Lessons After Class

         She walked into class that Sunday morning, her shoulders slumped, her face downcast and worried. She didn’t look happy. As we went around the room introducing ourselves, I found out this was her first time at church. Her friend was attending the membership class I was teaching, so this woman came with her to learn about what the church believed.

         It was the start of a month long class on the Six G’s that our church believed. The Six G’s are: Grace, Growing, Gifts, Groups, Giving and Going. As it was week one, we were discussing Grace. God’s Grace.

         I explained the word grace was more than just a pray before meals. Grace was the unmerited favor of God toward people. There was nothing we could do to earn His grace. When I finished the definition, the woman raised her hand with a question. She said, “I don’t understand, my previous church taught that we had to earn God’s grace.”

         We explained how God’s grace is free. The woman looked puzzled, obviously she never heard that before. The main Bible verse for our lesson that week was: Ephesians 2:8

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this not of yourselves,

it is a gift of God.”

         The woman asked if I could stay after class and pray for her. She shared with me why her friend invited her to church that day. They were both school teachers, and this woman was in the middle of a difficult situation. She couldn’t eat or sleep and worried all the time about the work conflict. She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t see a way out of her situation. She looked beaten down, like she was carrying the weight of the world on her. She wanted me to pray that God would fix her situation and help her know what to do.

         I told her I would pray, but first I asked her if she understood what we talked about in class. She said everything I said was new to her, and no, she really didn’t understand. I explained the ABC’s of becoming a Christian. I told her the Bible says we are to:

A. Admit we are a sinner,

B. Believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

C. Commit to following Him and make Jesus the Lord of our lives.

         More than she needed a solution for her work situation, she needed a Savior. She started crying when I told her how much God loved her and wanted to forgive her of all her sins. She had never experienced God’s saving grace. She knew that was what she needed.

         After we prayed together and she asked God to forgive her, she asked Jesus to come into her life and be her Lord and Savior. She prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill her. Now that she had received His free gift of grace, I told her He would never leave her.

         The next Sunday when she walked into church she looked like a different person. I had to look twice to make sure it was her. She was smiling and her face was lit up with joy. She was no longer the worried, burdened woman she was before. I asked if her work situation improved. She said no, her situation was still difficult. She wasn’t sure what happened, but after she prayed she felt she could give her situation to God and He would take care of it. She had peace that either it would work out or she would be okay with the situation.

Her favorite verse is John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, He has overcome the world.”

         She said she always believed in God, but now has a relationship with Him. She doesn’t feel like she needs to try to control everything, instead she trusts God with her situations.

Have you experienced God's amazing grace? If so, how did it change you?

If you would like to read my previous year's series, click here to read about Our Adoption Adventure. Click here to read about Hearing God. If you would like to read other blogs and different topics you can go to Write31days.com.

Day 1:   He Did What?!

 Day 2:  Called Out in Class

Day 3:  Stuck in the Desert

Day 4:  Nicest Guy in Hell

Day 5:  Domino's Delivers More Than Pizza

Day 6:  Mommy, You Need God  - Part 1

Day 7:  Mommy, You Need God - Part 2

Day 8:  Meeting My Messiah

Day 9:   Depression to Joy

Day 10:  Seasons of Change

Day 11:  In the Enemy's Ring

Day 12:  Holding His Hand

Day 13:  Changed

Day 14:  12 Thoughts on Change

Day 15:  A Prodigal Daughter’s Journey

Day 16:  What if God Never Calls?

Day 17:  Never the Same

Day 18:  The C Word

Day 19:  Punk to Pastor

Day 20:  Lessons After Class

Day 21:  Is There Life After Prison?

Day 22:  I Can Handle it On My Own

Day 23:

Day 24:  All Fired Up

Day 25:  All Fired Up - Part 2

Day 26:  All Fired Up - Part 3

Day 27:  When the Father Ran

Day 28:

Day 29:

Day 30:

Day 31: