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, it’s strength and it’s graceful form.” Job 41:12
What’s graceful about a Leviathan?
What IS a Leviathan?
Trading an ice-covered lake for breezy palm trees should have relaxed my sunrise stride, but my pulse quickened nervously with each pass of swampy high grass.
“Oh, yeah,” my Dad chuckled, “A huge crocodile was just removed from that area.”
For the rest of our visit, they all poked fun at my fear of critters, and laughed when I swore I felt eyes looking at me. After two days back in the midwest, the next set of my parents’ visitors posted a picture of a huge crocodile in the swampy grass …
“DAD!!!!!” I called him immediately. “I knew it was watching me!” I vowed never to run in Florida again for the rest of my life. #thecritterfearisREAL
A Leviathan is an ancient Nile crocodile, not graceful like the ballerina we picture gliding across the stage.
I believe what God is trying to illustrate through this awesome creature is that grace is fierce. It’s unstoppable, and adapts to survive in all climates. The ferocity of God’s grace is manifested through His defense of our souls through Jesus’ death on the cross. What may seem harsh on this earth can only be for good, because that’s what He is.
God allowed suffering in Job’s life, but not the snatching of His soul. Job still lived be over a century old. God will bring us through painful trials in this life, unexplainable horror and nonsensical attacks …and by His grace we will land in His arms. Nothing is strong enough to snatch us from the fierce grip of God’s grace.
Father, You are powerful to create a creature like the crocodile, and allow such vast knowledge and understanding to be extracted from what we deem a nuisance. Thank you for the protection your grace provides through our acceptance of Your Son, Jesus, as our Savior. Forgive us for underestimating the ferocity of Your grace. We pray that through Your Son’s authority on this earth, Your fierce grace forever defends us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Have a creature encounter to share? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Different Snowflake (#jammed daily devo day 16)
Posted on January 16, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 16: Honoring Individuality.
God’s extraordinary grace attracts light …and life. Today’s verse is about extending 
kindness to those in need. Perhaps the greatest gift we could ever extend is the evidence of our faith manifested in prayer.
Snowflakes make everything sparkle, especially when the sun comes out. We are very much akin to snowflakes. Though it seems impossible that each and every human being is different, we are.
God’s Word is very clear about taking care of the poor and parentless, but we must not forget to pray about what to give, who to help, and when to do so. The way we’re meant to sparkle is unlocked through a relationship with Him. The “extraordinary grace of God at work” (2Cor4:7) bodes a continuous conversation of prayer.
Have you ever hung out with a crowd that makes you feel like you have to earn your space amongst them? Like, somehow your snowflake landed in on the wrong front lawn …or living room? You didn’t, and we aren’t required to do anything to hang out with God but accept His Son as our Savior. With that, He flings the door open, and we begin to sparkle a little bit brighter each day.
Individuality can be a hard thing to find when we seek it amongst each other; but when we look to the one who built in our quirks, we begin to see the value in who we were created to be by serving those placed within our reach.
Father, Praise You for the fire of grace lit in our hearts. Thank You that we may consult and commiserate with Your compassionate heart through prayer. We confess that we often puzzle over what to do and who we are, instead of looking up to You for peace through Christ Your Son. Bless us to react in prayer and generosity more prevalently. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Prayerfully ask God how He would like You to pay kindness forward today. Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Helping,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Lick Attack (#jammed daily devo #15)
Posted on January 15, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 15 Hug Back.
“It’s a lick attack! It’s a lick attack!” my little girl screeched with glee as her puppy jumped
all over her, licking her face and ears and her sweet little smile. She hugs her puppy back, and I hate to admit this but I know she licks her back, too.
“She’s the kid who’s going to share her ice cream cone with her dog,” my husband said.
Let’s look at today’s verse in a slightly different light:
The apostles paid everything they knew about Christ forward to their followers. But eventually, it was up to their audience to embrace grace and pass it on.
Lauren’s not afraid to hug her puppy back. The licking thing is a little much, but it’s endearing to watch her love on her puppy. I swear that dog smiles. And that’s probably why. She’s loved.
You know that song, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands?”
If you’re loved and you know it, hug back. Give back. Let’s pull others alongside of us and help those who cannot help themselves. Even the ones who can but just don’t want to. Help them, too. Love the people that are difficult to love, because we are loved undeservedly by God.
Father, Praise You for the faithfulness of the apostles for spreading Christ’s love. Thank you that we, too, have heard the message of Christ. We confess that we don’t always appreciate that there are corners of the world that still have not heard, and we pray that You equip us to come alongside those You place in our paths. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Who will you hug today? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Hugs,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Green Sweater (#jammed daily devo day 14)
Posted on January 14, 2017
January #jammed : Grace in Life’s Face
Day 14: Memory Marks.
There are some memories that no fire or flood could ever pluck from my memory. Grams was my favorite person. I picked her for my Catholic School Confirmation sponsor in the 8th Grade because she was my first mentor and best friend. She was never to busy to listen to me, and I have always been a talker.
My Grandma grew up during The Great Depression. She lost her Dad when she was seven, and her mom when she was about twelve. That alone could seal a soul up for a lifetime. I’m pretty sure I remember her saying her siblings were separated. It wasn’t the last calamity she would endure in her life. Yet, through it all, she had a great handle on grace.
She prayed all the time. We prayed together. And that made all the difference.
Grace isn’t about things being perfect and life being pain free. It’s an attitude of gratitude through it all, to the One standing by our side as we travel life. The only One powerful enough to light our smiles and kindle our joy as we weather the seasons of life. The things we suffer and the weaknesses we possess are the very things God uses to perfect our holiness, until the day we hug Him in Heaven. #perspective
Paul really did have a physical weakness. No one is exactly sure what it was, but it was enough to keep Him humbly reliant on God.
Father, Praise You for my Grams, and for this space to honor her memory today. Thank You so much for placing people in our lives that mark us forever …that set an example of joy through Christ. Forgive us for overlooking the importance of our relationships, and bless us to appreciate them while we have the chance. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Who is your Grams …that special person that marked your life? Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Marks,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
Sunny & 80 …by Meg!
Friends with Everyone Tween Study
The Friend Book, available on Amazon.
Contributing Writer at …
Sunny&80 