"Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7).
Grace and peace received and spiritually assimilated in us becomes the grace and peace we bestow upon others.
We do well to often ponder how lavishly our Heavenly Father blesses us with undeserved favor and tranquil relationship with Him despite our too many and frequent failures. The merciful attitude of His heart must become the merciful attitude of our own. "Freely ye have received, freely give" commanded the Lord Jesus of His disciples (Matthew 10:8). No act or attitude of obedience to this command is more important than how we view others, particularly those who have offended us, or whom we find offensive.
The love of the Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of born again believers is a restless thing. It comes to us not as a still pond, but rather as a "well of water springing up into everlasting life," both for ourselves and for others (John 4:14). We know it best not in the receiving, but in the giving - "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35). Indeed, God's greatest gift of love to us is the Christ-enabled capacity of Divine love flowing in and through us to others. Determining to bear the same attitude of grace and peace toward others that God bears toward us goes far in filling our hearts for the purpose of overflow to our world...
"He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
(John 7:36).
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