{"id":4203,"date":"2022-11-13T14:43:38","date_gmt":"2022-11-13T21:43:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/?p=4203"},"modified":"2022-11-13T14:43:39","modified_gmt":"2022-11-13T21:43:39","slug":"the-very-foes-who-slay-thee-have-access-to-thy-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2022\/11\/13\/the-very-foes-who-slay-thee-have-access-to-thy-grace\/","title":{"rendered":"The very foes who slay thee have access to thy grace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At church last week, we sang \u201cO Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown\u201d for our sacrament hymn. While we were singing it, the second verse left a vivid impression on my mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

No creature is so lowly,
No sinner so depraved,
But feels thy presence holy
And thru thy love is saved.
Tho craven friends betray thee,
They feel thy love\u2019s embrace;
The very foes who slay thee
Have access to thy grace<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This verse reminded me of Luke 23:34, when Jesus, hanging on the cross, said, \u201cFather, forgive them; for they know not what they do.\u201d And those two things\u2014the second verse of the hymn and this verse from the Gospels\u2014prompted me to ponder this idea of universal grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was left wondering how if anyone can access Jesus\u2019s grace, even his enemies\u2014those particularly who violently persecuted him\u2014and I am someone who wants to be like Jesus, then perhaps showing grace is something I can do better at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps I can show grace for those who are unkind toward me. Perhaps I can be more empathetic and compassionate toward those who try to harm me. Perhaps I can love my enemies, do good to them who hate me, bless them who curse me, and pray for them who despitefully use me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which can be tough to do, given that our first instinct is often to lash out, to take offense, to feel hurt, or to seek revenge. And then our heart becomes hardened and our mind preoccupied with harm toward others. The kindness shown to us propagates the unkindness we now show to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace, I think, can offer us freedom\u2014freedom from anger and retribution. And in the process of extending grace to others, including those who harm us, we can find ourselves on the path to developing the love of Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At church last week, we sang \u201cO Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown\u201d for our sacrament hymn. While we were … Continue reading The very foes who slay thee have access to thy grace<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe very foes who slay thee have access to thy grace<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ourthoughts.ca\/2022\/11\/13\/the-very-foes-who-slay-thee-have-access-to-thy-grace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The very foes who slay thee have access to thy grace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At church last week, we sang \u201cO Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown\u201d for our sacrament hymn. 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