April's Word

Goodbye March and hello April. March days were very busy and seemed to fly by, but the overall month seemed to drag on.? It is really very confusing to me how that happens. But April is here and well on it's way. The lake has been set free from its ice cover and the sun has made it's appearance and so our hearts are longing for summer to come quickly. I found myself so very thankful for my word "Abide" last month, because I needed that reminder continually.
To be real honest, I have been really struggling with being irritable and short fused this last month. I have found my attitude to be very critical, and well, I'm sure you can get the idea.
This last Friday we had MC. We are doing a series on marriage called "When Marriage and Mercy Collide" from our friends old church in KY. It was the 2nd talk in the series and is proving to make me squirm a bit in my seat. It was then that the Lord started to move my heart in the direction of what He had to say to me. In the talk the Pastor asked the question, "What do you extend most to your spouse? Grace or Law?" Hmmm, I could ask myself the question even better~ "What do I extend to others in general, grace or law?" Oh, it didn't take me long to have an answer for that, being that my attitude has been critical, short fused, and irritable lately.
The pastor talked about being more aware of my own sin than the sin of others, and seeing it as worse, because it is mine. He also talked about how our circumstances are never the cause of our sin, it just reveals what has been in me all along. This was a good reminder and since it was Easter weekend, it made me realize anew the high cost that was paid for me sin.
My word for April, became clear this morning. It is "Grace". I will be focusing on it two-fold this month. 1st, the grace that I have been extended. 2nd Am I extending grace to others as I have been given or expecting others to live by the law?

Grace
"and the grace of our Lord
overflowed for me with faith and love
that are in Christ Jesus.
The saying is
trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners,
of whom I AM FOREMOST.
But I received mercy for this reason,
that in me, as the foremost,
Jesus Christ might
display his perfect patience
as an example to those
who were to believe in him for eternal life.
To the King of ages,
immortal,
invisible,
the only God,
be honor and glory
forever and ever.
Amen"
1 Timothy 1:14-17