But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Growing up in a preacher’s home, Julia Johnstone heard the Bible from an early age. After she was saved, she began serving in her church, particularly as a Sunday school teacher. As an adult she served for two decades as head of the missionary society which had been founded by her mother. She wrote several books and Sunday school lessons, but is probably best-remembered today for one of the more than five hundred hymns that she wrote, “Grace Greater than Our Sin”:
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
The resources that we have on our own will never be enough for the challenges of life we face. We will never be able to love enough, give enough, work enough, or know enough to fulfill our calling and purpose. The good news is that we don’t have to do that. In every situation and circumstance God places the power of His grace into the lives of those who humbly seek His help. James wrote, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). The only way to live the abundant, abounding Christian life is to abound in grace. It is only with God’s help that we are able to be victorious.
